Just off the Joy. WOW!!!

[Beth Y]

Until this cruise I wasn't a big NCL fan -- I ranked it sixth among my favorite cruise lines, after cruising on the Spirit, the Star, the Epic and the Gem.  Last week on the Joy changed all that.  Everything was outstanding!  The crew was incredibly friendly and efficient (over 1,500 crew members for 1,659 guests).  The food was excellent.  The ship is beautiful, with an amazing Observation Lounge.  My accessible balcony cabin (12928) was perfect.  The airline damaged the back of my scooter seat, which I didn't realize until I was on the Joy.  My cabin steward had Maintenance there within half an hour to replace a missing bolt.  
 

There were many great entertainment choices.  I loved the productions of "Footloose" and "Elements."  I enjoyed the Beatles Story performances in the theater and in the Cavern Club.  Listening to Andre in the piano bar was such fun.  The solo get-togethers were great.  Norwegian's programs for solos is by far the best I've experienced.  I had absolutely no complaints.  
 

I've been on HAL's Nieuw Statendam for less than 24 hours now, and I've had two dismal service experiences at lunch and dinner in the MDR.  I bought two NCL Cruise Next certificates on the Joy, and I'll be booking a winter 2023 cruise on it for sure. Any questions?

[gatorchinsky]

So glad you enjoyed your cruise on the Joy!  We board her this Saturday for the 5 nighter and really looking forward to it!

[bkrickles1]

4 minutes ago, Beth Y said:

Until this cruise I wasn't a big NCL fan -- I ranked it sixth among my favorite cruise lines, after cruising on the Spirit, the Star, the Epic and the Gem.  Last week on the Joy changed all that.  Everything was outstanding!  The crew was incredibly friendly and efficient (over 1,500 crew members for 1,659 guests).  The food was excellent.  The ship is beautiful, with an amazing Observation Lounge.  My accessible balcony cabin (12928) was perfect.  The airline damaged the back of my scooter seat, which I didn't realize until I was on the Joy.  My cabin steward had Maintenance there within half an hour to replace a missing bolt.  
 

There were many great entertainment choices.  I loved the productions of "Footloose" and "Elements."  I enjoyed the Beatles Story performances in the theater and in the Cavern Club.  Listening to Andre in the piano bar was such fun.  The solo get-togethers were great.  Norwegian's programs for solos is by far the best I've experienced.  I had absolutely no complaints.  
 

I've been on HAL's Nieuw Statendam for less than 24 hours now, and I've had two dismal service experiences at lunch and dinner in the MDR.  I bought two NCL Cruise Next certificates on the Joy, and I'll be booking a winter 2023 cruise on it for sure. Any questions?

Boy, do I love to hear this!!

In the limited time Joy has been sailing again, the reviews have been great so far.

33 days until my Joy sailing and I think it's going to be one for the ages.

Thanks for letting us know how great it was.

 

[The Traveling Man]

16 minutes ago, Beth Y said:

Until this cruise I wasn't a big NCL fan -- I ranked it sixth among my favorite cruise lines, after cruising on the Spirit, the Star, the Epic and the Gem.  Last week on the Joy changed all that.  Everything was outstanding!  The crew was incredibly friendly and efficient (over 1,500 crew members for 1,659 guests).  The food was excellent.  The ship is beautiful, with an amazing Observation Lounge.  My accessible balcony cabin (12928) was perfect.  The airline damaged the back of my scooter seat, which I didn't realize until I was on the Joy.  My cabin steward had Maintenance there within half an hour to replace a missing bolt.  
 

There were many great entertainment choices.  I loved the productions of "Footloose" and "Elements."  I enjoyed the Beatles Story performances in the theater and in the Cavern Club.  Listening to Andre in the piano bar was such fun.  The solo get-togethers were great.  Norwegian's programs for solos is by far the best I've experienced.  I had absolutely no complaints.  
 

I've been on HAL's Nieuw Statendam for less than 24 hours now, and I've had two dismal service experiences at lunch and dinner in the MDR.  I bought two NCL Cruise Next certificates on the Joy, and I'll be booking a winter 2023 cruise on it for sure. Any questions?

We also have sailed on the Nieuw Statendam.  From all we had heard about HAL, we were expecting so much more from their cruise line.  None of the officers attended the CC M&G, the food was underwhelming, and except for the classical music combo the entertainment seemed amateurish.  We probably will never sail with HAL again.   So glad you enjoyed the Joy.  We sailed on it in 2019 to Alaska and loved every minute of our cruise.

Edited December 13, 2021 by The Traveling Man

[a1betpr]

We were on the same cruise and echo your sentiments...the Joy is in great shape, service was fantastic, and we had probably our best cruise ever (getting upgraded to the 2bd suite in the Haven from a club balcony didn't hurt either).  The ship is immaculate - everything shines and there was no rust or anything anywhere.  Crew seemed genuinely enthusiastic and happy to be back to work.  If you saw Andre play piano at the District brewhouse then you saw us - we sat at the bar right beside him I think every time he played there.  

