pumpkinpatch4

36 minutes ago, jfbbarry said:

Do you happen to have copies of the Splash Academy schedule and activities.  Sailing with a 14 and 9 year olds.  Can you please add to post?

Sorry, I didn't take photos or keep copies. 😞

Hmm, I'm not sure wkgriff.  We only went to the Mojito bar while the kids were in Splash Academy.  

I'd say Elements is about 50 minutes and Footloose was longer, maybe 90?  And if you go to the magic show (very family friendly, they take kids up to volunteer) it's about an hour.

True quercus alba, and we stayed polite albeit firm with our (justifiable) complaint.  They offered us compensation for our trouble and missed sleep, which was appreciated.  

I thought of another tip for those traveling with kids.  Bring lanyards with plastic sleeves for their key cards.  We ended up buying them in our first port because I was nervous about them getting lost and didn't want to have to hold them for them all the time. My oldest added pins from different ports which was a fun touch. You can buy them on the boat for $10 or in port for $5. 😉

Yes of course, it was #9262.  I included it in the cabin review thread as well (both rooms). 

We recently returned from our Alaska Cruise on the Joy from June 15-22nd. We have two girls age 7 & 11 and also had my mother-in-law with us (but in her own inside cabin).  Overall we had a fantastic time and many of the critiques that I've read about the Joy were not a problem for us.  This was our first NCL cruise, previously traveling on Holland America and RCL.  

1. Splash Academy - My daughters LOVED SA and asked to go to it frequently.  They had a mixture of free play and scheduled (theme) activities.  They are firm about the pick up times but as long as you set an alarm it wasn't a problem.  The staff had fun names like "Purple" and "Crayon" so that the kids could remember them better.  They were always friendly and kind. 

2. Onboard Amenities: We participated in quite a few amenities but did not go on any of the slides or in the pools.  It was TOO cold.  My youngest asked several times but since we were wearing coats and gloves I figured swimming was not a good idea (note we live in Phoenix).  We did the Speedway as a family first, each taking one child in a double go-cart.  They have specific times marked as "family" for the 2 seaters.  They cost the same ($15) but there are less laps (5 instead of 10, which doesn't count the first warm up or last slow down laps) and they keep the speeds lower. My husband went on his own 3 more times as a single rider and really enjoyed himself.  He said the single cars are allowed to go much faster and the steering was easier (harder on the double cars).

The mini-golf is nothing special, super tiny and a pretty dreadful course *but* my kids LOVED it and if you pick a sunny day/port it makes for some beautiful photos and fun memories.  We actually did the course two different days, it was a fun time filler. 

Spa - I am the only one that used the spa, I had a massage.  The spa doesn't have any extra amenities which seems an error in planning, if they'd had a thermal spa my husband would have joined me too.  The locker room has an amazing view and includes a Sauna (with windows looking out) and a steam room, but they're small and that's all.  My massage was great though! They had coupons to get discounts throughout the week, so look for those. 

Food - I preferred the dining rooms to the Garden hands down.  Partly because I am gluten free and it's easier to have your needs met in the dining rooms.  Once they identify you as GF you're flagged in the system and they look out for you.  Taste and Savor were my favorites and I found the wait staff delightful and helpful.  For those of you that are GF the options are limited but they do have GF noodles, GF waffles (toaster type) and GF bread.  And they can adjust many but not all recipes to suit. 

We ate at Cagneys once and it was good, but not the best I've had by far.  We frequently eat at high end steakhouses and their filet's don't compare, but they were okay.  I would have been disappointed to have paid extra, but our meal was comped after a room fiasco.  

Also regarding seafood, there is no seafood buffet as shown in prior photos.  Tues was seafood night and there were clams but the only crab were a few skinny legs in a seafood soup.  

Rooms - This is where our experience was less than fantastic.  Our first room was a mini suite on the 9th floor directly above The Cavern, which we discovered was a BIG problem the first night right at 7:15pm.  The music was so loud and the room so poorly designed that it literally sounded and felt like we were *in* the Cavern.  The floor shook and vibrated and the sound was overwhelmingly loud.  We couldn't hear the television or even the phone ringing.  We immediately called down and Guest Services came up to confirm that it indeed was a horrible level of sound.  Interestingly it was worse in the room than the hall.  They were unable to move us as the boat was full, but after two nights we were re-located to a Balcony room where the people had never shown up in Seattle or in Ketchikan (they missed the boat and didn't want to catch up).  

