| December 2007
General Information and Activities.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Norwegian Gem during her inaugural
festivities in New York. I have to admit, I think NCL has taken Freestyle
Cruising to a new level. It is obvious, that unlike her sisters of the
Dawn class, the Norwegian Gem is aimed at the youthful, active cruise
passenger
Although the other ships of the Norwegian Dawn class appeal to families,
the Norwegian Gem takes it to a new level. The Norwegian Gem is a definite
attempt to draw passengers away from the likes of Royal Caribbean and
Carnival. The ship incorporates many amenities found on those company's ships
including the two storey twisty slide found on Carnival ships and the
signature Royal Caribbean rock climbing wall.
Additional activities found on the Norwegian Gem include 4 bowling lanes,
a pool table, jogging track, basketball/tennis court, fitness center and a
full service spa. Located in the Norwegian Gem's Atrium is a two storey
LCD television, where guests can watch videos, and at select times,
part-take in a Wii Video game tournament. The ship has 2 large pools
and 6 hot tubs for your relaxing pleasure.
Accommodations
The Norwegian Gem has many types of
accommodations, from the inside staterooms to 4,390 Sq foot Garden Villa.
Starting with your basic accommodations,
the Norwegian Gem has standard inside and outside cabins. These cabins are
comparable to most ships, with two twin beds that can be combined to form
a queen. There is a modest size sitting area, with a TV and refrigerator.
The balcony cabins are adequate in size,
Having a queen bed, larger sitting area and balcony. Compared to other
ships, I found the balconies on the small size. They could only accommodate 2
chairs (not recliners) and a small table.
All accommodations have private baths. In
the standard and Balcony Cabins the bathroom is compact with a sink,
shower and toilet.
The more exclusive accommodations include
the:
Penthouse - Stretch out and relax, with a
living area, private balcony, dining area, bedroom with a queen bed and
private Luxury bath with tub and shower.
Courtyard Villas- Luxury abounds in the
courtyard Villas that include access to a private courtyard with pool,
sundeck, hot tub, cabanas, steam room and fitness equipment. The living
accommodations are quite nice with great views and room to stretch out. I
found the pool area for the Villas to be a very nice escape, but the pool
itself was small and the private fitness room had limited equipment when
compared to the main one on board. A very nice feature is the
courtyard pool area which has a glass enclosed roof allowing sunbathing and swimming in
any weather.
Garden Villa - measuring 4,390 Sq feet
with their spacious living room, including a piano and bar - you may never want to
leave. The Garden Villa has 3 separate bedrooms, each with it's private
luxury bath. One bedroom features a full bath with a tub and separate
shower.
The Penthouse Courtyard and Garden Villa
have butler and Concierge Service available.
All accommodations on the Norwegian Gem
have a TV, refrigerator, safe, duvet, bathroom and hairdryer. Most lower
beds are convertible into queen size beds. All suites and penthouses have
floor to ceiling glass doors with a private balcony.
In regard to storage, each cabin has
adequate storage and is suitable to a week to 10 day stay. The color
scheme of the cabins are quite unique, combining bright, vibrant,
conflicting colors to bring the active persona of the ship right into your
cabin. I have to admit that some of the color combinations were very
unique.
The Norwegian Gem is handicapped
accessible, with 27 wheel chair accessible cabins, brail cabin numbers and
elevators. The stardust theater has special area for wheel chairs and
stations for the hearing impaired. Eleven public bathrooms are wheel chair
accessible. Consult NCL for details.
Main Dining:
Norwegian Cruise Line's Freestyle concept is built around the
idea of "Eat when you want with whom you want". The Norwegian
Gem offers 10 restaurants and dining rooms. The standard
dinning rooms on board the Gem are Magenta's and the Grand
Pacific Restaurant.
I found Magenta's to be a very nice welcoming dining room.
With its colorful glass wall decorations, friendly atmosphere,
and coziness, it provides the feel of a small, quaint
restaurant.
The larger Pacific Restaurant, is a more dramatic dining room,
with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the wake of the
ship. The room is larger when compare to Magenta's but does
offer the feeling of grandeur.
These two dining rooms are open seating, so you can choose
which ever-one suits your mood on that particular night.
