Sand and Seas

Thanks for reporting that it let you check in. I've got a negative $48 'due', plus an Onboard Activity for Dining of negative $140😕 @mking8288, also reassuring to have you tell us it's a 'known issue'. Hopefully check-in will go well for us all🤞

After boarding ship, I usually purchase the 'soda' drink package using my non-refundable OBC. (We get free drinks in the casino, but I like my Diet Cokes everywhere else.) Then I have to wait in Guest Services line to get a new key card printed with 'soda' on it. We recently upgraded this next cruise to Haven (12 heavenly days....YES!) Would the Haven concierge be able to process the soda package purchase for me and then print a new keycard? Our last Haven cruise, we had a small problem with something on our bill. The assistant concierge 'caught' us waiting in the GS line and insisted we come back to the Haven with her so that she could take care of it for us😊

Closest hotel we found to the port is Ink48.

Food Republic is a specialty restaurant that is on several other ships in addition to Prima. Maybe you have seen postings with the small plates served at the Indulge Food Hall on Prima? It is a complimentary venue that we loved. At both venues you order from tablets on the table.

Yeah, I know sodas aren't good for me, but it's my 'cold caffeine' fix. Years of working some extra long days, or being called back in for late nights🥱 We usually save the drink package 20% fee and just get our free drinks in the casino. However, I do use my OBC to purchase the soda package so I can get that cold caffeine in the restaurants too😉

After security in the old Miami terminal, I would often spend a few $$ to get a couple of Diet Cokes to take onboard. It was after security and no one apparently cared. However, there was often a 'rush' on those Diet Cokes so if you didn't arrive early they might be gone! After those two or three diet cokes were enjoyed onboard I was forced over to the onboard Pepsi products😧. Now that NCL has changed to Coke products, I bring an empty 20 oz. plastic coke bottle in my luggage. I've never had problems with the empty bottle getting through security. Then, once onboard, I can get my Diet Coke and pour some into my coke bottle to keep in my cabin's fridge. As a casino guest, I can usually get Diet Coke or Coke Zero in cans at the casino's bar to take to my room. I do not like to drink from the can. Again, empty plastic coke bottle takes care of that😉

No triple-point for this one. We still have a ways to go before Ambassador. We will have to see how much NCL (and CAS) really wants us to keep cruising with them🤔

Whatever the technical issue might have been, we had no problem booking dinners for our CAS reservation a few days ago. By the way, even though it says 'not able to book yet', if you have tier status, or are in a Haven or Club balcony, system will let you book at 125 days or 130 days out.

Good to know! We will make sure to carry a couple of drinks with us to start out😊 I'm hoping to get some quieter use of that sundeck while others are off ship on lengthy excursions. We will be taking it a littler easier this trip while DH continues to gain strength in his new 'bionic' shoulder.

It's amazing! Somehow you always seem to be on our next ship a couple of months before us.... or this case just before we board. How do you do that🤔 I'll be watching your posts for the very latest updates on Joy. Have a great cruise😎

If you are able to fly into Houston Hobby, you will be closer to the port than flying into Houston Bush. After some research on the Gulf coast departures board (see post #3), we booked with Galveston Saltwater Moms for transportation. They were great and we have already scheduled them again for our next Prima from Galveston. We absolutely loved Galveston. If you can, suggest you go in a day or two early and enjoy the island.

Great minds thinking alike here😊 Why fill up and have no room for dessert? (DH says he like MDR day 6 for the tasty Meatball appetizer....and he will probably order two of that!)

We have all been frustrated with some of the newer agents that answer the phone. I call those the 'rookies' as they have no power to do anything other than check & see what type of discount or comped cabin is listed for your account. I usually just call back and get another agent another day. Some will actually listen to what I am asking for, then put me on hold and get approval from a supervisor. It's not easy, but with patience we are still getting the cruises & types of cabins that we are interested in. (Good thing we are retired & I have the time to wait on the phone!) Yes, as pointed out above, there are probably going to be less & less CAS comped cruisers on board each cruise unless they make a change to their current practices. Very sad as we & many others truly love NCL freestyle cruising. As far as booking specialty dinners, you do NOT have to book through CAS. In our 40plust CAS cruises, I've never asked CAS to book our dinners. We do our own booking online at the appropriate time. For most, that is 120 days prior to cruise. If you don't find the days/times available that you want, check onboard the first day of cruise. There is a lot of misinformation on FB about NCL cruises. I read FB posts, but I don't post there....too many conflicting postings that overshadow the correct information. I suggest you come on cruise critic and ask here. If someone on CC doesn't give you a good or clear answer, others will quickly correct them. I have found the most reliable information on CC and that has really helped us plan for our cruises.

