JandC_Cruising

Yes. Non-alcoholic drinks (virgin pina colada, non-alcoholic beers, etc.) are included.

Here is an image of the top deck of joy. Front of ship outdoors, top deck is the Haven Sun Deck and is 16+ . I've highlighted the area. You access this from the sliding doors on the upper level of the courtyard area.

Here is what has happened to us in the past with FCC''s when we had bookings of 3 ppl. 1. The FCC's were issued to each of the passengers based upon the cost breakdown at time of booking. In our case, passenger's 1 and 2 received equal FCC's and passanger 3 had a small FCC since we booked a haven where the 3rd person was only billed $500 (or something like that). 2. When we booked a new cruise we were able to apply multiple FCC's to pay. You may need to do this in several online steps or an agent should be able to help you. As long as the FCC is in the name of one of the new passengers. 3. In our case we did re-book a lower cost cruise and we used a portion of an FCC, the left-over was issued as a new FCC (which we then applied to yet another cruise) Hope that helps

Watching you arrive in Bermuda right now! Jealous!

It is not a "free dining venue". It is a considered a Specialty Dining restaurant, but it is open at lunch on sea days, unlike Le Bistro, Cagneys, Moderno, etc. When we ate there for lunch we were asked if we would like to use our specialty meals, but we had other plans for those (Le Bistro and Ocean Blue). We paid a la carte. If I recall our bill & 20% tip was less than $65 total. We shared the tapas and had more than enough food for lunchtime.

Here is a link to some pricing from the Breakaway courtesy of @BirdTravels which is only a couple of weeks old.

We had the similar on the Escape in December. We had a BF-GTY. When they assigned is our cabin we were given a BD on deck 9 above Food Republic.

On the wine lists, if "PREMIUM PLUS" is listed next to the wine bottle price, it is one of the bottles you can order with dinner at no charge. All the glasses of wine listed (#312 for example), are included in the Premium Plus package. There isn't a $15 per drink cap under the Premium Plus Package. So you can order as many glasses of that wine as you wish, but if you asked for that bottle, you would be charged the price + gratuity, less the 40% discount given to Premium Plus package.

Our last visit to Puerto Plata was in March and we docked at Taino Bay.

Also, if you can do the Thermal Spa...it is wonderful on the Epic. Our last time on there we were in the spa at least twice a day on Sea days since it was too windy outside to enjoy.

you guys are absolutely right...I can't believe I forgot, because we got our first cocktail there when we were just walking around the ship after boarding and dropping our stuff out! Sorry for the bad info on that one!

We have done that run on both. We were on the Escape in 2019 and just did the Joy this June. We were in the Haven for both. Here are our thoughts: 1. The Haven on the Joy is bigger in several ways. There are more Haven cabins on the Joy, so more Haven guests. The Haven sun deck on the Joy runs around the front and covers both sides of the front of the ship, providing more sun deck space than the Escape. The restaurant, bar, and courtyard areas are very similar. The Joy has a Haven Observation lounge that is beautiful and great for quick snacks and quiet, but aside for the bites of food, we didn't use it on the Bermuda run the way it would clearly be used on an Alaskan voyage. I could see if the weather wasn't perfect, it would have gotten more usage (but then more crowded I would expect) 2. Entertainment/Pool: Our 20-somthings who joined us on the Joy cruise had a great time. They did the go-carts and had fun, but once was enough. The Beatles in the Cavern Club is loads of fun, but we did miss Howl at the Moon! Comedians were typical. We played mini-golf and the slides were essentially similar as on the Escape. Much smaller main pool area and no Spice H2O on the Joy. Theatre shows were fun on both and certainly depend on specific shows. 3. Restaurants: We ate mostly in the Haven and for all intents and purposes, the experiences are identical - food was great and service was great on both. For specialty, we ate a Le Bistro and Ocean Blue (our two favorites, regardless of ship). Le Bistro is on Deck 8 across from Cagney's on the Joy and honestly it has a more "romantic" french bistro feel on the Escape (down on 6 - more isolated). But the food was still wonderful! The Local = O'Sheehans; We didn't try Q and will likely try it next Joy cruise (March '23) 4. Bars: The biggest bar disappointment (and that is probably being harsher than necessary) was Maltings. We love bourbons and enjoy it on the Escape. It is small, but lively. On the Joy, it is down on 6 and rather isolated. The night we went by for a post show cocktail it was dead. 5. No Thermal Spa on the Joy - As mentioned this is due to the origins of the ship (Asian market) and was not added when re-furbished. We've loved the thermal spa and add it on any non-haven cruise we have done if possible. 6. Vibe Beach Club - The Vibe on the Joy is 2x the size as the Escape. Like the Haven sun deck it covers both sides of the ship. On the Escape it is starboard side only. We love the Vibe if we do not do Haven (no need for both IMHO) and the service at the Escape Vibe was great. We already have our Vibe passes for our March Joy cruise. I guess we like the Escape a bit more (since it has the option of the Thermal Spa) All in all we enjoyed both ship and have cruises booked for both in 2023! Hope that helps!

If you want the spa, pre-buy. The prices will not go down on-board. Also, if you successfully get upgraded to a Spa Suite, you can then request a credit for your pre-purchased spa passes. We've done exactly that in the past, when we won a Haven Spa bid.

I noticed on our last Upgrade Advantage bidding (on the Epic in March), there was and option to use "FCC certificates" as a payment method. I've never known them to accept "Cruise Next" certificates for payment.

Haven check-in is very easy!. First off, be sure to go to the FAR LEFT to go through Security. There is a dedicated line there that Haven guests can use, rather than the big snaking line. You have to show your Bermuda docs and get a "green sticker" placed on your passport. We did that to the desks on the right just after security. From there, walk to the end of the terminal to the right just after the rest rooms to the Haven Check-in Lounge. You will receive a number and then sit in the lounge to wait with the others (coffee, juice, snacks in there). There are 2-3 staffers who check parties in sequentially and then hand you your key cards. We were at the pier around 9AM and were the 4th party through the Haven Security line, and maybe the 12th in the Haven lounge as we were not fleet of foot walking to the lounge 🙂 and on the ship by 10:45 (if I recall). First Pina Colada in hand by 11:15 after making some dinner arrangements with the concierge desk and dropping our backpacks in our 2BR on 18!

At the time you are seated the host will confirm if you wish to use your specialty dining perk. If so, you will end up with the "free meal"...In our experience, you can order multiple appetizers, one entrée, and multiple desserts. No Charge. We have successfully ordered cappuccino's with dessert at various restaurants without issue (maybe takes a bit longer to get to the table 🙂 ) Yes, the Haven sundeck is 16+....Yes, kids are allowed in the courtyard area.... Bring your child to dinner...the host will have a high-chair available.

I have No idea! Cucumber water?😜

The Joy doesn’t have a Thermal Spa.

This is a great point! Bermuda, for example requires the negative test per their rules. A doctor’s recovery note will not work for the current Bermuda cruises.

Well as promised, I’m reporting back, only pre cruise! Today I called the pre-cruise concierge for Haven and was able to upgrade only two of us to the Premium Plus package! No issues whatsoever. I was able to pay the $487.20 with my card. very excited that this is all taken care of pre-cruise. only 13 more days to wait!

Do you recall how many seats in the mini-bus?

This is exactly true. we upgraded with points on Delta in March.

You can typically find the Thermal Spa passes available to pre purchase when you go online into your reservation. It will be listed in the “Plan and Explore” section. You can pre buy just like you could pre book and buy excursions.