cruiseny4life

Well that's just silly!! Here's hoping you actually get access to Vibe Cabanas shortly!

Joy, way back in March 2023, is where I tried buffet coffee for the first and only time. I'm a firm believer in super strong coffee - the kind that is as black as black can be and has about three times as many grounds as recommended. Joy's coffee was weak, pungent, and not quite amber in color. It's a hard pass for me - granted that's a one off. I also don't get Starbucks coffee - burnt, overpriced, and I'm not a fan of their labor practices.

Have you ever cruised before? While I would prefer cruise lines use the space for casinos for something different, the mainstream cruise lines all have casinos that take up pretty much the entirety of at least one deck.

I'm hoping by calling, it'll work for you! I do see online that Joy Vibe Cabana's should be bookable now at a cost of $599 (7 days) which is for guests one and two. If you have more (I think you're traveling with more family) in the stateroom, you'll need to also purchase a Vibe pass for them. Good luck! I hope it works for you as I know Vibe makes your vacation complete! EDIT: Vibe is bookable for sailings through 12/31/2025 which I think will work for you. But, in case you're trying to score 2026 Vibe Cabana, patience!

If we ever go to Iceland, I'm so not telling my husband this. He'll demand we go get a hot dog and pizza at Costco. I don't know what culinary delights Iceland has 👨‍🍳, but I'm going to have whatever those are, not some silly hot dog! 🍽️ EDIT: Ok...reading on with the review, apparently hot dogs are quite the...uhhh..."thing" in Iceland. I didn't realize. No offense intended to those that enjoyed the sauce covered hot dog. @Sugar Magnolia - despite me not wanting to offend everyone that had the hot dogs, I'm still going with you to your lunch place!

Don't worry! I'm with you...NCL absolutely could do a heck of a lot more than they are doing. Regardless of what others believe. They obviously don't read posts, official websites, etc. I also don't see anyone (other than you and I) trying to look at the root cause. I doubt NCL is looking at the root cause either. They have a lot more pull over port operations than some here would lead you to believe...but I suppose that's because they're experts. NCL needs to be updating the service standards in contracts. And that's all I'll probably say on the topic as I'm not going to get into he said/she said/xe said/they said! And heck, that's even assuming there are really all these issues. Certainly, I know of at least one since I was a part of it...waiting three hours, while others waited eight to board Getaway. What an introduction to NCL! I'm still here though....I'm still wishing NCL would do better (but I can't really complain about embarkation, except that one time).

This is what I think about NCL's plan when they put Joy together and sent her to the Pacific. It wasn't long before they spent a boatload of money to convert her to a more western crowd, twice. I would have been so interested to see the analysis that made them think Asia was a good market. I'm not saying anything they did was wrong, but with 20/20 it was a poor decision. It could be an interesting HBR case study. Love this dinner photo. Yum! I have found NCL's wasabi to be lacking, though. The quality of the sushi has been good. I'm definitely jealous of your dinner! I need some sushi - maybe later this week when my husband and I take a couple extra days from work. Also - so glad you're enjoying your trip! I know we're not talking the same ship, but I've had mixed results with Wi-Fi calling. In 2022 I had a Samsung Galaxy S22+. The Wi-Fi calling from the Atlantic, on Getaway, between NYC and Bermuda worked just fine! And, thankfully, since we had to talk with our home inspector about the report he created when we were traveling. In 2023, on Joy, with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Wi-Fi calling did not work. We were traveling the Western Caribbean on this trip. I'm not sure if the phones, shipboard internet, location on the globe impacted the connectivity, but it definitely was not working on that second trip. I didn't try on Pr1ma, so can't speak to that ship. I think you're on Jewel...actually, aren't you on right now? Or is it May 13th?

This happens a lot! I'm glad you knew to talk with a travel agent so you could select the cabin you wanted.

Perhaps they were happy not to have the couple back onboard and didn't rush to assist as the cruise was about to become much more pleasant for them? 🙂 Agreed! I'd be empathetic toward the couple as I've been left behind too (my parents often lament they found me when I got lost at the NYS Fair many moons ago)! I definitely know how it feels to be "left" behind.

Thank you both for the confirmation I'm not going totally crazy...yet!

