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

[Jordan61]

10 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Does anyone really want to get paid to pick up...waste?

 

There is actually a billboard I drive by occasionally that advertises this very service!

[debenson0723]

20 hours ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Finally caught up! Thanks for the review and all the details. I’m glad to see that you guys had a great time, even if there were some hiccups (aren’t there always?). I feel like you would have written about this if you spent time there, and I’m thinking there may not be reason for Havenites to go there, but did you visit the observation lounge on 15 at all? DH and I are very excited for it as we’ve never been on a ship with it before, but I am worried it may just be too crowded all the time to get seats and enjoy. I have watched videos of it and looked at pictures and it looks like there’s a lot of seating, but I was curious what your take  on it was if you guys checked it out.

I was on the Joy in February with  4300 others (and many kids, especially teens). The Observation Lounge is typically the first place I go on the ship to grab my first cocktail and a small snack before heading to the MDR for my real lunch.  Sometimes people don't even find this wonderful space until day 3 or 4. I was in there every day on the Joy and there was always plenty of seating.  They have waiters that walk around getting cocktails so you don't even have to get up and lose your couch. You might not always get the seats in the front (and I sometimes find those areas too hot depending on time of day) but you will find a place to sit and relax. And if you enjoy Starbucks, there is one in the Observation Lounge on the Joy, in addition to the one in the Atrium. 

Enjoy your cruise.

[laudergayle]

10 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Walking our dead end road that no one drives on to clean up the trash that somehow accumulates on the side of the road.

We live in a rural area now, too.  It blows my mind that soooo many people still litter.  I mean, I wouldn’t even throw a booger out the window (you know I’m JK), let alone any other item.  My hubby says a lot if it blows out of the back of pickup trucks.  Seems us country-folk think the bed of a pickup is a trash receptacle 🤣

[laudergayle]

Curious…is the ferry ride from Cozumel to Tulum-ish (if I have that right) always barf-bag worthy?  Sounded like a great adventure except that!  

[YVRteacher]

Yes, people always barf on that ferry.  They don’t know how long it will be and how unstable that little ferry is so they don’t take seasick tablets.  It’s brutal!

[YVRteacher]

The best part of Tulum is the iguanas.

[Dorhead1230]

2 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

I was on the Joy in February with  4300 others (and many kids, especially teens). The Observation Lounge is typically the first place I go on the ship to grab my first cocktail and a small snack before heading to the MDR for my real lunch.  Sometimes people don't even find this wonderful space until day 3 or 4. I was in there every day on the Joy and there was always plenty of seating.  They have waiters that walk around getting cocktails so you don't even have to get up and lose your couch. You might not always get the seats in the front (and I sometimes find those areas too hot depending on time of day) but you will find a place to sit and relax. And if you enjoy Starbucks, there is one in the Observation Lounge on the Joy, in addition to the one in the Atrium. 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you, and thanks @cruiseny4life for your opinion, too! You’ve both made me happy to know that even if the cruise is crowded, this will be a nice place to kick back with a drink and a snack and relax. We’re not pool deck people, so this area really looks up our alley (and knowing there’s cocktail waiters is even better lol). DH was happy when we saw that Starbucks location in there on the deck plan, too.

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, justhappy said:

Well then I guess I’ll have to do a trip report, I owe you😉

While I want to just say, yes, you must...I also know that's not how everyone chooses to enjoy their cruise. For some odd reason, I enjoy keyboarding away my cruise experience. I don't quite understand it.

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, Jordan61 said:

 

There is actually a billboard I drive by occasionally that advertises this very service!

Oh my! That's not the job for me....although I did do a damn good job so I suppose I could make a living doing that.

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, laudergayle said:

Curious…is the ferry ride from Cozumel to Tulum-ish (if I have that right) always barf-bag worthy?  Sounded like a great adventure except that!  

