I traveled this time with my teen-age daughter and my husband. This was our 4th NCL cruise together. Previous sailings have been on the Dawn, The Crown (our favorite) and the Spirit. I found the Gem to be the most attractive of the 4. The color scheme is jewel tones. Yellows, greens, purples,reds, blues... Bright but inviting. There is a stunning glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly adorning the stair case in the Atrium, as well as a 2 story video screen on the forward wall that plays tranquil scenes most of the day. We watched Sunday football and the World Series on this screen and even played Wii on it one afternoon at sea. The Java Cafe is located opposite the staircase and makes a nice central meeting place. There is ample seating of assorted shapes, sizes and colors in the atrium and we found it to be occupied most of the day and into the evening rather than being a showplace to simply walk through and admire. This made the ship feel more welcoming.

Our stateroom was a B2 family balcony. Our cabin steward Ronald was fabulous! He knew our names from the moment he met us and used them when speaking with us in a friendly yet respectful manner. Our cabin was always clean and he worked so quickly, we never returned to find that our request for making up or turning down the room had not been met. We found plenty of room for all of our things on shelves, and in drawers and the closet. The over the door shoe bag was a tremendous idea I picked up off this site and I would highly recommend bringing one with you. We placed the water bottles, coffee mugs, sunscreen, souvenir glasses and all those little things you want handy, but don't have counter space for in it. The balcony was spacious enough for two chairs and a table and is great for adding a little extra living space to the cabin. The split bathroom is a good Idea, in theory, but unless you are under 5 feet tall, there is really no leg room in the toilet area if you close the sliding door. The bed was extremely uncomfortable which was unfortunate because the bedding was so plush. The comforter was thick and fluffy, there was an abundance of fluffy pillows and the sheets were soft. I wanted to climb in at the end of the day and sleep late, but I felt as if I were sleeping on a kitchen table with a yoga mat on it. Didn't sleep, and got up early just to be out of pain :(

It didn't ruin the cruise though...! Read more