I have had my eye on this itinerary for a long time and was able to experience it on the new and improved Norwegian Joy. I have been on 10 cruises now, mostly with Princess with a little HAL, Carnival and Celebrity sprinkled in. I must say that Norwegian has a stellar product with its Breakaway Plus class ships. I think the layout is superior to anything sailing out there for this market segment. This was a Panama Canal partial transit. The Panama Canal was a bucket list experience and the partial transit was only partially great. NCL canceled every shore excursion at this port! It was blamed on not enough available tenders from the Panama yacht club. (Was the reason given). We had pre-purchased the railroad excursion that tours the entire canal. The Island Princess was on a similar itinerary and I wonder if She won the Tender competition? I will put on my detective hat and find out here on Cruise Critic. Don't get me wrong, it was great to see the Joy sail through the Gatun locks and back. It really turned out to be another sea day which doesn't suck either. The other ports were awesome with the shore excursions that NCL offered. I highly recommend the Old City tour in Cartagena, the Rainforest/wildlife extravaganza in Puerto Limon, The Dolphin encounter in Roatan, catch and release fishing and snorkeling in Belize. They were some of the best excursions I've ever been on. What can I say about the Ship? She is gorgeous and well laid out. Our midship mini-suite was very comfortable and convenient to all the upper deck locations. Our favorite venue on the ship was the observation lounge on deck 15. There are great fore, port and starboard views with very classy and comfy chairs and loungers. There is a full bar, a Starbucks and a nice little buffet. The Waterfront on deck 8 is a treasure as well. Dining was hit and miss. Next time we will skip most of the specialty restaurants and opt for the Garden Cafe or the Manhatten dining room. Service was excellent for all dining venues. Joy hands down have the best shipboard entertainment of any cruise line I've been on. Footloose, Elements, and the Beatles act were top notch. All the lesser shows and comedy acts held their own as well. It was hard to leave on the last morning. (In more ways than one). We were supposed to disembark at 08:30 am due to a Miami city tour. We did not get off the Joy until 10:30! There were technical glitches that kept everyone's luggage from getting off the ship. I hope nobody had to cancel tours and/or missed their flights. We can't wait to get on the other Breakaway Plus class ships. We are drinking the NCL kool-aid now. Read Less

We had a very fun cruise because we were traveling with several family members. The Norwegian Joy is a fairly new ship and had many good things about it. However the ship only had two banks of elevators and two stairways, which made it seems very congested. The food was very good and the dine any time/any place policy was enjoyable. We didn't like the constant efforts to sale us something and get us to buy stuff. - "See it, like it, but it". They were always trying to "sign up for our next cruise". A little of the sales pitch was fine, but it because very annoying. The ship had a very nice 900 seat theater and good entertainment. The Footloose and Elements productions shows were by far the best we have seem on any cruise. We wish there were more activity options during the day like dance classes that were at a different time other than 5:00 PM. My wife was disappointed that there were not any Zumba classes. We were on a Princess cruise to Alaska in May 2019 and they had a great variety of Zumba and dance classes - which were very fun for my wife. We wish there were more and better lectures about the Panama Canal and other ports of call. There was one short lecture about the canal held in the small Atrium area. It was packed with people and many could not hear or see the lecture. This should have been held in the large theater. This was very poor planning. We also had to listen to a long presentation about signing up for our next cruise before the lecture started. Going through the Panama Canal was the highlight on the trip. The Customer Service staff, housekeeping staff, and waiters were all very friendly and helpful. We were also disappointed that there were no places to play games with my family. We had a group of 8 people and the ship had a very small game room. We had use the tables in the buffet area when they were not busy. This was certainly not ideal. Our cabin was very nice. The bed was great, and the bathroom was a little larger than many ship we have been on. The shower was especially nice. After many difference cabin types on many curses, we decided that a balcony room works best for us. It makes the room feel a little larger and certainly more bright and sunny. Even though the balcony was small it was very nice to go out side and see what was happening. It was especially nice when we went through the Panama Canal. We when on three shore excursions. Two were good, but the Cartagena Hop on Hop off tour was very poor. the bus was late arriving and we stand in the heat for about an hour. One passenger had heat stroke problems while waiting. The bus was so crowded and the various stops where we were supposed to "hop off" had many people waiting to "hop on" so we didn't dare get off because we could probably never get back on and would miss the ship departure. The narration on the bus was very poor. Not a good tour. The disembarkation process was a disaster. The crew seemed confused on what was happening and where we should go. We needed to disembark early and we were delayed for about an hour. The ship computer system failed and delayed passengers for 1 and 1/2 hours. This is not impact us, but it did cause problems for others in our group. Overall the cruise was fun but I thought Norwegian could have done many things better. I would travel with Norwegian again, but they are not my first choice. Read Less

