NCL Joy September 20 - 25 Bermuda

[jackieodonnell]

Hey all! I am just off the Joy for a 5 day jaunt to Bermuda. Let me tell you, the best Bermuda trip ever!

 

We had The Haven so we arrived at the NYC terminal at 11:30am. We were checked in at our muster station and eating lunch in the Haven by 12:30. Our room still wasn't ready so we walked around and got our bearings, found our go to bars and before you knew it, the room was ready! We dropped off our stuff and watched sail away from the Haven sundeck. We had the "dreaded" 13958 aft room that everyone said don't book. We loved it, vibrating and all. hahaha! So much room for us to stretch and relax. 

 

The room only shook when going slow coming into and out of port. When the ship was sailing fast there wasn't a problem at all. It was a great indicator that it was time to wake up soon to get the day started. 

 

So after we went under the Verrazano we went to our aft balcony with a spectacular view and watched as we sailed away from NYC. We saw a stunning sunset over our home state of NJ. 

 

Cagney's dinner - I had a prime rib and asked for it medium rare. It was a hockey puck. I wasn't hungry anyway so I didn't complain but it was truly terrible. We had 5 included dinners with all of our benefits so I didn't care...but I felt bad for anyone who paid to eat there. 

 

Le Bistro was good but the lobster taste stuck with me for a while. It could have been fresher for a $25 up charge.

 

I don't know why you all complain about Footloose. I loved it! Elements was also equally entertaining. 

 

We love the Wine Bar! Haven bar was always too crowded and took forever. We are big wine drinkers and the wine bar was our go to place to relax with a drink or load up before a show. 

 

Day 1 in Bermuda, got a day pass at a resort and loved every minute of it. Rained for a half hour but most of the time warm and sunny. Went to The Intrepid for dinner at the Hamilton Princess. Amazing!!!

Day 2 in Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay because, nostalgia. The waves were rough and so much fun! We stayed as late as we could before heading back to the ship. The food there sucks but we scarfed down our burgers and subpar drinks as if we had never eaten before in our lives. 

 

We ate Food Republic and loved it! 4 dishes each, no dessert. A little taster of everything! We began to feel the heft after this dinner. 

 

The Haven is the best restaurant on the ship. I got the prime rib to make up for Cagney's. It was amazing. They do it right up there. I would eat in the Haven every night. Breakfast and lunch were equally good. Eggs Benedict cooked to perfection!

 

Wasted 2 dining packages. We had so many free dinners and ran out of days to use them! 

 

Internet was as slow as expected...people were not happy that it wasn't like home. I found that funny.

 

The last night people were so drunk and angry. So many people yelling at each other. I was as happy as a clam. We had a near perfect trip!

 

The final day at sea was warm, humid and on and off rain but spend 90% of the day out on deck or on the balcony. 

 

This morning in NYC got off the ship at 8:30, found our bags and flew through customs. In an Uber and home by 9:45am. Unpacked, went to work, early to bed tonight!

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I didn't save the Freestyles. I can remember most of it. I miss the Quest! It would have been the perfect crowd for it. 

 

 

 

[ellenw]

Was B2B on the Joy for the two cruises before yours. First time on this ship, and really like her.

 

Food Republic may be my favorite dining on the ship. Have always loved sharing food. And such a variety. Four menu options per person is a ton of food!

 

Didn't see Footloose, but agree that Elements is great.

 

Glad you had a great cruise.

[angieSFO]

Hi jackieodonnell, sounds like you had a fabulous time! I was on the Joy before you as well, running into a variety of weather issues. You guys are so lucky! So glad you had a good time as well.

 

Would you have the list of senior officers and the captain? Much appreciated. Thanks!

Edited September 26, 2023 by angieSFO

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, jackieodonnell said:

Hey all! I am just off the Joy for a 5 day jaunt to Bermuda. Let me tell you, the best Bermuda trip ever!

 

We had The Haven so we arrived at the NYC terminal at 11:30am. We were checked in at our muster station and eating lunch in the Haven by 12:30. Our room still wasn't ready so we walked around and got our bearings, found our go to bars and before you knew it, the room was ready! We dropped off our stuff and watched sail away from the Haven sundeck. We had the "dreaded" 13958 aft room that everyone said don't book. We loved it, vibrating and all. hahaha! So much room for us to stretch and relax. 

 

The room only shook when going slow coming into and out of port. When the ship was sailing fast there wasn't a problem at all. It was a great indicator that it was time to wake up soon to get the day started. 

