Norwegian Gem Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We picked this cruise because once in a while we want to go North, rather than South, and Norwegian is our favorite cruise line. We come from New York City and don't have to travel to board either of the NCL ships that call NYC home. Also the price for an inside cabin on this cruise was very reasonable. We made two stops in Canada: Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John, New Brunswick. Then we made two stops in Maine: Bar Harbor and Portland.
Embarkation was very smooth. We dropped our bags at the curb, signed in right away with almost no line ahead of us and got on the ship in a hurry. (We are at the Platinum level with NCL.)
We like the Gem because it's a smaller ship and doesn't entail a great deal of walking. We got an inside cabin as the scenery outside in Canada and Maine in June isn't really spectacular. There was plenty of room inside for all our stuff. The TV, sink, shower, and safe all worked just fine. Our room steward was really great. He always greeted us by name and he kept the room in spotless condition. We were on the 10th floor in a convenient location, between the aft and mid-ship elevators. The room was very quiet at night and we had no trouble sleeping.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Inside
We spent very little time in the cabin. Everything in it worked fine and it was big enough to hold all our stuff. It was quiet and night and we slept well. The steward kept it nice and clean.
Port Reviews
New York (Manhattan)
We live in Brooklyn. The trip in the car was easy with only a little backup at the pier.
Saint John (New Brunswick)
It was very cold with some light rain, so we stayed indoors. We took a cab to the New Brunswick Museum, then walked through the mall to a busy market place, shopping the whole way.
Bar Harbor
We had a great lunch of mussels and lobsters right near the tender pier, then we shopped in the town. The National Park is great but we had been there before. All the stores and restaurants are right near the dock.
Portland (Maine)
Very nice town for walking and shopping. We had some great made in the store ice cream. I got blueberry and maple syrup.
Halifax
We've been to Halifax many times. It was cold when we got there. We visited the Maritime Museum, took the ferry across to Dartmouth and had a nice lunch in the Historic Properties.