ZoeyRox

We sailed last September and while the door was magnetic, it wasn’t as magnetic as the walls. We ended up putting our magnets on the wall next to the door. 

We wore masks only in crowded situations on the Joy in September. We did not wear them while at the (indoor due to weather) 80’s dance party. I got sick 2 days later. Though I never tested positive for COVID (we brought our own tests) I wore a mask whenever I left our cabin so as not to sicken the mostly older crowd that was on our cruise. 

We enjoyed the MDR on the Joy. We are at Savor/Taste for dinner when we weren’t having specialty dining. All meals were good-great. 
 

We also ate at Savor/Taste for breakfast many days. I do not recommend the Local for breakfast. Smaller portions and choices and service was poor-to-fair for breakfast. 
 

We had lunch at the Local many times and still talk about the food. The food and service quality are much improved for lunch and dinner. It’s also a lot of fun to sit over the atrium and play trivia while enjoying lunch. 
 

The buffet was a typical buffet. Breakfast was better than the Local. Lots of options and multiple stations have the same food so you can walk past the busy stations and go further into the buffet so you don’t have to wait in line. We also always found good seats at the end of the dining area (overlooking the observation lounge). It is a lot quieter there. 
 

We never at at the Manhattan room because that’s not our vibe. 
 

I hope this helps. 

I stayed in an SC room on the Joy in September. The room was an excellent size, especially since we were on a 10-day cruise. We never felt crowded and had plenty of space for all our stuff. The balcony was very large and the windows spanned the entire width of the room. My favorite thing was the bathroom. I like tub-shower combos because the shower feels more spacious. The upgraded shower products worked just fine for me. The bed was super-comfortable. 
 

We enjoyed many of the on-demand movies for free. That was very helpful since the movies on loop on the channels got old fast. 
 

Dessert plates were delivered a few times. We only ate a couple items. Will ask for them to not be delivered next time. 
 

All-in-all we decided that we will be booking a suite again just for the size and upgraded amenities. We discussed the suite vs Haven and realized that we would rarely use any of the Haven amenities so we would only be missing the restaurant (which I hear is excellent). We will continue to save the cost of the Haven and splurge a little bit on the suite in the future. 
 

Have a great cruise!!!

I tested positive after Canada/NE cruise 9/6-16. Wore mask during each flight, but did not often wear a mask in public spaces on the ship. Would still do it all over again. 

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'll ask (again)...

 

Because many merchants will accept USD, but will exchange dollar for dollar and give change in Canadian. If you’re buying something worth $200 Canadian, it is only worth around $150 USD and you are losing out on fifty bucks. 

2 hours ago, RoutemanDan said:

Why would you put pictures of your dogs in the hallway??

We were gone for 2 weeks and it was nice to come “home” to our girls on the cruise ship. We’re weird, but it made us happy and didn’t hurt anyone else. 

We were able to pay USD in every port when we were there 2 weeks ago. They gave us a discount and they gave us change in Canadian currency. 
 

When USD wasn’t accepted, I paid using my Apple Card which doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. If the credit card terminal asks to charge in USD or Canadian, choose Canadian. I got a better exchange rate on the Apple Card than having the merchant do the exchange. 

3 hours ago, BoopTennis said:

Oh is this correct? This will be my first time on Norwegian. Any other interesting little tidbits?

We just got off our first cruise on the Joy. I brought magnet pictures of our dogs. The door wasn’t strong enough for the magnets to stick so we placed them on the wall next to our door. Nobody said anything and we received many compliments. 

It was definitely a confusing experience. The letter said all excursions go at the earliest time, but the cruise directors’ announcement made it seem like they were releasing the excursions by deck. We decided to ignore what she was saying and we’re able to bypass most of the nightmare. Also, the agent barely looked at our passports and seemed like they were just trying g to get through everyone. It didn’t seem very thorough. 
 

I really feel for the non-US citizens. Their process took forever and we still saw people waiting in line when we returned from exploring the area. The process wasted their day.
 

This is our first cruise so we didn’t know what to expect, but hope this is not the norm. 

That’s all you do. It was super easy. I used my laptop from the hotel, but I also tested it with my phone and it works as well. Simple process. 

We are currently staying in SC penthouse suite on the Joy. I love the room size! We have walked by balcony rooms and they seem so tiny compared to our room. As we are currently on a 10-day sailing, it is nice to have the space. 
 

We will definitely be choosing this room type again on future cruises. We haven’t really seen any extra perks except for some snacks that have been delivered twice so far (we are on day 7), but the bed is very large and comfortable.  The bathroom is big enough for both of us to get ready in the morning and I am one of the rare people that prefers to take a shower in a shower/tub combo. The balcony is large enough to add a lounger. We haven’t requested one because the the conditions haven’t been the best. 

I booked my next cruise over the phone with NCL. With the extra 25% FCC and 20% off, we still have some FCC left over. I did not pay a dime for the new booking and my cruise is paid in full. 

1 hour ago, kevink1955 said:

Wow, I cannot believe we were on the same Ship at the same time.  Only thing I agree with you on is Nassau, the weather turned bad early afternoon. We did not have any kids in our party so I cannot say anything about the kids venues.

 

Only complaint I have is the Internet congestion, I was expecting some lag but not 60 second (or not at all) page loads. Everything else on the ship was great, the crew very accommodating. the buffet was a little crowded but they always had plenty to eat and it was good and we always found a table but we were a party of 2

 

My wife and I are still walking around saying " Best Week Ever"

Thank you for saying that. I’m going on my 1st ever cruise on the Bliss in 2 weeks and these negative reviews have been worrisome. I’m going with an open mind and my mantra will be, “I’m not going to let it ruin my vacation” as a glorious poster recently said on this forum. 

 T

Where do you think they will do the special Haven embarkation day lunch in lieu of Margaritaville? 

Thanks for this amazing review. It was very entertaining and I loved checking in every day for updates. Can’t wait til your next cruise. 

We are sailing on the Bliss out of New York from 3/22-3/29. I am trying to schedule some transportation for some sightseeing in NY on 3/29 before our flight leaves from JFK at 5:25pm. The itinerary says the ship arrives at 7am. Approximately, what is the earliest and latest we can leave the ship? We are in Haven so I think it makes the process a little easier. Is there a time you would recommend where it is not as crazy. I don’t know what to expect since this is our 1st cruise. 

I don’t know what the Canvas by U is, but it sounds interesting. I’m glad to know I can get everything taken care of in one spot. It sounds like it makes embarkation day less stressful. Thank you both for the advice!

You guys have all been so helpful answering my questions so far. Thank you so much!

I have already reserved the 2 shows on the Bliss as well as my specialty dining. Will I be able to utilize the Haven concierge on the ship for everything else? I am thinking of things like go carts, laser tag, GSC tender, GSC clamshells, and comedy shows. Will the Haven concierge be able to take care of that for me or do I need to plan on going to the different locations to reserve on embarkation day?

Cool. Thanks everyone. 

This is my 1st cruise and I booked a Haven stateroom through Casino at Sea. When we go to check in, should I go to the CAS or Haven area?

If I go to Haven, am I missing out on anything from CAS? 

Thanks for the info everyone. I’ll be sure to check out the library and will also ask concierge ahead of time. 

Are there board games available in the Bliss haven? My husband and I would like to play chess, but I’d rather not bring our board if we don’t have to since we are flying across the country and won’t have much luggage space.