Norwegian Joy cruise to Mexican Riviera on 12/1/19. My wife and I are senior citizens. We love cruising. We do not book cruises based on itineraries but based on what ship and where we get the best deal. We live near west coast so the majority of our cruises have been to the same ports in Mexico. This was our 26th cruise. We have cruised Princess, Carnival, RCCL, HAL, Celebrity and Norwegian. Norwegian is my least favorite cruise line but has my favorite ships. I cruised on the Bliss last year and loved the ship. The Joy is more or less a sister ship to the Bliss, with some minor differences. Most important to me on a cruise is the food, stateroom, entertainment and ambience in that order. That is, once I get on the ship. Embarkation and disembarkation is a whole different category.

This deal, which I booked directly with Norwegian, included free airfare round trip. Norwegian booked us on American Airlines arriving at LAX at 11:45am on day of departure and leaving to return home at 5:49pm from LAX, even though we are off the ship at 9:30 am in the morning. I had purchased round trip transfers from Norwegian. Prior to the cruise, I called Norwegian customer service to express concern that with our flight coming in about noon, by the time we got our baggage it could be 12:15 or so, provided the flight was on time. Would there still be a transfer bus there for us and how would we find it. I voiced this concern because when I had booked prior cruises through a travel agent, I was told Norwegian will not provide a transfer if your flight arrives after 10 am. The Norwegian customer service rep told me “don’t worry, there will be someone there to meet you and direct you to the bus”. I asked “what if there isn’t?” She again repeated, “there will be, don’t worry”, I again asked, “what if there isn’t?” We went through this Abbot and Costello routine about 3-4 times. Finally, she said, “just call this same number if you have a problem” referring to the 800 customer service number for Norwegian corporate. Long story, short. We arrived at LAX, 15 minutes late due to weather. There was no one from Norwegian there, No one, nothing, nada. No signs, no people, no help. After waiting 20 minutes in the baggage claim area, I called the Norwegian customer service number. After waiting 25 minutes on hold, I spoke with a customer service representative. I explained that Norwegian had left me stranded at LAX. He suggested I have the airline page the Norwegian rep. I told him there was no one from the airline around to do that. Everyone had cleared out except for us. He then asked me what terminal I was at. I told him terminal 5. He said I should go to terminal 2. I said,” look, I am a senior citizen with a cane and 4 large bags. I am not going to terminal 2. This is Norwegian’s responsibility. You are Norwegian. You get hold of the airport representative and have them come get us. We paid you for this.” He said, “I can’t do that. I can’t call out. I can’t help you.” He then suggested I take a taxi, save the receipt and turn it in a guest service on board the ship. He said they would reimburse me. $75.84 later we arrived at the port by taxi. There was a line about half a mile long with 2000 people in it waiting to get into the terminal. When we got to the end of the line, we were really frustrated. I use a cane and have a difficult time standing and walking for extended periods. Short term is fine. I notice other people in line with canes and walkers as well. Fortunately, the weather was good. It was kind of like a POW death march, except we were not marching. After about an hour in line, a woman came by and pulled us out of line along with other people with canes and walkers and took us up toward the front for an expedited check-in. Most people waited two hours or more to get in. Norwegian wants to pass this off as a fluke but I had a similar experience going out of Southern CA on the Norwegian Bliss last year except the line was about half as long. I thought that was a fluke. Lesson learned. No more Norwegian out of So CA. Don’t believe anything Norwegian tells you.

Once on board the ship, things were wonderful. Service was terrific. Food in MDR, the Local and specialty restaurants varied from very good to amazing. Food in Garden Café (buffet) was OK to good with limited selection. We had a standard balcony stateroom which was comfortable and adequate for two people. Bed was very comfortable and thermostat worked fine. Water pressure in shower could have used a boost. TV had a nice selection of programs. The ship is beautifully decorated and the ambience is very pleasing in all public areas. Entertainment was varied and I thought, good. My wife and I enjoy production shows and musicals so we enjoyed both Footloose and Elements, although they may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The performers were very good. We went to one of the Beatles’ shows in the Cavern Club and did not find this Beatles’ cover group as appealing as the one we saw on the Bliss. Be sure to get there half an hour to 45 minutes early if you want a seat for the Beatles. The Cavern Club is a small venue and the Beatles are popular. It fills to capacity quickly. For the main theater shows, make sure you have reservations ahead of time. Make them online before you ever get on the ship. Read more