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Gem Review 21-28 October 2007

Nolsie

By Nolsie,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Nolsie

Nolsie

Posted
Posted

Hey everyone, I know there are a lot of people chomping at the bit for news on Norwegian Gem, and I have just completed the official cruise critics review, but I will try and cover off most of it in here as well.

 

My cruise was out of Barcelona on 21st October for 7 nights, and to put it simply, I was blown away.

 

I have been on roughly 6 or 7 other cruises with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O cruises and with NCL before on Norwegian Spirit, so I have a few other ships to compare her with, and I can honestly say that she was possibly the finest vessel I have been lucky enough to have sailed on.

 

We were onboard Gem by aroung 12:30 on the afternoon we were sailing, and the first thing to strike you is the colours. Blues, yellows, turquoise, purples, greens, yellows everywhere. Some people may not like this, but to me I thought it was fantastic - not over the top, just modern and quite chic.

 

I will try and give an overview of my personal favourite areas of the ship, the prices for food and drink, and dining experiences as these seem to be most requested.

 

OK, I will start with the pool area. Plenty of sun loungers around the pool deck, most have thick padded loungers on them, though these aren't available for the sunbeds on the decks overlooking the pool. My advice if you want a day by the pool - get there early, as the padded loungers are extremely comfy, and will be snapped up early on.

 

The ship has 2 swimming pools, both saltwater, and as a nice touch, one is reservered for adults, but on port days, this didn't seem to matter too much. The slide (which I enjoyed myself and I am 33) enters into the main swimming pool.

 

There are also 4 hottubs around the pool, again 2 of which are adult only. Located around the pool area you will find Bali Hai bar, which will serve you drinks, whilst you also have Topsiders bar and grill, where they serve a buffet style dinner during the day, weather permitting.

 

By the sides of the pool, underneath the deck above, are plenty of comfy armchairs, if you need a break from the sun, as well as the poolside casino.

 

I didn't go to any of the big shows, as they are not really my cup of tea, but I did poke my nose into the Stardust Theatre and I have to say it's an impressive venue. If you book any NCL excursions, you will meet in here to receive the information about when to go ashore and which coach you will be on.

 

The atrium of the ship houses the Java cafe which specialises in different types of coffee, the shore excursion desk, the pursers (reception) station, a fragarance shop and the giant TV screen which shows movies, NCL promotions and is where both adults and kids can try the Nintendo Wii games. Hilarious to watch at times, especially when the adults beat the kids.

 

We tried several of the restaurants, both free and pay, and the food and service in all was superb. The free restaurants we tried were the Magenta, The Grand Pacific dining room, La Cucina (Italian), Tequila (Mexican) The Blue Lagoon and The Garden Cafe. La Cucina in particular stood out in terms of food quality, but was more than happy at the varity and quality of food at all of the places. Every meal was served hot, and never did we feel that we were still hungry

 

We also tried Le Bistro for $15 per person but ate at 9:30 PM so we got 2 for 1, and Cagney's at $20 per person. Le Bistro is a fantatsic setting, and the food was worth paying the extra for, but Cagneys was out of this world. It was the best meal I had on the ship - Filet Mignon for the main course - maybe even the best meal I have ever eaten, either ashore or afloat.

 

I am a beer drinker, so tried out a few different varieties, and there was a good choice. Average was around $4-50 plus 15 % service charge, but they did offer a bucket of 6 bottles for $24 which I thought was reasonable. My girlfriend had Martini from time to time, which was around $5 a glass.

 

We did have wine with our Italian meal, and I think that was around $34 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

 

My main entertainment onboard was to be found in Maltings beer and whiskey bar. I was originally enticed into the bar by the 2 flatscreen tvs showing ESPN constantly, but this was then complimented by Kim Doolittle, a female guitar player and vocalist. She was absolutely excellent, even giving me a personal rendition of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville after she had forgot that I had requested it on my final evening.

 

However, there are several other bars around the ship that we tried, with the Star Bar being a nice place to have a quiet drink with Frank Sinatra music playing at a nice easy level. The Spinnaker Lounge is the area where all the lighter entertainment takes place, such as Karaoke, bingo, family games, etc.

