Gem or Jewel with Kids - Same Amenities?

[travelbug4]

We are considering a cruise to the Bahamas out of NYC on NCL. Our children are 8 and 6 and I had only been looking at the Jewel because of the Nick characters. I just realized that the Gem does the same itinerary. Do both ships have the same pools? Same kid clubs? Is one ship better for and 8 and 6 year old?

 

This will be our first NCL trip. The kids have been on Disney many times (and love the kid's clubs) but I thought we'd try something different.

 

Any thoughts or which ship to pick?

 

Thanks!!!

[CT Cruise Lover]

We just booked a Thanksgiving cruise for November and we were told both ships are the same, except Jewel has the nick characters and Gem does not. This will be our first NCL cruise and I hope we aren't dissapoited. From what I've read here some people have said the nick programs are great and others have said they are a waste of time. Hope someone responds who's been before.

[Kingisacruiser]

We just booked a Thanksgiving cruise for November and we were told both ships are the same, except Jewel has the nick characters and Gem does not. This will be our first NCL cruise and I hope we aren't dissapoited. From what I've read here some people have said the nick programs are great and others have said they are a waste of time. Hope someone responds who's been before.

 

Which ship? I will be cruising NCL for the first time over Thanksgiving with my family which includes 4 kids :eek:. I couldn't decide between the Gem or the Jewel. The only differences I could ascertain was that the Gem was one year younger (but both were refurbished in December 2010); the Gem has a rockclimbing wall and a bowling alley (not sure if the Jewel has a bowling alley); the Jewel was slightly more $ for the same week. So I ended up choosing the Gem because of the rock climbing wall.

 

Then 2 weeks later I realize that the Jewel has the Nick ckaracters and the kids would love it. But I have read that there is not immersion of Nick, like Nick everywhere (just a few things here and there). So I decided to stick with the Gem. I booked last minute and it was hard enough finding rooms on the ship much less next to each other. And unfortunately,a suite that could hold all 6 of us is not in the cards for this cruise.

[CT Cruise Lover]

You are right. There is no rock climbing wall or bowling alley on Jewel but we figured that we wouldn't use either. Maybe we would have used the bowling alley if it weren't in a bar! And the Jewel was only a little bit more not that much. I believe that NCL does a Nick All Access cruise with Nick characters all day all the time, but Jewel does not have that the week we are going, which is fine with us! Just a character breakfast and a few slime shows I think.