OttawaJohn

I came up with another solution - just go on the Joy again! 🙂 We loved it so much we are changing our trip in May from RCC to Norwegian and it'll be the Joy. Though if they don't have them again, I won't be amused lol

Hi all Apologies as I'm sure this has been asked and answered, but I couldn't find it when I searched. How do the free dinners work at the Platinum level? It says you get a dinner for two at Cagney's or Le Bistro & Dinner for Two at Moderno or La Cucina. Do they decide which if the ship has both or can you decide? And how do you coordinate that, is it on your account like a free specialty dining? Thanks in advance

Interesting. Yes, they often speed up after hours and my wife commented on it as well. She could feel it in the back of her head when lying in bed against the headrest. I didn't notice it but she did, and we were deck 14 Mid. Can only imagine what it was like aft lower down.

Agreed, the Cavern is way to small for what turns out to be a really popular spot. Thankfully, we were able to see the one they did in the theater one night, which was a lot of fun to watch.

We didn't do anything in Cabo, we didn't feel like tendering. I heard mixed reviews from other guests, as it was Christmas Day that day, so it seemed not everything worked out great. That said, one guy who did a fishing excursion said he saw dozens of whales during the time, so it seemed pretty good for that.

Interesting, which deck were you on? We were on 14, wonder if there is some differences? And yes, in general, we always try to shoot for midship. Less rocking and noise typically.

Funny you should say that, my wife and I were talking about how the only other boarding experience as bad as this one was our one cruise out of New Orleans. Waited in line for hours in the heat to board, just a mass of people. We didn't know if that was a one time issue or just status quo for them.

Sadly none on Ebay. Good idea about trying to get someone to buy one for me though, will try that Thanks

