Question about Norwegian Gem...

[wavewatcher47]

Please help...I am confused about many of the reviews I have read recently about this ship. Many people have been reporting negative experiences on Norwegian's Gem (dissatisfaction with the food quality, long wait lines for the dining rooms, boredom and additional expenses brought about by hard sells). Has anyone had any positive experiences on this ship or should I look for another cruise line? :confused:

Your input will be appreciated!

[Anginette]

Surely you noticed the many good reviews along with the bad... why should the bad reviews be given more weight :confused:

 

FWIW, I loved the Gem.

[Happy HALer]

As with any other cruise line, you will find positives and negatives. Go with a positive attitude, ignore the trivial and you will have a great time.

"If you want to be happy, be." - Tolstoy

[JohnIreland]

The Gem is great.

 

I have been on her twice , and wouldn't hesitate in booking a third.

[antsnanny]

Please help...I am confused about many of the reviews I have read recently about this ship. Many people have been reporting negative experiences on Norwegian's Gem (dissatisfaction with the food quality, long wait lines for the dining rooms, boredom and additional expenses brought about by hard sells). Has anyone had any positive experiences on this ship or should I look for another cruise line? :confused:

Your input will be appreciated!

 

We love the Gem! Keep in mind that a lot of the recent reviews were over the holidays when school was out and the ships are packed to the gills. That is the time of year that I would avoid any ship!! Don't get me wrong I love kids but when families of 3 or 4 stay in a balcony or mini suite the ships gets crowded.

I'm sure if you give the ship a try you won't be disappointed at all! We love the "Great Outdoors" deck 12 aft. As far as the main dining room the food is ok, having said that , I haven't had food to rave about in a long time on a ship. The food, however in the specialty restaurants is very good and in some cases outstanding. I know there is an additional cost for the specialty restaurants but I have found the price of the cruise itself on NCL to usually be lower than other lines, at least out of NY or NJ that seems to be the case. Now, don't get me wrong I love most cruise lines, they all have their good and their bad points but I get sick of the same old main dining room food day in and day out. Throw in an Italian or Chinese, Mexican, French etc. meal and it breaks up the monotony.

If you do an advanced search on the Gem, I'm sure you will find lots and lots of good reviews.

Good luck deciding!

[sjbdtz]

The Gem is great.

 

I have been on her twice , and wouldn't hesitate in booking a third.

 

 

We've been on her twice, and are currently booking a 3rd...

[NewCruiser10]

I haven't been on the Gem and also am concerned about the negative reviews. I am wondering what the activities are like on sea days. Does anyone have a copy of the daily schedule of activities?

[garycarla]

Reviews of cruises (ALL OF THEM),like with hotels, will tend to run negative as people upset take more time to complain than people that are happy.

 

With that said, cruises are not what they once were, but we still enjoy them. Read both the regular reviews here, as well as the mini reviews that are posted as messages (you have to scroll back a few weeks to see more of them).

[Music City]

The Gem is hands down the best ship I've ever sailed on.

[NewCruiser10]

The Gem is hands down the best ship I've ever sailed on.

 

Music City - tell me more! What especially did you like about The Gem? Can you compare it to some other cruise lines. This will be my first cruise on NCL. I have been on both Princess and Carnival cruises before.

[Cruiser_SG77]

Music City - tell me more! What especially did you like about The Gem? Can you compare it to some other cruise lines. This will be my first cruise on NCL. I have been on both Princess and Carnival cruises before.

 

 

Same here, my wife and I have done 2 cruises on Princess and 2 on Carnival. We've booked the Gem for end of march out of NYC. We'd love to hear more about the Gem!

[Music City]

We almost never go to the MDRs so the design of the Garden Cafe (The Pearl also has the same layout) was a big plus. It was actually designed by a restaurant professional instead of an architect. Just about every meal we go to the Garden Cafe and then sit in the Great Outdoors.

 

The Gem has a rock climbing wall and a bowling alley if you're into those.

 

It's just a nice ship.

[Music City]

Same here, my wife and I have done 2 cruises on Princess and 2 on Carnival. We've booked the Gem for end of march out of NYC. We'd love to hear more about the Gem!