 

So after we went under the Verrazano we went to our aft balcony with a spectacular view and watched as we sailed away from NYC. We saw a stunning sunset over our home state of NJ. 

 

Cagney's dinner - I had a prime rib and asked for it medium rare. It was a hockey puck. I wasn't hungry anyway so I didn't complain but it was truly terrible. We had 5 included dinners with all of our benefits so I didn't care...but I felt bad for anyone who paid to eat there. 

 

Le Bistro was good but the lobster taste stuck with me for a while. It could have been fresher for a $25 up charge.

 

I don't know why you all complain about Footloose. I loved it! Elements was also equally entertaining. 

 

We love the Wine Bar! Haven bar was always too crowded and took forever. We are big wine drinkers and the wine bar was our go to place to relax with a drink or load up before a show. 

 

Day 1 in Bermuda, got a day pass at a resort and loved every minute of it. Rained for a half hour but most of the time warm and sunny. Went to The Intrepid for dinner at the Hamilton Princess. Amazing!!!

Day 2 in Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay because, nostalgia. The waves were rough and so much fun! We stayed as late as we could before heading back to the ship. The food there sucks but we scarfed down our burgers and subpar drinks as if we had never eaten before in our lives. 

 

We ate Food Republic and loved it! 4 dishes each, no dessert. A little taster of everything! We began to feel the heft after this dinner. 

 

The Haven is the best restaurant on the ship. I got the prime rib to make up for Cagney's. It was amazing. They do it right up there. I would eat in the Haven every night. Breakfast and lunch were equally good. Eggs Benedict cooked to perfection!

 

Wasted 2 dining packages. We had so many free dinners and ran out of days to use them! 

 

Internet was as slow as expected...people were not happy that it wasn't like home. I found that funny.

 

The last night people were so drunk and angry. So many people yelling at each other. I was as happy as a clam. We had a near perfect trip!

 

The final day at sea was warm, humid and on and off rain but spend 90% of the day out on deck or on the balcony. 

 

This morning in NYC got off the ship at 8:30, found our bags and flew through customs. In an Uber and home by 9:45am. Unpacked, went to work, early to bed tonight!

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I didn't save the Freestyles. I can remember most of it. I miss the Quest! It would have been the perfect crowd for it. 

Sounds like a great cruise. Do you have any Freestyle Dailies that you could post? We're on the same cruise in a couple of weeks and would love to see what is ahead of us.

[DMP609]

Thank you for the review. We're going to be on the Joy in June and can't wait!

 

Where did you get your day pass on your first day in Bermuda? Thanks!

 

[maggieq]

11 hours ago, jackieodonnell said:

Hey all! I am just off the Joy for a 5 day jaunt to Bermuda. Let me tell you, the best Bermuda trip ever!

 

We had The Haven so we arrived at the NYC terminal at 11:30am. We were checked in at our muster station and eating lunch in the Haven by 12:30. Our room still wasn't ready so we walked around and got our bearings, found our go to bars and before you knew it, the room was ready! We dropped off our stuff and watched sail away from the Haven sundeck. We had the "dreaded" 13958 aft room that everyone said don't book. We loved it, vibrating and all. hahaha! So much room for us to stretch and relax. 

 

The room only shook when going slow coming into and out of port. When the ship was sailing fast there wasn't a problem at all. It was a great indicator that it was time to wake up soon to get the day started. 

 

So after we went under the Verrazano we went to our aft balcony with a spectacular view and watched as we sailed away from NYC. We saw a stunning sunset over our home state of NJ. 

 

Cagney's dinner - I had a prime rib and asked for it medium rare. It was a hockey puck. I wasn't hungry anyway so I didn't complain but it was truly terrible. We had 5 included dinners with all of our benefits so I didn't care...but I felt bad for anyone who paid to eat there. 

 

Le Bistro was good but the lobster taste stuck with me for a while. It could have been fresher for a $25 up charge.

 

I don't know why you all complain about Footloose. I loved it! Elements was also equally entertaining. 

 

We love the Wine Bar! Haven bar was always too crowded and took forever. We are big wine drinkers and the wine bar was our go to place to relax with a drink or load up before a show. 

 

Day 1 in Bermuda, got a day pass at a resort and loved every minute of it. Rained for a half hour but most of the time warm and sunny. Went to The Intrepid for dinner at the Hamilton Princess. Amazing!!!

Day 2 in Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay because, nostalgia. The waves were rough and so much fun! We stayed as late as we could before heading back to the ship. The food there sucks but we scarfed down our burgers and subpar drinks as if we had never eaten before in our lives. 

