On the Joy...right now!

[EpcotMonique]

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. !

[EpcotMonique]

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!

[bmct]

Becky Boo, I will probably be on that cruise as well, as a single.  Maybe we can meet up?

 

Just FYI, I do counted cross stitch, so I like to find a quiet corner with good lighting in the afternoons.  Feel free to PM me.

[CardFanDubG]

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. 

[wkgriff]

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

[EpcotMonique]

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.

[CardFanDubG]

36 minutes ago, EpcotMonique said:

 

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.

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.

[teachberry]

On 7/9/2019 at 8:04 PM, 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☺️

We ordered a travel set of Mexican train...double twelves. We take them on every cruise and love them!

[EpcotMonique]

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.

[EpcotMonique]

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!

[EpcotMonique]

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!

 

[CardFanDubG]

2 hours ago, EpcotMonique said:

 

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

Thank you very much that is a good idea.

[Sand and Seas]

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😎

[EpcotMonique]

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. 

[collectingcoke]

Great review thanks !  I was glad to read about your experience with the  luggage transfer to SeaTac as we are planning on using that for the first time, in September. 

[justjan2]

Is there anywhere on the ship that you think football games would be televised?

[rmurray847]

On 7/10/2019 at 8:58 AM, 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.

This will be very similar to your experiences with Royal.  My wife and I have done 9 cruises (she's done 10) and they were all either NCL or RCC.  More similarities than differences, IMO.  The same kinds of things are included:  buffet and main dining rooms (the Joy has 3 MDRs...each serves same menu, but slightly different ambiance).  Shows and game shows.  The drink package will "cost" you about $25 per day because even though you don't pay for the package, you still must pay the daily gratuity that you would have paid.  So be ready for that.  The package includes A LOT...don't worry about not having stuff to choose from. The wine choice is a bit limited...but if you're not a big wine afficionado and are okay with average wine, you'll find enough to choose from.  Cocktails are plentiful.  The drink package, sadly, does not include stuff like bottled water or real orange juice or specialty coffee.  But you say "how can access drinking water."  There is plenty of water available to dispense.  Ask a bartender.  In the buffet, pour your own.  Not to worry...it is super filtered and very palatable.  I wish I could same the same about their ice tea!  

 

The "Free" internet is  only 100 minutes.  So if you get that, be sure you sign off after using it, or you'll run out after a couple of hours.  It's good to check email, and perhaps to do some quick browsing...but if you're addicted to the phone and need it all the time, you'll want to pay for a package.

 

You should have a BLAST.  I haven't done the Joy, but have done Breakaway and Bliss.  Lots of nice things about these ships.  Game shows being in the Atrium is a drag, and the theater is too small...so if you like shows, get there EARLY.  Even if you reserve online, get their 20 minutes before showtime before they start letting standby in.

[sailawaybellaluna]

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?

[EpcotMonique]

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!

[Bluestar01]

Thank you for your review, we'll be on Joy next week, very much looking forward to it.

Do you remember/know what time was all aboard when the ship was in the ports? We're a little late to book excursions & the one I'm getting in Ketchikan is starting at 10:30 am, about 3 hrs duration, so ending by 1:30 pm, the ship's sail away is 3 pm, hence wondering if we should go for it or not.

 

Thanks.

[aniv20cruise]

3 hours ago, Bluestar01 said:

Thank you for your review, we'll be on Joy next week, very much looking forward to it.

Do you remember/know what time was all aboard when the ship was in the ports? We're a little late to book excursions & the one I'm getting in Ketchikan is starting at 10:30 am, about 3 hrs duration, so ending by 1:30 pm, the ship's sail away is 3 pm, hence wondering if we should go for it or not.

 

Thanks.

We are on the Joy right now - 8/18/19 and just got the day 3 daily paper. All aboard time in Ketchikan is 2:30 pm. Arrival is 7 am. 

We also received the notice of time change and to turn our clocks back an hour for Alaskan time. 

Hope this helps. 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Bluestar01 said:

Thank you for your review, we'll be on Joy next week, very much looking forward to it.

Do you remember/know what time was all aboard when the ship was in the ports? We're a little late to book excursions & the one I'm getting in Ketchikan is starting at 10:30 am, about 3 hrs duration, so ending by 1:30 pm, the ship's sail away is 3 pm, hence wondering if we should go for it or not.

 

Thanks.

All aboard in 30 minutes before departure. So, for a 3 pm departure, all aboard is at 2:30. 

 

Dailies for the Icy Strait itinerary are posted on the attached link 

 

[Birdie And Sue]

Sounds like a great time on a beautiful ship.  Enjoy your cruise everyone who is sailing her.