Room #2 - Although a smaller room we were thrilled to have quiet nights, what a luxury! We were in room 13350 which was towards the back and we had no complaints about this room.  Both rooms had a murphy bunk and a pull out couch for my girls (close to the bathroom) and we found the main bed very comfortable (on the firm side how we like it).

Television - There are action, comedy, family and drama channels that basically show several movies over and over.  The family channel is not appropriate for smaller children, but the movies were right for my kids.  There are also pay options for films. 

Shows - We saw Footloose, Elements and the Magic Show.  All were great, especially for a boat.  Be warned that in Elements they release "snow" (soap) from the ceiling at the end, so you may get wet/soapy.  Footloose was well done and they warned us that it was rated PG 13 (prior we'd only seen PG). Most of it went over my kids heads, but there were a few swear words that they recognized. 

Getting on and Off - Easy boarding, we were in the 10:30 group and got on the boat around 11:15.  On port days it was also easy, limited lines. The longest wait was for a cab into town at Victoria.  We did the Port Valet program so started lining up around 7:30 to get off the boat (you have to get off between 7-8 for that option) and we easily got an Uber and were at SeaTac by 8:30.  

That's all I can think of now, feel free to ask any questions. 

We just got off the Joy and brought our kids to both shows. 🙂 Otherwise I'd recommend having your spouse save seats and you catch up after checking them in. 

Ship - Joy

Deck - 13

Stateroom #13350

Stateroom Category – Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - Port Side

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes! Very quiet, such a delight after staying at our prior suite (see above post)

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Yes

Balcony View - Lovely view, towards the back of the boat. 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -Normal

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments? - This room was very similar to our previous mini-suite, but the bathroom went from a tub with double sink to a shower and single sink.  Worth the change though! Has a murphy bed and pullout couch. 

Ship - Joy

Deck - 9

Stateroom # 9262

Stateroom Category – Mini Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – NO, well it was quiet before 7pm but then it was as loud as being *in* the Cavern (performance lounge).  It was so loud that the floor shook/vibrated and I could hear all the words and sounds from the music (mostly rock and roll) as if we were literally in the lounge.  It didn't quiet down until 10:30, and some music was still heard until 12am (karaoke).  It was horrible. 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Yes

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Lovely view, directly under was the roof hanging out above the walking deck.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -Normal

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -

Any specific problems with this cabin? - The horrible sound.  We complained immediately and had service staff come up to confirm the insane level of noise (and they agreed it was problematic).  As we were traveling with 2 kids it was impossible to put them to bed before the music stopped around 10:30-10:45.  They were able to move us to a new cabin after 2 noisy nights.  They told us adjacent rooms were also complaining.  

Any other comments? - Do not stay here unless you are hard of hearing, LOVE rock music and/or are out late every night anyway. 

1 minute ago, Birdie And Sue said:

 

 

The age of the cruisers is of no relevance to me.  It will not be packed any better if I start cramming stuff into my suitcase days or weeks ahead of time.

Ah, I see.  So you meant that it would be plain silly for *you*, not in general.  Fair enough.  At first read I thought you were being judgmental and rude.  My mistake. 

4 hours ago, Birdie And Sue said:

I start packing about an hour before I go to bed the night before we leave.  Anything earlier than that is just plain silly.

Clearly you don't have young children.  Waiting until an hour before you go to bed would be plain reckless. 

I am leaving on 6/15 too and I'll start packing my family later this week. 

Thank you for your cruise review, I'm going next month and love reading about the new boat.

Since you've seen Elements would you say it's a family friendly show, or more adult?  I have 2 kids (7 & 11) and am wondering if the entertainment is appropriate. 

I'm not sure if you meant me but I'm cruising June 15th. 