 

We ate Food Republic and loved it! 4 dishes each, no dessert. A little taster of everything! We began to feel the heft after this dinner. 

 

The Haven is the best restaurant on the ship. I got the prime rib to make up for Cagney's. It was amazing. They do it right up there. I would eat in the Haven every night. Breakfast and lunch were equally good. Eggs Benedict cooked to perfection!

 

Wasted 2 dining packages. We had so many free dinners and ran out of days to use them! 

 

Internet was as slow as expected...people were not happy that it wasn't like home. I found that funny.

 

The last night people were so drunk and angry. So many people yelling at each other. I was as happy as a clam. We had a near perfect trip!

 

The final day at sea was warm, humid and on and off rain but spend 90% of the day out on deck or on the balcony. 

 

This morning in NYC got off the ship at 8:30, found our bags and flew through customs. In an Uber and home by 9:45am. Unpacked, went to work, early to bed tonight!

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I didn't save the Freestyles. I can remember most of it. I miss the Quest! It would have been the perfect crowd for it. 

 

 

 

Great review. Did you Uber to nyc as well?   I heard not a lot of Ubers want from nyc want ti go to nj and vice versa.  Sounds like the best option though rather than have a car service hang around waiting if you get delayed getting off the ship. 

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, jackieodonnell said:

We love the Wine Bar! Haven bar was always too crowded and took forever. We are big wine drinkers and the wine bar was our go to place to relax with a drink or load up before a show. 

 

For a luxury experience, and price, NCL really does F up the Haven bar experience. It's absolutely atrocious. The bartenders themselves are great, but are dramatically overworked. It's really a huge pain point on Joy and Getaway (from my experience). I'm interested to see what it's like with two bars on Pr1ma. 

Thanks for your review! I'm glad it sounds like you had a really nice time. And yes, the Haven Restaurant is so freaking YUM!!!!

[jackieodonnell]

21 hours ago, angieSFO said:

Hi jackieodonnell, sounds like you had a fabulous time! I was on the Joy before you as well, running into a variety of weather issues. You guys are so lucky! So glad you had a good time as well.

 

Would you have the list of senior officers and the captain? Much appreciated. Thanks!

I should have taken a picture of the officers and captain list. Sorry! I don't have it. 

[jackieodonnell]

20 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Sounds like a great cruise. Do you have any Freestyle Dailies that you could post? We're on the same cruise in a couple of weeks and would love to see what is ahead of us.

I didn't save them. I totally should have. I was going to save the pdf on my phone but the internet was too slow!

[jackieodonnell]

16 hours ago, DMP609 said:

Thank you for the review. We're going to be on the Joy in June and can't wait!

 

Where did you get your day pass on your first day in Bermuda? Thanks!

 

Pompano Beach Club, $75 per day and totally worth it. Contact them 4 days prior to arrival.

[jackieodonnell]

11 hours ago, maggieq said:

Great review. Did you Uber to nyc as well?   I heard not a lot of Ubers want from nyc want ti go to nj and vice versa.  Sounds like the best option though rather than have a car service hang around waiting if you get delayed getting off the ship. 

We Uber'd to NYC and back to NJ without an issue. A lot of drivers hate going to NYC and will cancel on you so be sure to call your ride ahead of time just in case they cancel on you. There is always someone who wants to make the $ and be sure to tip well and you will be fine. 

[jackieodonnell]

8 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

For a luxury experience, and price, NCL really does F up the Haven bar experience. It's absolutely atrocious. The bartenders themselves are great, but are dramatically overworked. It's really a huge pain point on Joy and Getaway (from my experience). I'm interested to see what it's like with two bars on Pr1ma. 

Thanks for your review! I'm glad it sounds like you had a really nice time. And yes, the Haven Restaurant is so freaking YUM!!!!

The bar tender was amazing. It was just so crowded and he had no help. They were running around for a half hour to pour a glass of wine. Lol!  

 

The concierge in the Haven was good for nothing. Total waste of space. They couldn't upgrade internet, make reservations or anything useful that we were used to in the past. So we just stopped asking them and handled everything ourselves. The only perk with the concierge was getting off the ship fast.

 

Love the Haven Restaurant! And Food Republic. 

[JGmf]

@jackieodonnell Thanks for sharing your trip experiences and observations.

 

I was on your cruise and, as you know, we dodged a hurricane and a tropical storm, so we were very, very lucky with the amazing weather we enjoyed, from embarkation day through the afternoon of the last sea day. 