NCL just announced a $50 Million dollar investment to improve
the food on their ships fleet wide. Having sailed with NCL
many times previously and enjoying their menu, I was surprised
by the new food offerings and the exceptional quality,
presentation and taste of the new menu. Based on my
experience, I believe the food on the Norwegian Gem has
surpassed that of Carnival, Royal Caribbean and some mid-range
and premium cruise lines.
Specialty Restaurants:
The Norwegian Gem's Freestyle Dining offers many
alternative choices to the 2 main dining rooms. You can find
whatever you are craving. On board you will find a steakhouse
(Cagney's Steakhouse), French Mediterranean restaurant (Le
Bistro), Asian Fusion, Spanish Tapas (Tequila) , Japanese
teppanyaki, sushi and sashimi (Orchard Garden Asian
Restaurant), Italian (La Cucina Italian Restaurant) and a 24
hour restaurant called the Blue Lagoon - serving favorites
like burgers and fries.
Most dining experiences are include in your cruise fare but
the steakhouse and some select restaurants may have an
additional, nominal cover charge, per person, for the enhanced
experience, superior service and finely prepared foods.
Buffet Dining
The Garden Cafe/ The Great
Outdoors located on deck 12 is you casual buffet dining
choice. This action station, casual restaurant is where NCL's chefs
cook freshly, prepared to order food as guests watch, featuring
Pizza, seafood, fruit, soups, pasta, ethnic specialties,
burgers and deserts.
I found the Garden Cafe to
be very people friendly. The movement and flow of people in
and out of the area is quite natural and passengers do not
feel confined. The same food is prepared in two buffet lines,
minimizing the wait and satisfying passengers.
The Mediterranean decor of
this area is very appealing and is perhaps on of the nicest casual
dining areas I have seen aboard a ship yet.
Located just outside the
Garden Cafe is the Great Outdoors buffet, where you can enjoy
buffet and grill selections in the open air.
For the children, they have
their own buffet adjacent to the Garden Cafe - the Kid's Cafe.
With small tables and chairs and there own buffet, featuring
kid friendly food, this area is definitely a hit with the
young cruises.
Spa
The Yin & Yang Spa and
Beauty salon is located on deck 12. This Japanese, Zen themed,
environment provides the feeling of peace and tranquility. The
Thalassotherapy pool is an idea place to relax after a few
minutes in the Sauna. The Spa has 18 treatment room and 3 are
designed for couples. The spa offers a variety of exotic and
rejuvenating treatments. Please note that the Spa treatments
are available at an additional cost.
Pool Deck
The Norwegian Gem has an
exciting pool deck with 2 large pools and four hot tubs. The
area is roomy but chairs are limited for sunbathing. Adjacent
to the pool area is the grill, where you can have a snack and
the Topsiders Bar, ideal for an afternoon drink.
For the kids, (or the kids
at heart), there is the giant twisty slide, a kids pool and the
PC World Kid's Library.
The entertainment onboard NCL ships is always of the highest quality.
Singers, Dancers and Acrobats are normally part of the entertainment, as
well as, magicians and comedians. Live music is available in the show
lounges for your dancing pleasure at different times throughout the
evening. The disco is another option for those who want to boogie-down.
You can also try your luck at The Gem Club Casino. Here you
will find slot machines, table games, roulette and more. My
only negative comment about the Norwegian Gem is that slot
machines and gaming tables are placed throughout the ship.
There is 2 gaming tables located next to the pool and the in
the Bliss Ultra Lounge Night Club near the bowling alleys. If
you have a gambling problem - this is not the ship for you.
Public Rooms
The Main show room aboard
the Norwegian Gem is the Stardust Theater. This Venetian style
theater, with carnival masks adorning the stage, is decorated in
vibrant red, pinks and gold. The room has stadium style
seating and can accommodate 1,042 people. Visibility is good
from any seat in the room.
The Crystal Atrium features
a floor to ceiling LCD screen, fiber optic ceiling lights and
unusual colored furniture. Located high above the atrium is an
original Dale Chihuly glass chandelier. Off of the atrium is
Shore Excursion Desk and Reception area. Behind the reception
area can be found an original Monet painting "Vetheuil de
Soleil" - "Vetheuil in Sunshine".
