Norwegian Gem Review
Too many little things add up to a good, but not great, cruise
Rating by category
Additional details
When my sister and mother suggested a holiday cruise I said fine, as long as it leaves from New York because I didn't want to chance flying at that time of year when weather can be unpredictable, and I was right as there was a terrible rain storm the night before. My sister kept telling me I would love NCL as her previous experience on a cruise to Europe was fantastic. For the previous cruise she had been in the Haven, but what a few years and a different class of cabin makes. This time around, my mother and sister had a family balcony and I had a picture window.
Ship
The ship is showing its age. Rust spots and peelings all over the balcony and other small signs of wear and tear. Overall not bad, and it was decorated very nicely for the holidays, including a very large gingerbread village display in the Atrium and many Christmas trees everywhere. The adult pool, family pool and hot tubs are all on the same deck next to each other and there is no retractable roof. Some parts have a strange layout and the signage doesn't help, more on that later.
Cabin Review
Oceanview Picture Window
The one thing that was great.. Cabin was excellent. I was by myself with the bed as a king bed, and only issue was that there was very little room on either side of the bed, especially on the side where the furniture was. Not a real problem to me though. The steward, Alan, was great, the cabin was kept very clean. The bathroom is small but fine overall. Plenty of drawer space, closet space and shelf space.
Port Reviews
Barbados
This was short but worth it. You go down in a submarine and see all the wonders at the bottom. The guide was really good, he was quite informative.
Barbados
We took a taxi down to the beach. For $25 US per person we got beach access, lounge chairs, towels, lunch and use of the bathroom and changing room. I was the only one who went in the water and I really liked it.