Nervous about the Gem...

[SailAwayMo]

While my husband and I have cruised many times in the past I am beginning to get quite nervouse about the reviews I am reading about the Gem. I am reading the cabins are tiny, we have booked a mini suite and the mini suites we have had in the past were roomy with plenty of storage space. I am also reading the food is not so great and the problem with reservations is terrible.

We are booked for Jan. 09 and I am wondering if maybe I should consider another cruiseline. Please tell me I am over reacting..............

[taxmantoo]

Cruise Critic is a little bit like Trip Advisor in that sense.

 

Just think, if you have travelled a bit, about your most favourite hotel in the world where everything is just so perfect. Then go to Trip Advisor and check it out. You will have comments from people saying the rooms are small, the bathrooms are filthy, the service people are rude, the maid stole their belongings, the elevators were stuffy, on and on...

 

What you read on Cruise Critic, other than that information which is not subjective, should be taken with a grain of salt. For every bad review, you are likely to find an offsetting good one.

 

The Gem is a new ship...not much can go wrong. Go with an open attitude and enjoy yourself.

[orangeh3]

:)

While my husband and I have cruised many times in the past I am beginning to get quite nervouse about the reviews I am reading about the Gem. I am reading the cabins are tiny, we have booked a mini suite and the mini suites we have had in the past were roomy with plenty of storage space. I am also reading the food is not so great and the problem with reservations is terrible.

We are booked for Jan. 09 and I am wondering if maybe I should consider another cruiseline. Please tell me I am over reacting..............

 

You're overreacting! :D Seriously, I have cruised the Gem 3 times now and have another cruise planned for 02/09. She is beautiful, the crew is great and the staff are a very seeable community onboard. Prem, the Hotel Director, does a wonderful job of making sure everything runs smoothly and is a very visable presence onboard. Any problems and they ask that you contact them onboard. Haven't stay in a mini, we have stayed in different suites and an obstructed view cabin and never lack enought space. In some ways we had too much space. The food is subjective as you know, but it is great in my book. As far as reservations go, we didn't have a problem but that may be because we were in a suite.

Get to know the staff and crew. They are an invaluable source of information about how things are run on the ship, including and not limited to reservations.;)

Most of all, enjoy the cruise.

[johnql]

You are definitely overreacting. I very much enjoyed my cruise on the Gem and did not encounter any of the problems that you are worried about. I was in an AF mini suite and felt that it was not in the least bit tiny. There was plenty of storage. The food ranged from good to excellent and I didn't have any problems whatsoever getting reservations to any of the specialty restaurants. In fact, I dined in the specialty restaurants six of the seven nights. Stop worrying and make up your own mind based on your own experience.

[BeachBumMama]

If you plan your trips on what 'other' people say, you'll never go anywhere. No matter whether its a cruise line, a cruise ship, a land based vacation, etc. you're going to find differences in likes and dislikes. The Gem is a brand new ship with lot's to offer.

 

From your signature it looks like you've been on enough cruises to know that they're all not going to be the same, and I can guarantee that any of the cruises you've been on you've probably read, or can read, something bad about them from someone else. Pick your favorite cruise you've been on and research that on these boards, and you'll find many who probably hated it for one reason or another.

 

Relax and plan your vacation.:)

[newmexicoNita]

Cruise Critic is a little bit like Trip Advisor in that sense.

 

Just think, if you have travelled a bit, about your most favourite hotel in the world where everything is just so perfect. Then go to Trip Advisor and check it out. You will have comments from people saying the rooms are small, the bathrooms are filthy, the service people are rude, the maid stole their belongings, the elevators were stuffy, on and on...

 

What you read on Cruise Critic, other than that information which is not subjective, should be taken with a grain of salt. For every bad review, you are likely to find an offsetting good one.

 

The Gem is a new ship...not much can go wrong. Go with an open attitude and enjoy yourself.

