Joy review 8/23/22 9nt Bermuda

[planefring1]

First off we are first time cruisers with no previous point of reference. This review is strictly based on our experiences.

We arrived at Pier 88 about 11:30am parked on the roof of pier88 ($360).  As we entered the parking area security quickly checked our vehicle using a K-9.  then we quickly unloaded the bags and we got assistance from a luggage porter.  After the long elevator ride down to street level (elevator was slow). We got on line outside at 11:50 and we boarded the ship at 1:30. 

 

This is where all the great suggestions we received from CC came in handy.  We did not do the buffet. We had an amazing relaxed lunch at Savor. during lunch we were told our rooms were ready.  We had two inside family suites on deck 11.  the 2 bedroom suites were non Haven. but very spacious based upon other cabins we saw passing down the hallways.  I would say they were equivalent to 4 inside cabins in size.  the master BR. had a wonderful king side mattress that was unbelievably comfortable and plush high quality linens & pillows to complement the mattress.  average size wall mounted TV and a bathroom with double sinks and shower/tub combo.  the kids used the other BR with a lower twin and and upper bed that was lowered from a recessed frame mounted into the ceiling.  They had a small bathroom with single sink and glass enclosed stall shower.  Both bathrooms featured wonderful L’occitane bath products.  Hand soap, Moisturizer, conditioner, shampoo & body wash.  They also provided and umbrella and waffle robes for use.  In between the BR’s was a living room with a table and 4 chairs, a leather seat and another small round table with a cute plant on it.  A third TV and a virtual balcony that during the day provided a view from an outside camera.

each room had its own thermostat and definitely kept the room very comfortable for the entire cruise.  Lastly a mini bar consisting of a mini fridge and a counter with a nespresso machine. (it made a heck of a  good single or double expresso). They replenished the pods daily when requested.  Also 2x during the week they served small plates of treats. Also note there are about 30 PPV Movies on the ITV system, they were no charge for them as it was included in the suite.  Side note, the $9.99 pp ncl communications app does not work  very well. it would fail to call or text the passenger you wanted to communicate with.  There were 11 in our group.  and they refunded the app with no fuss at all.

 

Unfortunately our cabin steward was not very attentive, as we had to ask multiple times for things to be done.  One time he left a bottle of toilet cleanser on the counter close to my kids electric tooth brushes.  I was not too happy about that. But we did not complain either.  We noticed he was overworked and have about 12 suites to attend to.  So we sort of felt bad.  We kept our rooms tidy, as we really tried not to make his job more difficult.  However, we did replace our towels daily.  The bath towels we so cheap they literally pulled apart with little effort. 

 

The ship was quite beautiful. very bright and modern and easily navigated.  We saw both major production shows (Footloose & Elements) Footloose was very well done, and seemed to be a high quality production. Elements was fun but a little boring at times (like this review). We also saw the Acrobatic couple (forgot name) But they were amazing as well.

 

 The food in the MDR was also fine, nothing too special, but the service was always excellent.  We at at most of specialty restaurants, this is the order in which we rated the entire experience  

1) Teppanyaki 

2) Food Republic

3) Le Bistro

4) La Cucina

5) Cagneys

All the above offered AMAZING service and nice spaces.  However,  Cagneys was at the bottom because the steaks were underwhelming and under seasoned in our opinion. We also upgraded to the 5 restaurant meal plan so it was a bargain compared to most restaurants being al la cart.  The Garden buffet was plentiful but uninspired cusine, However I found the Indian cuisine to be quite good. Never used or saw ANYONE eating at the American diner, But the local was also a great snack location open 24/7 with decent pub style food. I must say the loaded nachos topped with chili was my goto snack.

 

The ports were Norfolk Virginia, Port Canaveral Fl, Private island GSC Bahamas & Bermuda.

In Norfolk we went to the navel museum right next to the port, Did not get off in Fl. Had a great beach day at GSC, And Bermuda was an overnight stay at a beautiful small island. Bermuda was the highlight port of our cruise, we absolutely had a blast. Jet skiing, Glass bottom snorkeling tour, sightseeing, shopping. I also must add the $40 fee per person to enter Burmuda was a cash grab and very silly to me. And since we had a call to Bermuda on day 6 we had to retest for covid (no charge) it was a joke, it took almost an hour online in a hot Manhattan room,  And everyone said they swab pretty much just tickled our noses. I believe NCL  wanted a Zero covid count.  It was a joke….

 

The ship had two relatively small pools that were so crowded and lounge chairs in a prime location were taken very early in the AM.  The cruise seemed full but the only time you noticed were on the lido deck. 

 

Overall we had an amazing vacation, crew members we alway saying hello, and friendly. Service was wonderful and would definitely cruise again.  But, when we got  home yesterday the Mrs & I were not feeling 100% and tested positive for Covid. Hopefully the kids and my other family who went will not test postive.

 

Thanks for reading…

 

[The P]

Were Latitude perks like an officer's dinner, wine tasting, ship tour, etc. offered?

[planefring1]

4 minutes ago, The P said:

Were Latitude perks like an officer's dinner, wine tasting, ship tour, etc. offered?

honestly i don’t know.  Cant recall any listing for these events in the freestyle.

 

[The P]

11 hours ago, planefring1 said:

honestly i don’t know.  Cant recall any listing for these events in the freestyle.

 

Thanks for responding. Checking for my roll call group. We'll find out in two weeks.

[lisabdh1]

I was on the Joy in July to Bermuda. No officer's dinner, no ship tours. We did have a meet and greet where senior officers showed up for a few minutes. They do have the $22pp wine tastings.

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 9/2/2022 at 4:43 PM, planefring1 said:

The bath towels we so cheap they literally pulled apart with little effort. 

I've never heard of this before, despite many recent cruise reports.  Has anybody else experienced these "pull apart" towels?

[YVRteacher]

Towels on the Encore are lush, thick and soft, just like on every other NCL ship in my experience.