This was our first NCL cruise in six years, and our first ever time away like this at Christmas. Below is some thoughts but the TL:DR, a lot of fun and a great ship. The Good, the Bad and the Christmas The Good We loved the ship. It's so new, despite being 5+ years old. Lots of little things we loved, such as *The hand sensors to open the doors on decks *The Waterfront, even if it was too windy the one night we tried to sit there *The shining chrome banisters, the gorgeous stairwells, the displays everywhere *The interactive displays to do things *All the storage space and plugs in our stateroom *Strong shower, great pressure and hot water *Buffet very nice, elevated almost, loved the seating everywhere *The observation area on deck 15 And despite all the people on board, the most of any ship we've been on, it never felt crowded. Never had to wait for an elevator or pass on it as too many people already in it. The ship just worked well. On a personal level, I loved the Mitel phones everywhere. I work with those phones every day, so every time one rang though, I thought I was back in the office 🙂 The food was delicious for the most part. The buffet was a buffet but generally tasty. MDR dining was great in all three rooms, so was Local, and Cagney’s and Ocean Blue were great. And the Christmas dinner was amazing. American Diner was a really cool design, but we found the food very greasy though. And the milkshakes looked FAR better than they taste. Saw a whale come up for air at one point and thought that was an amazing scene, but it paled compared to breakfast the next morning. Sitting in Taste, we saw, I don't know, 30+ dolphins leaping into the waves from the ship for over a minute. It was the most jaw dropping experience ever. Weather was great, a bit cooler on certain days but being Canadian, I loved it. One night was really rocky but that just helps us sleep. The staff were amazing, except for our cabin steward. Everyone else always had a smile, a wave, a laugh and a desire to help make our vacation better. It's been 6 years since our last NCL cruise and it felt like coming home. We're meh on Celebrity. We liked Princess. And Disney is its own thing. But NCL is just great. The Bad Boarding was a mess. We arrived at 1030 as our assigned time but didn't get aboard till after 1230. I think we were at a less then optimal berth. Everyone just crammed into a tent, no social distancing at all, hundreds of people sitting on top of each other. They had shuttles to go from the tent to the ship, but there was a bad cycle to it. Priority and Haven people went first, but due to the delays, more kept coming. So for over 40 minutes, they kept calling for more Haven and Priority people to board shuttles, and never bothered calling any other groups. Finally our group was called and it was just a chaotic mess, no order to the lines. We got sent out en-masse into a parking area with cars driving by, and directed towards shuttle buses. But despite there being specific ones it seems, were not told what buses to go towards. Later in the day, from our balcony, we watched literally hundreds of people stream from the tent areas to the ship to board, not sure what happened to the shuttles by that point. The WiFi wasn't great. I found the app had refresh issues. I lost 20 minutes at one point as I logged out but it didn't catch it I guess? So it counted it till I went to connect and noticed I still was. So I started to close and reopen the app each time and noticed a few other times it didn't register my logout. Also timer rounds down, so log out with 10 mins and 59 seconds and it goes to 10 mins even, costing you a minute We only had WiFi on one other time, and that was unlimited. Watching minutes sucks 🙂 Also, the app crashed on Christmas morning. Thankfully, I knew how to get online around it. Still, for those wanting to FaceTime home, that had to suck. Our cabin steward wasn't the friendliest. He never introduced himself, even when I gave my wife and I's names to him. Never said hi when we saw him in the corridors, and was very slow at getting to our room. Still, did his job eventually, so all good. Just a standout though, since literally everyone else we dealt with in the crew was great. Also, not sure if it was just him, but we never got a towel animal or chocolates on our pillows. Again, 6 years since last NCL cruise so maybe it's changed? As much as we loved the ship, one complaint, the walls seemed super thin. It felt like we could hear everything around us, from deck chairs two decks up, to phones ringing in other cabins and our neighbour snoring. And when everyone got up early for Mazatlán, we heard them all moving around us and talking. The soap and shampoo were really bad. We heard others complaining about it as well. Just seemed very low quality. 99% of everything we had on board was delicious, but Q smokehouse sucked. The food was bland, no flavor at all. It was cold and sad. Very disappointed, especially as it was our last dinner. Disembark last day was as bad as coming aboard. Very long lines, and in the same bad berth again. We had to go outside in the pouring rain, standing around in rain for shuttles to take us over to get our luggage, and then get out into the rain again to try and get a taxi. Just not well put together. The Christmas This was our first Christmas away. And it was very relaxing, none of the usual Christmas stresses. This may become a new tradition. We are already doing one next year anyway. We'll see what the future brings. Christmas day was really neat on the ship. Santa in the Atrium was adorable. All the excited kids. People in their PJ's. It was just like Christmas at home, just with 4000 strangers 🙂 I was curious when they'd take the decorations down. I was thinking maybe the 27th but they stayed up the duration. It was a Christmas cruise, so maybe that's why. I wonder if those who boarded on the 30th after we got off found, like the residents of Whoville, not a scrap of Christmas cheer left? I did hear a woman in the hall complaining on the 26th about still hearing Christmas music. I wonder how she was doing come the 30th? 🙂 Speaking of the 26th, had a funny encounter. On the elevator with a few others, and as a woman got off, the couple next to us wished her a Happy Boxing Day. We turned to them and said "Aha, fellow Canadians!" They asked how we knew and we told them only Commonwealth people typically knew about Boxing Day, and their accents narrowed it down. They were surprised to hear that the US didn't celebrate the holiday, and had been wishing people it all day. I wonder how many people were googling it after to find out what it was 🙂 As someone who is a bit Grinchy, I was surprised how much I loved it. It truly didn't bother me at all. It was fun and festive, but not in your face. I really enjoyed it. Final Thoughts We love NCL and look forward to future sailings with them. Though our next few cruises are booked with other lines, we'll be back. And we're already looking forward to it.

My wife and I like to collect ship magnets from the various ships we are on. Sadly on our recent Joy cruise, we couldn't as someone messed up and sent them magnets of the Sky, not the Joy. Anyone know if you can buy the magnets online somewhere or direct from NCL? Thanks in advance

Just off the Joy and as the others said, there are lots of tables for two. That said, they are often VERY close together, I saw then split tables for 4 into two tables for 2, with just enough room for a person to go between them. So you sort of are sitting with others regardless 🙂

Yep, it sucked. We boarded the ship on the 23rd and had similar experience. We were in a huge tent for embarkation, then had to get a shuttle over to the ship. Docking was the same as described above, but we had the joy of pouring rain as well and waiting in the rain to board the shuttle and then get a cab.

