NicoJ113

I asked this same question here a few months ago and never got a straight answer. Based on You Tube videos I watched of various cabin tours it’s really just the length of the cabin itself. Club balconies have more counter space, more distance between the bed and other furniture or the bathroom, etc. We went with the Club Balcony.

Does anyone specifically know the difference between a balcony and club balcony on the Epic? I know on Breakaway class it’s the size of the bathroom but given the “unique” layout of Epic’s bathrooms wondering how it’s different vs BA class.

I’m in my late 30’s, partner is early 40’s, experienced cruisers who tried Celebrity for the first time last year. 5 nights on the Beyond and 3 nights on Ascent when she first launched. After many cruises on NCL, Celebrity was a breathe of fresh air. The Edge class ships are much nicer and better laid out than NCL’s similarly sized Prima class. We often say when cruising you get what you pay for. With the way NCL has made cut backs (particularly with entertainment) Celebrity’s more premium product has felt worth the more premium price. We’re excited for more.

NCL has been pushing the boundaries of the traditional Bermuda season for several years. We did a 5 night trip to Bermuda on the Gem from NYC in December 2021. Weather was great and seas were fine. Wasn’t as hot as it is in the summer but we were still in shorts and tshirts during the day and did a beautiful sunset catamaran sail at night. Obviously it’s riskier to travel there this time of year weather wise but it IS possible!

Majesty Sky x2 Star Dawn Jewel Jade Gem x7 Breakaway x4 (really miss those weekend cruises to nowhere from NYC) Getaway Joy Bliss x2 Encore Prima Our goal is to sail on all of them eventually!

Interesting that people have heard different numbers 2,300 passengers is what the Captain said at the 'How to Run a Cruise Ship' Q&A. We got the same number from a server in one of the restaurants as well. My immediate thought when I heard the shows were cancelled was Covid but I was thrown off when we asked and they said medical emergency. Made me think someone they couldn't go on without had injured themselves or something. Kind of odd to call it an emergency if it was really Covid.

