Norwegian Gem Review
A loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser's review of the NCL Gem
Rating by category
Additional details
My feedback of my cruise on Norwegian Gem.
Booking process:
NCL's cruise search page is 1,000 times better than RCCL's page (which has been experiencing a lot of problems lately). Search options allow you to search for one guest on NCL and most importantly: The price you see is the price you pay. None of this BS pricing games RCCL is famous for. Many of the price options include drink packages, internet, excursions, wifi, dining etc.. I went for the basic "sail away" rate which includes no extra perks. Price for my 10 night cruise was $389 + tax solo occupancy for an inside cabin. I was offered a chance to bid on an upgrade to an inside or a balcony. Many of those who bid got their upgrade. If you book a cruise on their email promotions, I think you get 1 extra point per night.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Inside
Smaller than RCCL cabins but it worked for me. No sofas or arm chairs. I like the cabin bathrooms on NCL much better the RCCL. Space is used very well. One big difference is that the drawers on the NCL were clean. No so on nearly every RCCL ship I have ever been on. One look in a drawer there and you will be able to tell the hair color of the past 20 passengers. Ewwww. Lysol. I have even found a few unwanted "extra’s" in those drawers. I was so grossed out by what I found in one of the drawers of the nightstands on one RCCL ship that I put the entire nightstand out in the hall and asked them to take it away.