[bluesea777]

36 minutes ago, Beth Y said:

 

 

First time I'm seeing Joy's atrium chandelier! Looks very nice! Thanks for posting it.

 

We have been on all NCL ships except two - Sky and Joy - and I hadn't seen any pics of Joy's chandelier until now. We find all chandeliers on the Breakaway and Breakaway + class ships very attractive ... except ... Encore's!!

 

Glad to read that you have such a good time on Joy.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

Wonderful!!! I'm so happy you had a great experience. You make me realize how much I truly miss cruising.

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, Beth Y said:

Last week on the Joy changed all that.  Everything was outstanding!  The crew was incredibly friendly and efficient (over 1,500 crew members for 1,659 guests).  The food was excellent.  The ship is beautiful, with an amazing Observation Lounge.  My accessible balcony cabin (12928) was perfect.  The airline damaged the back of my scooter seat, which I didn't realize until I was on the Joy.  My cabin steward had Maintenance there within half an hour to replace a missing bolt.

 

There were many great entertainment choices.  I loved the productions of "Footloose" and "Elements."  I enjoyed the Beatles Story performances in the theater and in the Cavern Club.  Listening to Andre in the piano bar was such fun.  The solo get-togethers were great.  Norwegian's programs for solos is by far the best I've experienced.  I had absolutely no complaints.  

So happy to hear that you had a good time on the Joy. We sailed on the Joy to Alaska in 2019 before the pandemic shutdown and had a wonderful cruise. 

[TenForward]

We just booked our cruise 3 days ago on the Joy to Bermuda in 2022.  I've been on the Escape twice and Breakaway once and I just love the Waterfront areas on those ships... was glad to learn Joy has that as well.    

 

What was the pool situation like?  We usually spend our time in Vibe or Spice but I see Spice on the Joy has only 1 hot tub in the covered area... I do wish it was out on the deck and not under a roof.

 

Oh, and did you happen to notice if there's shuffleboard?   My friends and I have such a blast playing that.  We grab a drink, kick off our shoes and enjoy the quieter side of the ship. 😄

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

 

[bigrednole]

nice to hear. I have only cruise once on Carnival. Trying NCL this time to compare. I cannot wait.

[Beth Y]

14 hours ago, TenForward said:

We just booked our cruise 3 days ago on the Joy to Bermuda in 2022.  I've been on the Escape twice and Breakaway once and I just love the Waterfront areas on those ships... was glad to learn Joy has that as well.    

 

What was the pool situation like?  We usually spend our time in Vibe or Spice but I see Spice on the Joy has only 1 hot tub in the covered area... I do wish it was out on the deck and not under a roof.

 

Oh, and did you happen to notice if there's shuffleboard?   My friends and I have such a blast playing that.  We grab a drink, kick off our shoes and enjoy the quieter side of the ship. 😄

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

 

I didn't use the pool, but a friend took this photo.  Sorry, I didn't notice if there was shuffleboard.  I saw people playing with this big chess set.

 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Beth Y
Picture failed to load

[a1betpr]

13 hours ago, TenForward said:

We just booked our cruise 3 days ago on the Joy to Bermuda in 2022.  I've been on the Escape twice and Breakaway once and I just love the Waterfront areas on those ships... was glad to learn Joy has that as well.    

 

What was the pool situation like?  We usually spend our time in Vibe or Spice but I see Spice on the Joy has only 1 hot tub in the covered area... I do wish it was out on the deck and not under a roof.

 

Oh, and did you happen to notice if there's shuffleboard?   My friends and I have such a blast playing that.  We grab a drink, kick off our shoes and enjoy the quieter side of the ship. 😄

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures!

 

 

I believe there is no shuffleboard on the Joy.  Ping pong and giant chess but I didn't see shuffleboard anywhere, and even commented to my wife that I didn't see shuffleboard while we were on the ship.

[Sthrngary]

My family and I just got off the Joy on December 4, 2021.  I read your thoughts above and agree with everything you said.  This was my first cruise on the Joy also.  I am so glad you had a great time.  I have to add something for everyone reading this thread.

 

NCL is doing a great job of limiting guests to allow for the proper training of crew members.  To be on one of these first sailings and have a low guest count is a "Once in a lifetime opportunity".  The op-ed brought up the entertainment.  It was indeed awesome and one of the major differences why, I choose NCL. 

 

Thank you to the Op-Ed for the stream.  Great Ship, Great Crew, Great Attitude by all involved. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

[DrSea]

21 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

First time I'm seeing Joy's atrium chandelier! Looks very nice! Thanks for posting it.

 

We have been on all NCL ships except two - Sky and Joy - and I hadn't seen any pics of Joy's chandelier until now. We find all chandeliers on the Breakaway and Breakaway + class ships very attractive ... except ... Encore's!!

 

Glad to read that you have such a good time on Joy.

 

It looks so much more radiant IRL

[kitty-sail]

Was on the Dec 4 sailing. Haven food was much better than pre-covid. Staff couldn't do enough for us, taking time to chat with each guest. Observation and Horizon lounge were very nice additions. Great places to relax. Ship was very clean. Hand sanitizer everywhere - washy washy. No covid issues on this cruise.