Newer ship with specialty features, but really chose the cruise because of the itinerary and bucket list ports and partial transit of the Panama Canal. The ship was nice, similar layout to the Escape, which is the only other NCL ship I've been on. Much smaller pool deck and area, but had read and expected that. Similar kids water park and water slides. Top decks had a great, fun speedway and laser tag arena. Yes, they were extra costs, but well worth it and lots of fun. Reservations are necessary for both! Restaurants were pretty much the same as the Escape with the exception of The Local replacing O'Sheenan's; Q (BBQ) instead of Moderna and American Diner replacing Margaritaville. The replacement restaurants were about the same, though Moderna was better than Q, since I am on a salt-free diet and Q had significant difficulties providing me with food that I could eat. The band they had that night was good, but service at Q was awful. Frankly found that service wasn't good in the majority of the dining establishments on board, and food in the Manhattan dining room was very poor overall, got worse as we got later in the cruise. There was always something to eat, and since my meals were being prepared salt-free I could pick and choose what I wanted the night before based on the menu in the complementary or specialty dining rooms. There was more to this cruise than dining and it was the activities, entertainment, public spaces and the itinerary itself that made this an amazing cruise. Dining in each port was really special taking in local cuisines and that made the food on the ship bearable! My midship balcony cabin was very nice and its what I've come to expect from Norwegian cabins. Comfortable and roomy and my room steward was excellent at taking care of all of my needs and requests. I booked my own shore excursions with private companies and small groups, and all were excellent as I researched them in advance. Overall I enjoyed my experience on this new and wonderful ship, but dining especially in the complementary restaurants needs to be looked into and maybe overhauled. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of (1) partial Panama transit (2) interesting ports of call (3) relatively new ship. My husband and I had a very enjoyable time but compared to other cruises we've taken (11 to date), this one ranks about about a 3.7 on a scale of 5. Highlights: - Embarkation took about 1 hour, not great but much better than a previous NCL cruise that took more 2 hours. We were able to access our cabin as soon as we got on board. -Excursions we took were very good, especially the Monkey River Eco Tour in Belize. Be sure to bring insect repellent and wear long pants and sleeves for the hike. I did but still got bitten, but it was worth it. Saw lots howler monkeys, lots of birds, iguanas, etc. We also thoroughly enjoyed the Turquoise Bay All Inclusive private Beach Break excursion in Roatan. -Ship staff provided all around excellent service -Ship entertainment offered something for everyone. Entertainers were all excellent. -Specialty restaurants we tried were all worthwhile: Le Bistro, Ocean Blue and La Cucina. We liked Le Bistro so much that we had dinner there twice. -The Local Bar & Grill was a great place for lunch or a light meal during the day. -Fun Halloween celebration on Oct. 31st. Garden Cafe was nicely decorated with lots of uniquely carved pumpkins and other Halloween related characters. Disappointments: - Our cabin #8158 was right over the ship's theater. Whenever there was a performance, the noise was so loud that the entire cabin vibrated. We were unable to stay in our cabin whenever there was a show or movie during the hours between 7:00pm-8:00pm and 9:00pm to 10:00pm. Avoid this cabin and those near it like the plague. -Our cabin was also located on the same side as the District Brewhouse. Loud music often played until 12:00pm almost daily. -While Garden Cafe (Buffet) offered a wide selection of food choices with excellent presentations, food wasn't as tasty as previous NCL cruises we've taken. No soy or almond milk offered, at least I wasn't able to find it. -Was a challenge finding a table at the Garden Cafe during main dining times. Often had to go out on deck to use the overflow tables. Not great when it was raining and windy. -Jogging track, located on the 17th deck, was difficult to use as I constantly had navigate around other passengers. Used Deck 8 instead. -Gym was small and always busy. -Meals in the Main, Savor and Taste dining rooms took too long. One dinner took over 2 hours just for the appetizers and main course. We didn't stay for dessert. -Elevators were exceptionally slow. As a result, during peak times, elevators were always crowed going up. One day, we waited 10 minutes for an up elevator. Only 2 banks of elevators, one in the AFT and the other in the Forward. -Disembarkation was delayed for more than an hour due to a system problem. Once the problem was fixed, it went smoothly. Was not a problem for us since we had a late afternoon flight but other passengers that we talked to were fearful that they would miss their flights. Read Less

We have cruised many times and this time on NCL to Panama Canal was absolutely fantastic. The ship is immaculate, the staff (from management to bartenders to cabin attendants to restaurant staff...EVERYONE.)..were kind and willing to assist when help was needed. We had zero complaints the entire two weeks onboard. There are plenty of restaurant options that are included in the price so you don’t tire of the food choices. The a la carte restaurants are reasonably priced if you choose to try one of them. The entertainment was very enjoyable every nights. The excursions were all excellent and the boarding/I boarding at each port was basically flawless. If we were detained for a bit past posted times to embark or disembark, it wasn’t at the fault of NCL. The ports just weren’t ready to give clearance. There were plenty of pool chairs but you should plan on claiming your choice seats early on at sea days bc everyone will want one for the day. Thank you for a wonderful vacation. Read Less

Our 13th with NCL and the very best to date. The reasons are by catagory... PRICE: NCL still gives IMO the best value all drinks included, speciality restaurants, Internet and room credits at an average of $150 per day is great value. ITINERY: The ports of call were all to places we had not visited, didn't like all of them but thats life. Really impressed with Costa Maya, the port was obviously man made for the cruise industry but great quality outlets,bars and entertainement. Cartagena had by far the best port I have been too, a small animal enclosure with varid birds, Iguanas, monkeys etc plus shops, restaurant and tour options. SHIP: One word...(no not Awsome)...just WOW..loved the layout, loved the ease of location on decs 6,7 & 8. Loved the quality of furnishings and decoration, loved the service from every bar tender (especially Waves and the A List bar) and waiters in all restaurants. Happy, chatting to everyone and worked so very hard to make sure everything was as good as it could be. Loved our MS stateroom 10208, very well looked after by our cabin steward and the location was perfect. Loved the onboard entertainement with the exception of the Cavern Club, a club with no room to dance and the worst Beatles tribute I have ever seen. Footloose was great as was the live bands. One special mention to who ever organized the daily music played by the pool, it was a superb mix of old and new and not one day passed when we didn"t enjoy laying on dec listening to the great tunes. Loved the outstanding speciality restaurants.. Cagney's as always was great, Le Bistro was our favorite a quality of food and service rarely equalled. Food republic was a great choice also as was Q the Texas bbq. Also really enjoyed the buffet. The Indian section was great and always found seating very easily, not something that can be said on other ships. FELLOW PASSENGERS: I personally think that Cruise Critic should be called Cruise Passenger Critic. My only complaint on this and many other cruises is the way people behave. Rude, ignorant and totally lacking in public behaviour. When will people realize that the nicer you are when speaking to bar staff or waiters, the better they will treat you. Sorry to say but American customers were the worst. Please cost nothing, I never heard people ask for a drink with the word please at the end of it. The behaviour at embarcation was appalling, people pushing to be onboard 1st was pathetic. Peoples behaviour at the buffet was shamefull. Obscene greed and waste levels that were outrageous. Even in elevators, no consideration for other people just pushing and shouting move or I need to get out, shame on you. OVERALL: A great cruise and can't wait to sail on Joy again. Unfortunately I probably would think twice about sailing on the older, smaller ships as the level of quality is higher on the newer ships IE food and entertainement. Read Less

