Let me start by saying that I love NCL and the Gem is my favorite ship and we did still have a nice time this cruise. We met some amazing people.

I booked this cruise over a year ago after a fantastic experience in the Haven in 2016. for this trip I paid full price for my 2 bedroom courtyard villa. With that being said, I noticed some significant changes in the service on the Gem. I am not one to complain about service since I come from a customer service industry and I know how hard the staff works.. However, you can noticeably see the cut backs that NCL has made in the staff.

In the past when we have gone to specialty restaurants the service has been exceptional. That was the case in La Cucina, but not the case in Cagney's for dinner. Dinner service in Cagney's was extremely slow, slow to the point where we were going to leave without eating. There were very few servers and wait staff. There were also more exceptions to the specialty dining program. You were informed before you order; one soup or starter, one entree and one dessert. and some entrees had an up-charge that were not listed on the menu when I used my platinum certificate in Le Bistro.. Which by the way was not a good meal. Not to be rude, and I did not complain to the server, but I went to the buffet after the meal ended. the escargot was good and so was the dessert.. my entree was not good... Read more