Oh yea! @YVRteacher is completely right! It was not as rough on the return trip, but there was still a ton of front to back, and side to side movement. There is a small open air section on the top floor that you could sit in which might make the experience better if you're prone to motion sickness. The only time I got motion sick was when my husband had a tiny little Ford Focus and would drive. Now that he has a slightly larger Camry Hybrid, I don't. Small cars and I do not get along. That ferry, however, was downright fun! I really did enjoy the ride...but you have to take precautions if you know that you and bouncing around don't get along well. I was really surprised by how bouncy the ride was. 

[cruiseny4life]

18 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The best part of Tulum is the iguanas.

I have a video somewhere of the iguanas jumping over each other. I didn't realize some dumb a$$ was feeding them when I recorded the video. Then I saw this stupid American tossing bread crumbs to the iguanas. I said something that wasn't appreciated and walked away, swearing even more in my head about dumb people. 

 

But, I agree with you! As soon as I noticed iguanas, I didn't care about the history I was standing in the middle of. It was all iguana observation time! 

[vacation44]

@cruiseny4life   Really enjoyed reading through this thread and looking at all of your pictures.   

 

The children/teens on our Epic sailing were also very well behaved--both in and out of the Haven.  

 

[justhappy]

19 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

The best part of Tulum is the iguanas.

My daughter is a first grade teacher at a school near Ft Lauderdale Florida, and big iguanas are everywhere, only they are an invasive species that aren’t wanted. Part of her school duties are clearing the playground of iguanas before the kids come outside (they can be mean when they want). However she is well equipped for the job as she worked for years in a few zoos and worked with reptiles and raptors, along with primates and big cats. The previous two she said equipped her well for dealing with first graders 😂😂😂😂😂

 

 

 

 

[CDR Benson]

17 minutes ago, justhappy said:

Part of her school duties are clearing the playground of iguanas before the kids come outside (they can be mean when they want).

 

Is that to protect the kids, or the iguanas?

 

 

[justhappy]

23 minutes ago, CDR Benson said:

 

Is that to protect the kids, or the iguanas?

 

 

Not sure but think my daughter prefers to think it’s for the iguanas sake 😉 And that comment about being mean when they want goes both ways 😉

Edited April 17, 2023 by justhappy

[disneylover89]

19 hours ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Thank you, and thanks @cruiseny4life for your opinion, too! You’ve both made me happy to know that even if the cruise is crowded, this will be a nice place to kick back with a drink and a snack and relax. We’re not pool deck people, so this area really looks up our alley (and knowing there’s cocktail waiters is even better lol). DH was happy when we saw that Starbucks location in there on the deck plan, too.

There is always availability to sit back and enjoy on warm weather cruises but the lounge is prime real estate during Alaska cruises and on sea days, availability is as bad as the pool deck.

[justhappy]

7 minutes ago, disneylover89 said:

There is always availability to sit back and enjoy on warm weather cruises but the lounge is prime real estate during Alaska cruises and on sea days, availability is as bad as the pool deck.

Truth! Last year on the Encore we were 5 cabins down from the Observation lounge and we would often get up and get a coffee or pastry to bring back to the room at 6am and always there were people sleeping in the prime spots at that time. We were told that people get there at 3am on Glacier Bay day.

[cruiseny4life]

I'm planning to bring this live to an end today. I know, I know...it's so not a live anymore!!

 

I don't believe I mentioned some of the yumminess our butler brought to us. A recent (other) thread made me think about communication with the butler. We saw our butler, momentarily, on day one. He showed up on day two and we were able to get to know him a little bit more. I've just started a new decade which means my dementia has begun. I don't actually remember his name and feel terrible!

 

Oh! But, before relaying our butler conversations, we did have success with the pre-cruise concierge/PCC. Prior to the cruise my husband discussed our desires for the room with our PCC. She made note of these as I contacted the pre-cruise concierge who alerted me that everything I requested had already been requested and was on the reservation. NCL must LOVE couples that don't talk to each other. Oh wait! I did ask my husband and he forgot he had this request discussion. So, it's not me! Hahaha...bet I still wouldn't win that debate though. 🙂

Anyway, pre-cruise, we requested the following be in our room:

 

- Peanut M&M's

- Gummy bears

- Clear out that fridge!

