Just back from GEM Cruise

[Lostinthe50s]

We got back yesterday from cruising on the GEM for 10 day. There was new carpeting in the spinnaker and bliss lounges and the atrium has been done over/ The ship looked great. Food in the main dining room was very good with 2 nights having prime Rib as the signature dish. We always found something that we liked.

 

We never waited longer than 10 minutes for a table in the grand pacific dining room. The one time there was a wait longer than that they gave our party a coupon good for a glass of wine at the bar.

We loved La Bistro and the whole experience, Service, ambiance and food. It was our best meal on the cruise. We ordered the filet mignon which was excellant and the creamed mushroom soup which was also fantastic. One of our dinner mates had no problem of getting a second order of escargot. We did not care for the Italian restaurant as we did la bistro.

 

Our friends had gone on a tour in Tortola that they had felt was very overpriced for what they experienced . They wrote in the comments about it and the ship gave them a $25.00 onboard credit as compensation.

 

The shows were pretty much the same as our cruise 2 years ago aboard the Gem. We enjoyed 2nd city and the comedian but the others were so-so. We enjoyed going to Spinnakars lounge most nights as they had some kind of band or activity. The gutar player/singer Pedro was very good .

 

We never had a hard time finding seats near the pool as we are not much for the sun and didn't really use the pools. We enjoyed eating many breakfasts and lunches at the great Outdoors in the back of the ship. We would also go there after a show for coffee and quiet space.

 

We never found the bars crazy as some had mentioned because of the OBBP.

Our cabin steward was fantastic and we gave him a very nice tip. He was always there with a smile and was just great.

 

The only real negative experience was the embarkation,it was like a cattle call getting off the ship and out to the street. The walk to the street was very long and we couldn't find a porter to help with the luggage. Lucky it was very warm so waiting for our car service wasnt that bad.

 

Would we cruise with them again? In a heartbeat. Would love them to add other ports to the itinerary with fewer sea days.

 

Any questions,please ask.

[Carol++]

Thank you so much for your review.

[hypercafe]

Glad you had a nice trip, thanks for the review.

[dshefter]

Excellent write-up. We sail on the GEM next month. What tour did your friends do in Tortola. We are going to The Baths.

[destaw7182]

Is the port in Tortola still under renovation?

[mizLORInj]

We were on Breakaway yesterday and saw the beautiful Gem coming into port early in the morning. I got some great pics of it!

 

I love the GEM!

[MikeyB]

I was on the same cruise as Lost in the 50's. I agree with most of what was written.

Only did the speciality restaurants and enjoyed them all. Ask for Edin in Le Bistro. He is Eastern European. Tall and good looking. Remember when the staff was Eastern European?

Also when in Spinnakers, see if Ceasar or Arnold are there. Great at their jobs. After giving a small tip, I was part of the family.

And disembarkation was horrible.

[IrieBajan54]

I was on the Gem the cruise before yours. I really enjoyed it too. I tried 4 of the specialty restaurants and preferred Cagney's. Loved it so much, I went twice and ordered the 18 oz rib-eye both times.:D

Edited December 15, 2015 by IrieBajan54

[durberville]

I was on the same cruise as OP. First time on Norwegian...found the food in the main dining rooms pretty good - had prime rib on the last night and hubby asked for a larger piece and received a honkin' big slice (of course I was mortified but he really enjoyed it, lol)

 

The ship is beautiful. Found the entertainment so so with the exception of "Tenors of Rock" who were OUTSTANDING! (Magic show was cringe inducing in my opinion. We did enjoy Pedro the guitar player.

 

No problem getting a pool lounger if you like that part of a ship (I hate it with a passion, haha) We had Thermal Spa passes which was a pleasant respite from the crowds)

 

We loved all the ports and had great experiences on all of them. Escape to Jost Van Dyke in Tortola was lovely.

 

Oh - had no problem getting a drink at any bar...the Atrium bar got a tad busy at times but never a long wait.

 

Self disembarkation lines were long but we flew threw customs and out to passenger pick up where our Uber guy scooped us up in 5 minutes. It was ridiculously warm in NYC....incredible.

[49erfan007]

Any idea if the water slide was operational?

[durberville]

Any idea if the water slide was operational?

 

Not operational for our cruise...I think it still has to be inspected. It looks really nice tho.

[bbryan5]

Thanks for the review, we are sailing on the Gem January 12th, can't wait. Keep the reports coming!

[Lostinthe50s]

Is the port in Tortola still under renovation?

Yes the port in Tortol;a was still under construction,looked like there is still a lot of work to be done. We didnt see any shops open and since we didnt take a tour there really wasnt anything to do there. Orient beach is also still under construction in ST Martin but we still found a place that had longes and an umbrella for $25.00 . Beautiful beach

[Lostinthe50s]

Excellent write-up. We sail on the GEM next month. What tour did your friends do in Tortola. We are going to The Baths.

They took a ride on a catamaran to some beach,dont know if it was the baths. Tortola is a very short stop,you get in very early and ship pulls out pretty early

[Tbunny66]

About what time you were able to get off of the ship with self disembarkation? I'm taking the same cruse 2/1/16 - 2/10/16 and am trying to coordinate a ride from the cruise terminal. I'm not a city girl so I'm clueless trying to get around New York!

[psupa]

The only real negative experience was the embarkation,it was like a cattle call getting off the ship and out to the street. The walk to the street was very long and we couldn't find a porter to help with the luggage. Lucky it was very warm so waiting for our car service wasnt that bad.

 

Any questions,please ask.

 

We returned from the Gem on Nov 23rd and loved the ship, but had a horrible disembarkation for disabled passengers who needed wheel chair assistance. It was the worst we have ever experienced on any cruise line and when we got into the terminal there were no porters. Someone went outside to get them to come in and assist us. We were some of the last passengers left on the ship waiting for wheel chair assistance. We waited over 2 hours and then they had the nerve to fold up 4 wheel chairs and put them against the rail. Absolutely horrible. I am still waiting for NCL to respond to my complaint 3 weeks later.

 

Theresa

[Sinbad55]

Was Iconcierge available on the Gem?

[bob brown]

Nice review, thanks for posting!

 

Is it true that they removed the bowling alleys from Bliss lounge?

[Phamer55]

What is Bliss Lounge like now? Bummed the bowling alley is gone, so what is in it's place?

[KyleClark]

Was Iconcierge available on the Gem?

 

Yes, I concierge was available. $1 for the week for intraship calling and ship text messaging to other users.

[MikeyB]

There was about 4 or 5 shops open in Tortola.

Iconcierge worked some days and not others.

I believe they just added booths in Bliss where the bowling alley was.

[Feathercrest]

Bliss looks great .....tastefully redone .....much better wo the bowling alleys! Too bad they spend so much time on karaoke...boring and same people over and over ...DJ doesn't start til late.....how about some earlier dance music for everyone who doesn't start til 11:30pm ....

[lostfancruiser]

We were also on the Gem the same dates as OP. If you want a beautiful beach day without crowds and just the beautiful water and beach bars, go to Jost Van Dyke. It was all I could do to get back on the catamaran to go back to the ship. I just wanted to build a hut and stay there!

[msg12188]

Yes, I concierge was available. $1 for the week for intraship calling and ship text messaging to other users.

 

Last year on the Breakaway Iconcierge was either $6.95 or $7.95 and it really wasn't worth it due to the fact that it didn't work more often than it did. If it's only $1 I might consider doing it again hoping that it works better on the GEM and we have a group of nine with us.