 

The Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub is something else though. From it's boudoire style decor with crushed velvet in reds, blacks, oranges, to the four poster bed that you can spread out on, it is an amazing venue. They had arranged a Toga party in there before we went to Civitivecchia which was well attended. Also, check out the shadow dancers on the tv screens, only available after 10:30 PM in the evening - quite saucy. Then of course there are the 4 bowling lanes that are as good as anything you will find on land, although one idiot managed to smash a flat screen tv with a bowling ball that was suspended above one of the lanes.

 

Excursions we took with NCL, and although pricey, I do like the confidence that they will not leave you behind anywhere. We visited Rome, Pompeii and Monaco, leaving out stops in Messina and Livorno, as we had really bad weather. Plus I wanted to spend more time onboard the beautiful ship. All excursions were excellent, and well run, though the restaurant meal in Rome was poor. No choice in what you had to eat, and as I'm not a big fan of Lasagne, went hungry a little. Made up for it onboard the ship though.

 

Disembarkation was smooth - we registered for self-disembarkation the day before the cruise ended, and this was perfect. You kept your luggage with you, and just walked off the ship whenever you were ready. The sooner this option is available across the cruise ship industry the better.

 

Well, that about sums it up, though of course I will be happy to answer any other questions people may have. If you would like to see some of my photos of the ship, then please check out www.myspace.com/paulandmegsie. The photos are in the Gem folder.

 

It's Carnival Valor for me next in January, 2 weeks back to back, so if it's half as good as Gem, I will be happy.

 

Thanks for reading.

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Nolsie

Nolsie

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Tilly527 - thanks for the comments, especially about my dog - she is one of a kind. You are going to have a great time on Gem at Xmas, I'm sure the crew will make that time of year extra special.

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hinkley

hinkley

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Posted

Hi Paul . Great review lovely pictures. My hubby Ken & I (both very active seniors Ex Blackpool. now living in California) are on the Barcelona /Barcelona Nov 21st cruise and staying on for the Tranceatlantic, did I see a Snooker/pool table on the Gem ? .Ken would be made up if there is especially iif he could find another snooker player on board. Thanks for the review.

 

Jean

 

 

Hey everyone, I know there are a lot of people chomping at the bit for news on Norwegian Gem, and I have just completed the official cruise critics review, but I will try and cover off most of it in here as well.

 

My cruise was out of Barcelona on 21st October for 7 nights, and to put it simply, I was blown away.

 

I have been on roughly 6 or 7 other cruises with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O cruises and with NCL before on Norwegian Spirit, so I have a few other ships to compare her with, and I can honestly say that she was possibly the finest vessel I have been lucky enough to have sailed on.

 

We were onboard Gem by aroung 12:30 on the afternoon we were sailing, and the first thing to strike you is the colours. Blues, yellows, turquoise, purples, greens, yellows everywhere. Some people may not like this, but to me I thought it was fantastic - not over the top, just modern and quite chic.

 

I will try and give an overview of my personal favourite areas of the ship, the prices for food and drink, and dining experiences as these seem to be most requested.

 

OK, I will start with the pool area. Plenty of sun loungers around the pool deck, most have thick padded loungers on them, though these aren't available for the sunbeds on the decks overlooking the pool. My advice if you want a day by the pool - get there early, as the padded loungers are extremely comfy, and will be snapped up early on.

 

The ship has 2 swimming pools, both saltwater, and as a nice touch, one is reservered for adults, but on port days, this didn't seem to matter too much. The slide (which I enjoyed myself and I am 33) enters into the main swimming pool.

 

There are also 4 hottubs around the pool, again 2 of which are adult only. Located around the pool area you will find Bali Hai bar, which will serve you drinks, whilst you also have Topsiders bar and grill, where they serve a buffet style dinner during the day, weather permitting.

 

By the sides of the pool, underneath the deck above, are plenty of comfy armchairs, if you need a break from the sun, as well as the poolside casino.

