EpcotMonique

Yes, the Freedom does have self-service laundry.   I believe there are two on each cabin deck.  Last year, I used my Sail & Sign card to pay for the machines.  Easy Peasy!!

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 12:50 AM, sailawaybellaluna said:

Thank you for your review! I'm taking my almost 4-year old daughter on the Joy for a girls' trip next week and am so excited!

 

Did you notice any venues with live music during the day? On our last few cruises (Holland America) they've had violinists performing and she was mesmerized. We went every day to listen!

 

She goes to bed around 8:30pm usually on vacation, so I don't think we'll be hitting up any of the late night music venues, but wasn't sure what the vibe was like during the afternoon?

Sorry, I don't recall live music during the day.   I believe some started between 6:00 and 7:00.   The Observation Lounge even had live music in the evening!

I was on the Joy a couple of weeks ago.  Footloose was on days 2 and 3 at 7:00 and 10:00.  Elements show was on days 5 and 6  at 7:00 and 9:30.

We had made our reservations online, but when we boarded, we had a note in our cabin that the dates actually changed. 

I saw it a few weeks ago.  It's a good show!!   It ran a bit over 90 minutes. 

We did the 7:00 show and then went to the Newlywed Not So Newlywed game at 9:00.

We just disembarked the Joy a week ago and I pasted my link below! 

We were a family of 4 and had no problem walking up to a main dining room and getting a table even without reservations.  My daughter had made 5:00 reservations at one of the main dining rooms one day but when we showed up, they said that they didn't open until 5:30  !  That really puzzled us!

Does it feel like a mega ship?  Certainly at the buffet!  We had a difficult time finding a table sometimes...especially the first and last days.  Some folks took their plates to the Observation Lounge (the lounge also offers a limited food selection along with a Starbucks and bar).   We had some issues arise during our cruise, so we had to wait in the guest services line a few times (the worst was about a 20 minute wait).  The Observation Lounge can get busy, but we were always able to find a place to sit.  Other than that, we really didn't get a feeling that the ship was sold out even though it was!

We purchased the internet and had pretty good service!   I used it mainly in the room, but also signed on throughout  other areas of the ship.   It was limited in just a few spots in our itinerary but overall, we were pleased with the internet.

Everything is still fresh in my mind...if I can help with anything else, just let me know!

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Can you verify something for me?  I think I read somewhere that Joy had the enclosed smoking casino (like on Bliss), but I'm not sure.    Was there a glass-enclosed section for casino smokers? 

 

Fantastic review!  Thanks for sharing with us😎

Thanks for the feedback!  

Yes, there was an enclosed smoking area in the casino.  There were tables and machines in the enclosed section, but  I didn't go in there, so I'm not really sure which games were in there. 

So disembarkment...

• Once we understood the tags and stickers, it went quite smoothly!
• We opted for breakfast in the buffet (Garden Café) around 7:00.  Had we waited about 30 minutes, we would have had a much easier time finding a table!
• Since our flight was after 3:00, we were in the last group (9:45) to disembark. We were told that we had to be out of our room at 9:00 so about 8:55, we made our way to a public area just to hear that they were ready for us!  Easy!
• Going through customs was a breeze!  We didn't stop and talk to anyone.  We just held up our passport as we walked by a customs agent.  Loved it!
• We were on the NCL transfer to Sea-Tac and there was quite a line, but we waited only about 15 minutes for a bus.
• The drop off was on the backside of the parking garage so we had to walk through it to get to the terminals.  There is good signage and there are folks to help with directions.
• After about a 4 hour wait, we were on a plane home and once landed, we gladly found our luggage on the carousel.
• Time to get back to reality!

Final thoughts

• Loved Alaska!  I can't wait to go back!
• The excursions that we booked through NCL were fantastic. 
• I really enjoyed the onboard entertainment (except for just one comedian)!
• Food?  My choice, but I ate too much! There were just a few items that I didn't especially like, but there were so many other choices.  No disappointment here, except for the number on the scale!
• We were disappointed with NCL considering our room configuration that was advertised incorrectly and could not be changed and their onboard app which was lacking attention to detail (the map had us incorrectly visiting Skagway instead of Icy Strait Point, the casino activities were sometimes listed as being in the Bliss Casino instead of the Joy Casino, the menus and hours of operation were missing from the app, etc).   I just expected a bit more accuracy from them.

To all who read my posts and are planning to go to Alaska, I wish you all a fantastic, magical vacation!

23 hours ago, CardFanDubG said:

I have the meet & greet scheduled for the District Brew House 11 AM the first sea day also. We have 50 registered for the official Meet & Greet with a slot-pull that afternoon. There is interest in an informal meeting for sail-away. Just wondering if you had a suggestion of a place to gather. Again thank you for your posts.