Wow! I hope that continues on all ships. On our previous cruises, the thermal suite has never opened until sail away. I'm really glad to hear you experienced something different. I hope this becomes the norm! Also, apparently hours have shifted as it used to be 8 AM - 10 PM on all days, except the last day which was 8 AM - 10 PM. I do enjoy those evening hours, so an extra hour would be nice. I might even delay my bed time to enjoy the thermal suite a little more.

The thermal suite? If so, it generally opens at sail away time until 10 PM on embarkation day. If the spa with services, I'm not sure.

I've certainly been guilty of tipping an attractive server more...not proud of it, but it has happened in the past.

That's ok! Disagreement is fine. I know many on here will disagree with what the post you quoted. I've had similar conversations before and plenty of posters said essentially what you said. I'll stick with what I said though - except for the government agencies. They can throw any kind of monkey wrench in they want. I won't go down that rabbit hole as Cruise Critic isn't the right place for me to complain about those policies/procedures/issues.

Your niece is an elite coffee drinker! If I had a mere cup of coffee with dinner, I'd be up for hours...and I don't want anything to come in between me and my bedtime at 9 PM. Oh, my younger self would be pi$$ed with me now...he who did all nighters constantly until I got married and hit 35! I'm glad the food was yum!!

First, I work in HR, for a disaster management/consulting firm that contracts with all levels of government, so yes. Second, at many of the ports, a third party, Intercruise Shoreside and Port Services (https://www.intercruises.com/where-we-are/) staff the counters. Their employees are not unionized. If NCL really cared about the customer experience (based on all these horrible embarkation/disembarkation stories that are not mine), they would ensure the company running pier services provided a quality experience.

The breakfast potatoes seem to always make it on my plate, even though I never order them and almost always ask for them not to be delivered as I know they'll be left unscarfed. Alas, NCL apparently enjoys heaping these potatoes on my plate as if they are laughing at me for missing the greasy sponged fried potatoes! Your breakfast sandwich, with tomato, looks fantastic!!

If the cruise line cared about their customers they would advocate on behalf of them and not just accept shoddy customer service. Having said that, I've only been faced with one long line in my two years of cruising. I blamed NCL. I still blame NCL, and readers on Cruise Critic educated me to also blame the port personnel. So yea, I'm going to lay blame squarely where it belongs: the port and NCL. I'll also give NCL and the port credit when the line isn't long. And, it hasn't been long since that April 2022 Bermuda fiasco. Thankfully I only waited three hours, while others waited eight.

This is what I do. Then my watch and phone are set to the correct time for that time zone and/or for ship time, if it differs from local time. And, if my phone connects to a cell tower, it's not going to change the time on my phone as that feature is disabled by setting time zone manually.

You'll be fine with shorts. They even let me in with my athletic shorts (think soccer-type). Just so long as they're not short shorts, per NCL. And mine are definitely not short. I just stay away from whatever restaurant does not allow shorts/t-shirts. It's easy to do! From our November Pr1ma cruise at Hudson's (same placard was at all restaurants): And yes, I know I'm a slob. It's vacation, yo!

No one has actually said this on the thread. So long as I live, it'll be empathy for me. Perhaps you'll be sympathetic. That's your take. It's not mine and I won't allow my words to be construed as sympathy. You sympathize til the sea gulls can't reach land, if you want (I know, I know...was gonna say til the cows come home, but trying to make it topical to cruising). That's your right, just as it's mine to be empathetic.

Empathy is exactly what I intended to say. And empathy is what I wish others on these boards would have for those in bad situations, regardless of who is at fault. Nowhere did I say the consequences were unfair, unjust, etc. I don't think I actually provided my opinion on the circumstance being discussed. Empathy : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empathy

Thanks for bringing us along on your cruise!

Thank you! I appreciate the reasoning. That does make sense and I suppose perhaps a wine waiter could be helpful for me. I could describe what I like and they could give me an idea of what would be tasty. As it is, I order blindly, figuring I have Free at Sea so if I don't like it, I don't have to drink it. Appreciate you educating me while you're on vacation!

It's just that many posters forget about empathy. Someone might be in the wrong. They may have made a silly decision. Heck, they could have made absolutely every wrong move in the book. 85 isn't far off from my grandma's age. I imagine her in this situation and how this could impact her. I don't think I'd need to tell her she was wrong. Perhaps I could make some suggestions as to what she could do next time...but bottom line, there are a lot of posters lacking empathy about various happenings on these here boards. And, I'll admit, sometimes I spout off before having half a brain to consider the human element.