Striking Out to New Turf – A Joy(ful) Live – 3/18 – 3/25, Western Caribbean

[rainmakerjjo]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

It humors me to see people waiting for a drink, on any cruise ship, when there’s a bar practically every 100 feet.  That said, embarkation and disembarkation day is always somewhat of a Cluster. 

 

But, maybe I’m so familiar with NCL’s ships, I seem to know where the bars are that are less crowded at any given time.  Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing! 😉

which bars do you recommend?

[Sailing12Away]

20 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

It's shrimp and grits time! Thank you for your reporting @Sailing12Away!

 

 

 

Enjoy! I did warn you about the lack luster sticks though...

 

Rodney at the Haven bar is amazing, he'll take good care of you. He'll keep the shots flowing at night. His wife is down at the Maltings bar, and she's lovely as well if you wanted to visit with "gen pop" at some point.

 

If you see a big guy from Nicaragua down near the pool or atrium bars named Jose - he's great as well. He used to be in the Haven until they promoted him (which makes no sense to us, if they're great they should be kept up in the Haven). 

 

I need to stop being lazy and finish adding all my photos and such from my trip. Don't forget when eating in the Haven restaurant to ask if they have any specials. Not sure if it was just on our trip since it was 15 days, or if it's something they're doing routinely now. It wasn't anything fancy - just something from MDR you could easily get up there, but it helped break up the monotony of the same menu every day.

[rainmakerjjo]

What is the dress code for the Haven?  Curious not just for adults, but also children.  Thanks

[zzdoug]

14 hours ago, graphicguy said:

It humors me to see people waiting for a drink, on any cruise ship, when there’s a bar practically every 100 feet.  That said, embarkation and disembarkation day is always somewhat of a Cluster. 

 

But, maybe I’m so familiar with NCL’s ships, I seem to know where the bars are that are less crowded at any given time.  Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing! 😉

Are there any in particular somewhere near the pool decks and open to steerage guests that are likely not to be crowded?

[zzdoug]

On 3/18/2023 at 2:22 PM, cruiseny4life said:

Muster drill over! We arrived at 3:56 for a 4 pm drill. At 4:11 we left the Tipsy Gypsy and returned to our room. Crowded and annoying, but super simple!

 

Sounds like they are working out some of the kinks.  I figured things would get better.  15 minutes for a muster drill is shorter than I remember in the Before Times.

 

[smillerholmes]

On 3/18/2023 at 11:36 AM, graphicguy said:

Glad I’m retired.  It amazed me, even seasoned frequent flyers, all thought the plane was all theirs and didn’t have to worry about anyone who might need to get to their seats, stow their luggage, etc too.  Then I see all these passenger videos of many times just horrendous behavior.  So you act that way at home?

 

Get to your seat, stow your overhead stuff.  If it doesn’t fit, put it somewhere else or give it to the nice attendant to check.  Sit down, buckle up, shut up.

 

Off the soap box.  I’m turning into one of those people who shakes my fist and yells at the clouds for blocking my sunlight.

I thought I was the only one turning into this person.  Even if you aren't a frequent flier I would think you would try to "model" what most people are doing and quietly observe so as not to stand out?  That's what most people do in those types of situations.  Sigh...

[graphicguy]

23 hours ago, rainmakerjjo said:

which bars do you recommend?

I love ALL THE BARS on the Waterfront (of those NCL ships that have them).  The one right outside of either CAVERN CLUB or SYD NORMAN’s are usually my fave.  Great for SAILAWAY.  Great for after seeing a show.  Great for a nightcap.  I like Maltings, too.  Sugarcane Mojito Bar is usually fun.

Edited March 20, 2023 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

8 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Are there any in particular somewhere near the pool decks and open to steerage guests that are likely not to be crowded?

Pool deck bar(s) are always overcrowded because that’s where the most people hang out.  It really depends on the ship.  Grab a drink at one of the other bars and take it out to the pool.  There are usually waitstaff roaming around the pool to get drinks for you, too.  It’ll save you some time.

[graphicguy]

11 hours ago, rainmakerjjo said:

What is the dress code for the Haven?  Curious not just for adults, but also children.  Thanks

None that I’m aware of.  Just don’t be “that” person or family who traipses through the Haven in wet swimsuits and barefoot.

[cruiseny4life]

Sorry I've been MIA yall. Free internet Cruise Critic doesn't work, at all. 

 

And the pay for internet Cruise Critic is extremely slow. Ill absolutely answer questions, give updates, etc, but will be terribly delayed. 

 

We're enjoying ourselevs, at least.

 

Footloose was last night and it was a great show! 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, graphicguy said:

None that I’m aware of.  Just don’t be “that” person or family who traipses through the Haven in wet swimsuits and barefoot.

Hmmmmmm that's us! Minus barefoot. The Haven keeps running out of towels! 

 

Oh, also, thankfully on Joy, we can wear athletic shorts, t-shirts and flippie floppies to dinner in the Haven! Those not in fancy attire, do not worry!

 

I did dress up last night though with a collared shirt. 

 

[laudergayle]

8 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Are there any in particular somewhere near the pool decks and open to steerage guests that are likely not to be crowded?

As @graphicguysaid…pool bars are crowded.  Sometimes they’ll have an ice cart with beer and wine adjacent to the bar…moves quickly. Also the bar inside the buffet is often less crowded. But if you want frozen drinks…flag down the server and tip upon his return.

 

 

[laudergayle]

9 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

We're enjoying ourselevs, at least.

Glad to hear.  Have you done the water slides yet? 