I saw some rather large groups gathering in the Observation Lounge.   That was one of my favorite spots on the ship!

17 hours ago, wkgriff said:

Is there shampoo and conditioner in the bathrooms on the Joy?  We have a balcony room (8/17). 

 We had shampoo, conditioner, body wash,  and bar soap in our bathroom.  We may have had lotion too, but I didn't use it.

21 hours ago, CardFanDubG said:

Thank you for this thread. It is very helpful. We will be on the Joy Panama Canal October 11 cruise. Our roll-call is interested in having a gathering for sail-away. Do you have a recommendation on where to meet for a large gathering? Thanks in advance. 

You're welcome! 

We had a roll-call gathering, but I believe someone contacted NCL to set it up.  It was in The District Brew House on sea day.  The cruise director, Soozy, even recognized the organizer of the gathering during one of the games in the atrium.

We were in Victoria, B.C. on Friday from noon until about 9:00.

Here are the highlights:

•  We didn't have an excursion booked so we didn't get off the ship until 3:00.  Since we would  be disembarking the next day, we had to figure out the luggage tags and stickers to wear on our clothes for the next day.   I actually had to contact guest services because it just wasn't clear!  We had 2 different luggage tags from NCL and our tags from the airline...none of the 4 of us could figure this out.   Here's what we did...we paid for the NCL transfer to Sea-Tac and we signed up for Port Valet for our luggage to be picked up on Friday by 11:00 and taken to the airport.  The next time we would see our luggage was in our home airport.  Very convenient!!  We put the airline luggage tags (printed and delivered by NCL in our cabin) on our luggage (none of the NCL tags) and then we would wear both the Port Valet and transfer sticker when we disembarked.  We'll see how this goes when we disembark! 
•  Around 3:00, we got off the ship and took the short walk to Fisherman's Warf.  After exploring a bit, we walked to the Inner Harbor, enjoyed some of the street performers,  and eventually ended up at a restaurant to celebrate our daughter's birthday.  
•  We were going to take the water taxi back to the Fisherman's Warf, but since it was such a nice evening, we opted to walk back.   This time, we walked back via Montreal Street which was through a residential neighborhood but it took us right to the pier.
•  We enjoyed the previous "Newlywed Not So Newlywed Game" (rated PG-13 in the Daily) so we thought we'd give the  "Perfect Couple Game Show" a try!  It definitely was for mature audiences, so I don't know why it didn't have the same kind of rating in the Daily!   We had never seen a show like this before...very entertaining!  

Sorry, I didn't get any menus from places we didn't visit (besides the buffet and main dining rooms, we only ate at Teppanyaki).

We didn't save the Dailies but I do have some picture of certain pages (thanks to my son who couldn't get the app to work on his phone) and have attached what I have.

Up next will be disembarkment morning and final thoughts!

Yesterday was a relaxing day at sea!

Here are the highlights:

• We participated in the events in the Atrium throughout the day.  Deal or No Deal was very crowded and they brought out more folding chairs than they usually have!  I didn't win anything, but it was still fun.
• The last Bingo session was held (no gambling in Canada) so we had to go to that and try our luck.  Again, we didn't win, but it was still entertaining.  I was surprised that the payout was rather large for the last game...over $1700!
• We relaxed in the Observation Lounge but the only thing we really saw was fog and lots of it!  The foghorn was sounding at various times throughout the day.
• There were some board games scattered throughout the Observation Lounge so we picked up a Monopoly game.  The game was a mix of a lot of other Monopoly games!  Some cash was missing (we only had 4 $100s) and some property cards were missing/  Some properly cards were just written over to make them seem like another property (I had a real Marvin Gardens card but it was crossed out it pen to be Atlantic).  It was a bit challenging to play the game to say the least!
• Our family really likes comedy so we went to the adult comedy session in the evening.  The warm up guy should be headlining!  Give the guy a promotion!  The headliner was also very good.  I dare say that I laughed so hard that tears rolled down my face but the guy sitting near me hardly made a chuckle.    What tickles someone's funny bone might not tickle someone else's funny bone!  

Tomorrow, we'll be in Victoria, B.C. !

1 hour ago, htnut said:

Thank you so much for the photo of the sofabed pulled out.  I've been searching for ages and have never seen anyone post a photo of it in "bed" mode!

 

A couple of further questions:

 

* Do they make it up for you each day?  I imagine we will want to use it as a soft during the day, and have it converted at night.

 

* Is that a mattress topper that goes over it, so you can't feel the "seam" between the cushions on the floor and the cushions that are part of the sofa?

 

Thanks again!  Enjoy your vacation!