- Add a water pitcher and iced tea pitcher

- Add a lounger to the balcony (this was the only thing that wasn't requested twice)

- Second blanket

 

 

We received everything, but the second blanket. Our room steward followed up and quickly provided this to us. So, this communication was successful!

 

Next up, the butler. On day two, after having received the random canapes, we were able to touch base with him. We mentioned that we enjoy chocolate covered strawberries/pineapples, the mini BLT's, and don't really want anything else. Welp...the rest of the cruise, that's all we received! Plus our refills of the above-requested items. Here's a photo of our last day's delivery. Yum!!

 

 

What's the lesson? Communicate with your butler! You'll likely receive what you want.

[cruiseny4life]

On the last sea day, around 4/5 PM we had the Haven Sundeck to ourselves! What a lovely, peaceful experience.

 

[cruiseny4life]

Wrap up thoughts, all about gratitude!

 

1. You folks. Thanks for following along on my adventure, from way too far before the cruise to way too long after the cruise! While I may be an introvert, I obviously enjoy sharing a lot of details about my life via text. Kind of scary, but hey! Hopefully entertaining.

2. James and Sheila, Bob and Tanya - our friends from the Haven. We met them while sitting in the terminal to board the ship. I was doing my typical, ignore everyone mode when they sat down next to us. Once my husband engaged them in conversation I left to look at the ship, look down at the masses yearning to be set loose on the ship, and do anything but talk with these four individuals. Little did I know I'd be sharing my last supper onboard with them and enjoying their company. We had drinks with them. We had dinner with them. We sat out on the Haven sundeck with them. It was really great to meet fun Canadians and folks from Jersey.

3. The staff - Unlike previous cruises, I honestly cannot call out any individual staff member. The crew were all good. They ensured we enjoyed our vacation. And, I am grateful to each and every one of them for smiling, talking with us, and working hard to give us the best possible vacation. Thank you for working 12 hour days, seven days a week, throughout your entire contract while working for folks on vacation! I can't even imagine doing this.

3a. Anwag (sp) - He is the assistant concierge onboard Joy. I did appreciate his earnestness to serve guests! He did go above and beyond for us. We waited, patiently, to talk with him about something. It was apparent the conversation was going to continue for awhile so we left. It truly wasn't a big deal and we would just find him later. Well, he finished his conversation and sprinted down the hall to get us. He really wanted to provide the best possible service. Thank you Anwag! Gosh, I hope I got that name right.

4. Montana dad and the teens from NY/NJ - We had a fun time at Harvest Caye with these folks. It was fun to participate in multi-generational good times with people that were strangers to us. From the beach volleyball net to the tube in the ocean, our vacation was made better by having a good time with them.

 

Thanks to everyone we met onboard: crew and guests! We had a really fun and relaxing time. There were no tears, no arguments: just 4,000+ people having an incredible week at sea.

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

As y'all know, I currently have no future cruises booked. I am, however, booking a cruise in July for my family. I'm not sure if it will be NCL, Celebrity, MSC, or Royal Caribbean. I did talk them out of Carnival (phew)!!! Despite the very attractive price, I'm trying to talk them out of MSC too.

 

My husband would not be able to go since it's summer and he'll be busy managing 400 employees at a theme park in upstate NY. Can I possibly go on a cruise without him? And, can I cruise non-Haven? I'm sure not insisting on the Haven if I'm sailing solo. I'm also not sharing a cabin with family. No, thank you!

