CajunGroover

On 5/25/2019 at 9:22 PM, sargemrs said:

Just disembarked the Joy a few hours ago and am absolutely blown away by the ship and staff!  Our experiences will be unique as we mainly cruise for the ship experience and family get togethers.  First of all, it was our first Haven experience and there’s no going back!  Our rooms were beautiful!  We originally booked 5 H6 cabins.  Our son has 4 children and his MIL traveling with them so I encouraged them to watch the DOS pricing or bidding opportunities.  Well..... they got it....18700 DOS.  Absolutely gorgeous and roomy 2 1/2 bath, 2 bedrooms and couch that makes a bed.  Everything was pristine and ready for us all.  Priority checkin and disembarking was efficient and painless.  Only 1 time we went to the buffet for a snack and realized how spectacular the Haven experience is!!!

our H6 cabins were nice for 2 or 3 but I’d hate to have a family in them.  Lots and lots of storage, the 2nd bathroom was used by guests as well as ourselves.  I DO want to say that the walk was quite daunting with arthritic knees and several trips a day!!!  If we get to cruise again I’d would only stay in the Haven proper!!!  The Haven restaurant, Observation lounge and priority  perks are invaluable,

We had the 3 dining package and chose Le Bistro, Teppanyaki and Cagney’s. The food was superb in all 3.  Very slow service, but we were a party of 11-18.  We had to wait 30 minutes for our seating even with reservations at Cagney’s but the other 2 we walked right in and were seated ( with reservations).  Very cordial servers but possibly understaffed in the kitchens.  We ate every other meal except embarkation lunch at the Haven restaurant, which was amazing with the most happy, helpful, caring servers/ hostesses that one could hope for!  American Diner was a fantastic start to our cruise.  Food delicious and staff very happy to serve us.  I never noticed it busy, tho I didn’t go up there often.

These are just a few things I wanted to share while it was fresh in my mind.  We don’t drink or go to shows so can’t help with those questions but would be happy to answer any questions applicable.

 

I would love to know how the bidding works.  I am sailing on JOy 7/27, and curious about the process.

On 5/26/2019 at 10:23 PM, alexgtp said:

Only negative I can think of,  but this is problematic of ships this class, the elevators are terribly crowded. No matter the time of day there are always loads of people waiting for elevators.  Easily remedied if you like to take the stairs (helps walk off the excess calories..lol).

 

Protip-  stay on the 13th floor forward and you have quick access to the 15th floor (observation deck) 16th floor (garden cafe, aqua park, galaxy pavilion, mandara spa)) via stairs.

Thanks for confirming the reason I picked my forward room on 13th floor!

So even if you have a reservation for a show, is it still recommended that you show up early for best seating?  I'm assuming that seats are still on a first-come basis, right?

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

Yes, NCL allows for "Easy Walk-off", which is just carrying your luggage off yourself. There is still an order for groups for disembarkation, but the Easy Walk-off passengers are usually called very early and can disembark any time thereafter.

Thank you!  Exactly what I needed to know! 😊

This will be my first cruise with NCL.  On other cruise lines, you are given an option to self-carry luggage off ship.  Usually, you will depart ship earlier, and just carry your own luggage off ship, without having to put luggage out the night before.  We are light travelers, and can easily do this.  Is this an option on NCL?  Anyone have any experience with this, and was it a good option?

Can anyone who has sailed on Joy since refurbishment tell me if there are coffeemakers in all rooms?  If so, what type and what type of pod does it use?  TIA!