Norwegian Gem Review

Wonderful cruise!

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Gem

We had a great time on the Norwegian Gem (June 17th-24th, 2017). We have only taken one other cruise before (last year on RCCL's Anthem of the Seas) so weren't sure if NCL would be able to top it. NCL certainly beat it in price although Anthem offered more activities. Arrived at the NYC pier at 10am and were surprised at how many people had already arrived. Embarkation went pretty smoothly though. Ship is in very good condition. We ate breakfast & lunch each day at the Garden Café Buffet--it was good but the food tended to be lukewarm and not much variety. For dinner, we ate at Cagney's, La Cucina, Teppanyaki, Grand Pacific & Magenta and all meals were excellent. Service was very good. Our 14-year old daughter did not feel like participating in the teen events so can't comment there. As for entertainment, I wasn't crazy about Blazin' Boots or Swing but I'm not a fan of either of those music genres. Enjoyed the hypnotist & magician. Shows were free so can't really complain and they had a different show every night which was better than what Anthem offered. Second City's first show was good but did not purchase tickets for the Mystery Murder Lunch as I heard that it was scripted & not very good. The gym is very nice with excellent treadmills and a fantastic view. The 2 pools are rather small but most are on cruise ships. Did not leave the ship at Port Canaveral. Great Stirrup Cay was absolutely beautiful and we had no problem with the tender boats--very quick both ways. In Nassau, we did not book an excursion so just hopped a cab over to Atlantis to walk around and check it out for a future trip. Unfortunately, you're extremely limited as to where you can walk on the property so not worth spending the $24 (3 people x $4 each return). Returned to the pier area and did some shopping for t-shirts and then lunch at Senor Frogs and then back to ship. Overall, the cruise was a very good value. Can't wait to take my next cruise but just wish there were more cruise ships leaving from NYC so we could avoid having to fly to a port!

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MA

Very nice room. Very comparable to Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas' Junior Suite. It's actually a little better on the Gem because the bathroom is slightly bigger. Plenty of storage. Our cabin steward was very good and prompt with making up our room in the morning and evening.

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