hallux

if it were me I'd be taking a 2 day deviation regardless of NCL booking my airfare or booking it on my own.

I sailed on the Joy solo last year, or that was the plan. I met some people in the embarkation hall that I ended up hanging out with for much of the cruise after the first night. I enjoyed the ship though. Other than the lack of Studio cabins and some small adjustments to venues the Joy is very much like the Bliss.

When making the decision consider that the Joy will no longer have laser tag or the Galaxy Pavilion by the time you cruise. There are at least two threads here discussing the changes in an upcoming drydock. As for other factors - the Epic has a unique cabin layout (for balcony and insides at least) where there's no isolated bathroom area (unless you consider a curtain a sufficient form of isolation), the shower stall opens directly into the cabin, the 'water closet' is just a tiny room with just that item in it and the sink is in the main cabin area. The Joy has a more traditional cabin design. As you're traveling with teens, this may be a factor.

Scott Henry (the comedian I mention in my post above, was actually pretty funny. When he did the same act on my cruise on the Escape this year it wasn't quite as funny...

When I was on the Joy in 2021 one of the comedians was very clear with some parents in the front row with their early-teen son that he was going to learn some things that night if they chose to let him stay. They stayed. Mid-performance (same show) a woman walked in with VERY young kids, walking down the aisle toward the stage (why people insist on walking to the front mid-show is a whole other discussion), he stopped her a few rows from the front and strongly advised that she leave with her children as the show was really not for them - she took his advice.

On my March cruise the spray bottles were soap, then you went to the sinks to wash up...

That was the point @kirtihk was making...

Interesting - I'm booked on the January 27 MIA-LA cruise, the difference between my cruise and the LA-MIA just before it is Acapulco, not Mazatlan. I chose the one I did for the cost, (saved me $500, added a port) but the flights aren't as good coming home to the East coast from LA.

I thought someone said the Joy was in Alaska in 24, I guess not. Still doesn't make a ton of sense to remove part of the OL shortly before deploying the ship to AK. Not everyone is able to get a TS pass...

Even more confusing is that they're making this change right before sending the ship to Alaska, where the OL is probably the most desired feature!

I didn't in March.

Thanks. I was corrected yesterday, earlier in the thread, which you would have seen if you'd continued reading...

I agree, I thought there was something said about #3 being a little bigger to support a different fuel type (larger tanks needed for that fuel).

It's just the Garden Cafe, using that information I was able to find a website showing pictures of a bar in the Garden Cafe on the Escape.

Don't worry, I'm a 'cheapskate' as well.

On my March cruise they started at 7. They only had 3 movies, which then cycled back through after 3 days.

Amber Cove is Carnival's port, Carnival Corp. ships get preference there. Taino Bay is the 'public' port.

I haven't been on both ships, but the Escape has MUCH more free-to-use sundeck space. Escape has Spice plus the entire port side on deck 19 forward of the pool deck. Escape lacks the Observation Lounge, but for a warmer-weather itinerary that's not as critical of a venue to have, IMO.

I just did a mock booking for one and see the port fees and taxes without entering any info. A balcony for 2 on a 3-night with GSC and Key West has port fees and taxes of $483

OK, but the ship still isn't going to Amsterdam as noted on the itinerary...

And don't expect to go to Amsterdam, unless the recent announcement of the downtown terminal closing to cruise traffic is a temporary situation or a solution to port further away from downtown is figured out prior to your cruise.

Hence this line in my first reply -

Reprice all you want prior to final payment. However, if the perks change you accept the new perks. I think there needs to be at least $1 difference in the price.

The theater shows are listed for each ship here: https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship Just note that some are changing (leaving) over the next 4-8 months. The rest of the entertainment (comedians, 'lounge' singers, etc) is all contract and varies sometimes from cruise to cruise.

Le Bistro - French Onion soup, steak tartare, dover sole. You'll find many answers in a similar thread here: