Sailing on the Norwegian Gem — Family Travel Pursuits

The Norwegian Gem, as I look back on this ship and the time spent aboard this vessel, I realized that this one has a special place in my heart.

My husband and I have sailed on this ship twice and at two of the most pivotal times in our journey together. The first time was an amazing seven day sailing around the Greek Isles at the start of our relationship as a couple. The second trip was after our son turned one and we felt he was old enough and we were confident enough to take him away from home for more than a night or two. In fact, this trip marked the beginning of our little guy’s journey as a world traveler.

The first time we sailed on this ship I remember being in awe of the size and beauty of the hull design from the waters of the Venice canal. It was simply breathtaking to clear the other ships in port and see this beauty come into view.

NCL Gem Photo credit: Family Travel Pursuits

This sailing was also our first experience with suite accommodations. And quite honestly, we haven’t looked back since. Though our upcoming Disney cruise isn’t in a suite. Read here for more on why the switch to a regular state room. HOT LINK TO DISNEY PLANNING POST.

Our last sailing on the Norwegian Gem was on a 9-night Eastern Caribbean sailing from our home port of New York City out of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. There are many reasons why I love sailing from our home port, for more details on why and how to navigate the port CHECK OUT THIS POST.

Embarkation at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal

On this day, NCL was having a bad day. We were unable to locate porters to assist us with our bags when exiting the parking lot as usual because it was chaos on the street level.

Apparently, the ship had a medical emergency at some point which delayed their arrival in New York and would seem to set in motion a perpetual state of the crew playing catch up.

Now of course, the fact that someone had a medical emergency was not then and is not now something that I’m complaining about. Our surprise was that the incident seemed to knock them off kilter for the entire sailing.

We were traveling in a non-Haven suite this trip and were used to check-in being much smoother and less chaotic than it was. Instead of checking those folks in suites in at the Concierge Lounge as they had in the past. The squeezed us all into an awkwardly placed line in the terminal that was cramped and overflowing with our fellow passengers.

Now normally after checking you in at the Concierge Lounge you wait 15 - 20 minutes and they escort you onboard the ship directly to your room in small groups. Instead, this time the Concierge Lounge was standing room only once we made our way in there and they didn't have the rooms ready. When the time came, to board they herded us like cattle onto the ship and to Cagney’s the steakhouse to wait for our rooms to be ready.

Now, I know this sounds like a luxury problem but if you've put out the money for a suite you've paid for and you expect a certain experience which just didn't happen in this case. What’s more, when you’ve boarded as a suite guest in the past and know what the experience should be like, it’s a very disappointing beginning to your vacation to have it not meet your expectations. Quite frankly, something like this can set the tone for the rest of your stay on board.

Cagney’s for lunch was as to be expected and lived up to previous experiences. When you are escorted on board, the staff seats you and provides a menu for that afternoon’s offerings. The food and service in this restaurant consistently strikes the right note and has always been an enjoyable experience for our group.

NCL Gem Suite

For this voyage we were in state room 11018. Chosen by my husband for its location under the library. Which brings me to our first tip.

If you are booking your room with or without the services of a travel agent, be sure that you or they do the research to make certain that you choose a stateroom that is NOT under the pool, the theatre, or any other high traffic areas.

The last thing you want to hear in the morning is the deck crew dragging the lounge chairs into position at 6am. Or for that matter to hear other passengers enjoying the late-night activities at any other place in the ship while you are trying to get you and/or your little one off to sleep.

This was a two-bedroom, two bath suite with a dining/living area and balcony.

NCL Gem Dining Room. Photo Credit: Family Travel Pursuits

NCL Gem Main Bedroom. Photo Credit: Family Travel Pursuits

NCL Gem Second Bedroom. Photo Credit: Family Travel Pursuits

We'd stayed in this category of room before, so the layout was not a surprise. The condition of the room however was not what we expected but as the ship went into dry dock later that year, I won’t spend any time detailing the issues.

As always, our room steward on this sailing was excellent. Your room steward can often be the deciding factor in how your cruise goes and we’ve consistently had a good experience with the crew aboard NCL.