Connected to the Atrium is
the Java Cafe, making this an ideal place to have a drink
before or after dinner. This also is a good spot for people
watching or observing other passengers playing Wii Games on
the LCD Screen.
The Internet Cafe had 8
workstations available 24 hours a day. The ship is 100% WiFi
accessible and laptops are available for rent.
The Norwegian Gem has 11
Bars and Lounges. Bar Central on Deck 6 features 4 distinct
bars and lounges including: Shakers Martini and Cocktail Bar,
Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar, Maltings Beer and Whiskey Bar
and the Corona Cigar Club.
The Spinnaker Lounge, high
up on deck 13 is a nautical themed bar by day - with panoramic
views - and doubles as a nightclub in the evening. The room is
outfitted with 8 flat-screen TVs for watch sporting events. A
corner of the room is filled with pub style games like table
shuffle board, a pool table, two dart boards and a foosball
table. The room has comfortable chairs and tables surrounding
a dance floor.
The Star Bar is inspired by
the mysteries of Zorro is cozy with it's 56 passenger
capacity.
Other public rooms include:
- Maritime Heritage
Library (with it transatlantic liner theme decor and
artwork).
- The Card Room
- Video Arcade
- Trade Routes Boutiques -
Large department store covering 7,000 square feet has a
large selection of souvenirs, watches, jewelry and more.
- The Chapel
- Bridge Viewing Room
- Game room.
Service
The crew on the Norwegian Gem is very professional and genuinely
concerned with making your vacation experience enjoyable. The crew always
greets you with a smile, a friendly welcome and always willing to assist.
The waiters and busboys are very attentive and provide superior service
with a smile.Itineraries
In 2008, The Norwegian Gem will sail from New York to the
Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida thru April 19. At that time
when will be repositioned to Europe for the summer and fall,
returning to New York in late November to resume her above
mentioned itinerary.
Kids Program
For the Kids, there is an extensive kids program. In addition to the
basketball courts, arcade and swimming pools, the ship features 4 groups of
kids programs broken up into age groups. The activities for each groups is
age appropriate and will keep the children very busy. All ship sponsored
kids activities are supervised by ship's counselors. My kids had a blast
and did not want to leave.
The Norwegian Gem has private rooms for each age group and has a teen
disco.
Other Kids Specific Activities (not associated with the kids program)
include the:
- Daily Kids Buffet.
- Kids Pool
- PC World Library
- Internet Access (at a fee)
- Tennis
- Basketball Court
- Rock Climbing Wall
- Bowling
- Swimming.
- Arcade
Attire
The dress code on NCL is very casual. It is part of the
FreeStyle Concept. Passengers are not required to dress for
the Formal Night. Certain restaurants are identified as
formal. At dinner, casual slacks, and a casual shirt is
permitted. Shorts, cutoffs and sleeveless shirts (for men) are
not permitted. (Consult NCL or their site for more details and
clarification).
Conclusion
The Norwegian Gem is a hit. The ship is flashy, hip and
young. The public rooms and cabins combine odd color
combinations but the theme is consistent throughout the ship
and provides passengers with a modern ambiance. The color
scheme utilizes bright yellows, greens, blues and purple.
My favorite casual dining place is the Garden Cafe with
it's soothing Mediterranean color theme and welcoming
atmosphere. The food stations are well laid-out and provide
for the efficient servicing of vacationers.
NCL's improved food service is a home run. The change is
noticeable and the care taken in the food preparation is
obvious. The food is unique and flavorful. With the choice of
10 restaurants featuring different ethnic cuisine NCL has
offered a selection for everyone.
The cabins on the Norwegian Gem are consistent with those
found on most new cruises-ships - the main difference being
the high end Courtyard and Garden Villas which offer private
deck space and access to private sun decks and more.
From a service perspective, the crew is very wiling to
please and work hard to make sure your vacation is
pleasurable.
NCL has certainly added new features to the Norwegian Gem
including the rock climbing wall, twisty slide and bowling
alley to name a few. It is obvious that NCL is focusing on
enhancing their shipboard activities. With the addition of
these latest features it is apparent that NCL is going
head-to-head with Royal Caribbean and Carnival in the New York
market.
In my book, the Norwegian Gem is a winner.
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