Norwegian Gem March 15-22

[Phoenix cruiser]

We sailed on the Norwegian Gem out of new York on March 15. To put this review in perspective, my wife and I are in our late 50s. We have sailed on everything from Carnival when we were much younger to Celebrity, Oceania and Cunard, so we have a fair basis of comparison. Our primary objective of this cruise was to relax after a very hectic last 6 months, so the ports were not our primary concern. Therefore, if you are looking for information in any detail on the destinations, I would search elsewhere.

Embarkation: We arrived around 11:45 after taking the train from Delaware. We had one previous NCL cruise under our belt so we were directed to the Latitudes line. Since we were in a mini-suite I had thought we would go to the suites line, but I guess a mini-suite doesn’t count. I offer that tidbit only to instruct others, as our total wait in line was less than 5 minutes. They started boarding around 12:45 and we were on shortly after that. We strolled around a bit, made reservations for the next night at the Orchid Garden specialty restaurant and then went to the Grand Pacific (main dining room) for lunch. At embarkation they said our rooms would be ready after 2:00, but we went up to our cabin at around 1:45. They were nearly done but still had the bathroom left to clean. Our steward came by to apologize when he saw we were there, and by 2:15 the job was complete.

Crew and Staff: Other than the Queen Mary 2, where we were upgraded to a Queen’s level suite with a butler and private dining facility, the friendliness and efficiency of the entire crew has never been better. There were innumerable instances of staff going out of their way to help us even before we asked. As one example, another post mentioned how crowded the buffet (The Garden Café) can get as far as finding a table. The first time we walked around, one of the crew directed us to the Italian restaurant which is only open at dinner time and served as an overflow seating area. After that we used it nearly every time for breakfast and lunch. I also had several opportunities to talk one on one to the Master Captain and Hotel Director just because they were walking around the ship.

Dining: There are plenty of full service restaurants and buffets and ample number of different bars. I found the use of buzzers as are used on many land based restaurants during peak times at the Grand Pacific and Magenta very helpful, since the buzzers work anywhere on the ship. A few times we got our buzzer and then went to the Atrium to listen to music while we waited. Beats standing around! The tables were always ready on or before the stated wait time. The food was good, comparable to all but the high end cruise lines. The buffet was well planned for breakfast and lunch (did not use it for dinner) in that there were 2 or 3 duplicate stations for the popular items and the variety went from Italian to Indian and multiple American fares. Only one complaint, room service menu is Spartan to the say least, only used it twice for continental breakfast.

Facilities: The ship is reasonably well laid out. As one other person wrote, there is definitely a penchant for couches and beds in the strangest places and the décor (in keeping with the name Gem) is full of bright and clashing colors. However, we did not pick this cruise based on interior design. The library is small but serviceable, the pool and hot tubs were sufficient, there are loads of activity areas such as shuffleboard, rock climbing wall, bowling alley, golf practice area, jogging path and walking area. As is typical of we spoiled Americans, the only issue is deck chairs because people invariably throw their towel down on one early and return hours later. Other than hiring a staff of people with stop watches, I don’t think any cruise line has figured out how to eliminate this problem. My wife and I saw this not just from the spring break crowd but from supposedly mature adults.

Entertainment: If you go on a cruise line like NCL and expect Broadway class entertainment, you will probably be disappointed. We thought the nightly feature performances were almost uniformly enjoyable and the production shows were at least up to good regional theater quality. The highlight was the troupe from Second City in Chicago, a real treat. The lounge entertainment was generally good, including pianists, guitar and vocal acts. Our only complaint was not enough dancing aimed at us “seniors” but after all it was a spring break cruise. One other small complaint, the TV selection was far and away the worst of any cruise we have ever been on. Other than the ship’s many channels advertising the shops, shore excursions, etc. the TV selection was CNN, Fox News, ESPN, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Channel and TNT. Through most of the cruise TNT and the Cartoon Channel were either off or not working properly.

