Norwegian Gem Review 6/14/2024 to 6/21/2024

[SimplyAlbert]

Just back from our cruise on the Norwegian Gem out of Boston, Massachusetts going to Bermuda and Bar Harbor, Maine.  My grading system is:  A = Excellent, B = Good, C = Average, D = Fair, F = Poor.

 

We were a party of 10 from New Hampshire.  4 from the Seacoast area and 6 from the Central area.  The Seacoast area 4 opted to hire a car service for drop off and pick up.  The Central area 6 took the Concord Coach from Concord to South Station and then the Silver Line to the port.  Super easy for everyone getting there and getting home.  A big plus is you can park your car at the Concord bus station for free.  A

 

Embarkation:  There was a long line when we arrived for our time slot (12:30-1:00), but it moved quickly and we were on the ship in a very short period of time.  Because of our later check in time we didn't have to wait to board.  B

 

Unfortunately, once on board is where things fell apart.  Staff was directing everyone up to the Garden Cafe buffet.  The main dining room closed at 1 pm.  It was also raining.  We got up to the buffet and it was simply packed.  There was no where to sit because the people who got there earlier and had finished eating were camped out at the tables/chairs because the outdoor areas were unavailable and rooms weren't ready.  Staff was not encouraging people to find other public areas to wait.  It was a total zoo up there.  One staff member let us know that O'Sheehan's was open so we headed down there.  F

 

We booked an interior cabin for this cruise as the balcony was about $2000 more for the week and since we were traveling with a group of 10 we knew we wouldn't be spending much time in the room.  While small, it was perfectly adequate for 2 people for the week.  I will mention that the placement of the toilet in the bathroom was very odd.  I'm short with short legs and I still had to sit slightly sideways as the wall was so close to the front edge of the toilet.  We rarely saw our cabin steward, but she did a great job.  B

 

Ship:  While an older ship, we thought she looked great!  Everything was clean.  While we don't go looking for it, I didn't see any dirty areas, worn carpet, rust spots, etc.  However, we all found the layout very confusing.  Usually within a day or two of being on a ship we have the layout down.  This trip we were still getting confused at the end of the week.  B

 

Staff:  Everyone we encountered were great.  Always had a smile and greeting for us.  A

 

Bars:  While the ship was full, we didn't wait long for drinks at any bar.  I think the longest we waited was about 5 minutes.  We used the Spinnaker Lounge, Magnums, Sugar Cane, O'Sheehans, Topsiders, and the Atrium.  A

 

Restaurants:  I think this can be a really subjective category.  I will say that none of us are picky eaters and no one had any dietary restrictions.  We ate at the Orchid Garden, Grand Pacific, Magenta, O'Sheehans, and the Garden Cafe.  While there were a couple of really stand out meals, and some things we tried and didn't like, overall we found the food to be good.  We did have an issue one night in Magenta that when brought to the attention of staff, it was very quickly taken care of.  B

 

Specialty Dining:  We used our one specialty dining meal for Le Bistro.  Everyone agreed that their meals were great.  A

 

Entertainment:  This is another subjective category.  The first night we were supposed to have a comedian, but his flight was delayed and he missed the ship.  The four singers ended up doing a "Cabaret" that night.  While the singers were good, the songs (for the most part) were obscure.   We all agreed that it would have been better had they sung songs that everyone knew (C).  The other shows we saw were Blazing Boots, the comedian (twice, once was an all ages show and the other was adults only), and the 70's production show.  B  We missed the Whitney Houston show, but it seems the reviews from others were mixed.  Some thought it was great and others thought it was terrible.

 

Various members from our group participated in trivia, arts & crafts, 80's party, 70's party, glow party, bingo, and watched demonstrations.  Everyone had a good time and there were no negative comments.  One member used the spa and the salon for a haircut (which came out great!) and she was happy with her services.

 

One member of our party was the duck hunter extraordinaire!  I think by the end of the cruise she'd found 11 ducks!

 

On our arrival day in Bermuda (10:00 am) we opted to wait to let the crowds off the ship first and get off a bit later.  This turned out to be a mistake on our part.  We opted to use the bus/ferry system and we just missed the ferry and had to wait over an hour for the next one.  Once we got into Hamilton and up to the bus station we had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus we needed to take to the Crystal Caves.  Our original plan was to do the Crystal Caves and Aquarium/Zoo on Sunday, but we only got the caves in.  The bus/ferry runs on a more limited schedule on the weekends.

 

Day 2 (Monday) turned out to be a national holiday in Bermuda so other than the Dockyard area, a lot of things were closed.  We took an early ferry over to Hamilton, got on a bus and spent the morning/early afternoon at the Aquarium/Zoo/Museum of Natural History.  We had a great time there.  Coming back into Hamilton we only saw one shop that was open.  We had booked a private catamaran excursion for this evening through Restless Native, but unfortunately due to high winds it had to be cancelled.  Ended up at the Frog and Onion Pub for a round of drinks before getting back on board.

 

Day 3 (Tuesday) we stayed in the Dockyard area.  Went over to the fort, toured the museum, and hit the Clocktower Mall for some last minute souvenirs.  We also took a walk down to the Sand Glass Beach which was really interesting to see.

 

Our next port of call was Bar Harbor, Maine.  Because we've all been there multiple times, we all stayed on board and enjoyed a quiet day on the ship.

 

Debarkation:  We opted to self-debark as we wanted to get out of Boston before the Celtics parade started.  On other NCL ships (and other cruise lines) there's a line set up with poles/ropes that meanders you around the ship to the exit and you just get in line.  We were exiting off of Deck 7 and it was pretty much a free for all.  Lots of people just jammed in the hallways and no real "lines" until you got closer to the debarkation area.  Took us about 45 minutes to get off the ship.  F

 

All in all, we had a great time!  Other than the rain the first day of our trip the weather was great.  It was very windy in Bermuda our last two days, but it kept it from being too hot while we were walking around, although we were disappointed that our catamaran trip had to be canceled.  After the cruise we all agreed that for us, the Gem is a one and done trip.  We're glad we went, but we all agreed we prefer a bigger ship with more going on.  We also like waking up in different ports.  If you haven't done this cruise I would encourage you to try it, at least once.

 

 

 

[meglet]

Do you remember what your stand out meals were?

[warb]

Great Report! Had friends on this Cruise.I like your ABC

rating, after making Comments. Haven't been to Bermuda 

since 2016 or so. Always enjoyed going there.

[SimplyAlbert]

On 6/22/2024 at 1:48 PM, meglet said:

Do you remember what your stand out meals were?

Everything at Orchid Garden was fantastic. We ate there twice. I don't eat sushi, but others in our group do and they all said it was excellent.

 

Breakfast in Grand Pacific - Belgian Waffle with banana caramel sauce.

 

Main Dining Room - Fried Flounder (make sure you order sides with it, only come with a few lettuce leaves), Seafood Paella, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and there was a pasta dish with pesto sauce.

 

Buffet - Garlic Shrimp

 

Everyone loved their meals at Le Bistro.  Most of us had the filet, but others had the Dover sole, Lobster Thermidor, and Coq au Vin.