Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Gem Reviews

This cruise was completely different than our usual cruises as it was to Canada and it surely did not disappoint. The scenery, the ports, the fellow passengers, the ship, the crew were all wonderful.

We enjoyed all ports, staff on ship were nice. The Captain was very visible and engaging. We found the food very mediocre except for the specialty dining. This was our first cruise with Norwegian, compared to other cruises (Holland and Princess) Norwegian's food was not as good, handwashing and cleaning not as high of standard. I noticed many people with colds (including my husband) toward the end of cruise. Ship was older and our room was very cramped.

First cruise on Norwegian and I was impressed by the attractiveness of all the public areas and dining rooms. Happy that there were multiple places to eat without an extra charge.

we didn't get to the panama canal as we were disembarked due to illness

It was great to leave wind chills in the negative & arrive to temps in the 80s Everything was nice & the service was amazing. The food was good…not great as in years past. And there was always something to eat. The entertainment was good with a comedian & magician stealing the show. There were singers & dancers & we loved morning trivia. We only got off at Tortola as we have been many times to the other islands. Definitely got plenty of sun. However we will never use the buss service provided by the cruise line EVER again. It took 90 minutes standing in the diesel fumes. I was definitely sick by the time we got on the bus. Other than that it was a fun trip.

This 9 day cruise had 5 port changes before or during the sail. In the end the advertised Venice stop was the most frustrating. It was originally advertised as Venice, then changed to Triste then to Ravenna. Triste would have only been a 2 hour transport each direction. Ravenna was more than this. The ultimate frustration was that they did not have enough shuttle busses to transport the people who were willing to travel a total of 5 hours to spend a few hours in Venice. People didn't realize they had to sign up for the shuttle busses immediately after the announcement was made...or that those with a NLC excursion booked would have 1st option on the shuttle busses. Those that decided to go into Ravenna were also faced with transportation issues as there were not enough shuttle busses for the people going to Ravenna. We were lined up for almost a block waiting to get a bus back to the ship. This was also an issue when we disembarked. Long lines for the shuttle bus to the train station and long line ups for those who booked a taxi. It was a frustrating mess. People book cruises based on where they are going to visit. 5 changes to the ports in a 9 day tour is pretty poor. I had opted for paying the deposits for a few more cruises on the ship, but requested this be refunded because I was not convinced I would want to do more cruises. Also, I am sensitive to perfumes and hate being forced to walk through the Duty Free area at airports. On this cruise we had to walk through the Duty Free area to get to Midship and the Stern area of the ship everytime we were at a Tender port. If people are going to have to walk through an area, perfume should not be sprayed in that area. Many people are sensitive to artificial scents. The casino is an other area that we would have to walk through, during the day it wasn't bad, but in the evening the cigarette smell was pretty strong. On a positive note. The staff was lovely. The food was terrific in the Grand Pacific and O'Sheehans. We also really enjoyed our meal at The Bistro. The staff at all these restaurants were wonderful. We spent a lot of time in the Spinnaker Lounge, especially during the day when it was a nice quiet place to sit and watch the waves.

I had sooooo much fun on the Norwegian Gem Cruise. I baught more art. I got a gem pinky ring and a steal from the original price. Brought back enough rum to last me till da end of the year. Sorry that we did not make Bermuda but was happy dat da captain was more concerned about our safety than risking an extra stop. Bacon every day. Food was nice. The ship was clean. Just missed the towel animals on my bed. Every crew member was respectful and eager to help. The lady that dispensed the ice cream was one of the best. I have to thank my travel agent for making my arrangements, Patti works magic. Might just visit Bermuda in August.

Not a cruise I would recommend.

was the excellent time, I,m happy to be there

The staff, especially in restaurant & housekeeping areas, were hard working but almost always had a smile!

The crew made this trip of a lifetime perfect and pleasant. The crew was attentive. The facilities were very good. It was wonderful and a perfect experience.

This was one of the smoothest boarding I have had, despite needed to do a Covid test at the pier. I felt confident that NCL had handled all health protocalls very well. The cruise was lovely and the captain and crew did very well in adverse conditions returning (into a strong winter storm) Looking forward to next cruise.

It s a good idea to skip Nassau in this Bahama cruise. It s quite different to visit Charleston instead. The private island has improved a lot too. I was happy with Blazing boots and Chinov brothers. the mentalist lady was terrible.

Given the Covid situation everything went well. A couple of minor issues, but nothing major. The ship was is excellent shape, the food was great and the entertainment very good.

Muy limpio todo, la higiene también Espectacular el trato de los empleados, muy alegres y la comida exquisita

We should have opted for some specialty dining as we got tired of the same food all the time

The Panama canal was very interesting. Unfortunately the ports of call were disappointing. Bonaire & Aruba nt much to see there as very airaid. Best things to do were the snorkeling. Santa Marta not much to see here unless you do a tour. Cartagena - did a tour of the old walled city- very disappointing- lots of vendors in your face and lots of beggars. Costa Rica not much t see here unless you do a tour. Nicaragua not much to see in the port . Guatemala -not a great deal to see here - need to do a tour to see anything. Ixtapa too short a stop to really do anything- not much to see. Puerta Vallarta too short a stay to do much here. Cabo San Lucas was a very short stop over. Los Angeles - not much to see in San Pedro- LA was at least 1 hour away. Santa Barbara was very nice , very clean.

Trip was very nice. All the ship crew were very outstanding and courteous. The food was 50/50. But ween for the trip and all the excursions

The pickup at the airport was not pleasant as we had to wait almost 2 hours to get on the shuttle. Check in was fairly smooth. Cabin was great as it was the only one beside itself. Service in the dining rooms was hit and miss - one day really good, the next slow and the staff seemed to be not concerned about doing a good job. Tendering was a mess as was getting back on the ship from a pier - seemed to take forever and it did. Entertainment was sub-par overall. Food could not be better, lots of choices and good ones.