Thank you for posting this! On our Bliss Alaska, we didn't ask if they had ice cream sandwiches on that sun deck either🤔 However, next month we will be enjoying 12 lovely days of Joy Haven to the Southern Caribbean. While we will definitely do a little walking around in places like Curacao & Bonaire, we won't be doing much in the way of excursions as DH is still recovering from surgery. It might be a good chance to try that pool deck menu 😎

Million Dollar Quartet was on our Getaway cruise in May. Excellent talented cast that also performed one night of "Broadway Unplugged". So far, we haven't heard anything about MDQ not being renewed🤞

I recall reading on a thread some time ago that there was a Haven 'pool' menu that included things like a Chicken Caesar Wrap, Tempura Vegetables, and most importantly (for DH) Ice Cream Cookie sandwiches. Sounds perfect for a warm weather sailing. Does someone know if the Joy currently has this or another pool menu?

Cruise Control was great for us. Shuttle can hold ten (I think?) but ours had just four of us. Our airline had changed us to an earlier flight and they worked with us to change our shuttle to match. Also, our shuttle (from NCL terminal) was also supposed to pick up two people from the ship next door, but Disney was late disembarking. Our driver got on the radio with his dispatch and ensured there would be someone else to pick up that couple. He then got the four of us on the road to MCO on time.

We stayed at Harbor House and loved the area, plus easy to walk to port for embarkation. Harbor House (and Tremont Hotel) are located in a great walkable area with lots of restaurants to choose from. Enjoyed it so much that we have rebooked at Harbor House for our spring cruise from Galveston.

I just love threads like this (thanks @BirdTravels) It reminds me of what we have loved on our Haven cruises. While we had several pending upgrade bids in for our October Joy 12 day, the inventory of available Haven cabins has dropped to 3 or 4. This morning a nice Haven cabin outside of Haven proper appeared at a decent price. Just had to let my Cruise Critic friends know that I just called CAS and paid for upgrade to that cabin.😊

Oh, we LOVED the afternoon snacks in the Horizon Lounge! Another reason we loved Bliss Haven over Getaway/Breakaway Haven. (Although staff was great on those ships.) I must admit, the afternoon I found mini glass jars of Banana Banoffee, a couple of them made their way to our fridge. (Don't forget to grab a demitasse spoon.) Delicious as a late night snack😋

Yes, length of cruise makes a difference. On a 7 day cruise, we actually skipped our last night dinner at Cagney's as we wanted one more Haven Dinner. For a 5 day cruise, we declined the specialty dining as we already had two Platinum meals. We will happily have our other three dinners in the Haven. Now, if we can just win our bid to Haven on our upcoming 12 day Club Balcony...…..🤔

Yes, on our April Joy cruise, they had several stations set up in Teppanyaki. There were at least three (maybe four?) hostesses there to help you make or change a reservation.

We will be in our first two room (forward facing) Haven later this year so I want to order our first ever in room breakfast to be delivered to our outer room before I have my mascara on😉 Since we are outside the Haven proper, will the 'hang-tag' work with our Butler? What would be the easiest way to arrange this with our Butler?

@BirdTravels, your photos are so helpful! DH, who loves a good burger, suggests to others that they ask for the Pretzel Roll bun with the lunch Brie Burger. (See the bun with the fish sandwich.) Says it holds up much better. That's what I love about the Haven restaurant and what I have learned here on CC. If they have the ingredients, they are happy to specialize your order. For me, I want extra Avocado and some cream cheese in my omelet. So good😋

We agree! We want to get out and enjoy the evening. A slow dinner service just makes me sleepy🥱