This is my first time bidding for upgrades, such a novel idea. 🙂 For those of you who have done this in the past when do you get your assignment if you win?  Is it really 48 hrs before sailing? My bids were pretty low so I'm guessing we won't "win" but that's the fun of gambling, right? 

No extra charge for luggage and you don't have to tip. So the price you are quoted is the price you pay, no matter how many traffic delays!

Uber cost our family of 4 (so an XL vehicle) about $12. We only had to wait 3 minutes after requesting it on my phone. SOOOO easy. I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use Uber.

OK-I'm with the OP here.and I would like to know this also. I have a family,and since we'll be doing various different things,meeting up at the proper times is going to be a challenge,unless we have a simple way to text,or some such thing. I think the question got lost here among all the 'answers'..... is there no free option to do this on HAL? specifically for me, the Oosterdam? And if threr'es no free option,what options are there? just onboard wifi,which I prefer to not have? For those who hate texting etc, ok...and I'm still familiar with notes etc- but texting a meetup time and place is extremely convenient and useful. I'm actually a little surprised at the responses here to what I thought was a simple question.....

Yes, it worked for me for free. I posted about it on post #50. The app you use will depend on your phone type. I have an iPhone and it worked for me. I was able to text and phone my friend through the app (on board) for FREE.

On the day we had a spa treatment booked it was only $20 (per person) to use the Greenhouse for 2 hrs (before/after or combo). That was enough for us. It just didn't compare to better spas that we've been to. The features were okay, but it just felt like a huge jacuzzi and the space was rather crowded as well.

Yes there is an app that you can use on the boat for FREE messages. Load the app "Cruise Ship Messenger" before you get on the boat (requires wi-fi to load) so you won't have to pay. If you wait till you're on the boat you'll have the pay the Wi-fi fees but only to load it. Once you have the APP put in your friend/family's IP addresses and you're all set. You can call or text for free thru that app when you're on the (free) ship network. This only works for people on the boat with you. It was fabulous during my trip in January.

I can't believe they don't talk about this more on the HAL boards!

We just did the Western Carib in January with our 2 kids. At Half Moon Cay they enjoyed the kids area at the beach with the slide, etc. No excursions needed, especially since the boat from the ship to the shore was exciting enough.

At Cozumel we took a snorkel cruise/beach stop that was a huge hit. They loved the swimming/snorkeling but the beach club was even more fun. They had lots of inflatable toys in the water to climb/jump on/slide down, etc. I believe it was the FURY trip and was very reasonably priced considering the time.

I was on the Koningsdam last week and only smelled smoke one time, when we were exploring the boat and found the outdoor pool. We were a deck above so could see/smell the smokers. Since I had kids with me we never used that pool, only the inside pool which was smoke free. I was pleased that the new rule went into effect right before our cruise and was relieved to be able to enjoy my balcony smoke-smell-free.

If you want something more exotic (like a couples massage) I'd book ahead. I waited until I boarded last week and there were only a couple options left, both on port days and no discounts. We scheduled it for the end of the Half Moon Cay day and it was lovely, well until the announcements started 1/2 way through (captain & cruise director). Perhaps try to avoid booking during the times the boat takes off. ;)

We're in FL and excited to board tomorrow! I used the bubble bum (inflatable booster seat) for her uber ride to the hotel. Super easy and glad to have it.

Any last minute advice for our boarding tomorrow? Hotel check out is at 11 so I'm planning on us heading to the Pier after that (another uber).

I agree, my paperwhite kindle is very hardy, hasn't broken despite being dropped (and no protective case). The screen is quite different from a smartphone or tablet. Check them out, you can use a kindle safely and rather economically. I've read over 100 books on my kindle the last couple of years and only purchased one. The rest were all FREE library loans.

I'm boarding the Koningsdam tomorrow and will update if the library appears bigger.

Gotcha, we have a Bubble Bum booster so I'll plan on bringing that. It's inflatable and folds up relatively small. Better safe than sorry!

Thanks again everyone. Just a few more days until we leave and my kids are getting pretty excited! While starting to pack I discovered that my youngest has outgrown all her sandals. Winter tropical travel problems. ;)