Completed 16 night panama canal cruise. Major problem was room noise, every night and every day. Complained to ship staff only to be told no one has ever complained about noise problems and the noise was from the pool above us. Sorry but there was no way it was coming from the pool above. If you are booking a room on this ship do not book this room, or one near it. It was a real shame as we like the inside room and everything on the cruise, the staff were fantastic. Steve the cruise director and his staff out did themselves, just fantastic. Park West staff were also fun to deal with, thanks heaps. Loved the ports of call always fun to experience different cultures and the Panama Canal was what the cruise was all about and did not disappoint. It was a real shame to have the room problem because the Cruise was fun. Read Less

Embarked in Miami - was on board quickly and cabins opened by 1.15pm. We tried the assisted boarding as my dad has bad arthritis and struggles to walk far now. We waited in an area with an awful lot of others in the same position and after 15 minutes were taken up an escalator and basically it cut quite a bit of walking out. Deck 3 Oceanview 3096 and 3094 - nice big window with blackout blinds and net curtain. Cabins right by the lifts and stairs at the back of the ship. The bed in 3096 was so hard - my steward got me a soft top for the mattress but I still had a bad back most mornings. No coolers (fridges) in these rooms. We were advised we had to request them prior to the rise (nobody told us) or we needed them for medicines. Anyway by day 2 they did manage to find us some. Bathroom looks like it has been refurbished with new sink, cabinet and push button toilets. I did find the spy hole on the door annoying at night as it let a lot of light in so I used the do not disturb magnet to block this off at night. The door was also a poor fit and let a lot of light in at night to the left but this was not too noticeable as the bed was right by the window. The shower head would not stay still, it kept twisting to the left which was annoying. The sink smelt like it needed a good plunge and a clean of the overflow which was dirty. Unfortunately 3096 is right below a room on the floor above before you head into the dining room. Whilst this is not a cabin, it is used by the crew etc. For rehearsals late at night. It sounded like a heard of elephants above and one night I went upstairs and asked them what they were doing. I was told they were rehearsing and would be another 20 minutes - basically didn't care less attitude. This was my first cruise since obtaining diamond plus status and I was given an option to go on a bridge, galley, theatre tour or lunch with an officer. I ticked the bridge tour and took this to the loyalty ambassador who asked me to put it in the box. One day we had lunch in the main restaurant next to an Australian couple who were pinnacle status said they were going on the bridge tour in the afternoon. I just assumed there would be a few tours as numbers on the bridge would be limited. Anyway, on day 9, having tried to find the loyalty ambassador the day before (turns out she was sick) I went to the Diamond lounge to see Norma who advised someone else had also not had an invite and that she would investigate to see if there would be anymore tours. A few days later I did get an invite. Future cruise desk was not that busy as offers were poor - 30% off when normally 50-60% off. Prices was far cheaper in June when I sailed on Adventure. I got a few prices, most people were helpful (apart from one person). A few days before the end of the cruise there was a new offer on the website with 60% off the 2nd guest and OBC. when I enquired, I was given a much higher price. In fact, they always gave me a higher price than the website until I queried it. Not happy! Eventually we booked it as knew we could price match when it comes down. In fact, it is £84 cheaper a week later I notice already. Windjammer - a lot smaller than some ships but more of less the same selection of food. Different theme every night such as Caribbean and Spanish but you didn't really notice! They had a lot of trifles and mousses for desert so wasn't always great selections. I was in there on my own one evening so put 2 drinks down on the table whilst getting some food. When I came back a very rude couple had stolen my table. No apology! In fact this cruise was quite bad for poor manners. Whilst watching the Panama Canal crossing 3 people were sitting on deckchairs on deck 5 and each had another chair for their feet. They refused to give up one chair for my Dad who could barely walk. I was furious and reported them to Guest Relations who promptly made them move. Manners cost nothing! Day 3 - Cartagena, Colombia - we wanted to see the fort but all the ship tours included other sights and were round $55-70. We therefore booked a trolley tour of $20 outside the terminal. The trolley was air conditioned but only really near the front! It was so hot and humid. This was a 4 hour tour and stopped at the fort to take photographs and other areas and included a walking part near the end. We also visited an emerald shop and places to shop. There is a bus to take you from the ship to the terminal (5 minute walk if not) this takes you to a cafe and through a giant aviary. They have flamingos, peacocks, loads of birds and Macaws all very tame. You could spend an hour or 2 here. There were lots of people selling tours as you exit the terminal. Also, everywhere we went people were trying to sell you things, such as hats and jewellery. This was annoying. Also on day 3 the ships's wifi stopped working early in the morning and was off for 3 full days. They never announced this, instead left everyone to either go down to the wifi desk or guest relations and ask. They provided no updates which was very poor. I understand wifi can be dodgy especially at sea, but at least keep guests updated. Their wifi is very expensive so I did ask for a refund. They were crediting everyone individually so it took days to resolve. Why not just the full 3 days full price back, it would surely have been cheaper than the wifi lady having to go through everyone's account individually! I chased a few times and then was told as we were from the UK she wasn't sure how to refund it so had to ask! Eventually I saw a credit on the account. No Jonny Rockets on this ship so no BOGOF milkshake offers. However, we did discover they did milkshakes at Ben & Jerry's ($5.31 each). It would have been rude not to try one. Very nice! At this counter they also do special chargeable coffees but free cakes for all, no obligation to purchase. They had pastries for breakfast and sandwiches and cakes throughout the day. Park Cafe- deck 9 was handy as it was straight up from us at the back of the ship and as we don't eat a cooked breakfast, we didn't have to walk across to the windjammer. We could get juice, cereals, pastries, egg and bacon