Oh Joy! Our first NCL cruise

[Plato123]

We recently completed our first cruise on NCL, on the Norwegian Joy.  Overall it was our 28th cruise and we were in a Haven aft penthouse suite.

The Joy was the largest ship we have sailed on and we soon knew how long it was as we travelled between our aft suite and the forward Haven compound.

Our suite was spacious and well appointed with a Nespresso machine for me (our butler brought hot water for my wife as she prefers tea).  The master bathroom was huge and probably the best we have seen on our cruises, with windows in the bath and shower.

The second bath was the smallest we have ever seen in our travels but was perfectly fine for us but probably not fine at all for many of the more generously sized passengers on the cruise.

The Haven compound is huge and the bar and restaurant were very nice as was the service.  We had the Free at Sea Plus package so we had no worries at all when it came to drinks and we tried four specialty dining restaurants as part of that package.

Food was good (but not outstanding) in all the restaurants we tried but there was a general lack of seasoning in most of out meals.

We went on two excursions and one was good and the other was a waste of time and money with a tour guide who was not that well informed or prepared.  Overall we enjoyed the Haven experience and will do it again.

We normally cruise on Celebrity and it is still our preferred cruise line for many reasons, but we want to try others as our loyalty level on Celebrity does not encourage us to seek a higher level as it is beyond our expected reach..

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Thermal you for taking the time to post your thoughts. We love the Haven and we were on the Joy to Bermuda in May. I am glad you enjoyed your Haven experience. 

Edited 17 hours ago by BirdTravels

[knitlady037]

I wish I could say the same. I was on the Joy August 28 sailing booked in a haven courtyard suite. I usually book haven and enjoy the experience. This cruise had a group of the most unruly entitled passengers I have every experienced. There was about 20 of them. 10 adults, 10 of the worst behaved kids I have ever seen. From playing football across the haven pool to playing tag and doing cheerleading practice in the observation lounge. In the haven dining room, passengers had to request to be moved away from their tables so they could eat in peace. Multiple complaints to concierge and hotel guest services manager did absolutely nothing. The best they did was tell them on the last night they had to eat in the outdoor dining section of the haven dining room. I spent more time in my cabin than I ever have on any of my 30+ NCL cruises. The only day it was peaceful was the day they went to the beach. Once they returned, it was pandemonium again. I was just about to book an Alaskan cruise, but my travelling companion would not book another NCL cruise after this. 

[tony s]

When they did nothing do what we did in a similar situation. As this group is getting the service we are not getting let them pay my DDC. The moment I said that the GM got involved and the group toned it down 

[knitlady037]

GM was involved. But these people were so arrogant they totally ignored the crew's pleas to tone it down. 

[julig22]

3 hours ago, tony s said:

When they did nothing do what we did in a similar situation. As this group is getting the service we are not getting let them pay my DDC. The moment I said that the GM got involved and the group toned it down 

I wouldn't normally withhold my daily charges but I would totally agree with you that under those circumstances it's something I would consider. I'd actually put a note in the GM suggestion box (notes do get read, at least in my experience) and see if the issue gets addressed.

[PhillyTravelBug]

That’s great to hear! Glad you had overall good first impressions. I’m loyal to NCL and have my first celebrity cruise next head on the Ascent.

 

would you sail NCL again?

[Plato123]

2 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

That’s great to hear! Glad you had overall good first impressions. I’m loyal to NCL and have my first celebrity cruise next head on the Ascent.

 

would you sail NCL again?

 

[Plato123]

Just now, Plato123 said:

We would definitely cruise NCL Haven with FAS+ again depending on the itinerary and price. BTW, there were NO kids in the Haven that we saw or heard and I never saw anyone of any age in the pool. Time of year and itinerary are probably the reasons for no kids.