 

I didn't go to any of the big shows, as they are not really my cup of tea, but I did poke my nose into the Stardust Theatre and I have to say it's an impressive venue. If you book any NCL excursions, you will meet in here to receive the information about when to go ashore and which coach you will be on.

 

The atrium of the ship houses the Java cafe which specialises in different types of coffee, the shore excursion desk, the pursers (reception) station, a fragarance shop and the giant TV screen which shows movies, NCL promotions and is where both adults and kids can try the Nintendo Wii games. Hilarious to watch at times, especially when the adults beat the kids.

 

We tried several of the restaurants, both free and pay, and the food and service in all was superb. The free restaurants we tried were the Magenta, The Grand Pacific dining room, La Cucina (Italian), Tequila (Mexican) The Blue Lagoon and The Garden Cafe. La Cucina in particular stood out in terms of food quality, but was more than happy at the varity and quality of food at all of the places. Every meal was served hot, and never did we feel that we were still hungry

 

We also tried Le Bistro for $15 per person but ate at 9:30 PM so we got 2 for 1, and Cagney's at $20 per person. Le Bistro is a fantatsic setting, and the food was worth paying the extra for, but Cagneys was out of this world. It was the best meal I had on the ship - Filet Mignon for the main course - maybe even the best meal I have ever eaten, either ashore or afloat.

 

I am a beer drinker, so tried out a few different varieties, and there was a good choice. Average was around $4-50 plus 15 % service charge, but they did offer a bucket of 6 bottles for $24 which I thought was reasonable. My girlfriend had Martini from time to time, which was around $5 a glass.

 

We did have wine with our Italian meal, and I think that was around $34 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

 

My main entertainment onboard was to be found in Maltings beer and whiskey bar. I was originally enticed into the bar by the 2 flatscreen tvs showing ESPN constantly, but this was then complimented by Kim Doolittle, a female guitar player and vocalist. She was absolutely excellent, even giving me a personal rendition of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville after she had forgot that I had requested it on my final evening.

 

However, there are several other bars around the ship that we tried, with the Star Bar being a nice place to have a quiet drink with Frank Sinatra music playing at a nice easy level. The Spinnaker Lounge is the area where all the lighter entertainment takes place, such as Karaoke, bingo, family games, etc.

 

The Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub is something else though. From it's boudoire style decor with crushed velvet in reds, blacks, oranges, to the four poster bed that you can spread out on, it is an amazing venue. They had arranged a Toga party in there before we went to Civitivecchia which was well attended. Also, check out the shadow dancers on the tv screens, only available after 10:30 PM in the evening - quite saucy. Then of course there are the 4 bowling lanes that are as good as anything you will find on land, although one idiot managed to smash a flat screen tv with a bowling ball that was suspended above one of the lanes.

 

Excursions we took with NCL, and although pricey, I do like the confidence that they will not leave you behind anywhere. We visited Rome, Pompeii and Monaco, leaving out stops in Messina and Livorno, as we had really bad weather. Plus I wanted to spend more time onboard the beautiful ship. All excursions were excellent, and well run, though the restaurant meal in Rome was poor. No choice in what you had to eat, and as I'm not a big fan of Lasagne, went hungry a little. Made up for it onboard the ship though.

 

Disembarkation was smooth - we registered for self-disembarkation the day before the cruise ended, and this was perfect. You kept your luggage with you, and just walked off the ship whenever you were ready. The sooner this option is available across the cruise ship industry the better.

 

Well, that about sums it up, though of course I will be happy to answer any other questions people may have. If you would like to see some of my photos of the ship, then please check out www.myspace.com/paulandmegsie. The photos are in the Gem folder.

 

It's Carnival Valor for me next in January, 2 weeks back to back, so if it's half as good as Gem, I will be happy.

 

Thanks for reading.

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Nolsie

Nolsie

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Hi Jean - well lucky you for moving out to sunny California, hope you haven't been affected by the fires that are raging.