muffins etc. From here instead. At lunch, they have sandwiches, soup and the beef roll everyday. They do need to sort their dishwasher for their cereal bowls here though! Dirty! Main Dining room - slow! Couple next to us walked out on day 1. Our head waitress had a new assistant who had never been on a ship before. She was in trouble with her all night! Food wasn't great and we ended up in the Windjammer most nights. Shore excursions - very overpriced as usual. Tours far cheaper on the piers. I did think about the Aerial ride tour at a whopping $140 but there was no one on the desk when it should have been open that morning anyway. Colon, Panama - we wanted to do the rainforest aerial tram tour but it was very expensive at $140 each and as it started to rain we decided to explore the local shops instead. In hindsight we should have done the tour with a local company as the sun came out although it did rain at lunchtime. As you exit the ship you are met with ENDLESS people trying to sell you tours and taxi rides. It became very tiresome saying no thank you to everyone. Having said that we could probably have negotiated a tour to the same place we wanted to go for half the ship's price. Just ashore are free wifi areas but although I got connected I couldn't get any emails or iMessages to send, just the Facebook app worked. Nice cafe's just along here also. But again, endless people selling things, mainly taxis and tours. There really should be some better organisation of these sellers. They would sell more if they were not so in your face. Panama Canal - we went through the locks in the morning for about 2 hours from 7-9am and then again in the afternoon 2.30-4.30 in total. My tip unless you have a balcony, would be to get a deckchair on deck 5 at lunchtime as there were none spare at 2pm. We followed a large cargo ship through on the other side of us. Very interesting to see the locks and as we moved down. For some reason I thought there would be more locks to go through. Puntarenas, Costa Rica - very long walk from ship to shore. If you are on an excursion they reverse the buses up nearer the ship. Loads of men selling tours as you exit the checkpoint at the end if the pier, there is a tourist information building just there which had air conditioned room you can sit in. Most tours are 4-5 hours and $25. However, we got offered a tour for just $20 as they were ready to go an needed two more people. Initially we were a bit dubious as they were quite persistent but the information man said they were there every day so should be genuine. We drove a short distance and picked up a banana, then around the corner we stopped by the road and under the trees were monkeys that happily jumped on us for the bananas. We also went to a very large souvenir shop which had free drinks and fruit. I think they had gardens but it poured with rain as we got there. We stopped at a bridge and walked over to see the crocodiles and also went to the top of the hills in the rainforest abs stopped at a restaurant for drinks. They also serve lunch which looked good. Coke and Pepsi were $4 and beer was just $3. We just missed the native large birds as another tourist had just got a picture he sowed us. The guide tried to find them and the macaws in a wooded area but they were not out to play today. Restrooms at a couple of places which were clean also. Good tour in a small minibus 10 people and far cheaper than Royal c. Worth mentioning it's in the rainy season now and October has a lot more rain. It was also very humid. The guide said the rain stops in December. Note, they were also selling aerial tram rides through the rainforest at this port on the shore. Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala - couple of minute walk across a bridge from the ship to shore. You walk straight into a building selling tours. Didn't see the prices as looks like stopped selling them earlier in the day. But I imagine far cheaper than onboard. Also selling tours and taxis just outside. Loads and loads of market stall type shops selling same type of thing - bags, jewellery, rugs, belts etc. Didn't look like much in the port area, there was a harbour and garden to the left of the bridge. To the right is cargo. We got here at 6am and people left at 6.30am. There was a lot of noise from 4.30am onwards and a very loud noise at 5.30am so no lay in here. Huatulco, Mexixo - arrived at 11am - pulled straight in forward as the island is only really on one side. There is a walkway to the end of the pier - a good few minutes walk. I didn't actually leave the ship here, and from the ship there didn't look that much here. Those who went ashore may say otherwise of course. Nice beach but unfortunately I can't take much sun. Puerto Vallartos, Mexico - no long walkways, straight off the ship and they are selling tours and also there are a dozen or so stalls selling souvenirs. One stall is a pharmacy/drug store and even a massage stall. Just over the main road is a large shopping centre and just behind this large building is a Wall Mart store which the crew were using to stock up with things from here. It was a very hot day 85f but the forecast said felt like 94f which it did, the humidity was terrible. Taxis from here to town is a about 3 miles away $5-10 max - agree price first. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - tendered port here. need to get tickets for the tenders if you want to get ashore early. They used their own life boats and some boats from ashore. About a ten minute walk to the main town area. Los Angeles - cruise ended here but we booked the tour of LA and drop off at the airport as out flight was just after 5pm. However, due to the wildfires near LA, Malibu was under evacuation so they decided to take us to yet another beach. We didn't want to spend the day at beaches so we cancelled. However, the transfer only to the airport was all full up so we had to take a taxi which was $60. If you booked just the transfer to the airport from the ship it was $24.95. Entertainment - Horizon group were very good, very energetic got everyone up on their feet. Wasn't so impressed with any of the others to be honest. Departure - nightmare. They stopped people getting off on about ticket number 12. There was an announcement to say there were experiencing delays. An hour and a half later they let more off. We were due to get off at 10.40 and it was about 11.05 so they didn't lose that much time in the end. However, when we got off the Ship's walkway we literally queued for over half an hour to get into immigration. Someone eventually asked my Dad if he needed a wheelchair and we then bypassed the rest of the queue, otherwise it would have been a good hour wait. Guest relations advised this port always delays them. My advice would be to get off early. This is the worst port I have ever been to for getting people through Customs. Not much of a queue for taxi's at midday though! 5-10 minute wait. Read Less

