I normally cruise Royal Caribbean and I heard good things about Norwegian and wanted to try it sailing out of NYC. The port was easy to get in and out. The cruise was great had a good time except there were a lot of children on this cruise which made it hard to relax on the deck. I booked a mini suite to get some more room and this was a good choice, it even had a coffee machine and bath robes and a lot of storage.The food was excellent but the buffet areas were always crowded and hard to find seating.The specialty restaurants were also excellent especially the steakhouse and the French restaurants. Also great service on the Gem, staff helpful and willing to please especially the waiters and room attendant's. I would most definitely cruise Norwegian again, just at a different port and a different time a year.