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Concerned about recent Gem reviews

lostfancruiser

By lostfancruiser,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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lostfancruiser

lostfancruiser

Posted
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My husband and I recently booked a cruise for December on the Gem. We usually go with Carnival or RCL but for several reasons (price and no cruises on Carnival out of NYC) we booked this cruise. We have been on NCL once before and liked it but many of the reviews I've read are very negative about the Gem-especially regarding service (dining room and bars). I read one review that said something about mandatory vacations for staff and they were told the current staff in August were new and inexperienced. We do not want to cancel the cruise and I usually make my own decisions. Is this just an overabundance of the usual complainers? Some of their issues seem petty (of course not to them). For example, waiting an hour to board did not seem unusual to me. Any input would be appreciated.

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Zippeedee

Zippeedee

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I was on the Gem last week. Every service person I encountered from check-in at the port until I disembarked was friendly, competent and helpful. I had a great cruise. People were commenting on how happy all of the employees were. Go and enjoy!

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KarenR122

KarenR122

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We just got off the Gem a few weeks ago and had fantastic service. Actually the service was the best I had in years. Everyone was friendly, we never waited too long for service at the bars or the dining room and when the bartender in the casino saw me he started pouring my drink and had it ready by the time I got to the bar. Excellent service.

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www3traveler Holiday Sharing Rare

www3traveler

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Keep in mind that very few people who have been on a particular cruise take the time to write or post reviews.

 

Staff changes occur on an almost weekly basis: go on or coming from vacation, coming from another ship within or another company or yes a brand new hire.

 

December is a graet time to cruise. Have fun.

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NYcruzzer

NYcruzzer

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I am Platinum on Carnival and NCL. So I respond with plenty of experiance. On my most recent NCL cruises on the Gem (January and June) the food, service, and entertainment were fantstic. I was worried bar service would be slow with so many passangers taking advantage of the free UBP. Those fears were unfounded. Plenty of friendly bar staff ready to serve. No worries, enjoy your cruise. BTW. NCL's entertainment blows Carnival and Royal out of the water..no pun intended.

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BensonFan711

BensonFan711

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My roommate and I were in the Gem in July. Other than the usual crowded pool grumblings on cc, I found the negatives to be unfounded. We had a wonderful time, had GREAT service (maitre d in the GP stopped by our table every morning at breakfast), and would sail the Gem again. Go with your gut, and remember Cruise CRITIC tends to slant towards the negatives.

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mommyto2girls

mommyto2girls

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The Gem is our favorite ship (as you can see from our cruise history) The staff and crew that are on now are actually leaving for vacation in October. NCL brings their most experienced staff back by December for the start of the holiday season. The Hotel Director and most of the upper staff is never off December- April.

Service on the Gem is always great.

Enjoy your cruise

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vince_g

vince_g

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I'm sailing Gem in 50 days and can't wait! I've seen the reviews, and frankly I don't put much stock in any of them, however there are many more positive ones. I think to a large extent, it's what you make of it, and that's why I'm going. I want to find out for myself. I say you should go for it too.

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Gershep

Gershep

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We were on the Gem in June and had a fantastic time and certainly no service issues. The only complaint I had was disembarking in New York. I am actually a little disappointed that our next cruise is on the Breakaway because it was cheaper than the Gem. We love the Breakaway too but prefer the Gem.

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Letsgo 2

Letsgo 2

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Please don't let these reviews cloud your judgment and spoil your vacation before it even gets started.We love the Gem her crew and staff, never had a service problem and we have sailed with her 3 times and are booked again for next may.

If we didn't like it or had all of these problems that some of these reviews are talking about we would not keep booking the same ship.

We love the ship so much that we don't mind going back to the same Ports.

NC L's private Island is wonderful

 

Have fun and never mind the nay Sayers, they will never be happy no matter what.

Marion

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

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My husband and I recently booked a cruise for December on the Gem. We usually go with Carnival or RCL but for several reasons (price and no cruises on Carnival out of NYC) we booked this cruise. We have been on NCL once before and liked it but many of the reviews I've read are very negative about the Gem-especially regarding service (dining room and bars). I read one review that said something about mandatory vacations for staff and they were told the current staff in August were new and inexperienced. We do not want to cancel the cruise and I usually make my own decisions. Is this just an overabundance of the usual complainers? Some of their issues seem petty (of course not to them). For example, waiting an hour to board did not seem unusual to me. Any input would be appreciated.

 

Did you get your info from reading the review section here? If you did, I can't imagine why you are worried. I just checked the last 6 weeks; yes, 2 people rated the cruise as really bad, but most have given the Gem 4 and 5 stars our of 5, with some 3s as well. Apparently, according to some, the bar service, since the introduction of UBP is slow, which is understandable and some have a problem with MDR taking more than a few minutes to eat. We are on a cruise and expect dinner to take an hour or more. Freestyle dinining can be hit or miss, but that is the case on all lines if you choose open dining. When I see people post about the negatives they have read, it always make me think, they are looking for the clouds instead of the sunshine. I am sure you will have a good time even if you have to wait 5minutes for your next glass of wine. LOL

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lostfancruiser

lostfancruiser

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I am certainly not going to let anything I read influence me or cloud my judgement (which I will make on my own). I always go with a positive attitude and know I will have a good time no matter what! I guess I just wanted to see if the things I read were actually valid or not based. I will have a great time no matter what-as long as there is a beach,a cocktail and a beautiful sunset!

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Travelling2Some

Travelling2Some

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I find myself reading half the reviews for information and at least half of them for comic relief. Some people morph into divas when they board a cruise ship or are just clueless. OMG, what a surprise that it was HOT on an August cruise in the Med and the ship was full of children. How terrible that a mass market kitchen turning out thousands of meals did not cater perfectly to every subtly nuanced dietetic whim, etc. Have a good laugh and then go enjoy your cruise:)

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warpdrve

warpdrve

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Let me start off by saying I'm not very active when it comes to posting on the CC forums, however at times, I feel compelled to do so. Here goes:

  1. Human nature - people will go out of their way to post something negative. The negatives frequently outweigh the positives on public forums.
  2. Words to live by: Even a BAD day on a cruise ship beats a good day at work ! ! !

Having said that, we were on the NCL Gem Dec '14 and I can honestly say it was one of the best cruises we've ever been on. Ship was great, service was great, ports were fantastic. And, we're booked on the NCL Gem again for this coming December.

 

Enjoy the cruise and formulate your own opinions.

 

Edited by warpdrve
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