Sigyn

I compare this change to if my housekeeper stopped coming to my home and instead, a random housekeeper showed up each week. They wouldn't know my personal preferences and how I like things done. It would be far less personalized service and more generalized, such as at a hotel when you only stay for one night. I've only sailed on Celebrity once, and in a sky suite, and our butler got to know our preferences quickly but it took about 15 minutes of questions and back-and-forth information being exchanged until he understood what mattered most to us and what didn't. Unless the butler team takes copious notes and each butler references those notes the moment a passenger calls for service, then it's simply not going to be personalized and feel even close to being the same as before.

Agreed. Just bought my first Lexus, coming from a Volvo, and I utterly love it. Touchpad? Who cares when you're wrapped in comfort. (altho I think it's better than the Volvo's.) As for the butlers, my tax for posting here just to talk about Lexus, I am not happy at all with this change. We disembarked from our first Celebrity cruise on July 14 and it was in a sky suite. I very much liked the personal attention from our butler. One time when I called him, another butler answered. He wasn't as good and couldn't get my laundry request straight. I honestly don't want to book in The Retreat again if that's going to be my future experience. I have already booked my next cruise on NCL in The Haven, thank goodness.

Agreed on the new passenger count. We'll be on the Joy for a spring break cruise in March 2024. My teenage son will be 5% less happy because there is no laser tag or galaxy pavilion but I will be 50% happier because there is a thermal spa, so it's a win as far as I'm concerned.

There were no Vibe passes available on the Prima for our December 2022 cruise once we boarded, and they were all sold out online, too.

That must have been really disappointing. Particularly since the other ships still offer a butler in non-Haven suites, if I'm reading this right. I'm glad you were able to go ahead and upgrade to the Haven and have the service you had anticipated. But not fair of NCL to change it like that and only give you $200 OBC.

I was reading this site: https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/cruise-suites-and-penthouses and it says "not available on Norwegian Joy" for personal escorts and trained butler service. I have booked the Haven for late March and this makes a big difference in my choice of ships if there is no butler service. The escort is a nice touch, too, but as long as we have priority disembarkation at port and at the end of the cruise, then that's not as important. Is this new? Edited to come back and say the "Delicious Extras" also says that other extras are limited on the Joy. No 24-hour room service, daily specialty breakfast and lunch, mobile phone or sparkling wine and spring water at embarkation. I'm confused tho, because under The Haven, it shows these services: https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/the-haven Maybe they're differentiating non-Haven suites and penthouses from those in the Haven? And if so, why only on the Joy? Here are the screenshots.

@vacation44 what's your favorite fruit? 🙂

Ah, I gotcha. I don't have to worry about that. My son is over six feet tall.

Lovely photos! We were on the Millennium July 7-14. It's amazing.

Do they really prevent anyone under 18 from attending? I'm sure our son, who will be 16 when we cruise, could handle the humor.

Thanks! Is the cabana for one day or the whole cruise?

We were on the Prima in December and the captain had to skip two ports due to rough seas and an inability to safely let us tender to shore - Grand Cayman and Great Stirrup Cay. We were super disappointed because we were scuba diving in Grand Cayman and had a villa rented in Great Stirrup Cay. But the only compensation we received was our port fees returned. The other two ports on the week-long cruise over Christmas were Cozumel and Ocho Rios. We didn't get off the ship in Cozumel because it was Christmas Day and winds were gusting to 25mph and the rain was coming down in sheets. So it was a very port-light cruise for us. We still had a great time, tho. But not the cruise we'd expected.

For whatever it's worth, and apparently I'm not the norm, but I just took an Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity Millennium earlier this month. I actually didn't go into the observation lounge except the first time, to see what my options were. I didn't find it an essential part of the viewing experience. I love a good thermal lounger, pool or no pool. I did some sort of cold room in the sauna area on the Prima but I forget what they called it. I wonder if that's the same as a snow room? My son, who will be 16 when we cruise on the Joy next March, will be bummed that there's no Galaxy Pavilion or Laser Tag. But mom being happy with a thermal spa is more important, right???

I don't believe there's a pool since it's not mentioned. They wouldn't hesitate to mention a feature if it was available.

How does that work? You book a cabana and then you don't need a Vibe pass?

Yes, it's in late March

I feel like I read something about an area for Haven or suite guests on Harvest Caye. is that correct?

Yeah, but it's $500 for both of us for the week. So, it's more than a drop in the bucket. Our Haven forward-facing cabin is $7,800 and I'm already going to have to pay $343 per adult to upgrade to the Free at Sea Plus and then buy three specialty meals for our teenager so he can eat with us at the specialty restaurants we received with the cruise and Free at Sea Plus.

@shof515 thanks! I've seen it, but I wanted to share the official letter from Norwegian since it's something new.

I received this letter ten minutes ago regarding the upcoming dry dock and changes coming to the Norwegian Joy. I also attached the PDF they sent me. Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners, Thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. We have exciting news to share about your upcoming voyage on Norwegian Joy. We ask Travel Partners to share this information with impacted guests. As part of our commitment to continuously offer extraordinary vacation experiences for our guests around the world, and to uphold a consistent world-class product across our fleet, Norwegian Joy will be undergoing a series of enhancements in early 2024, including an all-new Mandara Spa Thermal Suite for the ultimate relaxation retreat. During your voyage, you will now have access to an elevated onboard spa experience with the brand-new Thermal Suite - an exclusive, adults-only complex dedicated to relaxation and rejuvenation. The new spa oasis will include reinvigorating experiences such as a sauna, ice room and aromatic steam room; three times as many of the popular hot tile loungers; new spa therapies; and a breathtaking entrance with commissioned sculptures. The debuting Thermal Suite will replace the Galaxy Pavilion, the ship's current virtual-reality complex. The ever-popular, and nearly always sold-out, exclusive adults-only Vibe Beach Club will also be expanded onboard, taking over the existing Laser Tag arena on Deck 20. You'll enjoy more seating and additional private cabanas. As a reminder, you can pre-book your Vibe Beach Club pass or private cabana from you NCL account. To read more about Norwegian Joy's redesign, please visit the NCL Newsroom. We are excited to welcome you aboard in 2024 to experience a whole new level of Joy! As always, we are at your service. Sincerely, Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Joy Dry Dock Information.pdf

Now we're going to have to try the Silk and Spice @Stockjock - looks promising and at that price, what's there to lose? We have splurged on wine before, but I think the most we've ever paid for a bottle of wine, and that was while we were at the winery feeing quite tipsy from our tastings, was around $200. And that was once. And we didn't do it again. But it was utterly delicious. Quintessa. Good stuff. If you ever have a chance to visit that winery in Napa, they have these outdoor cabanas with sliding glass walls that overlook the lake and the mountains and it's utter perfection on an early fall or late spring day.

That's a very good point about Spice H20. Are kids allowed there?

Thanks for the info! We'll be there on April 3 so I'm sure it will be toasty warm!

If you or your traveling partner have ever been in the military you get a 10% discount.

It's $249 pp for the week. On the Joy they're expanding Vibe right before our March cruise, but I'm not sure what that will entail. I believe I read the addition of cabanas. But I think that was simply speculation. The thing is, my husband and I do not lay out in the sun. He's had skin cancer, and I only sunburn. So unless there is shade, we don't do loungers. But we do love a good bar.