Ports: At Port Canaveral we rented a car and drove to Cocoa Village. Rental car shuttles pick you up right at the pier. The ship had to skip the private island due to rough seas prohibiting tendering. One thing NCL does not control is the weather. We headed to Nassau early for an extra ½ day there. The next day we took the Atlantis Beach Break shore excursion. Generally we avoid the cruise line’s shore excursions like the plague if we can help it, but in the interest of letting someone else plan for a change we gave it a try. Things started out very rocky in that we were old told to stand on the pier by the ship but nobody was around to tell us what to expect. Eventually we were led to a ferry that took us to the pier by Atlantis where we again waited without instruction until we were led over to the resort. Once there, we had to fend for ourselves to get beach chairs. We did end up having a great time, but overall it was very disorganized. I know these things are usually subcontracted out, but you would think if they did this week after week they could fix these bugs.

Disembarkation: We took advantage of the express walk off which lets you disembark any time if you carry off your own luggage. Irt worked like a char and allowed us to catch an earlier train home.

If you want to e-mail me with any specific questions send me a note at azboeing@yahoo.com.

[scopewest]

Thank you for posting, I appreciate the info as I also sail "for the ship" and not the ports.

[BeachBumMama]

Glad you enjoyed yourself, welcome back.:)

[missty]

Great review. I am glad you posted about the "ship" as we aren't sailing all the ports that have been posted about laterly. I am waiting patiently for the Med. Cruise reviews to be psoted! lol

 

We just got an "upsale" for a mini suite from a balcony. Can you tell me what was included with a mini suite? And what 2.0 stuff was already inplace? I am sure it will be all in place by my May 25th cruise.

Thanks.

missty

[snorklinbarb]

Thanks for the excellent review. Something to look forward to with freestyle 2.0 is the "expanded room service menu."

 

We also notice and appreciate all the senior staff who walk around and talk to guests. Keeps the crew on its toes and things running smoothly.:D

 

How did you like Orchid Garden?

[kingtns]

we were on that sailing too...although we had an amazing time IMO NCL doesn't hold a candle to RCI or Celebrity...the crew just does what they need to do to run a ship but they are so blah...no games by the pool...Julie just let's you know what's going on with absolutely no personality...really no rules in the kids camp, worked out for us as our friends son who is 11 wanted to hang with my daughter who is 8, knowing his age they didn't care, but we found him wondering the ship crying, somehow they let him out without being signed out & NEVER checked ID when signing our kids out, we even tested them sending the husbands to sign them out & they never steped foot in there...my sister went to sign out her 2yr. old & they said "O we know you, your Brandon's mom, she said no & they said your Dylan's mom, she said no I'm Tyler's mom, do you want my ID...they responded no, we know you!!

The newlywed game was sooooo lame, I'm used to an upbeat crew that knows how to tickle your funny bone.

Freestyle...where what you want where you want, that's bull, we were nicely dressed & sent back to our rooms to change...but I still had an amazing time due to I love cruises, new ships & great friends to party with!!

[brovol]

thanks for the review. we are jumping on the gem saturday. it looks like you ran out of blue ink half way through your review.

[Phoenix cruiser]

For missty: The mini-suite gets you a little more room and a curtain between the bed and the couch/TV area as a divider. Worked nicely as I rise earlier than my wife and could read without disturbing her. Other than that it appears to be about the same as a normal balcony cabin.

 

For snorklin'barb: We enjoyed the Orchid Garden very much. The cover charge is $15 per person. The food was good and the service was excellent. The only complaint is that the menu is somewhat limited, which is true of all the specialty restaurants we looked at. I guess that is understandable since they have to stock everything in New York for the entire cruise.

 

For brovol: How did the change in font color happen? Ask Bill Gates, not me :D

 

For kingtns: Not really an answer but an observation. Each cruise line is different and of course each cruiser is different, and obviously we had different expectations and likes. The wife and I do not look for the "fun ship" atmosphere and a sedate cruise director suits us well. We would probably be at home on Holland America but abhor Carnival. Others sail nothing else. Glad we both had a great time, and I am sure our expectation for our next cruise on Celebrity in July will be different from what we wanted out of NCL!

[kingtns]

very true...enjoy your cruise in July...I'm looking for 1 in August. A few years ago I sailed Centurys Galaxy & Century & had equal amazing experiences!!!!