Our room steward asked our preference  to either have it out as a bed for the whole time or have it converted to a bed during turndown service. It would be up to you!

I think it's just one big folding cushion. There is no topper placed on it...just a flat sheet fitted around it.  The seams are horizontal...one at the arm of the sofa and the other about 8 inches from the foot of the cushion.

I hope that helps!

On 7/10/2019 at 7:56 AM, htnut said:

About the bed being a normal Queen size, I presume you got a CB (Penthouse suite). Isn’t it true that the extra bed is also not a Murphy bed but a sofa bed?

 

Do you mind sharing your room number?

Yes, we have  a category CB penthouse suite on deck 14.  

I've attached a picture of the sofa bed.  It isn't really a murphy bed. It's a sofa bed and the cushions just pull out and are placed on the floor.  My husband and I chose the sofa bed and to be honest, we have slept well. It might be that we are just exhausted but we have been comfortable sleeping on it!

We visited Icy Strait Point yesterday!  We were in port from about 7:00 to 5:00.

Here are the highlights:

• Our excursion, Whales and Wildlife, met at 7:15 so it was a very early day for us! Breakfast was in the Garden Café at 6:00.  After breakfast, we were in the elevator, and a lady asked what we were going to do in Skagway.  Apparently she saw that the map on the app was incorrect also!   I replied that I had already mentioned the error to a few crew members, but they didn't get it corrected. We were in Icy Strait Point as planned.
• The catamaran was docked very close to the Joy and it was very similar to the one we were on yesterday.  We spotted humpback and orca whales and returned around 10:00.  The next part was a bus ride through Hoonah (very charming) and finally to the Spasski River.  We again had no rain so the walk was very comfortable (it was in the 70s so we didn't have to wear jackets) and peaceful.  I really wanted to see a bear but we weren't so lucky.  Maybe next time :).  Our tour guide, Brandon, through the Spasski River was from Tennessee!  He's just in Hoonah for the tourism season, and he mentioned how expensive it is to live in Hoonah...a gallon of orange juice is around $14, a gallon of milk is about $8, etc.  We certainly didn't see the $25 jackets like we saw in the other 2 ports!   We strolled along the shoreline as we made it back to the ship and appreciated the last time we would be in Alaska during this trip.  I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant about this port of call, but I was pleasantly surprised how charming it was!  I would definitely go back!
• We spent the afternoon playing a little trivia and just relaxing.
• Dinner was at Teppanyaki since it was my husband's birthday (oh, and there was a birthday cupcake left in the room sometime for him as well) and they sang a couple of times to him...once during the dinner and then afterwards when they  gave him a cake to share.  It really made him feel special...he's such a kid at heart!   The food was very good and plentiful but sorry, I just didn't like the noise level.  I've been to these kinds of restaurants before so I knew what to expect but the chefs were very energetic when they banged on the grill.  Even my 21 year old son didn't like the noise level! 
• In the evening, we just played a little bingo and walked around
• We're looking forward to a relaxing day at sea tomorrow! 

• There have been some requests to share some menus and other items, so I'll try to gather them on the sea day!

We were in Juneau yesterday!  We were in port from about 7:00 to 1:30. 

Here are the highlights:

• It didn't rain!!  We've been told that they have had a drought for about a week now so they are expecting rain any day now.  We were very lucky to have a rather sunny and pleasant  day!
• The shuttle to downtown was very convenient but there is a sidewalk into town so for those who would rather walk.  The wait time was just a couple of minutes and the buses run continuously.
• My husband and daughter did the tram to Mount Roberts right when it opened and got some beautiful pictures.   They spend about 1 1/2 hours up and back.
• Juneau is a very quaint town and we were just shopping for some sweatshirts and jackets.  There were some fleece-lined jackets that were selling for less than $25 in the shops.  I had picked up a similar jacket in Ketchikan so I passed on the ones in Juneau.  Many folks on board took advantage of these "sales" and were wearing them for the rest of the cruise around the ship.
• We booked the Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer excursion but found that it had been changed to the Endicott Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer due to the Joy's size (that's what the letter said).  We left at 1:00 which was shortly before the Joy left Juneau.  We traveled in a catamaran all the way to Dawes Glacier. On the way, we saw harbor seals, sea lions, and lots of humpback whales.  We had plenty of time for pictures and to take in the wonders of Alaska.  After we reached Dawes Glacier, we saw the Joy approaching and we tendered back up to her at about 7:00.   We were told by the crew on the excursion that they had never seen the Joy get that close to the glacier before! 
• The itinerary stated that we would be sailing through Holkham Bay Glaciers Fjords.  That was the path we followed to get to Dawes Glacier so by the time we tendered up to the ship, we didn't see anymore glaciers that we hadn't already seen.    It's not a path filled with glaciers but there are some hanging glaciers on the mountains.  Very majestic.
• Since we had a full day, we visited the buffet for dinner and after playing "The Big Pyramid" game show, we called it a night. 
• I've attached a few pictures.  I just loved the green water near the falls in Endicott Arm.  The other two pictures were taken when we were on the excursion.  One was facing Dawes Glacier and the other was at the glacier but looking up to where we would eventually see the Joy approaching us.
• Icy Strait Point will be our next stop in Alaska!