This was our third trip to Panama via Norwegian. We traveled as a group of 5 couples. There was a coast guard inspection on the day of our embarkation which slowed the process down, but in general it went smoothly. We feel that the cruise director is the heart of the ship, planning events and making the ship fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, our cruise director was not that good. The cruise was very low key and lacked a really happy vibe which Norwegian is known for and what we experienced on other cruises. The food did not meet any of our expectations. The buffet offered the same food quite often and the desserts very rarely changed. Specialty dining we would consider as being the worst. The only one we all enjoyed was Cagney's We avoided the main dining room because it took a minimum of 2 hours to get out, and the food was sparse. We all noticed it was difficult to understand many of the crew and vice versa. The entertainment in the Magnum lounge was very good and the Elements show and Jeff the Juggler were great. The games shows with our cruise director were awful. Leaving the ship was painless and we were out of the terminal in a timely manner. In general, in spite of the few shortcomings, we all considered this to be a very good cruise. Read Less

We caught an 11am shuttle from our hotel to the port. By 12.10 we were upstairs and waiting to board. We didn’t realise when checking in we required our ESTA which was packed in our suitcase. Thankfully they let us board anyway. We were on board by 1pm. We met our cabin steward the day we embarked and we saw him at least once if not twice a day. Our cabin stewards service was great. We only ate in O'Sheehan's once on Embarkation day. We didn't have trouble procurring a table. I was dissapointed O'Sheehan's don't serve the chicken tenders anymore. Our first day at sea we ate lunch in the Grand Pacific Restaurant after we attended the Meet & Greet. I wasn’t fussed by the lunch options and wouldn’t choose to eat lunch in the restaurant again. The remainder of our lunches we ate in the Garden Cafe and we always found enough options to eat. We ate dinner in Alizars every night. We almost always arrived for dinner at 7pm and at least half the time we had a 20min wait for a table. Magnums was a great bar to spend the time whilst we waited for a table. The bar staff in Magnums were fabulous(very entertaining and prompt service). The food in Alizar was great and service was almost always outstanding. The day we were traversing the Panama canal we were upstairs by 5am. We had planned to be outside on deck 13 but by the time we made it upstairs there were already too many people so we settled on a 2nd row seat on the port side in Spinnaker instead. A fortuitous decision we were very glad we made when it started to rain. We had pretty awesome views of the locks including an LPG tanker coming the other way. Before we completed the crossing I went down to Deck 7 to get an up close view of the mules (towing trains) and the walls of the lock. We had two tender ports(Gatun Lake, Panama & Puerto Limon) but only one where we had to line up for tender tickets. I was in line for tickets by 8.10(for an 8.30 pickup) and I was about 50th in line. We just missed out on tickets for the first tender but were two of six who managed to get on the first tender at the gate. We booked two tours through NCL (Gatun Lake and Harvest Caye) the remainder we booked independently. My original tour of the Mayan ruins of Nim Li Punnit (8.30) was cancelled and I was moved to a later tour which meant I wasn't able to spend anytime checking out Harvest Caye. I utilised the gym most days. A couple of times I used the pool and the spa. The temperature of the spa was perfect. I wasn't impressed by the DJ who played in Spinnaker. The dance floor would be full and he would stop playing the song half way through. On our second night I came across Dave McHugh a guitarist from Newfoundland who was amazing. The venues where he played were always packed and standing room only. We elected to be in one of the last groups to disembark, disembarkation was VERY slow. Read Less

Choose thus iteniary to do Panama Canal in less than 2 weeks. Got off at every port, some were amazing, Panama canal is an engineering marvel, but took all day, be prepared. Costa Rica, amazing jungles, only issue on ship was planning of activities, they had painting events (that you paid for) in same lounge as balloon folding, painting had no microphones, but balloon instructor did. Dis embarkment waa chaotic beyond any other cruise.. Very disappointed. They let those that used a stair case not instructed too use, to exit endlessly. While those that follows directions were left piling up in tight hallway. Food was tasty, service was impeccable, iteniary was unique. Private island was beautiful, pool enormous, beach beautiful, but jelly fish warning. Cute little shops. On ship have to collect signatures for trivia, n other games, n at end of cruise trade in for gifts, missed the presentation, so never got to trade in progress report Read Less

Our primary purpose during this cruise was to travel through the Panama Canal and celebrate my sister and brother-in-law's 40th wedding anniversary.The food was outstanding with beautiful presentation and staff that were have to supply our every need. The Jade only carries about 2500 passengers so there were no long lines for meals, shows, etc. With a longer cruise an added bonus is an older crowd and very few young children. Our cabin was smaller than we've become accustomed to but we settled in quite easily. Bathroom setup is really smart with sink in the center, shower to one side and toilet to the other side. Shower and toilet had glass doors for privacy so more that one person could use the bath at the same time. The staff was outstanding with friendly smiles, good suggestions and a world-class friendliness that was remarkable.Ship excursions were pretty pricey but very worthwhile. Every bus we traveled on was immaculately clean. Guides spoke English very well too. Excursion tips: tour the old city in Cartagena; don't miss the Aerial Tram and Exhibits in Gatun Lake, Panama; banana plantation, scenic drive & Shopping (if you consider a convenience store as shopping); dolphin encounter in Costa Maya is good with limited dolphin contact but pictures with dolphins start at $40 each. The best beach day was at Maya Key Private Island retreat. There is a huge winding beach, lots of shade or sun, no blaring music, a nice buffet was also included. There are guides to help beginners snorkel and see parts of the beautiful reef. Very comfortable and safe. Read Less

