TexasCruiser84

Person A books and pays for several rooms (with vacation protection) for a group trip.  Persons B and C are in a room.  Persons B and C have to cancel. Who receives the 75% FCC - Person A (who paid for the room/is managing the bookings) or Persons B and C (identified as being in the room)?  

Thanks!

I am managing a group booking (4 rooms, 2 persons in each room) and have two questions.

1.  I see Heald confirmed that the wine promo is still a go on night 1.  If I make a steakhouse reservation for all 4 rooms and we're all seated together - do we receive 1 wine promo or 4 (i.e., 4 comped bottles of their house wine, or 50% off 4 bottles of wine)?

2. Two people in the group are not vaccinated, but the recent policy change permits them to sail later this year.  The new policy is not yet in effect, though.  If they fill out the vaccine attestation now to say they aren't vaccinated and do not have an exemption, is there any risk Carnival's system cancels their reservation?  Has anyone tried this yet?

Thanks!

Did you happen to see the table minimums for the table games in the non-smoking casino? My research suggested that the non-smoking casino is a more of a "high-roller" casino with higher table minimums, which if true, is unfortunate for us non-smokers who like to keep it under $10/hand 😞.

On 6/4/2019 at 2:36 PM, rmurray847 said:

The are waiting for their elevator.  One arrives.  They immediately try to get on, no allowing anyone to get off first.  Always amusing.  

THIS.   I am not a confrontational person but by day 5 I had no problem saying "excuse me, may I get off first???" aggressively to those who tried to bowl me over getting into the elevator.  It was absurd. 

Also recently off the Joy - not a smoker, but traveled with smokers, and they could smoke only in the enclosed casino or a small designated section in Spice H2O. If you smoke frequently, it may be in your interest to get a room on one of the upper decks and towards the back, to minimize your "commute".

On 5/20/2019 at 12:20 PM, ZsaZsa2019 said:

I love to overpack.  I love to have options.  Nothing worse than on the last day being left with one option to wear, and I swear I always feel fat in that one.  LOL  I pack then at the last minute throw a few more items in if there is room.  I panic and worry I won't have everything I want.

 

Shoes - yes that's always an issue.  I also read flip flops were not allowed, but since it sounds like they are, that will make life easier.

This is me 100%.  I make a list of the different outfits I'll wear each day and night, but then I have to throw in extras because I might change my mind about how I feel in something. I treat cruising like 7 date day/nights with my husband.  Love to get dressed up for dinner and have an excuse to buy new bathing suits, etc.  Might sound high maintenance, but with some luggage straps and muscle, I can maneuver my own over-packed luggage just fine.

If you are an over-packer like me, my tip is to save wire hangers from trips to the cleaners.  Cabins typically don't have enough hangers and a stack of wire ones takes up very little space in the front pocket of the suitcase. 

13 hours ago, rj42 said:

I saw people using them despite colder weather, so they're probably kept pretty warm, and not too crowded. 

Unfortunately the large hot tub in Spice H2O is lukewarm.  I only went in it because it was the last day and high 60's while sailing towards Victoria.  I would not have used it in colder weather, but a few brave souls did!

Just now, dpavid said:

My kids want to know what are the hours for the go kart? Was an unlimited pass worth it or do they get bored after 4-5 times?

I recall hours varied on port says but it was open pretty much all day on sea days. I recall some days it went as late as 9pm.  I didn’t have the unlimited pass, only did it once.  If I was going to recommend an unlimited pass, I’d go with Galaxy Pavilion. It will keep them busy for longer periods of time and they’d be less likely to get bored. 

Just now, Action Dave said:

We sail on the Joy in August.  We only sail NCL and my experience says a cruise is what we make it..never had a bad cruise..Go cruise on the on the Joy and dont listen to negativity or the crybabies..Attitude is everything, IMHO.

Could not agree more! 

The observation lounge got pretty packed. The buffet is directly on top of the observation lounge in the front of the ship and also has large windows.  Saw lots of people camped out at tables in the buffet during Glacier Bay day.

12 minutes ago, Nolewis3 said:

Hi we sail out on the joy on the 25 of May and I have to say I am really scared lol based on reviews coming in. I guess as this is only second cruise first was on getaway and we loved it and food was awesome. Seeking reassurance that maybe some of the bugs will have worked out by 4th sailing lol as it sounds like elevators are horrid and no reservations for specialty dining any tips on how to make beat of it lol

Plan in advance.  I was on the 5/4 sailing and my experience was mostly fantastic.  Are the elevators crowded? Sure.  They are especially heinous around muster, port days and disembarkation.  But, what do you expect when 4k people are trying to get on and off the ship at once?  If you're physically able to, just plan to take some stairs during those times.  If not, understand that you will have to wait and don't make time sensitive plans.  Tip - just get on an elevator, any elevator, and ride it.  If you want to go down and the elevator that stops on your floor is going up, but there is room, just ride it up and then back down to where you need to go.  You never know how long you're waiting for the down elevator with room on it.