[jaja]

I love positive threads!!!!🙂

[TenForward]

7 hours ago, a1betpr said:

 

I believe there is no shuffleboard on the Joy.  Ping pong and giant chess but I didn't see shuffleboard anywhere, and even commented to my wife that I didn't see shuffleboard while we were on the ship.

 

Oh bummer.  Oh, well.  We like ping pong too 😄

 

7 hours ago, Beth Y said:

I didn't use the pool, but a friend took this photo.  Sorry, I didn't notice if there was shuffleboard.  I saw people playing with this big chess set.

 

 

 

Thanks for the pics!

 

[PhillyTravelBug]

Love reading this!!! Joy is on my list. I'm just having a difficult time booking a ship without a thermal spa.  It looks like a beautiful ship.

[Sthrngary]

24 minutes ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Love reading this!!! Joy is on my list. I'm just having a difficult time booking a ship without a thermal spa.  It looks like a beautiful ship.

You are right, the Joy does not have a thermal spa.  I very much like Thermal Spa area's as well.  That being said, every NCL ship has it's own character or personality. Yet, they are all so very similar.  My choice of the Joy had as much to do with the lower investment for the Haven Suite I was in as it did about being one of NCL's Larger ships.

 

Some things to consider.  

1. Having purchased the Thermal spa prior on other NCL and Celebrity ships, I did not miss it.  so much other things to do.
2. Where the Go Cart Track, Lasor Tag and the Galaxy P were super cool.  They were a one and done situation. Another's words, been there and did that. 
3. Where I thought the openness between pools was awkward on the pictures, having all that area was kind of nice in real life. 
4. The observation decks were awesome and that fact that the Haven had its own was special. 
5. The entertainment was great.  Footloose, Elements and the Beatles all exceeded our expectations.  What I did not expect was the comedy club as so good.  Also, the Sugar Cane lounge entertainers were a show stopper. 

 

The best part was the crew all so very happy to have us onboard and working again.  Now is the time to cruise.  It was such a long wait and it was so satisfying. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

[mjh2w1]

20 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

You are right, the Joy does not have a thermal spa.  I very much like Thermal Spa area's as well.  That being said, every NCL ship has it's own character or personality. Yet, they are all so very similar.  My choice of the Joy had as much to do with the lower investment for the Haven Suite I was in as it did about being one of NCL's Larger ships.

 

Some things to consider.  

1. Having purchased the Thermal spa prior on other NCL and Celebrity ships, I did not miss it.  so much other things to do.
2. Where the Go Cart Track, Lasor Tag and the Galaxy P were super cool.  They were a one and done situation. Another's words, been there and did that. 
3. Where I thought the openness between pools was awkward on the pictures, having all that area was kind of nice in real life. 
4. The observation decks were awesome and that fact that the Haven had its own was special. 
5. The entertainment was great.  Footloose, Elements and the Beatles all exceeded our expectations.  What I did not expect was the comedy club as so good.  Also, the Sugar Cane lounge entertainers were a show stopper. 

 

The best part was the crew all so very happy to have us onboard and working again.  Now is the time to cruise.  It was such a long wait and it was so satisfying. 

 

Cruise well everyone. 

We sail on the Joy on Feb 5th, and reviews like this make it even more exciting!  Thanks for a wonderful review!!!

[psac]

On 12/13/2021 at 12:00 PM, Beth Y said:

Until this cruise I wasn't a big NCL fan -- I ranked it sixth among my favorite cruise lines, after cruising on the Spirit, the Star, the Epic and the Gem.  Last week on the Joy changed all that.  Everything was outstanding!  The crew was incredibly friendly and efficient (over 1,500 crew members for 1,659 guests).  The food was excellent.  The ship is beautiful, with an amazing Observation Lounge.  My accessible balcony cabin (12928) was perfect.  The airline damaged the back of my scooter seat, which I didn't realize until I was on the Joy.  My cabin steward had Maintenance there within half an hour to replace a missing bolt.  
 

There were many great entertainment choices.  I loved the productions of "Footloose" and "Elements."  I enjoyed the Beatles Story performances in the theater and in the Cavern Club.  Listening to Andre in the piano bar was such fun.  The solo get-togethers were great.  Norwegian's programs for solos is by far the best I've experienced.  I had absolutely no complaints.  
 

I've been on HAL's Nieuw Statendam for less than 24 hours now, and I've had two dismal service experiences at lunch and dinner in the MDR.  I bought two NCL Cruise Next certificates on the Joy, and I'll be booking a winter 2023 cruise on it for sure. Any questions?

Where was that ravioli dish from?  La Cuccina?   Looks good!

[Lou33]

On 12/13/2021 at 9:00 AM, Beth Y said:

Any questions?

Do you remember the name of the dance/party band that they had on board?  We've seen some excellent bands, usually from the Philippines.  Was the band possibly called Next Stage or Kenosis?