First of all, the employees were awesome and the onboard entertainment was very good; otherwise, we were very disappointed. Our room was an inside room on the 10th floor. There were loud noises from the ship all night long. We never got a good nights sleep. The noises were NOT from other rooms, it was definitely from the ship. The food was also disappointing. We had 1 evening it was okay. Getting off the ship for excursions was a nightmare as they stopped running the elevators during that time. People were backed up for floors trying to get off. Getting back on was fine. They changed the time on one of our excursions without letting us know and would not work with us to be sure we were able to make it. We didn't and lost our money for it. Overall, we were very disappointed... I would not suggest this cruise!! Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary. It was a spur of the moment decision due to the Super Bowl Ad offering all the freebies. Mistake, I usually do a ton of research, but not this time, My major take-aways: freebies aren’t worth it unless you drink a lot. Basically, the amount we paid in service charges would have paid for our drinks anyway. Free airfare meant a horrible itinerary, causing an overnight in a hotel that wasn’t free, baggage fees and seat selection costs. Excursion credits we only used twice because NCL excursions are so overpriced that even with the credit they were more expensive than a local guide. The specialty restaurant freebie was probably worthwhile, just to have some variety, though we would have been happy to just do three nights instead of five. And the WiFi package was a joke, since the WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The good: I was afraid 4 days at sea was too many and that we’d be bored, but the games and activities kept us busy. The musical entertainment was very good. I did like the itinerary and the ports of call. The not so good: 1. Seating comfort. Our mini suite cabin had a couch/convertible bed that was so hard it was uncomfortable to sit on. Plus, if you leaned back, it would start to slide forward to create a bed...basically making it impossible to use to watch tv or just relax. The seating in the theatre was horrendous. I stood during one show because I couldn’t take it anymore. The couches in the Spinnaker Lounge also were uncomfortable, canting forward so that you slide off of them. What is wrong NCL? 2. Communication. NCL did absolutely NOTHING in terms of education about the Panama Canal. Wasn’t that the purpose of the trip? The library had no display. There was no lecturer, no channel on tv with the history. Nothing. In fact, no announcement as to when exactly we were going through the canal and suggestions on when to get up or where to view. It was pathetic. Besides the canal, they did a very poor job about all the ports—the only maps we got were incomplete shopping maps. The excursion info was incomplete as well. There is no excuse for people to wonder about the timeline of the excursions, it should be up front. People on the Panama Canal ferry had no idea they would be taking a bus for an hour and a half each way. A bus with no restroom, by the way. There were plenty of people who didn’t know we were tendering at Roatan. NCL had two signs ( with conflicting info regarding timetable) in the entire ship. Why? Why don’t they use the elevator monitors for something useful rather than just listing the floor number? That might be a good place for daily announcements. And why make people run around to the dining rooms to see the menus? Just post them on the app, or on the monitors. Have more monitors around the ship...make them touch screen! It’s 2019 for crying out loud! All NCL seems to care about is selling you something. 3. I guess we drew the short straw with regards to our cabin steward, we never got an introduction to the room. The little sign with his name and extension showed up partway through the cruise. We had no room-service sheet. He always forgot a washcloth, or other towel, etc. we did complain and the towel animals started showing up, but unfortunately he grossed me out because he replaced the paper doily on the glassware, even though the glass was used. He did this 3 times. Made me wonder about the cleanliness and standards. 4. $19 for 4 ounces of robitussin. Lots of people developed coughs, and they take advantage of it. That’s just mean. 5. Food was generally ok. The beef and lamb were particularly good. I thought the Asian food was good. The bread was awful...no good crust, not good texture, the soft serve ice cream was not worth the calories. Our best meal was at La Cucina...excellent pasta, and ask for gelato. I felt much of the food was under salted, leaving it flavorless. The accompanying sauces were little dots on the plate. The mixed drinks were generally very good. The service in the dining room and bars was good. 6. I don’t know how embarkation is supposed to work, but it was hideous. The terminal did not have enough seats. The announcements were difficult to hear ( again, why not use monitors?) and it took way too long. Embarkation at Cartagena was a mess. Disembarkation was rather disorganized as well...lots of people crowding the stairwells with nary a crew member organizing it, Overall, I’m glad we went, as we wanted to go through the Panama Canal, but NCL didn’t convince us to become regular cruisers. ( last time we cruised was 20 years ago with Princess to Alaska. That was wonderful.) Read Less

I had previously done a partial Panama Canal cruise which means the ship went from Ft. Lauderdale through one set of locks and then turned around in Gatun Lake and went back out through the same set of locks with a return to Ft. Lauderdale. When a friend suggested going on a Panama Canal cruise I instantly agreed to go with her. We chose to go on the Norwegian Bliss since there would be so many activities and things to do on this longer than normal cruise. We were not disappointed! Everything was awesome - the ship, the entertainment, food, bars, and service. There was an abundance of free activities as well as the ones that cost extra. The entertainment was first class! The small groups that played in various venues around the ship were excellent. There were many choices for food. The weather was great and we did not encounter any difficulties. The port stops in Mexico changed several times from the time we booked the cruise until we actually went but it was okay. I especially like sea days so this was a great cruise for me - 6 ports in 15 days with 9 sea days. The whole day transit of the Panama Canal was fabulous! The age of the cruisers on this trip was slightly older than normal since it is longer and more expensive and there were fewer children on board. Those who were on board seemed to thoroughly enjoy the extra time they got on some of the amenities. Read Less