8 hours ago, beckyboo1986 said:

Thanks for your report.

 

I'm looking to book my first NCL cruise for October this year (Vancouver to LA) and I'm a bit nervous as I'll be travelling solo. I've also only done two cruises before (both on RCC) so I'm not sure what to expect.

 

What sort of things are included please? I have seen the 'free at sea' offer and I'd like to choose the drinks package and internet. I think I've read water isn't included in the drinks package, unless you pay extra how can access drinking water? Also how restrictive is the drinks package please as I love a cocktail or glass of wine with dinner.

Sorry, we didn't get the drink package so I can't really speak to that.  My husband and I rarely drink so we just pay as we go.

We didn't buy the bottled water either.  We did bring some empty water bottles on board and fill when needed.  There are juice machines, ice and water machines, milk, coffee and tea available in the Garden Café (the buffet) that work for us.  These have also been available to us at the main dining rooms and in the observations lounge (I've had no problem getting water or coffee late at night or early in the morning in the observation lounge).

9 minutes ago, angelsdeb said:

Thank you so much for checking it out! Guess we will bring dominoes.

You're welcome! EnJOY your cruise!

11 hours ago, angelsdeb said:

Hi could you check in the card room and see what kind of dominoes they have please. We are interested in double nines or double twelves. Thank you☺️

 I just checked the card/game room (it's not an enclosed room...it's just an area next to guest services with a big cabinet) and sorry, I didn't find any dominoes.  This morning, I found Checkers, Backgammon, Monopoly, and Norwegian's own "Ports of Call" game.  I have seen others around the ship playing board games (usually Monopoly and Scrabble) and many, many people playing cards...especially in the observation deck..  I haven't seen anyone yet playing dominoes.

We made it to Alaska on the beautiful Norwegian Joy!  

I was very hesitant after reading some of the reviews, but it is a beautiful ship.  I just think they are still working the kinks out.  Our family is just trying to keep our sense of humor!

Here's a short recap as of today (day 4):

• Check-in was easy and there was plenty of room for everyone to wait until their group was called. 
• The buffet was simply crazy upon embarking!   We sat outside which was fine...there were overhead heaters! 
• The app to use onboard is a bit lacking.  We made reservations for comedy when we got on board, but we can only see the reservations on the TV in the room or on the paper they gave us when the reservations were made.  It seems like that would be an easy item to link to the app.   The app also doesn't have hours of operation for the restaurants or their menus (other cruise lines' apps that I have used have both 🙂).  The activities are also just listed no more than 24 hours in advance so we couldn't plan that far in advance.  Again, sorry to bring up other cruise lines, but their apps had the whole week on the app so planning was much easier).  I just got on the app this morning and noticed that the itinerary on the app is NOT our itinerary.  We are planned to go to Icy Strait Point tomorrow, but the app today says Skagway.  I'll have to ask Guest Services about that.  We haven't been told of any change. 
• Our stateroom on desk 14 forward is very well appointed and large enough for our family of four.  My biggest issue though, is that on the website, the room is described as 2 twin beds that convert to a queen and a murphy bed.  However, when we got to the room, we were very disappointed that it is NOT 2 twin beds that convert to a queen.  It is actually a full queen that cannot be separated.  This is our biggest issue thus far because we actually bid on this room and made sure that we would have 2 separate beds for our 20-something kids. We have discussed this with many people and as of today, this has not been resolved.   I would not have bid on this type of room had I known that my kids would not have separate beds.  I do hope I hear something about this in a few days.
• The entertainment staff is fantastic!  We've been to trivia and some of the game shows and really enjoyed them, but, as everyone is saying, they are held in the atrium and seating is limited.  We've had to sit in the folding chairs that they bring in or stand if we get there too late!
• We did one excursion (Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour) in Ketchikan and simply loved it!  I thought we would see Bald Eagles from far away, but no!! They were flying very close to the boat...great photo opportunities!   They explained and showed us how they fish for crab.  We could hold 2 different types of crab!  My whole family gave this excursion two thumbs up 👍👍!! Highly recommend it! 
• We went to the Footloose show and it was fantastic!! Those performers are so talented!  Great performance...the theatre was packed.
• We're sailing into Juneau as I write this...just beautiful!