NCL Freestyle Dining Overview

Freestyle Dining is the term that NCL has coined to describe the flexibility they offer when it comes to your meals onboard the ship. Unlike some other cruise lines, you are not assigned a table or time to show up at a dining room. Instead, you either make reservations at the specialty dining restaurant of your choice for the evening (for a fee) or show up at one of the main (complimentary) dining room options when you’re ready to eat.

This is the concept that sold our family on cruising and more specifically cruising with NCL once we had the experience. We love the ability to choose when and where we’ll eat without feeling like we’re tied to a set schedule.

As this cruise was some time ago, I won’t go into detail on what we ate with photos and videos as I will giving forward. Instead, this section will give you an overview of our experiences and impressions as I noted at the time of the cruise.

For this sailing we did not purchase or receive as a part of our package any of the beverage or dining options that they now seem to giveaway. Well maybe giveaway is too strong, “include” in the price of your cruise during their more recent promotions.

At the time of this cruise, NCL had started a new habit of selling almost everything in a package on board their ships. We were unsure how we felt about buying packages that included items we didn’t necessarily want versus paying only for the experiences that we did want.

While they still do offer the dining packages, it’s important to note that not every specialty dining restaurant is included in the package and that was one of the things that made us decide not to go with the package.

For the dining package it came down to how many of the specialty restaurants were included that we truly enjoyed and would visit. We no longer cared for the hibachi style Japanese restaurant and some in our party could take or leave the Brazilian Steakhouse.

That said, we do feel that beverage packages can be worth it whether it’s the alcoholic or non-alcoholic variety. As with all things that appear to be a discount do a rough back of the napkin estimate on how much it would cost you to pay per item vs the quantity of items offered and the cost of any package.

NCL Specialty Dining

On this cruise, all the dishes that we experienced at the specialty restaurants were tasty and there weren’t any complaints from the group. Overall, and consistent with our prior experiences on board NCL we found the specialty dining to be worth the price for the quality and more peacefully experience than you get in the main dining room.

Cagney’s

Cagney’s is NCL’s steakhouse and as one of their original three specialty dining options is available on every ship. As I noted earlier this restaurant has never disappointed us in the quality of the food, wine selection, service, or value for the cost of the upcharge.

This is one restaurant that we are not above visiting more than once on a sailing. Yes, we will most certainly reserve a table here on our next NCL sailing.

Moderno Churrascaria

NCL’s Moderno Churrascaria is their version of a Brazilian Steakhouse. If you’ve never experienced a Brazilian Steakhouse before, it is a meat lovers paradise. You help yourself to a salad bar when you arrive at the restaurant and must be careful not to fill up on the greens or you won’t enjoy the main event.

The wait staff will circle the restaurant with various cuts of meat on skewers. There’s steak, pork, chicken, lamb, and sausage to choose from. They will keep coming around and offering the meats until you finally tap out and say no more.

While the last time we ate here there were no complaints on the food. We’ve found that the experience of all you can eat meat can be a bit overwhelming at times and is something you absolutely must be in the mood for.

We wouldn’t rush out to reserve this one and on our next NCL sailing would want to try some of the newer options.

La Cucina

NCL’s La Cucina is another of the three original specialty dining offerings on board. This is their Italian offering and generally is a solid choice. Is it better than Olive Garden? Well, yes, but of the three original specialty dining options, Cagney’s and Le Bistro being the other two I would rank this one third on the list.

While it’s always a good option and my husband enjoys the Osso Bucco here again on our next NCL sailing we would prioritize trying a newer restaurant and leave this one as a fallback option.

Le Bistro

NCL’s Le Bistro is their French dining experience. This restaurant is usually a must do for us when we cruise with NCL. Le Bistro is another consistently good dining option that presents as an elegant dress up experience. In fact, when this is the fanciest restaurant on board, we schedule this one to coincide with dress up or not night on the cruise.

However, on this last cruise we took advantage of one of the perks of staying in a suite and had our meal delivered to our room. This was done so that we could enjoy the meal and not worry about our toddler getting antsy and disturbing other diners.

