11 year old reviews Gem trip 8/18

This summer I went on my eighth cruise and it was on the Norwegian Gem. I had an amazing time with my family and new friends.

Since I love to eat, the dining selections are what I will talk about first. Some of the restaurants on board are The Grand Pacific, Magenta, Garden Cafe, La Cuccnia, and Le Bistro. My favorite restaurant is The Grand Pacific because both the kid’s menu and adult menu had amazing selections. My family and I ate dinner there four nights of the cruise. Magenta is very similar to the Grand Pacific because it has the same menu, but it is just not as nicely decorated. Since I had the specialty dining package, I got to go to La Cuccnia and Le Bistro. The French one was pretty good, but all they had was meat which I am not the biggest fan of so I had veal with a potato cake. Then the waiter even brought me an extra one. However, the Italian restaurant was horrible because they changed the menu from last year and the service was off. For my appetizer, I got lasagna and it was a little too meaty, then I got caesar salad which was pretty good. For my meal, I had lamb and it was very hard to chew. The worst part was dessert. I ordered the chocolate tart but it did not even taste like chocolate so we went to the Garden Café to get ice cream. Overall, the food at The Garden Café was good, but it always seemed way too crowded. Lastly, Teppenyaki was fun because they cooked in front of you and sang funny songs.

One part I loved about the ship was Splash Academy which is the kids club. I went almost every day and when it closed, my friends and I got to hang out after. Splash Academy is split into four different age groups: guppies is from six months to three years, turtles is from three to five years, seals is from six to nine years, and dolphins is from ten to twelve years. I was a dolphin and this year my parents gave me permission to sign in and out.

Splash Academy does alot of fun stuff every day. When you first get there, all the age groups, except for guppies have free play, which means you can talk, draw, or just play and sometimes the counselors let you play video games on the Wii. Then we separate and do activities by age group. Sometimes the dolphins get to go to the sports deck or the teen club when they aren’t there.

At the end of the cruise, Splash Academy puts on a circus show where you can spin plates, do devil sticks, lasso, balance feathers, and you can even be a clown. The three to five year olds do their own little tiger act too. I was a clown and a lasso person.

The pool deck on the Gem is just okay: the water slides are not good, the kid pool is too small, and I did not really like the main pool because I don’t like swimming in saltwater. On the water slide, if you sit or lay down, you get stuck and you have to scooch down.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience on the Norwegian Gem and would give it 4/5 stars. I hope I can convince my parents to take me on anther cruise next year!

A few comments from Mom - I was interested in how this experience would compare with the Breakaway to Bermuda last year. I discovered I enjoyed the smaller ship because it really had a more "freestyle" feel. I only booked the 3 specialty restaurants in advance and we never had a wait going to dinner in either dining room or a problem getting seats at a show. The pool deck was crowded and I did have to resort to "reserving" seats on my way to the gym in the morning. Loved hanging out with Justin in Magnum's - great sing along, funny, & really got the audience involved. Daughter made great friends at Splash Academy which really made this trip as the ship lacked some of the family attractions like multiple water slides and mini golf. The Gem holds true to it's name for a great cruise experience.

Excellent review, thanks for sharing your experience with us. :D

Thank you for sharing your review! I have 8 and 11 year old daughters that enjoy cruising like you. My parents never took me on cruise. We take them every year now. You are a very lucky kid and be sure to thank mom and dad for doing something for you that most kids never get to do once in their lifetime let alone 8 times already like you. Enjoy amd safe travels!

I'm impressed by your review! Sounds like you had a fun time and gave them some areas in which to improve. I'll keep your thoughts of the Italian restaurant in mind as I consider dining options on the Escape in two weeks. You could also teach some of the adults around here a lesson in spell and grammar checks. Good luck to you and your sister in school this year; hopefully you have a fun cruise to look forward to next summer!

Very nice review,

Thank you very much for taking the time share your thoughts with us.

Great review. I am sure it will be very helpful with families with your age children.

Thanks for your review. I love the Gem.

Thank you for your review. A question for you, what cabin type do you prefer? Your opinion would help to educate myself and probably other cruisers as you have a unique perspective.

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Thanks for your wonderful review. It is very helpful to families with children to hear about the experiences from someone your age. Great job!

Thank you for your review. A question for you, what cabin type do you prefer? Your opinion would help to educate myself and probably other cruisers as you have a unique persective

 

I am usually in the mini suite but I would prefer to be in a penthouse or the Haven. Mom's response - although some might say the mini suite is only a glorified balcony - we enjoy the little bit of extra space and bigger bathroom.

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-written review. I agree with your assessment of the chocolate tart in la Cucina. I think the issue is that it is made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, and therefore the taste is somewhat bitter.