 

Ken will be pleased to know that there is indeed a pool table in Spinnaker's Lounge. No snooker table, but they also have darts and table football in there.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

 

Paul

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hinkley

hinkley

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Hi Paul

The fires were about 15 miles away say Fleetwood to Cleveleys but the smoke & ash was bad, thank you for your concern . Ken is pleased about the pool table . he said the pockets are like buckets compaired to Snooker tables !!! Yes we love California . my email is http://www.margaret_hinkley@yahoo.com .hope to hear from you .

Jean.

Hi Jean - well lucky you for moving out to sunny California, hope you haven't been affected by the fires that are raging.

 

Ken will be pleased to know that there is indeed a pool table in Spinnaker's Lounge. No snooker table, but they also have darts and table football in there.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

 

Paul

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Nolsie

Nolsie

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Hi Coneygal,

 

We actually undertook 3 NCL shore Excursions of the 5 port days we had - the weather put paid to the 2 other days. Our longest and most expensive excursion was for the Rome excursion - Classical City. It cost $169 pp and lasted from between roughly 8:30 AM until around 19:00 when we got back on the ship. There was an awfully lot of walking involved though most of it was on even surfaces, so nothing to strenuous.

 

The second trip we took was to the excavations in Pompeii. There were two options for this, a morning trip and an afternoon trip, both lasting around 4 hours for $79 pp. Again a lot of walking involved, and Pompeii is on a hill so a little more involved than with Rome. However, you are walking over large cobblestones, so the surface can be a little uneven.

 

The third trip was to Monaco and Monte Carlo. Price was $69 pp and lasted around 4 1/2 hours. Nothiong too bad on this trip with two stops - one in the old town where the Palcae of Monaco is situated, and the second drops you just at the Hotel de Paris, where you are free to walk around casino square for an hour or so.

 

I think on NCL's official website you can view all their shore excursions and prices, and it does indicate the level of physical exertion required. Also they do quite a comprehensive overview of their excursions once onboard.

 

Hope this helps.

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H2Otstr

H2Otstr

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Noisie,

Can you give us a review of what happened on your tour here? I know there is a synopsis on NCL's website, but I would like to hear it from you. Were you "Churched Out"? How much free time did you have? Were you able to do any shopping? Diod you have to stay with your group for long periods of time or were you ablew to venture out on your own?

 

Thanks,

Sharon

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H2Otstr

H2Otstr

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Noisie,

Can you give us a review of what happened on your tour here? I know there is a synopsis on NCL's website, but I would like to hear it from you. Were you "Churched Out"? How much free time did you have? Were you able to do any shopping? Diod you have to stay with your group for long periods of time or were you ablew to venture out on your own?

 

Thanks,

Sharon

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Nolsie

Nolsie

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Sharon,

 

I think if we had taken an excursion on all 5 days then, yes, we may have been a little "Churched Out" as you say. However, whilst the excursion to Rome was a long day, we only really got to see the Colisseum, the ruins nearby, the Vatican City and inside of St Peter's Basilica. These were all breathtaking, and I am so glad to have seen them. At the end of the day we were allocated roughly an hour's free time to visit the shops, go for a drink, or whatever else you wanted to do on your own. This was near the Vatican though, and choice was a bit limited.

 

The other two trips we made had about 3/4 of an hours free time after the initial sight seeing had been finished, but as I am not so big on shopping, I spent the time taking photos, and just exploring on my own a little. Monte Carlo is amwazing, as is Pompeii, but the free time you are given in Pompeii is done outside the excavations, but there are several stalls, and a coffee shop/bar type place to look around.

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BuddyD2

BuddyD2

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Hi everyone. I was on the inaugural sailing on the Gem - October 8th from Dover to Barcelona. It was the best cruise I've taken (and I've been on a lot). However, to be honest ... this was our first trip to Europe anyway, so no matter how we got there it would probably be our best.

 

The Gem is a beautiful ship and it was a joy being on one that was brand new. It's still a little "Las Vegas" as most of the moderately-priced ships are (i.e, fuschia and yellow "beds" in the Spinnaker Lounge), but we really enjoyed ourselves. I thought the food was outstanding and didn't go to any of the restaurants with cover charges. I lost my camera the second day, but it was turned in to the reception desk by some very nice fellow passengers. My Kate Spade sunglasses, however, never showed up in Lost and Found after I discovered they were missing.

