Going on the Norwegian Gem...?

HI!!! You will love this cruise I took it this summer and I live in love with it. o.k. back to business.The ship it's o.k. I liked it. I did all my excursions by my own, trust me, you see more and you save more too. This is what we did:

Naples: we took the public train (like 2.4euros each way) and went to the arqueologic zone of Pompeii,(11 e) it was awesome!! we see the ruins, the bodies, the volcano. I loved it! (search it in the web)

Rome: we took the train to Rome (9 e and 1hr 1/2) you'll see de Vatican from the train stop. We went to the Vat. it's free, then to the Sistine Chapel (14e) saw it, we took a bus (1e) and stop to see the Spanish Steps, walk to the Pantheon, beutiful!!, went to the Plaza Navona, continued walking to the Fontana de Trevi, ate a gellato (1.5e), kept walking to the Colosseum (11 e) and just in front of it, it's the train stop to Civitaveccia. We were the first one to get out of the ship (7 a.m.) The ship charges like 300 p/p and don't do all of this

Florence/Pisa: We took the train (5 euros e/w) and went all the way to Florence (1hr) You'll see the Duomo from the train too. Went to the Duomo (it \'s better from the outside) in front it is the Baptistery, gorgeous!!, go to the PonteVeccio Palace, saw some sculptures, went to the Veccio Bridge. Took the train again, and went to Pisa ( u can grab a bus or walk, like 30 min) Saw the tower, the duomo, the church. I liked Pisa better.

Monte Carlo: yes, the train (5 e) We went to the Casino and then we walk along the bay and went to the palace at 11: 55 a.m. and saw the change of gards (must see)and then leave.

Barcelona: there is so much to see there I spent 3 days, but if you have only 1 I'd advise you to pay 20 e and it has 3 rutes and you can get on and off any time you want. www. barcelonaturisme.com

Sorry for this much and if you have any doubt you can contact me trough my e-mail sigleb07@yahoo.es

I cruised on the Gem in the Med a year or so ago, about the time the ship was first launched. I thought the ship was OK but it is not among my favorites. It just didn't have anything that really appealed to me to make it special. It has a rock climbing wall, basketball court and nice pool deck. But some areas of the ship were reserved for guests in the Penthouse and/or suites. There was even an area in the theater that was reserved for them. The ship has a bowling alley with 2 lanes but its $5.00 a game, way to expensive for this bowler. In short, I have been on a lot of ships and this one was nice but just didn't stand out, even being brand new.

Our cruise left from Barcelona also but had a different itinerary than the one you listed. But I have been to Rome Pisa and Naples on other cruises. Rome is the one port where you want to do a ship's tour because it is an hour or more by bus, car or train from the port to Rome. You don't want to take a chance going off on your own and getting lost and late back to the ship; they will leave you. Rome is also the place to spend your touring dollars as it has the best things to see, including the Coliseum, Trevi fountain and Vatican City. Our port stop that included Pisa we did a combination tour that included a walk through Florence and then we went to see the leaning tower of Pisa, the main attraction there. In Naples the main attraction is Pompeii, or Mt Vesuvius.

We also did a tour of Barcelona that included Sagrada Familia church, the Olympic stadium, and the Gothic area.

Never been on the Gem but was on the Dawn another Norwegian ship and I have to tell you that after 6 cruises on various lines this was the best.The freestyle dining was the best.So many options and you can eat wherever and at whatever time you want.Makes eating less stressful not worrying about time schedule.Enjoy and have fun.Let us know how it was when you return.