FYI's for Norwegian Joy

[Katie H]

Regarding the speedway, do the cars seat 2?  If so, is the price $15 per person or per car?

[magicstacey]

13 minutes ago, Katie H said:

Regarding the speedway, do the cars seat 2?  If so, is the price $15 per person or per car?

They have 2 person cars at certain times of the day, mostly in the morning.  It is $15/ person. 

[Katie H]

1 hour ago, magicstacey said:

They have 2 person cars at certain times of the day, mostly in the morning.  It is $15/ person. 

Thank you

[Martinsen03]

Is Cell service available at all during sailing or are you to far from shore?

At what point to you leave Washington waters and are no longer charged the 10.1% Washington tax?

 

[elwood_98034]

16 hours ago, Martinsen03 said:

Is Cell service available at all during sailing or are you to far from shore?

At what point to you leave Washington waters and are no longer charged the 10.1% Washington tax?

 

You will get cell coverage through Puget Sound. You may get some coverage in the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Otherwise you will only get it when you're in, or very very close to larger towns. Past Port Angeles you could lose it until Ketchikan. On one of our trips we left the phone on, and it would occasionally start pinging like crazy as we had come close to a town, and picked up their tower. Remember to be careful of international roaming charges near Vancouver Island. We usually just go to Airplane Mode when we go to bed Saturday, and switch it back in Ketchikan. You won't get a signal, but your fone might beat itself to death trying to find a tower. That can drop your battery in just an hour or two.

Technically the ship may cross into Canadian waters near Port Angeles which would probably be around midnight Saturday, but depending on the exact course you could be in either country. What time the ship decides to stop observing the sales tax thing is hard to say. 

[WakeView4Us]

On 5/16/2019 at 8:17 AM, Melli56566 said:

I certainly hope they work this out before I sail mid june.  Sorry you had to wait in that line!  Thanks for the clarification.  Did they give any explanation to why this happened?

They never did other than ghery were still "printing"

[Msmojo66]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:27 AM, BayAreaCruisers4 said:

Thanks for passing judgement. We did not request this cabin (NCL assigned it to us), even though my wife has mobility issues. We offered to change cabins with guest services, but no one requested our cabin.

Wow!!    So sorry someone could actually ask that!!!  Thank you for taking the time for an amazing review!  That's a lot of work and time on your part...no need for a comment like that!!!

[mikembs]

On 5/14/2019 at 9:35 PM, careyayn22 said:

DO you know if king crab legs are going to be a standard offering or was it for the inaugural public voyage?

 I had crab legs on the Joy the next week. The king crab was ok. The dungeness was really good. 

[mikembs]

On 5/18/2019 at 6:58 PM, Martinsen03 said:

Is Cell service available at all during sailing or are you to far from shore?

At what point to you leave Washington waters and are no longer charged the 10.1% Washington tax?

 

You only get a decent cell service in Ports. 

[Snagler]

12 hours ago, mikembs said:

 I had crab legs on the Joy the next week. The king crab was ok. The dungeness was really good. 

Which restaurant served these? Want to keep my eye out for them next week. 

[careyayn22]

14 hours ago, mikembs said:

 I had crab legs on the Joy the next week. The king crab was ok. The dungeness was really good. 

Yes, I, wondering where and what day. Very curious. 

[smithop]

On 5/17/2019 at 9:17 AM, jfbbarry said:

We have an 11AM flight- What time did debarkation start?

Do you think that the  portal valet service will get our bags to the airport on time? I heard that service was free?

 

 

That will be cutting it close, we switched Southwest flights to 1:30pm in order to use Port Valet, its a great free service.  Fill out the form and turn it in by Wednesday, look for it in your daily packet.  

 

Eligible Criteria: Must disembark between 7:45-9:00am; your flight must depart on the same day your ship arrives in Seattle AFTER 2PM; you have a confirmed reservation with one of these airlines: American, Alaska, Delta, Horizon, Jet Blue, Southwest

*****Southwest flights can be between 11AM-4PM only***********

 

It worked out great for us, we hung about on the ship and had breakfast then strolled off at 9 by the time the crowds had dissipated, no problem getting an Uber pickup near Anthonys restaurant.

[BayAreaCruisers4]

18 hours ago, Snagler said:

Which restaurant served these? Want to keep my eye out for them next week. 

The crab was served in the buffet the second night of the cruise. Not sure if they offered it in the MDRs. 

[Defhermit]

19 hours ago, Snagler said:

Which restaurant served these? Want to keep my eye out for them next week. 

 

I'm not an expert, but if you're on Joy next week that means you are going to Alaska. You will have many crab options in every port your go to! Maybe just wait for a port meal for crab?

[rrrijah]

do people (and does Joy allow) decorate their room doors?

[ggg196078]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 2:56 PM, BayAreaCruisers4 said:

Some FYI’s about the NCL Joy, while I'm waiting for my cruise review to get published. We sailed the inaugural public cruise May 4-11 to Alaska/Glacier Bay.

• The speedway on the Joy is $15 per session, 8x laps per session. The Joy website still says $9.95, but the cost on the ship and on the NCL app, where you can book it from you mobile device, is $15. Not positive about the Laser tag arena, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same price. We did the racetrack once and I was disappointed with it. The track is too narrow and everyone was being throttled to slow down.
• The beverage package is now called the “Premium Beverage Package” instead of the “Ultimate Beverage Package”. Link to the drinks included for this package is https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/premium-beverage-package.pdf. You can get any drink any menu that is $15 or less. If you get a drink that’s more expensive, you pay the difference. Personally, we found that this package was worth it. It does not include bottled water (that’s another package, I think $15 for 5x 1L bottles).

