We hadn't had much cruise experience but were happy overall with our 7 day Gem Greek Islands cruise. The 7 day and ports of call were what drew us to this cruise. We decided on a balcony room (deck 9)and were not disappointed. It was definitely the way to go when cruising from one island to the next. Our room was compact but roomy enough. The toilet area was very cramped but the shower, while small was excellent. There was plenty of storage space in the room, under the bed, shelves, drawers, closet and bathroom shelves.

Embarkation: We took a water taxi at 1:30 from our hotel (Antiche Figure..great hotel) which dropped us right at the port where our bags were immediately handled and whisked away to the ship. The check-in process was very smooth and we did not have to wait long before we were called from the terminal to board.

Ship overall: NCL is first rate when it comes to cleanliness. "Washy, washy" hand sanitizer was provided everywhere and the personnel were great. We were very disappointed in the gift shop. They did not have a good selection of t-shirts and they ran out of body lotion before we even sailed. Big negatives: They do not enforce the no-smoking policy or the time limit on vacant lounges at the pool. Very, very annoying. Why have rules if they are not enforced? The European travelers were the worst offenders and didn't think the rules applied to them. We were disappointed that NCL charges extra for everything they can. Other cruise lines do not charge for a behind the scenes ship tour but there was a $55 charge for it on the Gem. Lots of nickle and diming. Entertainment was not particularly good except for the 2 Cirque performers. The Rhythm & Harmony group did a nice Abba set in the Spinnaker Lounge one night. Read more