 

The cabins on NCL ships are smaller than Carnival, but the designs, layouts and decors are always far superior to anything Joe Farcus has ever designed for Carnival.

 

The mini suites are nice, but the overhang of the Garden Cafe over the balconies is a bit annoying. I like the bathroom layout and there are plenty of deep drawers and closet space.

 

http://s158.photobucket.com/albums/t102/CraneLegs/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ20

[HokiePoq]

Please help...I am confused about many of the reviews I have read recently about this ship. Many people have been reporting negative experiences on Norwegian's Gem (dissatisfaction with the food quality, long wait lines for the dining rooms, boredom and additional expenses brought about by hard sells). Has anyone had any positive experiences on this ship or should I look for another cruise line? :confused:

Your input will be appreciated!

 

Didn't write a review but we had a great time in 2010 on the Gem: TA and Greek Isles. Only problem we had was not with NCL or the Gem...entertainment got stranded due to the volcanic eruptions but they made do with who was onboard and it worked out great. One of the best cruises ever! Gem and Jade are at the top of my favorites list.

Enjoy the beautiful Gem!

[blitzjb]

We were on the GEM Christmas week and had a great time. Our experience with folks that complain is that they complain about everything!

[NewCruiser10]

What are some of the activities on sea days?

[Bluewake]

wavewatcher47 -

 

We just returned from our second cruise on the Gem and would book again in a heartbeat. Whether you will like a cruise or not totally depends on what you are looking for and how flexible you are. If someone has certain expectations that, if unmet, will totally destroy their cruise, I'm not sure they will ever find the perfect cruiseline! We have been on a total of 10 cruises on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL. We like the Gem as much, if not more, than most of the other ships we've sailed. My thoughts are as follows:

 

Activities: Okay, as a smaller ship (that term is relative!) it may not have all the amentities of the larger super-liners such as the promenade and ice rinks on RCCL's Freedom or Explorer but all of the basics - and more - are there. The entertainment is pretty much exactly what you'd find on any line. (e.g. bingo, trivia, production shows, comedian and magic shows). And we enjoyed the bowling on the Gem...that's something the other ships don't have. Excursions are okay...just like the other lines. We almost always book private excursions so it doesn't matter.

 

Dining and Food: Frankly, I have mixed feelings about Freestyle dining. Mostly, I love the convenience but on this recent cruise, we were with another family and that meant "group decisions" every night. It almost would have been easier to have a fixed time! However, I do have to say that in my 3 NCL cruises, I've found the dining room food and dinner service on NCL not to be quite up to what we've had on those other lines. But, the difference is isn't that pronounced...at least not enough to matter to us. I've always been able to find something I liked! And, the number of small tables means you get one to yourself, which we do like. I've always suspected that NCL intentionally reduces the quality of the food in the dining room so people are more inclined to use the specialty restaurants...who knows! The buffet on the Gem is pretty similar to any other ship or line...but still haven't fallen in love with the coffee!

 

Hard Sell: Every cruiseline pushes the drinks, the art, and the items from the gift shop. NCL and the Gem is no better or worse.

 

Crew: I've actually found the crew to be more helpful on the Gem than other ships we've sailed. (I have always found Royal Caribbean crew to be the least helpful for some reason).

 

Decor and Layout: We like the decor of the Gem (tend not to like Carnival's look). Probably would remove the TV screen in the atrium if it were my choice but it does sort of turn the atrium into the "family room" of the ship, I suppose. The Gem doesn't have the adults-only solarium that RCCL ships have but the pool area is well maintained. Chair hoggers on alive and well on the Gem...nothing different than any other ship or line!

 

Cabins: The cabins may be a bit smaller than other lines but the bathrooms on the Gem beat those we've had on any other ship...especially the shower.

 

The experiences we've had on the Gem have been very pleasant. You should have a great time.

[Cruiser_SG77]

Thanks everyone for the info! We can't wait to sail the Gem!

[wavewatcher47]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my concerns. There are a total of 9 of us (three families) booking a cruise in August of this year. I'm sure we will have a great time!:)

[NewCruiser10]

Thanks for all of your thoughts. I would still like to hear more about shipboard activities on sea days. Can anyone fill me in?