And I thought I was the only one that saw it that way. Everytime I have a client that calls and says "I read such and such" on TripAdviser, my heart sinks. It seems these forums brings out the very worst. I think anyone that allows themselves to worry about what they are reading unless it is very justified will look for the bad in everything.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

While my husband and I have cruised many times in the past I am beginning to get quite nervouse about the reviews I am reading about the Gem. I am reading the cabins are tiny, we have booked a mini suite and the mini suites we have had in the past were roomy with plenty of storage space. I am also reading the food is not so great and the problem with reservations is terrible.

We are booked for Jan. 09 and I am wondering if maybe I should consider another cruiseline. Please tell me I am over reacting..............

I have not sailed the Gem, but have sailed others in her class: Are the cabins a little small? Compared to Princess or RCI, no, compared to Carnival or HAL probably, but I have never been on an NCL ship that didn't have plenty of storage space and NCL has the nicest bathrooms of any mass marketed line. Is the food gouret, no and you are not paying for gourmet food, is it good, yes. Remember though food is very subjective. I have had very few meals on NCl ships that have really disappointed me. Reservations? I am not sure what you are talking about? Do you mean for the alternative dining rooms? Only once were we unable to eat someplace we wanted. On the Star last fall we waited until next to the last night and tried to get reservations for the Italian restaurant (a no charge, but reservations required dining room) It was booked up. You don't have to get up at the crack of dawn either. We would visit the reservations counter shortly after breakfast and make them for that night or the next. Did we have to be a little flexable with our times? Yes, but so what? This can happen at home as well.

 

I will say what has already been said, yes, you are really over-reacting. Many, not all, but many of the negative reviews have either been nit picking or were written after holiday breaks when the ship was filled and there were a zillion kids running around.

 

Nita

[electricron]

Please tell me I am over reacting..............

 

Okay, you're over reacting!

[SailAwayMo]

I want to thank you all for your responses and encouragement and yes, I see I WAS OVER REACTING. I have to admit I have read many good reviews as well as the bad and the good ones were very good. So, I WILL be experiencing NCL for the first time in Jan. 09 and now I am sure I will be enjoying every second...........thanks bunches:p :D ;)

[cpdad]

...I have to admit I have read many good reviews as well as the bad and the good ones were very good. So, I WILL be experiencing NCL for the first time in Jan. 09 and now I am sure I will be enjoying every second....

As other posters have pointed out here and in other threads, and on many occasions...read the "subjective" comments with a skeptical eye. Whenever I read "I just hated the ____ restaurant" or even "I simply loved the ___ restaurant" my eyes glaze over and I move on to less subjective points, if any, in the reviews. To me, the glowing reviews have no more credibiilty than the negative ones when it comes to food and service.

 

Whenever I read that a cruiser has had the "world's best (or worst) cabin steward" my only thought is that I am highly unlikely to have that same steward on my cruise. Another example: some reviewers may like the embarkation/disembarkation process, while others distain these procedures for the exact same ship and port. Which one of these experiences will apply to my cruise? I won't know until I embark and disembark.

 

It is a frequent source of amusement to me to read conflicting opinions among various cruisers who all took the same cruise. So, I now read the reviews with the purpose of finding only "objective" information. For example, it has been useful to me to learn here that the main dining room is open for lunch on embarkation day, in spite of what the crew may tell you. There is nothing subjective about that information.

 

Try to keep an open mind and recognize that each cruise line is different - not necessarily better or worse, just different.

[atlantic ocean]

Just got back from Bahamas on the Gem. Don't worry, the ship is beautiful, clean and new. Pool a little small, especially on a nice sunny day. Lots of deck space on upper decks to relax or sunbath. Spend the $75.00 per person for the week and enjoy the spas hot tubs, saunas, steam room, heated lounges and beautiful views off the bow. The food in the buffet was good, not great. The pay for restaurants serve small portions. Had no problem with ordering double or two entrees. Service was slow but tolerable, just plan on going to the 9:30pm shows vs. the 7:30. Give the Gem a chance. I had your feelings before I left, but after cruising for the week most of the minor stuff didn't really matter.