My agent booked my specialty dining reservations in advance.  If you haven't been able to do that yet, go to a reservations kiosk (on every floor by the elevators and throughout the ship) as soon as you get on the ship and make them. Don't wait until one morning you decide, hey let's eat at Cagney's tonight, and get upset when no reservations are left.  

I read negative reviews before my cruises because I like to see the common complaints and problems people encounter so that I can plan to work around them.  I find that more often than not, the problem could have been avoided with better planning on part of the complainer. Sure, this cuts against the concept of "freestyle" cruising, but at the end of the day you have up to 4k people trying to get into the same elevators and limited seating shows, restaurants, etc.  If you want to make the most out of your experience, you absolutely have to plan. If you've managed to snag a last minute show seating or reservation at one of the busier restaurants, you got lucky.

Our MDR (Savor) service was pretty bad on the first night.  The servers seemed stressed and it was a bit chaotic.  The bar between Taste and Savor was making all of the drinks for both dining rooms AND its own patrons, so drink times were suuuuuper slow.  Food was good though.  The Manhattan room a few days later was much better.  If you plan to eat in the MDR, I suggest giving yourself at least an hour an a half, up to 2 hours, to eat dinner.  I also learned to show up to dinner with a drink in hand and order a second one when I sat down - because it would finally arrive by the time I finished my first. 

1 hour ago, CajunGroover said:

Can anyone who has sailed on Joy since refurbishment tell me if there are coffeemakers in all rooms?  If so, what type and what type of pod does it use?  TIA!

I can't speak to whether there is a coffee maker in each room, but I had one in mine - mid ship mini suite.  I don't recall the brand of coffee pod, not one I recognized, but the coffee maker reminded me of this common hotel type.  It wasn't K-cup or nespresso style - https://www.nathosp.com/product/2pd4_c/popular?gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2eFhTg0gNRlLEoW9PJcdidSd9GTZnYz93KpmuBtdw2u_CnAa4CCSoaAsDGEALw_wcB.

1 hour ago, tulok said:

Thank you TxCruiser for the great information. I am wondering if there are any special nights that I need to pack for like white party. Is there anything you wished you packed? I know with my last cruise, a night light for the bathroom was suggested and it was much needed.

I’m a pretty overzealous packer (3 large suitcases and 2 carryons for 2 people lol) so I didn’t really feel like I was missing anything. But if I had to do it again I would pack a large coffee mug! The tiny little teacups they call coffee mugs are an abomination!

Just now, Twiggly said:

How long did it take to get your laundry back?

We received our pressed clothes back the next day before dinner so less than 24 hours for pressing. I didn’t do the laundry bag special mid week but I believe the paper said it was a 2 day turnaround. 

Just now, PrinceonRN said:

Disappointed with the initial reviews. Please keep me posted. I was excited to go on the JOY vs BLISS. Hope I made right choice.

Reviews are so subjective, please don’t let them ruin your excitement. First run of a relatively new ship, it’s bound to have issues. I encountered some Debbie downers on the ship who looked like they were having a gawd awful time and melted down over the most minor inconveniences.  Is it going to be a perfect cruise? Probably not with 4K passengers on the boat. Are the food and service comparable to the Four Seasons? Nope, but I didn’t expect it to be. It will probably be hard to find a table in the buffet, you’ll encounter a wait for elevators, you probably won’t get reservations for things if you don’t book in advance, there is bound to be an occasional language barrier, etc. I just read a review and the person said that Q wasn’t good. I thought it was fantastic. Different strokes. I actually enjoy reading negative reviews - gives me a preview of the kinds of things people gripe about so I can expect them, try to avoid them with proper planning, and let it go if it happens. Hope you have a great time! 

Just now, alexgtp said:

I will be cruising this Saturday 18th sailing.

 

-were there any movies shown on board , if so older or newer movies?

-did you try Starbucks, if so do they take the Starbucks GiftCards/APP on phone

 

 

 

I didn’t notice any movies being played in the Atrium or the Spice H2O screen but I think I recall seeing something in the dailies about a movie being played in one of those venues. I was in Spice H20 while we sailed to Victoria and the screen had some information about Victoria on it all day. 

Had the stateroom TV on the movie channel while in the room getting ready for the day/night and I recall the stateroom movies included The Proposal, Night School, one of the Mama Mia movies, and Central Intelligence.  

On one of the last days we discovered a documentary on the TV about alaskan wildlife (really cute documentary about a family of bears) and I regretted not looking for stuff like that sooner.  

1 minute ago, quercus alba said:

This is great, TexasCruiser.

2 questions for you or perhaps future reviewer:

1) Martini tastings? *My* favorite on-board activity!

2) Notice any scheduled activity for 18-21s? I'm concerned that my 18 yr old, who loved Entourage last cruise, is going to be "aged out" next March when we sail, even though he'll still be a HS senior. 

