I just got back from the Gem. They still have a few "Kinks" to work out, but the ship is beautiful. The food is fantastic.
The Kinks, The video game area's change machine did not work and not all the games take dollar bills. The bowling alley is supposed to have four lanes and only three were working. They could not get the Patriot's game on the satellite TV and there were many unhappy passengers. The gem lecture promised an emerald to everyone who attended and they gave us a fake gold coin instead. Very disappointing The weather - We were sailing thru the Nor'Easter and a lot of passengers got sick. There were barf bags everywhere for those who lost their cookies Went to the Java Cafe and waited 30 minutes for a speciality coffee.
Pros The Kid's Camp was excellent! My cabin steward was exceptional. The ship was very clean. The food was great.
However, free style is not for me. I'm a CCL lover!
Welcome home, Cruisehappy! I watched N. Gem as she arrived in the Inner Harbor today. I was thinking about you during our storm on Sunday and hoping the weather wasn't too bad. Bags aside, how did she ride?
I suggest you go on line and look at the deck layout and find the places you want to go and mark them. There are maps near the elevators of all the decks, but being prepared is the best thing. You do not want to spend your time trying to find where you want to go.
For example, my nephew wanted to go bowling and he remembered "7 aft" in the back of the ship.
The ship in general is very beautiful, but learning to get around can be very frustrating.
