Coastalbreezes

I was recently on Joy and stayed in courtyard cabin 17132. It's the first cabin on the port side when you enter from the outside hallway entrance. I liked it because it was quiet (not a lot of hall traffic) and it had a huge balcony.

Just off the Joy last Saturday and it was wonderful. No crowds, short waits for elevators which were mostly empty, easy to get restaurant reservations, plenty of entertainment. Only 1500 on board. It's going to be very difficult to go back to 100% capacity!

13 hours ago, lkjacobs said:

This was suspended due to… you know what. It just resumed this morning. I would expect it’s similar on other NCL ships. 

On Joy last week, the full team held a presentation and question/answer period in the theater. In addition, most officers (except Captain Svedung) were visible and approachable daily throughout the ship. 

5 hours ago, lixogab said:

We were on NCL excursion to Turquoise bay back in November.

It’s a private resort with no public beach access so unless you arrange a pass with them ( not sure if they sell)  you can’t get a private taxi.

As for the place itself I would not recommend it. The beach is small and divided in several areas separates by ropes: VIP ( resort guests and more expensive tours), NCL +RCCL and CCL. Overall the beach is less than 100m so each area is about 30m. The water is murky, the food is just ok, they serve local beer ( typical pilsener /lager). 
West bay is closer has more choices and better beach.
 

 

I agree 100% with your assessment. We also booked the "VIP Turquoise Bay Beach Resort" excursion and it ended up being on our worst excursion ever list for the reasons you posted. It was a very long ride due to road construction. There was no "resort". There was no "VIP" anything. The place was packed and we were herded onto a very crowded beach and intermingled with cruisers from other ships and told "find your own seats". We couldn't get four seats together so that was a problem. We had to drag chairs from other areas to sit together as no section of the beach was reserved for our ship.

Drinks were watered down, we were assigned a time when we could get snacks then assigned another time for lunch which was mediocre. You could only go at your assigned time or miss out. Water was not only murky but wall-to-wall with people too. On other excursions, sometimes you can return to the ship at your leisure but not this one. Our group was on on four buses and at departure time, a few drunk stragglers held us up for over half an hour before ALL buses could leave.

Save your money!

10 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

I wonder what the 'updated mask coverings policy' refers to?  Something new or does that just mean that masks are now required?  The testing 'change' is not that new...

I have friends sailing right now and were told that this morning there will be an announcement on board as to whether masks will still be required.

I recently did a B2B on Escape. At the end of the first week, we were given a rapid test on board. Once we received a negative result, a pink bracelet was sent to our cabin with a "still on vacation" sticker. Disembarkation day, everyone on the B2B met in the theater and we were escorted to a special waiting area in the terminal until 1) they got a zero count on the ship and 2) the ship had gone through a deep cleaning. After that we were escorted back on board just before actual boarding began. The whole process took about two hours. If you will remain in your same cabin, no need to pack up your clothes. If you are changing cabins, you will have to repack for the move.

18 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

We are doing a b2b on the Joy starting next week. Do you know who the Haven bartenders are? Thanks.

Rodnie is one of the bartenders.

Not only will the game be shown all over the ship but the casino will likely have SB squares for sale if you are a betting person.

If you are in the Haven, Encore has a smoking area on the sundeck (19) forward. It has two king-sized loungers and standing ashtrays.

15 hours ago, Wildroze said:

How do we find out what our status level is?

 

You can call 1-877-752-9625 or stop by the Player's Club once on board.

Thank you for your positive review and go-with-the flow attitude. I am a similar type of cruiser; Just being on a ship again makes me happy and I always find something to do. I would have loved to be on your trip -- all those sea days sounds wonderful.

I purchase an annual policy from Allianz. It's less expensive than a third party per-trip policy.  Worth checking out.

I've been Ambassador for several years. The free cruise is a joke and I never took it. My special gift has not arrived yet. Ambassador benefits have barely changed and there should be more in my opinion and seeing the new rewards is very disappointing. There is no incentive whatsoever to reach the highest loyalty tier.

Available on Escape last week.

If the ship is late, that flight will be tough to make. But generally the ships have been arriving back in port by 6:00 a.m. (or earlier) so you should be okay if you're one of the first off. They want everyone off no later than 9:30 so the ship can be cleaned and sanitized. The new facial recognition in use for disembarkation helps the lines move very quickly.

The only time you will get a printed receipt is if you order a bottle of wine or any drink/glass of wine that has an upcharge. Even in that case, I still cash tip because if you write it on the slip it goes into a pool vs directly to the bartender or drink server.

22 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Do you know anything about the non Haven suites that include butler and concierge?

I do not, sorry. But I can tell you that the Miami process in general was very good compared to chaos I've heard happening in other ports (NOLA, Port Canaveral).

I've had six Haven sailings from Miami since August and check in was very easy. Once in the terminal you will be directed up the escalator and the Haven check in is to the left once you are upstairs. A quick trip through the metal detector and bag screening then you are directed to the counters where you complete a health screening questionnaire on an iPad (two minutes) and you will receive your keycard. After that you hang out in a spacious waiting area where light snacks and beverages are provided. When it's time for boarding, either the concierge or NCL crew will escort you to the ship. Enjoy!

On Gem in September Cagneys replaced the pork belly appetizer with thick slab bacon and it was delicious. Just off Encore and no bacon appetizer at all at Cagneys.

No pickelball on Gem.

I can't imagine any major changes. On Gem, they still had the sailaway and Glow parties at the pool, themed dance parties etc at various venues. No social distancing and even though we were sailing at lower capacity, all events were well attended.

Other than seeing crew wearing masks, you will feel like it's any regular cruise. With mandatory vaccines there was no concern for people being close together in the same areas (although some guests did wear masks at those parties which is 100% optional).

When I sailed on Gem late September, testing began at 9:00 a.m.

12 hours ago, umpisoccer said:

For those that have cruised on the NCL Gem and stayed in a Haven suite does the Haven Pool in the Courtyard have massaging jets like the pool in the thermal spa has?  

No jets in the pool, but there is a hot tub with jets in the courtyard if that helps.

1 hour ago, lkjacobs said:

Maybe, maybe not. I just asked her; she’s leaving on January 18. And yes, she’s very nice. 

And Kivanc leaves December 18 but will return to Escape late February.