NCL Complimentary Dining

Magenta Dining Room

On this cruise we ate at one of the two main dining rooms, Magenta being one and Grand Pacific the other. We found the food in the Magenta dining to be good on the evening that we ate there which was contrary to what others had experienced at the time. The fact that the main dining rooms usually come in with spotty reviews tend to push us towards the specialty offerings.

Topsiders Bar & Grill

The Grill was my go-to location for lunch after returning from time onshore. This main pool eatery served the typical grill standards of burgers and fries. I also found the BBQ here to be surprisingly good.

The Garden Café

NCL’s Garden Café’ serves as the ships buffet. We stopped in here for breakfast and lunch on this trip and noticed that there were consistent food offerings from day to day. So, if you found something you really liked, chances were that it would be there again the next day.

As you might expect, the food at the buffet was fine, it wouldn’t win any awards, but it was easy for us to find something we could enjoy here. My real complaints here were more about my fellow cruisers than the food itself.

We made the mistake of heading here for breakfast on the first sea day during the rush. What a nightmare! There was wall to wall people with nowhere to sit and the kid’s area littered with adults having their breakfast. Not one child in sight and no one offered to move after seeing me with my toddler in tow. Lesson learned we always took our plates to go after that. It was like being on the NYC subway during rush hour.

My suggestion when it comes to the buffet on this, or any other ship is to avoid the peak times. Remember that you can always plate your food and return to your room to eat it. Or try one of the main dining rooms for a less chaotic experience.

NCL Youth Programs

On this sailing our son was a year old. While there was a kids club option for him, we decided not to drop him off. Instead, we were happy to see that at the time that had some parent and child activities for his age group that we could do together.

In fact, my bestie went with us to one of these group activities in the Guppies area where there was finger puppets and singing of songs like the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Old MacDonald. My bestie had as much fun as our son and really got into the finger puppets.

Since we as of this writing we do not have any direct experience with kid’s clubs aboard NCL, I’ll link them here from their website but will say that on some ships they still have the Guppies Nursery. The other clubs, Splash Academy for kids from 5 – 12 and Entourage for kids 13- 17 can be found on all ships. We will have more to say about Splash Academy in the future.

Excursions and Ports of Call

On this cruise we did something different. We didn't take any shore excursions offered by NCL. When we looked into the price of an excursion to the beach which at the time was $39.99 per adult and $29.99 per child, we decided to explore other options. Here's what we did instead.

San Juan

Having been here before we grabbed a map, headed off the ship and walked around old San Juan. It's a very walkable city even out to Castillo San Felipe del Morro and back. We had our son’s City Mini on this walking tour and found it very easy to navigate the narrow streets of Old San Juan with the stroller.

We also spent time browsing the shops along the way and stopped into the Old San Juan Cathedral as well. We even had time for dinner on shore. It is also good to note that note that there is a CVS within walking distance of the ship if you need anything.

St. Thomas

At this port we used a taxi to travel out to Megan's Bay. The charge at the time was $8 per person and there was a $4 per person admission fee to the beach.

The only downside is that there weren't any umbrellas for rent. Your best bet is to grab a spot under a tree for shade. It’s also worth noting that a portion of chair rental fee was returned to us when you return our chairs. Each lounge chair was $8 or $9 each and $5 was returned.

I also want to note for those with kids of car seat age that the taxis were open air safari type vehicles that did NOT have seat belts. We had the little one in a carrier and sat up front in the enclosed row of driver’s cabin.

St. Maarten

Like in San Juan we walked around the downtown area here and did some window shopping. To reach downtown you can either take a water taxi for about $7 or you can walk from the port.

Typically, when I want to shop for jewelry St. Maarten is one of my favorite islands along with St. Thomas. There are several restaurants to enjoy lunch on shore and more than enough shopping of all sorts to keep you busy for a few hours if you decide not to do a beach excursion.

Tortola

Let me start by saying that we tendered in Tortola. For the parents of younger ones, we used the carrier again here but did see one or two families with their strollers.

When we arrived at the port, we took a taxi to the beach. Let me take a deep breath and say yes, I know that the islands have many steep roads with hairpin turns. But there was something different about Tortola. To me anyway it seemed worse than anything I’d experienced before or since.

