Norwegian Gem
View Ship Itineraries
LENGTH: 965 feet BREADTH: 125 feet SPEED: 25 knots TONNAGE: 93,530 GRT DECKS: 15 PASSENGERS: 2,394 (double occupancy) STATEROOMS: 1,197 Entered service: December, 2007
Onboard Experience
Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, the Norwegian Gem, is one of the newest New York cruise ships. She appeals most to cruisers who prefer to make their own choices when it comes to restaurants and dress policies. "Freestyle Cruising" offers an option for those who eschew conventional cruise ship regimentation. With its bevy of 10 dining venues, the ship is more akin to Manhattan’s Restaurant Row -- just at sea. While it home ports in New York City part of the year, the ship itself has a Caribbean feel – colorful, light-hearted, playful, young and decidedly more SoHo than Uptown. NCL is a brassy line determined to change cruising, and life aboard the Gem reflects that novelty of mind. On the Gem, you can have it your way. There are no formal nights nor dress codes. No fixed hours for dining. You can eat when you want, with whom you want, and where you want. Casual is the byword. Innovations on the Gem include gaming machines installed on the pool deck and in popular lounges. Excitement and novelty are everywhere -- in decor and accommodations.
We took a two-night preview cruise aboard Norwegian Gem which makes us able to critique most aspects of the ship but not cuisine. Aboard the ship, NCL executives unveiled a much needed plan for a $53 million upgrade of food and stateroom creature comforts. Suite guests will have a private concierge lounge. Decor
Aboard Norwegian Gem you'll find lively splashes of iridescent Popsicle colors, offset by richly dark wood and tastefully integrated with furnishings and fabrics, except for the ship’s hull, which is splattered with decals of diamonds, rubies, jade and other gems. In several public rooms, the furniture is funhouse funky and, in the atrium in particular, almost Day-Glo luminescent. Consequently, the Gem is more Paris Hilton than Julia Roberts. Public Rooms
In all, the Gem sports large choice of public rooms, including four distinct bars and lounges – Deco-inspired Shakers Martini and Cocktail Bar; French-styled Magnum’s Champagne & Wine Bar; contemporary Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar; and the club-like Corona Cigar room. Lounges include the nautically themed Spinnaker lounge; Zorro-inspired Star Bar; aromatic Java Café; Polynesian-styled Topsiders Bar and Grill near a Tahitian pool; the Bali Hai Bar & Grill, resembling a beach shack bar in the South Seas; the Sake Bar; and the Casino bar set amid the ubiquitous jingling slots. A three-deck high Crystal Atrium greets passengers on entry and includes a floor-to-ceiling LED screen, a (small and very busy) Internet café, and coffee bar. Other venues include the two-deck-high Venetian Stardust Theater, Body Waves Fitness Center, Yin & Yang Spa and Beauty Salon with 18 lavish treatment rooms, saunas and a Thalassotherapy pool, and the Gem Club Casino with enough Vegas slots and gaming tables to double the cost of your cruise. The funkiest room at sea, though, just might be Norwegian’s Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub, a marriage between Turkish harem quarters with canopied double beds and, get this, bowling alleys. Cuisine
Cuisine has been NCL's weakest point. The cruise line announced that it is spending $50 million fleetwide to improve the quality of its food. There are two main dining rooms, the Grand Pacific and the Magenta plus numerous other dining spots. Several have a surcharge and require reservations, including Le Bistro (French) and Cagney's Steak House.Additional dining spots include Tequila (Tapas & Salsa Restaurant): a Southwestern desert themed restaurant with a large colorful mural portraying horses, cacti and the exotic agave plant. Orchid Garden Asian Restaurant: a modern Asian setting with wood carvings and wall panels featuring Tibetan monks. Blue Lagoon: a 24-hour diner with a coffeehouse feel (that also happens to be a best-kept secret for a great breakfast). Garden Café/The Great Outdoors: an a la minute casual restaurant and buffet where NCL chefs cook fresh, prepared-to-order food at "action stations," newly introduced on Gem. La Cucina Italian Restaurant: an Italian eatery reflecting an eclectic, Tuscan-style atmosphere including grapevine-covered columns and traditional furnishings from Italy. Entertainment As on most megaships of today, you can get it all on the Gem, from Broadway-style musicals and lavish Vegas-like revues to a Second City comedy troupe. In between, you can idle your time away at piano bars or rock at Bliss’ disco. One nice touch is “World Beat,” a musical extravaganza that "tours" the world’s most exotic destinations, offering everything from Irish dancing and tribal African rhythms to the passion of Spanish Flamenco and hypnotizing Japanese Kodo drums. Cabins
While standard inside and outside cabins are smaller than one finds aboard its competitors, Norwegian Gem offers the best suites at sea. In a brilliant stroke, Norwegian’s designers have, in the exclusive Villas atop the ship, created a way to satisfy the craving for the luxury and intimacy of a small vessel yet with the entertainment and gourmet options of a big ship -- "a ship within a ship." In addition, the Gem offers enough cabin categories to satisfy almost any budget or taste. Gem's swanky two Garden Villas, which accommodate up to seven, really let you stretch your legs, each spanning up to 5,750 square feet. These spacious villas have a living room, dining room, and three separate bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. The Garden Villas offer panoramic views of the ocean, each with a roof terrace and private garden, featuring open-air dining, whirlpool, steam room and a totally private sunning and relaxation area. One has a white piano that Rosie O’Donnell adores. In any of Gem’s upscale ten Court Villas, you share a private courtyard where you can laze on your own sun beds, soak in a hot tub, revitalize in either male or female steam rooms, or exercise in a small fitness area - plus get the personal attention of a butler and concierge service. If money is no object, book either of the two 928-square-foot Deluxe Owner’s suites or any of the four 823-square-foot Owner’s suites. The Gem also sports sixteen 460-square-foot penthouse suites, four Romance Suites and 134 Mini Suites of 284 square feet. Standard inside, outside and balcony cabins are smaller than what is found on NCL's competors. Available for those on a more moderate budget there are 360 balcony staterooms offering 205 square feet and 243 ocean view cabins of 161 square feet. Inside cabins measure a modest 143 square feet, among the smallest of all cabins on newer ships afloat today. There are 412 of them. Most standard cabins have a glass-enclosed shower, a private potty, and a sink in between.Copyright Anne Campbell, 2008. All rights reserved.
| Coming Soon February 2009 |
| Date | Destination | Ship | Length | Itinerary |
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| Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) |
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| Date | Destination | Ship | Length | Itinerary |
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| Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) |
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| Date | Destination | Ship | Length | Itinerary |
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Apr 5 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Apr 12 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Apr 19 | Trans-Atlantic | Norwegian Gem | 15-Day | From Manhattan; Ponta Delgada, Azores; Lisbon; Seville & Granada, Spain; Corsica, France; Rome, Florence, Nice | | | | | | |
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| Date | Destination | Ship | Length | Itinerary |
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Nov 16 | Trans-Atlantic | Norwegian Gem | 13-Day | Barcelona to Manhattan; Nice, Florence, Rome, Corsica, Malaga | Nov 29 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) |
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| Date | Destination | Ship | Length | Itinerary |
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| Dec 6 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Dec 13 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Dec 20 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) | | Dec 27 | Bahamas & Florida | Norwegian Gem | 7-Day | From Manhattan; Nassau, Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's private island) |
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