Pro: Entertainment is great. Best shows anywhere. Helpful staff. Observation lounge is perfect place to relax. Lots to do throughout the day and night. Taste Restaurant is the best for a quiet dinner. Waterfront promenade deck has great sitting space with comfy chairs and sofas. Also has two outdoor bars. Con: Ship creaks a lot. Deck 9 right over noisy deck 8-avoid deck 9 cabins. Crew very busy and limited guest interaction. Disembarkation took almost an hr just to get off ship. Food ok but nothing special Cagney’s and Manhattan restaurants extremely noisy. Guest Services promises to resolve noise issues, but issue kept reoccurring. Gift shops kept selling the same stuff everyday. No rotation with fresh products. Cookies only available in evening in buffet. Cabin storage is mostly shelves, not pull out drawers. TV channel selection very limited. Navigation info on TV was sometimes very inaccurate. We would not go out of our way to cruise on this ship again. Read Less

We picked this cruise because it traversed the Panama canal and had ports of call we had not been to. We were very disappointed in NCL. The crew ranged from outright hostility to complete indifference. The menu was not varied enough for such a lengthy cruise, and the food only mediocre at best. And they up charge for everything. This has not been my experience in other lines (Royal Caribbean, Holland America). The day before the cruise ended we didn't even get any disembarkation information or luggage tags. I had to go back up to the service desk and even then was only directed to a table with a few colored tags and no information. Ports of call: I really liked Cartagena Columbia and Costa Rica. Guatemala - the closest area of interest is 90 minutes one way from the cruise dock. Further, it was Passion day, so none of the tours were going into the city proper, they would drop you off outside the city. NCL not only didn't cancel the tours, but they didn't reduce the price on them either. Needless to say, we explored the market at the dock and got back on the ship. The entertainment on the ship was a mixed bag. Jersey Boys was great, as was the Beatles tribute band. Havana was ok, but not great. Aside from the shows, a lot of the "entertainment" listed in the freestyle daily were events trying to sell you something, limited to certain guests, or outright cost money. It just seemed like the planning and running of the daily ship events was so poor. This isn't their first rodeo, I expected better. Read Less

We have always wanted to go through the Panama Canal, but were hesitant about the length of the cruise (15 nights). We have taken numerous cruises, with most of them 7 nights. The experience on Norwegian's Bliss was exceptional, and the length of the trip turned out to be just right. We prefer NCL for two main reasons: open dining and on-board music. The Bliss did not disappoint. The smaller main dining room, Savor, was our go to place for diner. The food was exceptional (especially the Salmon), the waitstaff so friendly, and the ambiance very appealing. There were numerous shows, concerts and events on board, and where else could you be at poolside in the evening watching the NCAA Final Four on a big screen tv? The main event was the Panama Canal, and the full day going through Panama was thrilling. Other ports of call added to a great trip. We do some shore excursions, but find that getting off the ship and wandering the public places are culturally very rich. Hats off to all of the staff, and another special thank you to the Fourever Fab, the Beatles tribute band that took all of us back to special times. Read Less

We chose this criuse to celebrate our 50th anniversery and had a wonderful time. We chose the beverage and dining packages and could not have been happier with the choice. We are not big drinkers but it was nice to feel free to try new ones that we would not have if we didn't have that package. The dining package gave use many great chioces. We chose Cagneys for our anniversery diner and loved it. The only negitves where the soup and potatoes where lukewarm. The service was great and, as it happened, our waiter was also our waiter when we sailed on the Star. We also ate at Le Bistro and Los Lobos. Le Bistro was above average and Los Lobos was so good we eat there two more times. Yessina at Los Lobos is a treasure. On our second night there she made my wife a napkin rose that she kept and admiered for the rest of the cruise. We ate at Savor and The Local alot and they were always top notch. Service on the ship was excellent with only a couple of grumpy grew members. I have a great deal of respect for the crew members. They work 12 hour days for up to 9 months without a day off and still show great attitudes. As far as the ships entertainment and activities go the entertainment was great! We mostly liked to just relax and read a good book, so I can't really review the activies, although there seemed to be something going on all the time. Embarkation was a breeze but disembarkation could be termed organized chaos. We only took one Norwiegian excursion and it was just OK. We took a Thumbs Up 10 in 1 excursion in Costa Rica and it was awsome. If you ever get to Costa Rica you should check this out and request Allie as your guide. Overall we were very happy with the Bliss and would cruise on it again. Read Less

I booked this adventure as it has been at the top of my vacation priorities for a long time. This 15 day transit of the new Panama Canal exceeded even my lofty expectations (I am a seasoned cruiser). The crew and staff of NCL`s Bliss made every effort to ensure that the transit and the whole experience was exhilarating - and it was! The entire fifth day of the cruise was spent going through the canal - which took from about 7:00 A.M till close to 9:00 P.M. ; the weather was perfect and the excitement was shared by many of my fellow cruisers (most of which were transiting the new canal for the first time). There was even a guest lecturer on board who gave two lectures; one on the history of the canal and another on the conquering of yellow fever in Panama. This guest expert also narrated the crossing throughout the day. His anecdotes and color commentary greatly added to my enjoyment of the experience and appreciation of the new Panama Canal (opened in 2016). To commemorate the canal transit, the officers of the Bliss issued every guest a beautiful color certificate memorializing the trip, signed by the captain and included a glossy color certificate documenting the cruise and ports of call. These are genuine souvenirs worth framing and a very fitting commemoration of the adventure. One thing worth noting: during the time spent on the crossing, NCL facilitated guest access to the bow area (not usually accessible to guests) for viewing the canal locks and the tug. They also furnished refreshments and set up canopies to protect guests from the intense sun. A very nice touch. This viewing area at the bow on deck 8 allowed a great up close view of the tug guiding the ship and the operation of the locks that we could not have gotten from the observation area on deck 15 (a great area to view but deck 8`s observation area was much closer to “the action”). This special access was greatly appreciated and allowed me to get some great photos and video of the entire canal crossing Oh, I speculate that NCL booked this time slot so as to facilitate the best viewing (daylight) of the Panama Canal - again, my heartfelt thanks, NCL! You made the trip truly memorable !!! While the crossing was the highlight of my cruise, the rest of the trip was also magnificent. Sea days with first class entertainment and shore excursions that offered a sampling of the best that the port had to offer. Fandamtastic experience! Thanks to all on NCL Bliss! Read Less