 

Uggh, sorry you had to go into work the morning of disembarkation!

 

My group spent a lot of time in the Vibe and had a great time, especially being the hot tub, with drinks, while sailing out of NY harbor.  The bartenders were amazing and the crowds (at the Vibe bar area) were not too crazy.  There as a seat for virtually everyone that wanted one. 

 

I bring that up b/c I totally agree with you and @cruiseny4life above that the Haven bar is a madhouse and overall disappointment given the huge up-charge for Haven access: it's too small for the Haven adult numbers and gets more crowded too when kids come to the bar to get soft drinks and virgin daiquiris, etc after running around the pool and hot tub courtyard.

 

Our group also enjoyed the Observation Lounge, which seemingly had virtually every seat taken on that last, rainy afternoon.  I've read here on CC that the Joy will have a shrunken OL after renovations in dry dock.  Too bad.  It's quite a popular space.

 

Like you, we left our two free specialty meal coupons (for two) unused.  In our case, we were with 2 other couples eating together for all of our dinners.  I was trying to figure out how to use them as a group of six.  Well, even though I knew the answer, I nonetheless asked the hostess at Food Republic (a fave restaurant of mine too) if we could use the 2 coupons at the same place/time for us 6 people (= 16 free items) and then pay for another 8 items a la carte.  She said no....which is what I expected, but it wasn't busy there at the time, so I popped-in to ask...

 

 

 

[brookie848]

On 9/26/2023 at 10:50 AM, cruiseny4life said:

For a luxury experience, and price, NCL really does F up the Haven bar experience. It's absolutely atrocious. The bartenders themselves are great, but are dramatically overworked. It's really a huge pain point on Joy and Getaway (from my experience). I'm interested to see what it's like with two bars on Pr1ma. 

Thanks for your review! I'm glad it sounds like you had a really nice time. And yes, the Haven Restaurant is so freaking YUM!!!!

We were on the Epic in February and actually had a great bar experience, which I was happy about. The main bar was never too crowded and when we normally would get a drink (9ish) it was pretty calm. The bartender, Ron Ron, was awesome and I never had the same drink twice. There was another bartender in the Courtyard area who was also very good.

 

Our experience on the Getaway was not great, but we had okay experiences on the Escape, minus some really crappy fellow passengers.

 

We're hoping for a good experience on the Viva.

[mma__leanne]

3 hours ago, JGmf said:

The bartenders were amazing and the crowds (at the Vibe bar area) were not too crazy

 

Would you happen to know the bartenders' names at the Vibe?  My last cruise and next cruise (next month!) is on the Joy and I'm wondering if I'll be fortunate enough to have any of the same Vibe staff.  Long shot, I know!

Edited September 27, 2023 by mma__leanne

[JGmf]

Just now, mma__leanne said:

Would you happen to know the bartender's names at the Vibe? 

 

I remember Will and Chris.  Third one I forgot.

[mma__leanne]

Just now, JGmf said:

Will and Chris

Fingers crossed it's the same Chris I had!!  Thank you!  You have given me some glimmer of hope haha.

[summercruiser20]

20 hours ago, mma__leanne said:

 

Would you happen to know the bartenders' names at the Vibe?  My last cruise and next cruise (next month!) is on the Joy and I'm wondering if I'll be fortunate enough to have any of the same Vibe staff.  Long shot, I know!

It was Will, Chris and Jo - they said there were 6 Joes in the vibe lol my husband was one of them

All of them were wonderful

[summercruiser20]

It was a great cruise we really lucked out with the weather just the last sea day was not a good day for outside but we have travelled many times during hurricane season so we know you can expect anything - shows were fabulous glad we got to Elements especially since it was cancelled the last night for safety of the cast.  Saw Footloose which was our second time.  Food and drinks were great first time in Ocean Bleu - it was ok...did the usual Le Bistro and Teppanyaki as our other two specialties

I have to say we love Teppanyaki way too much food lol

[summercruiser20]

On 9/25/2023 at 7:58 PM, jackieodonnell said:

Hey all! I am just off the Joy for a 5 day jaunt to Bermuda. Let me tell you, the best Bermuda trip ever!

 

We had The Haven so we arrived at the NYC terminal at 11:30am. We were checked in at our muster station and eating lunch in the Haven by 12:30. Our room still wasn't ready so we walked around and got our bearings, found our go to bars and before you knew it, the room was ready! We dropped off our stuff and watched sail away from the Haven sundeck. We had the "dreaded" 13958 aft room that everyone said don't book. We loved it, vibrating and all. hahaha! So much room for us to stretch and relax. 

