I originally chose this cruise because it was the only cruise out of NY that went to the Bahamas during the time period I was looking for. I was hesitant to cruise from NY to the Bahamas, as I worried about rough waters. The entire cruise was smooth sailing! We were on the ship by noon on embarkment day and eating at O'Sheehan's soon after. The staff throughout the ship were friendly and helpful. We ate at both main dining rooms (Magenta and Grand Pacific) and they were wonderful. We also tried Cagney's, La Cucina,and Tepenyaki....all were delicious and we experienced excellent service. We went to the main entertainment just about every night. My entire family ( including kids ages 13-21) enjoyed all of the shows. There was always something for all of us to do. We were in 3 separate Family Oceanview Rooms. The window was very large which made the room seem a bit bigger. For the ports, we took a shuttle to Cocoa Beach just to walk around and explore a bit. Great Stirrup Cay was very relaxing and beautiful. We went over to Blue Lagoon Island for a Dolphin Encounter in Nassau. That was the best stop. I highly recommend that place for families. There is so much to do. Disembarkment was the easiest I have ever experienced. You could get off the ship immediately, if you chose or stay for breakfast and hang out a bit, as we did. Overall, I would highly recommend the Norwegian Gem.