Joy-Mexican Riviera-Opinions please

[pugsammy]

We have really enjoyed all our cruises on Norwegian....We've sailed on Epic, Gem and 3 times on the Escape.....LOVE THE ESCAPE!!!

With that said, I just booked the Joy to do the Mexican Riviera.....to be honest, I've done the Caribbean so many times, that it's time for a change....

 

Hubby has always enjoyed the Thermal Suites on all the ships we've been on...and I just read that it's not available on the Joy.  Now, I'm wondering if this will not "measure up"

 

If you've been on the Joy, can you please give me your opinions......thanks and looking forward to hearing from you all!

[Georgia_Peaches]

Like you, we are itching to do the Mexican Riviera!  We enjoy NCL for a lot of things but we LOVE NCL for their thermal suite.  We haven't booked the Joy due to the lack of the thermal suite.  I just can't get excited about the Joy and for us, that's a significant part of the joy (no pun intended) of our cruising experience.  So, for now, no Mexican Riviera for us. But I will be following this thread with interest.

 

BTW...Carnival offers a Mexican Riviera itinerary but, well...it's Carnival.  I actually put a courtesy hold on a Cloud 9 (spa) cabin but when I told hubby, he was less than excited so I let go of the hold.

[BirdTravels]

The Joy is very similar to the Escape. Yes, no thermal suite. We always get a thermal suite pass on every cruise, but didn’t miss it on the Joy a couple months ago. Enjoy the Joy!

[hallux]

@Georgia_Peaches did you skip over that the Bliss did/is doing Mexican Riviera cruises this year?  Similar ship but I believe she does have the thermal spa/suite..

[rj42]

The Bliss is only going until October 27, but looks to do Mexico cruises during most of the winter next year, including shorter 5-day ones to Ensenada and Cabo. If you want to get really ambitious, both the Joy and Bliss will be doing several Miami-LA Panama Canal cruises of 16 days or so. 

 

I went on the Joy to Alaska in May, shortly after its refurbishment, and it was my favorite ship ever, with beautiful art and layout and design. The "Footloose" is more impressive than the other NCL Broadway shows that are mostly just singing hits, with lots of dancing in this one (the romantic leads are also an item in real life--I saw them holding hands in port). The magic show was also an impressive spectacle. 

 

I also love the pool deck layout of the Joy, with a huge open space (designed that way for the Chinese market), with smaller pools at each end, so there's more room for dancing, music, and watching the screen. The go karts are also fun to watch, and they have various virtual reality machines and laser tag, if you want to try new things. The Cavern Club is also great for Beatles lovers (go early if you want a seat), and the they do a longer show on the main stage one night. I also enjoyed little secret treats, like jars of gummy bears and peanut brittle by the buffet desserts, and I enjoyed trying different Indian foods in the buffet also, especially since the dining rooms had the same lunch menu every day. 

 

I think the Joy and Bliss would be wonderful for Mexico, although I usually do HAL for 7-day Mexico ones, since I like to be close to the water on their promenade decks for frequent sightings of whales and dolphins. I've seen plenty of breaching whales, some surfacing next to the ship (including rare Arnoux's beaked whales), and lots of dolphins jumping and dancing and chasing the ship (sailing in towards Cabo was the most active whale/dolphin spotting for me). If you want to swim with dolphins yourself, Cabo has a dolphin center near where the tenders dock, and if you order online ahead of time you can get cheaper prices. 

[hallux]

4 hours ago, rj42 said:

close to the water on their promenade deck

Then the Waterfront is where you want to be on the Bliss or Joy...

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 hours ago, hallux said:

@Georgia_Peaches did you skip over that the Bliss did/is doing Mexican Riviera cruises this year?  Similar ship but I believe she does have the thermal spa/suite..

I did not know this about the Bliss.  Thought she was Alaska only.  Thanks for the tip!  Will have to look into it for sure.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Georgia_Peaches

[nyc2pdx]

I'm headed to the Mexican Riviera on the Joy in December 😉

 

[BirdTravels]

On 10/11/2019 at 8:22 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

I did not know this about the Bliss.  Thought she was Alaska only.  Thanks for the tip!  Will have to look into it for sure.

No ships cruise Alaska during the winter. The Bliss does 3 more Mexican Riviera cruises this year (which are sold out) and then heads for New York for her Bahamas and Caribbean season. 

[Cruising89143]

On the Bliss now as I type this. Great cruise and beautiful ship. The crew likes the fact that they’re getting a short break from the Alaska ports with the Mexican Riviera before heading to New York.