As I'm sure everyone does, we really looked forward to our cruise to Bermuda on the Norwegian Gem for many months. It was our second cruise, the first one we took was on Carnival and it was wonderful - not one complaint. The food was great, the service was wonderful and the layout of the ship was great.

The Norwegian Gem's layout is like being in a maze. There is no central area, so we spent most of our time trying to locate our friends. Meeting at the middle of the ship by the pool wasn't a good solution since that area is always packed with people. There is very little area for adults only - and trying to find a chair anywhere near the pool was impossible - unless you wake up at 6 am and leave personal items on the chairs to claim them.

The food in the buffet is cafeteria quality - not great and not very fresh at all. The two main dining rooms were no better than cafeterias and the service wasn't friendly or helpful, or even efficient! The staff on Carnival was a million times nicer - in fact they seemed to be having as much fun as we were, while treating us like we were special. Not so on Norwegian. Many of the staff had attitudes. Read more