On this trip we sat in the back of the open-air bus with me on the end of the row with our son strapped to his dad in the carrier. I was nervous, very nervous. I held on to the bar with my left and my family with my right hand.

Just in case that the inference isn't clear, there were no doors on these things. Not even a chain across to sort of try and keep you in. Nada.

We arrived at Cane Garden Bay beach safely and enjoyed our brief time there. This was the shortest stop on the itinerary. I mention this because the beach is located on the north side of the island. With the tender process loading into taxis and such it does take about 40 minutes out of your day each way.

Having done the beach on Tortola once, I don't know that I'd do it again. The next time we’re on a cruise that stops here, I might explore the downtown area and then come back to enjoy the quiet of the ship while everyone else is on excursions.

NCL Gem Casino and Entertainment

With the little one in tow, we didn't catch any of the shows in the main theatre on this trip. However, my husband and bestie caught some of the opening show as a replay on the stateroom TV. From their comments, I gathered that the ensemble shows were not the best.

Around the ship there were different lounge acts I only caught two of them. Bot of them were the cover band. I have to say that on NCL the cover bands are usually good and this one was no exception.

Bingo was and usually is our go to activity because well, we really like Bingo, and we can enjoy it as a family. We tend to spend more time in Bingo than we do in the Casino.

Speaking of the Casino, we usually do spend some time in this area of the ship playing the slot machines and the tables. Not being a huge gambler, I’m a $20 limit girl, I found the Casino to be enjoyable for what it was with your standard offerings.

Disembarkation

This was worse than getting on the ship. If you’re not familiar with the process, suite guests are supposed to be among the first off, the ship unless you decide otherwise.

We were asked to gather in the theatre and waited forever. In fact, they let us off at the same time as the first colored tag they called. The concierge staff was sloppy. They didn't make announcements in the theatre and some folks just decided to walk out without instructions.

When they finally began to let us off there was no announcement in the theatre. We just knew because we saw a mass exodus through the opposite door. Then when we finally get to the last security swipe, we encountered other cruisers making their way through.

The whole process was messy and disorganized. Part of what you pay for in a suite is the perk is the of a special embarkation and disembarkation process. The experience was not what we expected or paid for.

NCL Gem Tip Round Up

Tip #1: Choose your stateroom carefully

Take the time to research the location of your room. Look out for rooms that are placed under high traffic areas like the pool deck, theatres, lounges, and clubs.

The early morning and late night activities in these locations could make or break your sleep.

Tip #2: Weight the value of a package

If you’re offered packages of any variety when booking your cruise, take the time to think through and calculate the value of what you’re getting versus what you are paying for the package.

Be careful not to spend extra for a package that you will not get the full value of because there are portions of it that you don’t like or won’t have enough time to use.

Tip #3: Use all the perks of your suite

While the perks and benefits vary from cruise line to cruise line, if you’ve decided to book the more expensive suite categories make certain that you understand all the extras that come with the room.

Then make certain that you make full use of the benefits that you’ve paid for on your vacation. We find the use of the concierge staff and a butler particularly helpful when on board

Tip #4: Eat at the buffet during off hours

I’d never say don’t eat at the buffet. Yes of course eat at the buffet, it’s one of the hallmarks of cruising. What I will say is choose your time wisely, especially for the breakfast rush.

Remember to eat earlier or later for a more relaxed experience. Also keep in mind that there will likely be one or two other restaurants on board where you can sit down and enjoy your breakfast at a more leisurely pace.

If the buffet is your thing but you don’t love the chaos, grab a tray, fill up your plate and take it back to the room where you can enjoy your meal with the hassle of searching for a table.

Tip #5 Consider your excursion options.

I’m sure you’ve seen it before but you really don’t have to take a ship organized excursion. Particularly, if you’re visiting a location that you’ve been to before. Just remember to watch your time carefully and give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship before last call.

Also, don’t forget that if you’ve visited a location numerous times, which is often the case on island cruises, the ship can be a true haven while everyone else is on shore exploring the island.

No matter what you decide to do, remember to enjoy the journey!