NCL Joy vs RCCL Explorer and Symphony of the seas

[alwalaska]

Hi!  We are looking at a Panama Canal cruise that is on the Joy.  Our one really big ship experience was on the Symphony of the Seas and we did not like it at all.  All of the extra bells and whistles aren't really important to us and the few things we enjoyed were far outnumbered by the feeling that everywhere was crowded and we were constantly waiting in line, even though for meals and entertainment, I made all of the reservations I could, on the first day it was available.

 

Quite a long while ago, the second largest ship we ever sailed on was the Explorer of the Seas.  We really enjoyed this ship and didn't feel the crowding issues as we did on the Symphony of the Seas. 

 

We aren't foodies, but I like to be able to be seated fairly quickly, early in the evening in the main dining rooms.  I like to be able to find tables at breakfast in the buffet, especially on port mornings. I like to be able to see non-reserved shows without having to line up outside of the theater to wait for the doors to open because it fills up long before the shows start. 

 

Any personal experience with the Joy would be appreciated, especially if you can compare it to these other ships. 

[BirdTravels]

The Joy is more like a Quantum class ship (bigger than Explorer, much smaller than Symphony). 

 

Right now, to a large extent, all ships on all cruise lines are sailing close to capacity. They are all busy. 

 

NCL's Freestyle Dining is like My Time Dining. You show up when you are hungry or when it fits your schedule. The Joy has three main dining rooms: Tropicana Room is the largest, Taste and Savor are smaller. They all serve the same menu, so if one is exceptionally busy, you can go to one of the others. Normally, unless you explicitly decide that you must eat at peak times, there is only a short wait to be seated. 

 

Like RCCL, the main theater show, Elements, needs a reservation. All other shows, you can walk in 15 minutes before show time and get a seat. If you want a seat front and center, you need to show up 30 minutes before show time. 

 

Most times you can walk into the buffet and find seating. Obviously, port days are busy since everyone is trying to eat before going ashore. What you will not find on NCL is the RCCL incessant announcements "If you are done stuffing your face, get out, so others can stuff their face" in the Windjammer... which really annoys me.  

 

If you want a quick peak at the Joy, the following link is to my live post from the ship in November. Since then, she went in for a dry dock.

 

 

Edited April 13 by BirdTravels

[hallux]

I can't compare the Joy specifically as I sailed her during the restart when passengers were somewhat limited.  However, I have sailed on the Escape and Bliss which are very similar, including the Bliss on a Panama Canal cruise this year.  One benefit to doing that itinerary is that you won't have a ton of kids on the ship so it will be at double-occupancy rather than double+.  Wait times for MDR seating were minimal.  The only day I really had trouble finding a seat in the buffet for breakfast was transit day, and that's because the buffet has a view out the front of the ship.

 

I've sailed on Explorer of the Seas, that ship felt cramped compared to NCL's Breakaway+ ships (the 3 I've been on are this class).  I've also been on one of Royal's Quantum class ships, the Joy feels like that size of ship as @BirdTravels mentions.  Otherwise, the info given by BirdTravels is spot-on...

[alwalaska]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The Joy is more like a Quantum class ship (bigger than Explorer, much smaller than Symphony). 

 

Right now, to a large extent, all ships on all cruise lines are sailing close to capacity. They are all busy. 

 

NCL's Freestyle Dining is like My Time Dining. You show up when you are hungry or when it fits your schedule. The Joy has three main dining rooms: Tropicana Room is the largest, Taste and Savor are smaller. They all serve the same menu, so if one is exceptionally busy, you can go to one of the others. Normally, unless you explicitly decide that you must eat at peak times, there is only a short wait to be seated. 

 

Like RCCL, the main theater show, Elements, needs a reservation. All other shows, you can walk in 15 minutes before show time and get a seat. If you want a seat front and center, you need to show up 30 minutes before show time. 

 

Most times you can walk into the buffet and find seating. Obviously, port days are busy since everyone is trying to eat before going ashore. What you will not find on NCL is the RCCL Windjammer incessant announcements "If you are done stuffing your face, get out, so others can stuff their face" in the Windjammer... which really annoys me.  

 

If you want a quick peak at the Joy, the following link is to my live post from the ship in November. Since then, she went in for a dry dock.

 

 

Thank you so much.  That is really helpful.  We love the Spirit and Sun and the NCL overall "philosophy", but the Joy was the only ship that met all of the timing and itinerary locations we were looking for.  You also confirmed for me without my asking that Elements is the only major show.  That is kind of disappointing.  I like Elements, but we've seen it many times.  I laughed when it was advertised as a "new show" when we were recently on the Spirit.  We saw it on the Spirit in 2011.