 

The one thing that was frustrating was the lack of detailed information on the ports. We generally do not like the tour options given by the cruise ships. They are always very overpriced and never seem to go everywhere we want to go. We are the folks that rush out the moment we anchor and are the last passengers on the ship at the end of the day. BUT, we end up seeing everything we want to see on our own without expensive tours. The more you do it on your own, the more you get comfortable with it. And, if WE can do it on our own for our first trip to Europe and with our general lack of experience with public transportation - so can you!

 

For instance, there was one "tour" in Rome (and they did this in Florence, too), which cost $99 per person. It was basically the transportation only. They picked you up at the ship, drove you by bus, I believe, to a corner in ancient Rome, let you off the bus and told you to be back at a certain time. That's it. My husband and I took the train to Rome for about $12 per person. All you had to do was check the train schedule to make sure you were back at the train station at the right time - which is basically the same thing you had to do if you took the tour. I understand with a tour that you won't get left behind, but as long as you are reasonable with how much time it takes you to get back (i.e., don't count on the very last train), you'll be fine. With the ship cards that they use on cruises now, they know if everyone is back and if not, they know exactly who is missing. There were a few people who were late most of the days. The ship didn't leave without them. Again, just be reasonable and don't plan on taking the last train. The second-to-last train will work fine. And, of course, if you miss it ... well, you've got the last train coming in about 15 minutes.

 

Since we aren't "tour" people, we were frustrated that the ship gave out absolutely no information at all to folks who wanted to do it on their own. We had to rely on the memory of some of the staff (i.e., how far is the train station, can we walk or take a cab, etc.) I think the cruise lines are doing their passengers a big disservice by not offering some information. They should understand that they will always get the "tour" folks and there will always be others who opt out. We actually got the best information from the passengers from Britian, many of whom had been to Rome, Florence, etc. many times. When you start off on your own, you quickly find other passengers doing the same thing. We would all huddle together and share information to help each other which was really nice. BUT, none of us got information from the shipl We did take the tour in Monaco because I really didn't know what to do there and it wasn't horribly expensive. That tour was great, and I heard many passengers saying that it was the best tour they took during their cruise AND the least expensive!

 

That's my only gripe about the cruise. I had a wonderful time! We spent 4 days in London afterwards. The weather was fabulous everywhere we went. I'm still going through the digital photos and (unfortunately) doing laundry.

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Guest Anorak33

Guest Anorak33

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I like your touching faith in both the Italian railway system and the ships policy of not sailing until all the passengers are back on board.

Unfortunately I don't share it as I know the ship's record of you being on or off the ship is not always accurate so even if they were inclined to wait for you (unlikely) as you run from the station to the port after catching the last train which is late in the true Italian fashion - they may not know you are still ashore.

Those announcements you hear before departure are often the result of the ships system failing - often the names called are those of people who are on the ship but still recorded as off the ship. Thats why they ask them to go to reception.

Anyway I certainly applaud your policy of living life dangerously, just make sure you take your passports ashore with you. It sounds like you will need them one day.

As far as no info on do it yourself excursions I printed out a load of port info from this site and took it with me - I have never had any useful similar info provided by any ship - why would they when they need to sell excursions to make a profit? Its not fair to castigate Gem for this.

Still doing laundry ? - there were free laundromats on the ship. You had only to provide washing powder or buy it for $1 on board. They were fast as well.

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BuddyD2

BuddyD2

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Well, just so everyone understands, the laundry comment was a joke. For those who have booked cruises on the Gem, you will find laundromats on three decks. I used the laundromats twice and I recall that they are on decks 5, 9, and 10, Starboard side.

 

I think cruise lines make a lot of profit off the sale of wine and liquor alone. I doubt they need most of the guests to buy a tour in order to turn a profit.

 

I didn't think my one comment was so severe to be described as castigating the ship. I had a very enjoyable time on the Gem and know that most guests will, too.

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