We are platinum members and sail on many NCL ships. We normally like smaller ships however we wanted to experience the new locks on the Panama canal with this ship. We have priority boarding and it was easy to get on board, however had difficulty finding our cabin, inside Deck 12 midship. Well as it turned out it wasn't midship it was due aft net to an elevator. Cabin was extremely small, I had to turn sideways to get into bed, never before on NCL that we had an inside that it was this small. Now the specialty restaurants: used to be one price now it priced per item. We had two coupons for free restaurants Steak house and Italian, Steak, ribeye was great, now you only get one salad or soup, one on try and one desert for you free meal...if you want something else you pay for it, like if I wanted the Kansas City steak it was 5 dollars more, for appetizer another 5 bucks.....in the Italian restaurant, well there is no spaghetti and meat ball or meat sauce, no egg plant etc., you can get ravioli's with lobster??? well I had a pizza which was just about the same as the one you get in the buffet. The buffet area closes down, I mean door locked you can't even get a cup of coffee after midnight unless you go to the Local which is a 24 hour limited menu dining area midship and then you only get small paper cups. Now we're smokers and in the morning would like to have a cup of coffee and smoke, the only place to smoke is on deck 17 starboard side of the H20 spice bar, which has no coffee, if you're luck to get to the Margarita place right next door they have coffee only for 2 hours for a limited breakfast buffet and the hours were never the same, after they close it down they drain the coffee, I asked them why, and they couldn't give me a reason. Walking was terrible , with most food stuff in the front of the ship and we're in the back so you see our problem. Now the ship is pretty, but huge, too big , too many people, reservations are needed for almost everything and if you don't get reservations when you first get on you are out of luck. Jersey Boys was great free show, but had to pay to see Havana shop which was terrible, pay to see a show NOT....The itinerary changed three times just before we got on board, we even went to Acapulco, only got off the ship to walk to a pharmacy and back on. Never again on this ship and if all NCL ships are paying extra for meals , sorry but no more NCL. Read Less

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We had a great time on Bliss. We were back to back for three weeks. It was mostly great; a few things could improve. First, NCL's business model seems to be to jam as many people onto a ship as possible and have passengers sort out how to manage the crowds. The pool deck is chaotic. Noisy. Chairs all gone by 9 AM by hogs who put towels down and leave for hours. NCL should enforce its stated rules and remove belongings left unattended for long periods of time. The sam can be said for the observation deck and the waterfront. Very crowded and filled with hogs who leave. This dynamic leave passengers with no place to find peace -- even a little quiet to read and reflect in the nice areas of the ship. The MDR's are similarly busy until 8:30 PM, meaning that if you can wait, you will have a great, peaceful meal, which we did most nights. Having said that, the crew is amazing. Our steward, Andy was awesome. Bartenders at A-Lost (Rowena, and two fellows from India, and Rakesh (wine Steward) made us feel like we were most important), Maltings (Salavatore) and the Cavern Club equally wonderful. The ladies in the Spa (Emear and Tanya and others who kept the thermal suite safe) were great. Likewise, we enjoyed virtually every waiter at MDR for the most part. Entertainment. This was the highlight of the cruise. Siglo, Familiar Strangers, the Beatles band the first week (March 23), Jersey Boys, and all the comedy acts were fantastic. We constantly listened ti music and lauged at the comedy. Havana was not so good and Uptown was pretty good. Specialty restaurants. Cagneys, Ocean Blue and Teppanyaki were absolutely fantastic. Le Bistro was one of the worst meals we had the whole time (extremely rushed and disjointed service) and La Cucina (food was cold and tasteless). I wrote comment cards and even spoke to someone who said he'd have the restaurant manager call me -- but the call never came. I have spent 43 days on NCL and will not go back to Bistro or Cucina, even though I have had great meals there on the Epic and Getaway. The ship is gorgeous; the nerve center on the 6-8 level is great, and the spa was terrific. If they fix some of the crowding and chai hogging and improve meals in those 2 restaurants, this would be a 5 star experience Read Less

Loved this cruise, the ship was awesome so many things to see and do, the entertainment was varied and terrific. We especially enjoyed the comedians. Jersey Boys was fantastic, what a great show . We enjoyed all our meals,especially the steak at Cagneys. The sea bass at Oxean Blue was perfectly cooked. All our meals at the buffet were so tasty and enjoyed the ethnic variety. Met some terrific ladies at the stichers group, we got together every morning on sea days, shared ideas, crafts and stories We plan to start our own facebook group, and have promused to schedule a stitch group on every cruise we go on We were a bit disappointed when disembarking, it was crazy busy,understandable Our transfer bus to the airport was a mess as we ended up having to get off 2 different buses and then told to wait for a third bus. (Arrival time unknown )We felt time pressured so found an alternate form of transportation. Hope to get refunded Last words, wow a fantastic cruise and want to biard the Bliss again for another cruise soon Read Less

Had the most amazing 15 days on Bliss through the Panama Canal. Ship is beautiful and the staff went over and above to make our trip the best yet. Specialty restaurants certainly worth it with the exception of "Q", not worthy of the "specialty restaurant" label. Majority of the excursions were as advertised but Acapulco was a bust, walking tour was not worth the money or the time. Old Mazatlan walking tour with amazing definitely undersold in the description.Deck 15 cabins can be noisy as they are under the Pool Deck. Observation Lounge was great but way too many people sleeping all day on the loungers. Shopping on board is below par compared to other cruises we have been on, very little choice and the same items came out almost every night. Looking to book our next cruise on the Bliss really soon. A visit to the A List Bar is a must, the bartenders are awesome, lots of fun. Read Less