   

   

• We loved our ADA cabin #10932, aft starboard! We didn’t know it was a disabled person’s cabin till we got there. It was twice the size of a normal balcony cabin. I would request this again. 😊

   

   

• Our excursions booked offshore ahead of our sailing instead of the ship were great. No issues and cost a fair bit less than NCL.

 

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

  Is it a disadvantage being on Port side(left side) when departing. Looks like all the good scenery is on Starboard side(right).

[BayAreaCruisers4]

1 hour ago, ggg196078 said:

  Is it a disadvantage being on Port side(left side) when departing. Looks like all the good scenery is on Starboard side(right).

I wouldn’t call it a disadvantage. You get to see the land side when you return. 😄

[BayAreaCruisers4]

8 hours ago, rrrijah said:

do people (and does Joy allow) decorate their room doors?

I saw a few decorated doors (maybe 4-5). 

[luvincruising]

Great review.  Thank you for taking the time compiling this detailed review.  What type of shoes/ boots did you wear in ports and on the ship?  Waterproof? Insulated?

[BayAreaCruisers4]

On 5/24/2019 at 10:59 PM, luvincruising said:

Great review.  Thank you for taking the time compiling this detailed review.  What type of shoes/ boots did you wear in ports and on the ship?  Waterproof? Insulated?

That almost sounds creepy. 😉 I we both wore Skechers (not waterproof). Mine were hiking shoes, which were better than regular tennis shoes. 

 

Glad you like the review. 😀

[Ptroxx]

On 5/14/2019 at 11:56 AM, BayAreaCruisers4 said:

 

 

Some FYI’s about the NCL Joy, while I'm waiting for my cruise review to get published. We sailed the inaugural public cruise May 4-11 to Alaska/Glacier Bay.

• The speedway on the Joy is $15 per session, 8x laps per session. The Joy website still says $9.95, but the cost on the ship and on the NCL app, where you can book it from you mobile device, is $15. Not positive about the Laser tag arena, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same price. We did the racetrack once and I was disappointed with it. The track is too narrow and everyone was being throttled to slow down.
• The beverage package is now called the “Premium Beverage Package” instead of the “Ultimate Beverage Package”. Link to the drinks included for this package is https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/premium-beverage-package.pdf. You can get any drink any menu that is $15 or less. If you get a drink that’s more expensive, you pay the difference. Personally, we found that this package was worth it. It does not include bottled water (that’s another package, I think $15 for 5x 1L bottles).

   

   

• We loved our ADA cabin #10932, aft starboard! We didn’t know it was a disabled person’s cabin till we got there. It was twice the size of a normal balcony cabin. I would request this again. 😊

   

   

• Our excursions booked offshore ahead of our sailing instead of the ship were great. No issues and cost a fair bit less than NCL.

 

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Bay Area.  Thanks for the great review.   

Fellow Bay Area here.   Sonoma Co area.  

 

Ill be on the Joy for Labor Day weekend can’t wait.  First NCL cruise for me.   Mini suite 12268

 

curious to how the comedy shows were ?  Really enjoy going to the shows.  

Ive been on many cruises but with carnival.  And I’ve never had to make reservations for a comedy show. 

 

This ship is so much bigger than any ship I’ve been on.  

 

Thanks again for the review 

 

 

[luvincruising]

10 hours ago, BayAreaCruisers4 said:

That almost sounds creepy. 😉 I we both wore Skechers (not waterproof). Mine were hiking shoes, which were better than regular tennis shoes. 

 

Glad you like the review. 😀

  As soon as I submitted my post, that occurred to me too.  I should have prefaced it with my concern for all the possible rain that can happen on an Alaskan cruise.

 

[BayAreaCruisers4]

2 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

 

Bay Area.  Thanks for the great review.   

Fellow Bay Area here.   Sonoma Co area.  

 

Ill be on the Joy for Labor Day weekend can’t wait.  First NCL cruise for me.   Mini suite 12268

 

curious to how the comedy shows were ?  Really enjoy going to the shows.  

Ive been on many cruises but with carnival.  And I’ve never had to make reservations for a comedy show. 

 

This ship is so much bigger than any ship I’ve been on.  

 

Thanks again for the review 

 

 

The comedy shows were pretty good. We enjoyed them. The opening act was pretty much the same for each one. Make sure you reserve them when you get on board at one of the kiosks (midship) or at the box office (deck six forward). 

[Ptroxx]

38 minutes ago, BayAreaCruisers4 said:

The comedy shows were pretty good. We enjoyed them. The opening act was pretty much the same for each one. Make sure you reserve them when you get on board at one of the kiosks (midship) or at the box office (deck six forward). 

 

 

Ok ok so I cant reserve anything before we sail?   Guess that’s the first thing I’m doing when I get on board lol 

Edited May 27, 2019 by Ptroxx

[BayAreaCruisers4]

36 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

 

 

Ok ok so I cant reserve anything before we sail?   Guess that’s the first thing I’m doing when I get on board lol 

Try reserving ahead by calling NCL. I heard a lot of folks were able to reserve shows and dinner houses ahead of time. We did, but almost all of our reservations were changed when we got on the ship. That might have been because it was the first public sailing, though. We went to the box office to get it sorted out and all was ok. 

 

BTW, be sure to download the NCL app before you sail. You can also make reservations there while on the cruise.