Hi All, First time poster but frequent NCL cruiser and reader of the forums here. Just returned from 5 nights on the Joy on her first cruise from NYC and had some thoughts. Our sailing had 2,300 passengers, roughly half capacity. Pre Departure: My partner and I were on this sailing with my parents and there's been plenty said about the Bermuda TA in these forums so I won't go into too much detail. None of us received our approvals after uploading our negative Covid tests resulting in 2 separate calls to Bermuda. An annoyance but calling the hotline number the morning of the cruise and waiting on hold to have it pushed through was worth the effort and not have to deal with it at the pier. Embarkation: We arrived at the pier at around 12:30 and the new set up now that they aren't testing everyone pierside left the efficiency expert in me squirming. First, you go through a security line where they check passports, boarding passes, and scan your bags. Then you get in a second line for document control where they checked your passport, vax card, and Bermuda TA. If you don't have the Bermuda TA there is separate line where they help you deal with that. Only then, do you actually get to go stand in the check in line where they again checked passports, boarding passes, etc. and give you your key card for the ship. There must be a more streamlined way to do this. Worth noting only the Haven gets a dedicated lane to breeze through all 3 stations. The third stop to check in has a separate line for CAS and Latitudes members. We booked through the casino and are Sapphire Latitudes so that sign was a very welcome sight by the time we got there. In reality the whole process only took a little over an hour but it certainly felt much longer. We saw some pretty nasty attitudes at the front of the check in line from people who didn't quite understand that Casino and Latitudes guests had their own priority lane at the third stop. Can see how ugly the embarkation process would be on a full capacity sailing like the Gem and Getaway had recently. Cabins: We had 2 standard balcony cabins near the aft elevators on deck 15. Both cabins had the bed near the closet and it felt tighter walking around the bed than I remember from our last Breakaway class cruise on the Bliss pre-pandemic. It was fine for us, especially for only 5 nights but could see how this would be an issue for others. We had 2 different room stewards and both were nice and attentive, seemed like we had some empty cabins around us. We tipped both on the second day and final night of the cruise. We asked them for towel animals on the final night and each had 2 of the largest towel animals I've ever seen, a fun surprise to end the trip! Ship: The Americanization of this ship is honestly impressive, was hoping we'd find some little hints of her early life sailing from Asia but there really isn't much save for some venues being in different locations. If you didn't know her interior and pool deck were originally designed for the Asian market you never be able to tell. The only thing that felt out of place to us was Maltings being tucked away in a large bland room next to the comedy/night club. Dad is a cigar smoker so it was also a little curious that you can only access the Humidor from outside but he enjoyed the space regardless. We did not have any issues with creaking or vibrations in the cabins but there was plenty of creaking to be heard in the stairwells, hallways, public restrooms on sea days. The weather was not great on the way to or from Bermuda but it seemed more prominent than previous trips to Bermuda on Breakaway, and Gem. Food/Drink: Very typical NCL fare and quality. Cagney's is always our favorite and was once again the best meal of the trip. Also dined in Ocean Blue, Q, Teppanyaki, and the Manhattan Room. Have enjoyed Q in the past but no one was impressed by the meat this time, I know almost nothing about BBQ but could tell neither the short rib nor the brisket had been butchered properly. The apps and sides were all delicious though. Service in all the restaurants and bars was quick and attentive. We attended 2 wine tasting events in the wine bar, lots of fun and great wine! The sommelier Yuliana is a real character, even if you just go for a glass of wine highly recommend stopping by to chat with her. Entertainment: Oof. This was a rough cruise for the entertainment team. All performances of Footloose and Elements for the cruise were cancelled on day 2 due to a medical emergency in the production cast. Then, the acrobat show on night 4 was cancelled due to rough seas. Totally understand that the situation was beyond anyone's control but 3 out of 5 nights of entertainment being cancelled was very unfortunate and very disappointing. There were 2 comedians onboard who had both already performed family and adult comedy sets by night 4 so their last minute performances to replace the acrobats had some recycled material but they were funny enough and at that point we were taking what we could get. The Beatles tribute band also performed twice in the theater and were enjoyable, some of them could use better wigs though. Couldn't tell you much about about the cruise director, Jerry. He hosted the sail away party and the first Beatles show on night 1 and we never saw or heard from him again the rest of the sailing. Not sure what happened there. Assistant CD Beancka was great though and a very busy lady doing all of the announcements, the morning show, hosting the parties each night, and even led the crew emergency drill while we were in Bermuda. The rest of the CD staff were also great and the parties each night were fun. The Glow Party had to be moved inside from SpiceH20 due to the weather which was a bummer but a good time nonetheless. Bermuda: A Carnival ship beat the Joy into the channel on the morning of our arrival and was therefore attended to first by the port staff. Our scheduled 8am arrival turned into 9:30 before anyone was able to leave this ship. Only once we were out on the pier did we learn our scheduled 8:45am excursion to St. George's was postponed to 11:15 because our late arrival caused us to miss the ferry...even though we were standing right next to the NCL branded ferry boat that eventually took us to St. George's. A logistical nightmare I'm sure. Our tour of St. George's was great though and we made the last ferry back to the Dockyard. Ferries are still running on the winter schedule and the gentleman at the pier we asked about it wasn't sure when they were switching to the summer schedule. It was on the cooler side and a bit windy but were very happy the sun was out both days we were there. Spa: We all had treatments in the spa and the staff were great, my massage was excellent! No thermal spa as has been reported but I did notice the men's locker room had small steam and sauna rooms. Never got a chance to enquire how usage of them worked. Disembarkation: We were thrilled to see no line to get off the ship only to be met with a huge line on the pier waiting to go inside. Fortunately, it moved pretty quickly into the terminal for a quick passport check by customs. We were out on the street in less than a half hour ready to enjoy a beautiful spring day in NYC. Overall, we had a great cruise despite having to roll with the punches more than a few times. Hopefully the rest of the Joy's season in Bermuda is smoother sailing, literally and figuratively!