I didn’t notice either in the dailies.  The only tastings I saw were for Sugarcane mojito, the whiskey bar, wine and beer. It’s certainly possible I missed it in the dailies but I don’t think I did because I specifically complained to my husband about the lack of martinis on the various drink menus. 

As for 18-21 year olds, I didn’t notice anything in the dailies but could have missed something for them as I wouldn’t have been looking for it.  Does he like video games? If so, he’d probably like the galaxy pavilion, go karts and laser tag. I don’t recall how much they were, but the ship offered unlimited use passes for those activities.  Spending time there might be a good way to connect with others his age! 

2 minutes ago, SPORTSGUY said:

did you go to the observation lounge to access the wi-fi heard it was vastly different then in your cabin?

Internet was pretty spotty as a whole, I didn’t notice any real difference between the observation lounge or my room (both on 15 so maybe that had something to do with it). I only used my phone for uploading photos and checking email though, no streaming. 

4 minutes ago, PrinceonRN said:

Thanks so much for all the dailies and information. I hope disembarkation goes a bit smoother. We have an 11 am flight home from Seattle.

 

I would recommend doing 1) self assist debarkation or 2) booking an NCL airport transfer.  NCL transfers for early flights get a bag tag color for an earlier disembarkation.  I didn’t have status or an NCL transfer and 8:20 was the earliest time slot I was allowed to choose for my bags (we did not do self assist).  Admittedly, we left the room and got in line before our color was called because we assumed it would be called on time and while we were in that long line.  When we got off the ship more than 90 minutes later, it still hadn’t been called (but our bags were out in customs). 

1 minute ago, ssteinerman said:

 

That's unfortunate - when did they announce the port time would be cut?

I don’t recall what I read it in, but remember it was on the ship, maybe the first day.  I don’t believe it was announced prior to the sailing. Could have been posted on something I just didn’t see, but I just checked my room upgrade paperwork from late Feb and it still had a 2:30 departure on it.  

Apologies if the photo comes through twice - I got an error message the first time. 

When we first booked this this trip we were to be in Ketchikan from 7:30 to 2:30. That was cut short to 1:30 and all aboard time was 12:45pm which kind of stunk.  Pretty limited port time and screwed over some people with independent excursions. I heard some people gripe that prebooked independent operators wouldn’t give refunds (guess that’s a plus for booking through NCL?). 

We got on around 12:15.  This was the line to get back on the ship at 12:45. If you don’t care to wait in something like this, come back sooner lol.  

2 minutes ago, Joeghartman said:

Great review.. first one I’ve read from Joy, I have a friend who is in footloose for the Alaskan season and enjoy seeing his pictures from when the ship sailed for. China. I’ll be in the Bliss in August, but am really excited about visiting Seattle and Alaska.

Happy to contribute! I’m a compulsive cruise prepper and it drove me nuts that I couldn’t research the Joy as extensively as I do other ships. 

8 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

Also what is your opinion on elevators? I have heard both good and bad so far.

 

And did you happen to get picture of The Local menu?  We were wondering how it differs from O Sheehan’s.  

Experience with the elevators is similar to trips on the Escape and Harmony - with big ships the elevators absolutely suck 1) after muster 2) all aboard after a port stop and 3) disembarkation day.   Other times it just seems like a matter of luck for how long you wait for one. Being on 15, and with the elevators going only to 17, we found ourselves just getting on an Up elevator if it came to us before a Down and just riding it up a floor or 2 because there is only one way to go after that! 

I did not capture a Local menu but I had found Bliss’ online prior and recall it was pretty much the same. Beer cheese pretzel bites, spinach dip, white turkey chili, hot dogs, chicken wings, Hamburgers, grilled cheese, turkey pot pie, taco bowl, baked ziti, a Reuben type sandwich.  I recall those from memory (Mine is pretty photographic).  

1 minute ago, seemoreroyals said:

Did the observation lounge have most of the same selection of foods or more or less a mini buffet alternative for breakfast and lunch?

Much, much smaller selection but the lounge is 15 fwd and the buffet is 16 fwd so I just got my food from the buffet and walked down 1 flight of stairs to grab a place to sit and eat. The lounge extends far down the sides of the ship so it’s literally right off the side of the fwd staircase on 15. You can probably walk down to 15 and find a table faster than you can do a loop around the buffet to look for a table. 

4 minutes ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Buffet: This is where I gripe.  The buffet was always packed.  People took to hoarding tables and chairs and camped out.  Incredibly frustrating to see people sitting around camped out for the day when you just want a place to sit and eat.  There are also quite a few large tables for 6, frequently occupied by parties of 1 or 2. 

 

Well that leaves 4-5 seats available for others to use.  Don't be shy, share a table .... its done in Europe all the time.  ;D

This introvert would rather just complain on CC 😁 I did find eating in the observation lounge to be enjoyable, bit more peaceful there than the loud, slightly chaotic buffet.