Norwegian Joy Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We have cruised on NCL several times (Pride of America, Escape, Breakaway and Bliss) and looked forward to getting on the Joy after the refurbishment and relocation to the USA. I had followed the refurbishment closely so I knew what to expect and the Joy did not disappoint.
The food, service, crew, entertainment and balcony cabin were all very similar to the other Breakaway/Breakaway Plus class ships...very good. We did not love the Galaxy Pavilion (VR rides) as much as I hoped. The Vibe area is larger and takes up the bar and hot tub that used to be next to it (we did not buy a Vibe pass this cruise) and not having a Thermal Suite was also missed. I did like the canopy covered extra large hot tub in Spice H2O area. The pool area was better for an Alaskan cruise (with the pools off to the side) than for a hot weather cruise. The buffet was more crowded at breakfast than I remembered on the other ships, but the food was good (especially at the specialty restaurants, as usual). The elevators can be slow and crowded at certain times (embarkation/disembarkation and after shows), but this is common on all cruise ships (I am interested to try the "intelligent" elevators that Carnival is putting on its new ships).
The "Elements" show was the best show we have seen on a cruise ship (except for the broadway-type shows like Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia). We also liked "Footloose" (the male lead was excellent).
Cabin Review
Mid-ship Balcony Stateroom
The cabin location was more forward than mid-ship, but we really like NCL's balcony cabins on the Breakwaya/Breakaway Plus ships. This room had the layout I prefer, the bed next to the balcony door and the sofa closer to the closet. The bed is softer that I sleep on at home but still comfortable. The in-room coffee maker and robes by request are nice perks. The cabin had an annoying creaking sound from the ceiling/balcony door as the ship rocked on the sea at night so I wore earplugs (as little noises like that or hangers banging in the closet drive me nuts). We also like having several premium movie channels to watch at no extra cost (even if we didn't watch the whole movie start to finish). The cabin was comfortable, clean, modern an
Port Reviews
Seattle
Disorganized disembarkation tour.
Juneau
Helicopter to glacier (with landing) and then to a glacier dog sled camp for a ride!
Expensive but worth it for a bucket-list once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Icy Strait
Spasski River Valley and Wildlife excursion...we only saw a bear from the van. Meh.
Victoria
Waited too long, not enough buses, ended service too early...PASS