Norwegian Gem Review
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Additional details
With every cruise, you have the good with the bad. I've cruised many times before on different lines. My cruise rankings thus far: Disney, Royal, NCL/Carnival (tie). I will not be cruising Norwegian or Carnival again.
-Service. This may be due to the freestyle dining and the fact that you never have the same server twice, but the service is just like any restaurant it would be anywhere. With cruising, i'm used to the service being over the top fun and fantastic. Other than the 'happy happy, washy washy' exuberant hand wash women, I'd say the service was just ok. Bare minimum standard, ok. Some better and some worse than others.
-Ship. This ship is small. For 10 days (originally scheduled for 5 sea days), there is not enough to do. The pools are fun but the deck allows for only a pitiful number of chairs. People were literally on deck at 7 am to claim chairs and I saw multiple arguments regarding whether or not a chair was saved or not.
Cabin Review
Family Penthouse with Balcony
The room was great. There is a huge bedroom and amazing bathroom. If you are thinking of sharing this suite with adults, don't. The 2nd bedroom is much smaller than an inside cabin. No storage. No robes. No special shampoo in the bathroom. I could not understand, even if this room was occupied by children, that this bedroom would not include these minor amenities. Otherwise, the suite was wonderful. Large balcony, and the living area was a great space for the kids to move around without being on top of everyone.
Port Reviews
St. Lucia
We hired a private taxi for the day for $100 and toured the island, banana plantation, and the beaches. Great beach day.
Antigua
We hired a private taxi for $200 total for the full day for 5 people. He toured us around the island, gave us all the highlights, drove us to the best beaches, and then brought us back to the ship.
St. Thomas
We took a taxi to the beach. $8/person each way.
Megans Beach (spelling?) Lovely beach.