5/4 Joy Sailing Review

[PrinceonRN]

Disappointed with the initial reviews. Please keep me posted. I was excited to go on the JOY vs BLISS. Hope I made right choice.

[TexasCruiser84]

Just now, PrinceonRN said:

Disappointed with the initial reviews. Please keep me posted. I was excited to go on the JOY vs BLISS. Hope I made right choice.

Reviews are so subjective, please don’t let them ruin your excitement. First run of a relatively new ship, it’s bound to have issues. I encountered some Debbie downers on the ship who looked like they were having a gawd awful time and melted down over the most minor inconveniences.  Is it going to be a perfect cruise? Probably not with 4K passengers on the boat. Are the food and service comparable to the Four Seasons? Nope, but I didn’t expect it to be. It will probably be hard to find a table in the buffet, you’ll encounter a wait for elevators, you probably won’t get reservations for things if you don’t book in advance, there is bound to be an occasional language barrier, etc. I just read a review and the person said that Q wasn’t good. I thought it was fantastic. Different strokes. I actually enjoy reading negative reviews - gives me a preview of the kinds of things people gripe about so I can expect them, try to avoid them with proper planning, and let it go if it happens. Hope you have a great time! 

[Twiggly]

On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 1:48 PM, TexasCruiser84 said:

Go karts: Fun, but your experience is largely dependent on the drivers around you.  We had some real a-holes in our group, including one who couldn’t navigate a turn to save her life (thus backing everyone up at the turns) and one who ran me into a wall (and I’m not taking a sideswipe but a full on t-bone hit).     It was cold and windy up there, so dress warm. 

 

Galaxy Pavilion: Great time and it wasn’t busy when we went so we never had to wait in line for a specific ride/game.  The simulators are fun and include things like flying a drone, riding in a Jurassic Park vehicle and being chased by dinosaurs, and rescuing a kitten from a skyrise.  The formula 1 racing simulator is an extra $10 (I think) and you get 15 minutes in it.  In addition to what you can see on the main floor, there are two 3D shooting games (Zombies/Wolves) in back rooms that hold a group of 7 or 8 people at a time.  I got a little woozy about 45 minutes in, but had done almost everything at that point.  I felt a little off for about an hour afterwards (admittedly I do get motion sick so this wasn’t a surprise).

 

You have to wear this sort of uncomfortable hygiene mask that wraps around your ears. If you have a large noggin, you might not enjoy that.  I took it off between games to give my ears a break.

 

You can use the arcade without having to pay the Galaxy Pavilion fee.  There is also this neat things for kids (ok I did it too) where you can color in an animal and have it scanned into an animation on a large screen.  Kids loved this.

 

Laser Tag: 10 minute game and I was sweating by the end of it, lots of fun! We had some small kids on our team and I loved it.  Their enthusiasm was contagious.  The instruction video they play before the game is outdated or something, and makes the laser tag gun seem complicated to use.  It wasn’t. The instructor told us to pretty much ignore the demo video.

 

Casino: Enclosed smoking room = GENIUS.  The ship smelled so much better than the Escape.  I LOVED not having to smell the stench of cigarette smoke while gambling or having to shove my casino clothes in an airtight plastic bag once back in my room. On our last day, the casino closed at 1:30.  We didn’t get to Victoria until about 6:30 pm. Anyone know why they close it early? We couldn’t figure that out.

 

Gym: Was quite crowded on the first sea day.  Felt a bit small and cramped but has a good variety of equipment.  It is heavy on cardio machines and a bit scant on space for weightlifting/HIIT.  With so many people packed in there, it got hot.

 

No steam or sauna for general public use, you have to book a signature spa service to get access for that day (i.e. the more expensive services). We did not book any spa services.

 

The 50% pressing service was offered the first night, and the $20 bag of laundry special showed up mid week. 

How long did it take to get your laundry back?

[TexasCruiser84]

Just now, Twiggly said:

How long did it take to get your laundry back?

We received our pressed clothes back the next day before dinner so less than 24 hours for pressing. I didn’t do the laundry bag special mid week but I believe the paper said it was a 2 day turnaround. 

[Twiggly]

Just now, TexasCruiser84 said:

We received our pressed clothes back the next day before dinner so less than 24 hours for pressing. I didn’t do the laundry bag special mid week but I believe the paper said it was a 2 day turnaround. 

 

Just now, TexasCruiser84 said:

We received our pressed clothes back the next day before dinner so less than 24 hours for pressing. I didn’t do the laundry bag special mid week but I believe the paper said it was a 2 day turnaround. 

Thank you!

[tulok]

Thank you TxCruiser for the great information. I am wondering if there are any special nights that I need to pack for like white party. Is there anything you wished you packed? I know with my last cruise, a night light for the bathroom was suggested and it was much needed.

[TexasCruiser84]

1 hour ago, tulok said:

Thank you TxCruiser for the great information. I am wondering if there are any special nights that I need to pack for like white party. Is there anything you wished you packed? I know with my last cruise, a night light for the bathroom was suggested and it was much needed.

I’m a pretty overzealous packer (3 large suitcases and 2 carryons for 2 people lol) so I didn’t really feel like I was missing anything. But if I had to do it again I would pack a large coffee mug! The tiny little teacups they call coffee mugs are an abomination!

[tulok]

I am quite the packing opposite. I love my car mug and it will go easily in my bag. Thanks for the heads up. 

[dpavid]

My kids want to know what are the hours for the go kart? Was an unlimited pass worth it or do they get bored after 4-5 times?

[TexasCruiser84]

Just now, dpavid said:

My kids want to know what are the hours for the go kart? Was an unlimited pass worth it or do they get bored after 4-5 times?

I recall hours varied on port says but it was open pretty much all day on sea days. I recall some days it went as late as 9pm.  I didn’t have the unlimited pass, only did it once.  If I was going to recommend an unlimited pass, I’d go with Galaxy Pavilion. It will keep them busy for longer periods of time and they’d be less likely to get bored. 

[dpavid]

On 5/13/2019 at 11:44 AM, TexasCruiser84 said:

This introvert would rather just complain on CC 😁 I did find eating in the observation lounge to be enjoyable, bit more peaceful there than the loud, slightly chaotic buffet. 

This is a great tip to get your food and go someplace else more enjoyable.