 

The room only shook when going slow coming into and out of port. When the ship was sailing fast there wasn't a problem at all. It was a great indicator that it was time to wake up soon to get the day started. 

 

So after we went under the Verrazano we went to our aft balcony with a spectacular view and watched as we sailed away from NYC. We saw a stunning sunset over our home state of NJ. 

 

Cagney's dinner - I had a prime rib and asked for it medium rare. It was a hockey puck. I wasn't hungry anyway so I didn't complain but it was truly terrible. We had 5 included dinners with all of our benefits so I didn't care...but I felt bad for anyone who paid to eat there. 

 

Le Bistro was good but the lobster taste stuck with me for a while. It could have been fresher for a $25 up charge.

 

I don't know why you all complain about Footloose. I loved it! Elements was also equally entertaining. 

 

We love the Wine Bar! Haven bar was always too crowded and took forever. We are big wine drinkers and the wine bar was our go to place to relax with a drink or load up before a show. 

 

Day 1 in Bermuda, got a day pass at a resort and loved every minute of it. Rained for a half hour but most of the time warm and sunny. Went to The Intrepid for dinner at the Hamilton Princess. Amazing!!!

Day 2 in Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay because, nostalgia. The waves were rough and so much fun! We stayed as late as we could before heading back to the ship. The food there sucks but we scarfed down our burgers and subpar drinks as if we had never eaten before in our lives. 

 

We ate Food Republic and loved it! 4 dishes each, no dessert. A little taster of everything! We began to feel the heft after this dinner. 

 

The Haven is the best restaurant on the ship. I got the prime rib to make up for Cagney's. It was amazing. They do it right up there. I would eat in the Haven every night. Breakfast and lunch were equally good. Eggs Benedict cooked to perfection!

 

Wasted 2 dining packages. We had so many free dinners and ran out of days to use them! 

 

Internet was as slow as expected...people were not happy that it wasn't like home. I found that funny.

 

The last night people were so drunk and angry. So many people yelling at each other. I was as happy as a clam. We had a near perfect trip!

 

The final day at sea was warm, humid and on and off rain but spend 90% of the day out on deck or on the balcony. 

 

This morning in NYC got off the ship at 8:30, found our bags and flew through customs. In an Uber and home by 9:45am. Unpacked, went to work, early to bed tonight!

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I didn't save the Freestyles. I can remember most of it. I miss the Quest! It would have been the perfect crowd for it. 

 

 

 

Jackie did you take a cab to Pompano?

[jackieodonnell]

3 minutes ago, summercruiser20 said:

Jackie did you take a cab to Pompano?

Yes we found a cab driver. It was a quick drive. 20 min? We used the same guy all day. 

[jackieodonnell]

6 minutes ago, summercruiser20 said:

It was a great cruise we really lucked out with the weather just the last sea day was not a good day for outside but we have travelled many times during hurricane season so we know you can expect anything - shows were fabulous glad we got to Elements especially since it was cancelled the last night for safety of the cast.  Saw Footloose which was our second time.  Food and drinks were great first time in Ocean Bleu - it was ok...did the usual Le Bistro and Teppanyaki as our other two specialties

I have to say we love Teppanyaki way too much food lol

I would say we were outside 90% of that last day! hahaha!

[summercruiser20]

5 minutes ago, jackieodonnell said:

Yes we found a cab driver. It was a quick drive. 20 min? We used the same guy all day. 

We have done CocoReef many times in the past going again next month so this is good information do you recall how much was the cab ride?  just so I can get an idea - we have done the local bus and also cabs - last time we were there after the storms pretty much beach was gone.

 

[jackieodonnell]

4 hours ago, summercruiser20 said:

We have done CocoReef many times in the past going again next month so this is good information do you recall how much was the cab ride?  just so I can get an idea - we have done the local bus and also cabs - last time we were there after the storms pretty much beach was gone.

 

 

I believe it was $19. 

[IAcruising]

On 9/27/2023 at 12:57 PM, JGmf said:

I bring that up b/c I totally agree with you and @cruiseny4life above that the Haven bar is a madhouse and overall disappointment given the huge up-charge for Haven access: it's too small for the Haven adult numbers and gets more crowded too when kids come to the bar to get soft drinks and virgin daiquiris, etc after running around the pool and hot tub courtyard.

 

It would seem that the Haven is no different than the rest of us common folk on a full ship.

 

It's just a matter of degree. Packed is packed.