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BirdTravels to Alaska on the Norwegian Joy

BirdTravels

By BirdTravels,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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4 hours ago, Msmojo66 said:

Where was this excursion???

See post #238

 

There were a lot of whales and dolphin around the ship (especially easy to see on the cruise from Icy Strait to Victoria). 

Edited by BirdTravels
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BEAV

BEAV

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We were aboard for this sailing as well. We sailed Bliss in July and enJOYed it so much we came back 4 weeks later to “comparison shop” on Joy. 

 

I’m afraid we’re a house divided in that my better half is sold on Bliss while I give a slight edge to Joy! 

 

The one feature we both agreed on was the lack of the circular bar on deck 15 on Joy. We spent a lot of time here on Bliss and missed it on Joy. On Bliss this was what we considered as the social gathering place. Sure, there’s a bar here on Joy, but it’s not the same from a socialibility perspective. On the other hand, I loved the Starbucks up here on Joy and spent early mornings enjoying coffee and the quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

 

The light breakfast and lunch offerings in the Observation lounge were a huge hit with us. We are not buffet people and between deck 15 and The Local we were quite satisfied for breakfast and lunch. As Bird mentioned, we found the lighter colors of The Local pleasing over the darker on Bliss. 

 

We had the 3-night dining package, 2 Platinum dinners, paid a la carte 1 night in Le Bistro and dined 1 night in Manhattan. On the night we paid a la carte in Le Bistro we each chose 2 starters and split the Filet between us. When they brought out the filet, they had divided them on 2 plates complete with the side accompaniments on each plate. They could have brought the single entree, an extra plate, and then left it up to us to clumsily divide. But they went the extra mile and beautifully prepared 2 plates, including the potatoes, mushrooms and asparagus. A little thoughtfulness goes a long way. That may be their standard operating procedure for split entrees, and if it is, thank you Norwegian. 

 

Overall we enjoyed bar service in the various lounges we visited. Never a wait for a bar server. As I mentioned on another thread, we never saw any flyers or advertisements to upgrade to the Premium Plus package. We didn’t even know it existed until we saw the thread here on the board 2 days before we disembarked. Having said that, I often tossed most any flyers in the trash! Bird, did you notice any flyers to upgrade to the Plus package?

 

As Bird mentioned, the Port Valet service offered in coordination with Norwegian and the Port of Seattle is a terrific program. We would most certainly have utilized this service if we were flying out of SEATAC. In our case, as a bit of an airline buff, we chose to fly home from Everett (airport code PAE for Paine Field). This airport opened in March of this year to commercial traffic. United and Alaska (partner with American) fly out of Everett using 70-seat 2-2 seating configuration jets. If you fly into/out of this airport you’re guaranteed not to be stuck in a middle seat! United flies to its hubs of SFO & DEN and Alaska to its hubs of LAX and PHX where you can connect to anywhere in the U.S. The airport has just 3 gates and going through TSA security is a BREEZE! It’s a 30-40 minute Uber/Lyft ride from the Port of Seattle. Lyft for us was $44 before gratuity. 

Speaking of Uber/Lyft, instead of joining the mass of humanity at the Port all clamoring to locate your driver, go next door to the Edgewater Hotel and order your ride there. Our Lyft driver thanked us profusely for doing just that and avoiding the masses next door at the Port. 

 

Norwegian is obviously proud of their decision to relocate Joy to North America by this article our TA sent us.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/21358-norwegian-joy-s-onboard-revenue-more-than-doubles-in-alaska.html

 

 

 

 

Edited by BEAV
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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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4 hours ago, BEAV said:

 As I mentioned on another thread, we never saw any flyers or advertisements to upgrade to the Premium Plus package. We didn’t even know it existed until we saw the thread here on the board 2 days before we disembarked. Having said that, I often tossed most any flyers in the trash! Bird, did you notice any flyers to upgrade to the Plus package?

 

This was the flyer on the ship. I guess I never posted it (I took the photo on Day 1)

 

image.thumb.png.28e1ce3c7867d908472f765a536ee304.png

image.thumb.png.345f13474b2b038587e5dab8dd258a7e.png

 

Edited by BirdTravels
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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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1 hour ago, Grimmy104 said:

On the Joy can you check out blankets or just towels.

Well,,,,, they have deck blankets at the towel station on the pool deck. Check them out early in the cruise because they run out. The are the thick, plush blankets. 

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Grimmy104

Grimmy104

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14 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Well,,,,, they have deck blankets at the towel station on the pool deck. Check them out early in the cruise because they run out. The are the thick, plush blankets. 

Thanks for the excellent posts

Departing tomorrow 8/17 more prepared because of your informative posts!!!

Edited by Grimmy104
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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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The Concierge Suites get a purple key card, similar to the non-Haven suites on the small ships.

 

The key can be used as a proximity/RFID card to open your stateroom door, bar code scan at the security checks, and a magnetic swipe card at the points of sale. 

 

image.png.4ec00e54fd69760d837807faff26e3df.png

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tanyaewa

tanyaewa

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Thanks for all this information.  I found it using the search feature AFTER I posted a query regarding Bliss Vs Joy.  Ooops!  I’m sure someone will redirect me here again - most likely you! Lot to think about thanks again for your comprehensive report 

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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15 hours ago, tanyaewa said:

Thanks for all this information.  I found it using the search feature AFTER I posted a query regarding Bliss Vs Joy.  Ooops!  I’m sure someone will redirect me here again - most likely you! Lot to think about thanks again for your comprehensive report 

Now that you have found the Live Post from the Joy, here's our live post from the Bliss

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2548993-the-first-voyage-of-the-norwegian-bliss-to-alaska/

 

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