"There was no entertainment at all on the Sun deck/ pool area for the 14 days.3 days into the cruise it was changed to 6 consecutive days at sea...."Read More
I've been on 20+ cruises and this is my 7th NCL cruise to Bermuda. So many of the fun aspects of cruising have disappeared in NCL's most recent exercise in corporate greed. I think it's time for me to take a break from NCL. So many passengers I spoke with informed me that Royal Caribbean and even the newer Carnival ships are a much better experience than this NCL Gem cruise.
* First of all, ...
We especially love the Gem for the outstanding crew and staff, this is our second trip to Bermuda on the Gem. What a friendly group who gave outstanding service at all times. Our first time was before the pandemic.
We were in a Club Balcony and we very happy to see it had not been totally updated, the changes to this type of cabin on Pearl was terrible, (closet hard to open, doors ...
Well I am Sapphire level on NCL. I have also cruised with many other lines but because of my level I typically pick NCL. This is the very first time in over 45 cruises in total that we did a suite. We had a forward facing balcony suite. The room was amazing until we read the sign “balcony only available when in port” and the other sign “curtains must be closed at night”.
None of this was ...
Having sailed NCL several times before and reading reviews of the Gem, I looked forward to another enjoyable cruise. Sadly, we were disappointed.
The ship is very well maintained. The staff, excellent (except some non-helpful Shore Exc. staff). The majority of the public areas and venues are very nice. Our favorites where the Great Outdoors and the Spinnaker Lounge.
Food...let's just ...
It has been a LONG time since we have been on NCL and it will just as long before we return. While the Gem itself is a nicely appointed in the common areas and the main dining room was quite nice, service support outside of the room attendant who was excellent was hit and miss. Some of the wait staff in both the main dining areas and specialty were quite good and others acted like newbies which ...
We sailed on the NCL Gem from 2/16-2/19. It was just hubby and I, we’re experienced cruisers with NCL and Royal Caribbean. For starters, I love the size of the Gem. I have been on the Getaway few years ago which at the time was one of the biggest, and since then only sailed on medium-sized ships.
THE POSITIVES FIRST
The Embarkation process - we embarked in Miami, and it was a breeze. ...
The staff were friendly and helpful. For the most part, waiters were attentive, but the food left a lot to be desired. I’m not a picky eater, but I had trouble finding one entree that appealed to me each evening in the main dining room. The best dessert was usually the sherbet or ice cream choice. I got food poisoning the third day of the cruise as did another guest I talked to. Since the food is ...
The good to great-staff and food in Moderna and Cagney’s for Exclusive breakfast/lunch! Our cabin steward and butler were amazing as we had a Club Penthouse Cabin. Our concierge was amazing!
The Panama Canal Lock viewing was fantastic from our forward balcony. The rockiness of a forward facing balcony however, on the first night was a bit terrifying and sea rockiness does not usually bother me. ...
This was a celebratory cruise for my 60th. A once in a lifetime to be totally ruined.
Main restaurants had same menu in both for all 11 nights. Waiting time was over 30 minutes. The food was raw and had to be sent back. By now husband had finished his meal. Finally arrived and there was more fat on the meat than meat.
The total disorganisation of getting people off the ship in ...
We had the best time on our Panama Cruise on the NCL Gem. The staff are reallly the gems of this ship! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. You really had the feeling they all just wanted you to be happy and have a good time! The ship itself feels cozy and warm. It's beautiful and has so much entertainment. We had wonderful musical acts, magicians, comedians. Entertainment on this ship is so ...