[big al]

16 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I love ALL THE BARS on the Waterfront (of those NCL ships that have them).  The one right outside of either CAVERN CLUB or SYD NORMAN’s are usually my fave.  Great for SAILAWAY.  Great for after seeing a show.  Great for a nightcap.  I like Maltings, too.  Sugarcane Mojito Bar is usually fun.

Don't forget for beer, The District Brew House has the most draft beers ( 26!! ) on the 7 seas...another 70 in bottles..I am in there daily for my craft beers...I am a self confessed beer snob, and the District Brew House on deck 8 is great for a beer & watching sports...I will be in there April 15th on our 12 night Joy cruise!!!

 

Big Al

[bkrickles1]

30 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

There are usually waitstaff roaming around the pool to get drinks for you, too.  It’ll save you some time.

This has been my strategy for many cruises. We are sun people and we sit in the exact same loungers every sea day and usually on the deck overlooking the pool. I will flag down a roaming waitstaff at whatever time they start (usually 9am) and order my first bloody mary. He or she will get $5 for the first drink and that always brings them back to see if I/we want more (which we always do lmao). And rather than tip every time we get something, I prefer to give $5 every couple/few drinks and hopefully get friendly with the staff. Last June, on Joy, we had the same man serve us for the entire 7 days and it was great! By the afternoon he was just automatically bringing what we wanted without asking.

I know it's a form of bribery, but I'm very comfortable with it and it keeps me away from the crowded pool bar.

[CDR Benson]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

There are usually waitstaff roaming around the pool to get drinks for you, too.  It’ll save you some time.

 

This was our experience, as well.  The Good Mrs. Benson and I spent most of our mid-mornings relaxing in chaise longues by the pool in the Haven Courtyard.  And within two or three minutes, a waiter would appear to take our drink orders and keep us replenished.  That pretty much held true for whenever we were in the Haven Lounge or the Horizon Observation Lounge, also.

 

In our case, it was almost always the same two waiters who took care of us, no matter where we were in the Haven.  That made tipping easy; I just gave both a decent tip on the last night of the cruise.

 

 

[graphicguy]

26 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

This has been my strategy for many cruises. We are sun people and we sit in the exact same loungers every sea day and usually on the deck overlooking the pool. I will flag down a roaming waitstaff at whatever time they start (usually 9am) and order my first bloody mary. He or she will get $5 for the first drink and that always brings them back to see if I/we want more (which we always do lmao). And rather than tip every time we get something, I prefer to give $5 every couple/few drinks and hopefully get friendly with the staff. Last June, on Joy, we had the same man serve us for the entire 7 days and it was great! By the afternoon he was just automatically bringing what we wanted without asking.

I know it's a form of bribery, but I'm very comfortable with it and it keeps me away from the crowded pool bar.

Great strategy!  I do the same.  A decent sized tip at the start of the pool activity usually nets repeat visits from the wait staff.

 

Although, I prefer not to fight the crowd around the pool on sea days.  If there's a port day, when docked somewhere I've been many times, I'll park my carcass by the pool while no one is there.  Or, better still, after the sun goes down, when most folks are drunk, burnt and probably back in their cabins already  passed out. 😉 

Edited March 20, 2023 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Hmmmmmm that's us! Minus barefoot. The Haven keeps running out of towels! 

 

Oh, also, thankfully on Joy, we can wear athletic shorts, t-shirts and flippie floppies to dinner in the Haven! Those not in fancy attire, do not worry!

 

I did dress up last night though with a collared shirt. 

 

I dig the shirt!

[bkrickles1]

10 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Although, I prefer not to fight the crowd around the pool on sea days.  If there's a port day, when docked somewhere I've been many times, I'll park my carcass by the pool while no one is there.  

Same!

We love hanging out on deck 17, overlooking the pool, on sea days because the 6am chair hogs don't bother up there and it's a great vantage point to watch the poolside activities during the day.

We're sailing Joy again in July and I will look to sit in the same loungers we sat in last year. My wife thinks I'm crazy but she loves not having to look for me or others in our group, because she know exactly where we are every day.

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, big al said:

Don't forget for beer, The District Brew House has the most draft beers ( 26!! ) on the 7 seas...another 70 in bottles..I am in there daily for my craft beers...I am a self confessed beer snob, and the District Brew House on deck 8 is great for a beer & watching sports...I will be in there April 15th on our 12 night Joy cruise!!!

 

Big Al

It's been a while since I sailed a BA+ ship with the District Brew House.  That's always a fun place, especially when they have an entertainer there.

 

Doing the Bliss Alaska Itinerary next month.  Our Meet and Greet is being held there.  Should be fun!

Edited March 20, 2023 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

@cruiseny4life...my apologies.  Went off on a tangent.  This is your thread.  Didn't mean to interfere!

Edited March 20, 2023 by graphicguy

[big al]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

It's been a while since I sailed a BA+ ship with the District Brew House.  That's always a fun place, especially when they have an entertainer there.

 

Doing the Bliss Alaska Itinerary next month.  Our Meet and Greet is being held there.  Should be fun!

Our Meet & Greet ( which I organized ) is also at the Brew House on the 4/15 cruise...can't wait!!

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

@cruiseny4life...my apologies.  Went off on a tangent.  This is your thread.  Didn't mean to interfere!

Omgosh! Go at it! My live is for anything and everything...well, within CC's limits haha

[cruiseny4life]

Current status, currently fat and happy on Roatan!

[cruiseny4life]

I'll have more to come, but there are definitely positives about Joy's Haven. But, Getaway has some really great things that I miss (some, I dont).