Looking for Answers about Norwegian Gem?

You can also call NCL and have NCL arrange the post-cruising travel arrangements.

The way I have handled it in the past was by cell phone... Usually the driver will park off to the side somewhere and call you when he/she sees the ship is docked and passengers departing, when you are ready, having your bags and passing through customs, call your driver, explain where you are, and off you go.

On NCL's website if you select the Gem from "Learn about our Cruises" menu. If you select the "Deck Plan" and locate your room on the deck.
It should also show you general pictures of the stateroom along with floor plans.

Go to http://www2.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/overview
click on ship find the the gems go under overview and click on deck plan then click select deck and you will find the location of your suite

Yes. The main pool (Tahitian Pool) on deck 12 has a spiral slide.

yes, there is a water slide on the gem

The first night of the cruise has lobster in the main dining room. On other nights you may have some kind of lobster dishes like lobster and pasta, etc.

usally the lobster dinner is served on the first night of your cruise

Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.

Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

Refer to " What about Tipping?" & "What's the service charge?" in the "Money Matters" section of the FAQ's for info on how it works. Basically it's included in the purchase price of drinks and the daily service charge but you can always tip someone independently if you feel they provided exceptional service.

On DECK 4 YOU HAVE INSIDE ROOM,OCEANVIEW PORTHOLE VEIW ROOM AND THE MEDICAL CENTER ALSO ON DECK 4 THERE IS THE DOOR TO GET ON THE TENDERS TO GET TO SHORE , THIS MAKE IT VERY BUSY IN THE HALLWAY DURING EXCURSION DAYS

The only public areas on Deck 4 are the staterooms and the medical center. The other sections of the deck is for the staff and crew.

The ships are VERY clean. As you walk about the ship you will run into someone cleaning something...
I recently took a behind the scenes tour where they took you too the food prep area and the garbage recycling area, and I was very impressed with the cleanliness there too.

Every NCL ship we've been on over the years have always been clean and we have never seen or heard of any infestation of rodents of any kind. Also they are big on hygiene to avoid illness (i.e., boarding entrances, restaurant entrance, etc. have hand sanitizers).

Of course this is difficult to answer; but generally speaking once you are south of North Carolina is usually when it starts warming up, so I would say your first day out at sea, and your last day you probably won't be able to sue the pool.

We've done the Caribbean cruise in January the last couple of years and the first sea day is usually too cold for sitting by the pool and taking a dip in the pool. However, we have seen people using the hot tubs. The second day at sea warms up some but is still on the cool side for using the pool, at least for us anyway. Same for return but in reverse. Mostly it depends on your tolerance for the weather conditions (i.e., cold vs. hot). When navigating the Caribbean waters it's like summer time.

It is recommened only one carry on per passenger; you can check your case of water in with your luggage, just place one of your luggage tags on the case itself, this will suffice.

How many suitcases can I bring?

Each person is allowed up to two pieces of personal luggage on board, with each piece weighing a maximum of 50 pounds. However, if passengers are traveling by air, they need to check with the airline for specific restrictions.

We were on the oct. 29 sailing when sandy hit and delayed it. They had the murder mystery dinner at le bistro at noon on the last sea day, me and my wife went, it was a great experience.

When I was on the Gem at the end of 2011, they had a murder mystery lunch.