 

 

What is on my agenda for sure...a trip to Arizona. My friends and I just scored a permit to hike the Grand Canyon, rim to rim. I've hiked from the North Rim to almost the Colorado River and back in the same day (20'ish miles, 5,000 feet elevation change), but I haven't done a rim to rim hike. Well, I need to start getting into better shape to do that hike! Thankfully, we have four days to do it, camping somewhere in the canyon three nights. I won't be updating you all on this trip since it's not exactly cruising. Kind of the opposite of cruising gluttony (unless you're talking punishment)!

 

From deep within the Grand Canyon during my 2015 ramble (Ribbon Falls).

 

 

I'll still be around bugging you and hey! Maybe I'll convince myself to go on this family cruise and post a live on whatever cruise line's board we go. I'm really happy they're leaning toward NCL or Celebrity.

 

And so, enjoy the sunset, somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, onboard "the beautiful Norwegian Joy."

 

[CruisnHallelujahs]

Really enjoyed following your review after cruising in feb/mar on Joy, our favorite ship (so far!).  Was a joyful read. Have to give a shout out to our favorite in the Haven with I think the corrected spelling…Assistant Concierge Anerag.  

[goldmom]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm planning to bring this live to an end today. I know, I know...it's so not a live anymore!!

 

I don't believe I mentioned some of the yumminess our butler brought to us. A recent (other) thread made me think about communication with the butler. We saw our butler, momentarily, on day one. He showed up on day two and we were able to get to know him a little bit more. I've just started a new decade which means my dementia has begun. I don't actually remember his name and feel terrible!

 

Oh! But, before relaying our butler conversations, we did have success with the pre-cruise concierge/PCC. Prior to the cruise my husband discussed our desires for the room with our PCC. She made note of these as I contacted the pre-cruise concierge who alerted me that everything I requested had already been requested and was on the reservation. NCL must LOVE couples that don't talk to each other. Oh wait! I did ask my husband and he forgot he had this request discussion. So, it's not me! Hahaha...bet I still wouldn't win that debate though. 🙂

Anyway, pre-cruise, we requested the following be in our room:

 

- Peanut M&M's

- Gummy bears

- Clear out that fridge!

- Add a water pitcher and iced tea pitcher

- Add a lounger to the balcony (this was the only thing that wasn't requested twice)

- Second blanket

 

 

We received everything, but the second blanket. Our room steward followed up and quickly provided this to us. So, this communication was successful!

 

Next up, the butler. On day two, after having received the random canapes, we were able to touch base with him. We mentioned that we enjoy chocolate covered strawberries/pineapples, the mini BLT's, and don't really want anything else. Welp...the rest of the cruise, that's all we received! Plus our refills of the above-requested items. Here's a photo of our last day's delivery. Yum!!

 

 

What's the lesson? Communicate with your butler! You'll likely receive what you want.

Thank you so much for the very enjoyable review.  I loved traveling along with you and hope you cruise (and write about it again) soon.

While I appreciate what you're saying about the butler and agree with you, on our last cruise in the Haven even when we told the Butler exactly what we wanted, it never appeared.  Although he did bring us one plate of fruit 2 days after we asked for it.  And yes, we could have spoken to the Concierge, but it just didn't seem worth my time.  I figured he was having a bad week and he saved us some calories.  LOL!

Happy cruising!

[laudergayle]

What an amazing experience and incredible photo.  Mother Nature is not an imposter.  We visited the southern rim as our Covid travel, and spent a couple nights on site.  There was zero crowd and the buses had just restarted with limited service.  I would never dream of hiking down, let alone rim-to-rim.  Impressive!

 

We left the Grand Canyon and drove up to Big Water, UT…which is just north of Paige, AZ and home to Lake Powell.  We had an amazing glamping experience at Under Canvas Big Water.  Highly recommend the checking out Under Canvas.  

[Sugar Magnolia]

Thank you @cruiseny4life for sharing with us your joyful cruise. Hope you will bring us along on your next cruise with family. That could be entertaining on another level. 
 

Enjoy your hike. Reminds me that I am due a trip to Sedona to balance the yin of cruising with the yang of hiking.