Re: bridge access, it was hit and miss for me the last decade. I can't recall specifics but do remember some didn't do the bridge, another had us in a room separated by glass from the bridge so we could see in but not interact. Twice though I clearly recall full access, seeing consoles, going to the wing and looking out, etc. I called NCL a bit ago asking as I liked them and wondered for our upcoming cruise and the agent was honest, saying no they weren't back and the line would probably take the opportunity since they hadn't been doing them to just not restart, due to the disruption they cause. Bummer, but I get it.

We kept an eye out but never saw the tarts at the Cafe. Pretty limited and repeating it seemed. The Peanut Butter Cookies though were tasty 🙂

I understand. We had another cruise booked but happily cancelled it for this one. Not sure why it took so long to post, maybe they were concerned about stuff or evaluating their programs. But our TA, Princess reps, no one seemed to know when they were coming. I figured September so was pleased they posted earlier then that.

It was the Whale Watching and Seafood Feast, 209 USD, 3.5 hours. It was booked direct via Celebrity as an excursion. Not sure if they use the same service each time, there were two boats that did our sailing it seemed, both from the same company. The feat was pretty festive. Fresh king crab that looked like it was caught that day, 2-3 each I think. The shrimp was tasty as well. The rest was kinda meh, bit too much water from the seafood all over it so the sausage was wet and the corn a bit soggy. But the seafood was amazing.

Been waiting months for the cruises to be posted and they just popped up. Cannot wait. Time for some luaus, gorgeous beaches and singing Mele Kalikimaka!

It's so hard to choose just a few pics to represent the whole. Seriously, it's majestic beyond words. Every picture was like a postcard.

Full review and thoughts below but for a TL;DR summary. We LOVED the cruise itself. Alaska is an experience beyond words and if you have any interest in nature or wildlife, and can make it happen, you should. Celebrity was more hit and miss. End result, we liked it but didn't love it. If we see an itinerary we love or a great deal, we'd sail with them again, but won't be seeking them out as our first choice. Now, on with the details! We flew out to Vancouver from Ottawa the day before. With all the challenges of late, we were concerned but our flight left only 30 minutes late. We did carry-on only, due to the issues around baggage of late. Problem is, everyone else seems to have had the same idea but we were able to secure overhead space for our bags thankfully. Many had to gate check them we saw. And honestly it was a bit of a pain. All week we kept wishing we had another outfit or something we used on previous cruises but didn't have space for. And had to pass up a few souvenirs we wanted due to no space. Still, all worked out and we got to Vancouver without issue. Hotel was insanely busy due to the Pride parade in the area the next day, and the Canadian holiday on the Monday. Combine that with the heat in Vancouver hitting 98 or so, and we opted to take it easy and just chill before our cruise. Embarkation was pretty simple at Canada Place, the port in Vancouver. Lots of walking, which made the carry-on decision seem questionable again, but still fluid. We rarely were standing still for more then a few minutes, the queues kept moving and everything was well directed. Having never sailed with Celebrity before, we were thrown a bit when we started to board the ship without key cards, worrying we'd somehow missed a step. Asking a staff member, they explained they are waiting on our doors, which makes sense actually, but was new. The other lines we'd sailed with, NCL, Disney and Princess, always gave them out during check in. It was something that made sense, but like a few things on the cruise, was never explained. Still, we found our way to our cabin, a sunset veranda on the 8th deck, aft. An interesting note about our cabin was that it had a door in front of the two cabin doors, ours and our neighbours. I guess the idea is that, if it's a family or friends traveling together, you can close the outer door and leave the cabin doors open so you can go back and forth. Again though, something not explained. We went into our cabin and dropped off our bags and got changed quickly to go for a swim, to beat the heat. After a quick dip in the pool, which was heated surprisingly enough, given the 40C temperature, I got out to grab a bite at the Mast Grill. I got a hot dog while my wife stayed in the pool. Putting the plate down to get a drink, a seagull immediately dove in and stole the dog. Well, just the bun, it couldn't carry the full thing but still. Was hilarious and consistent. Almost every cruise we've done, we had a seagull incident with food. This one just started early 🙂 Sadly, it's at this point that things went downhill in our experience that day. Heading back to the cabin, the outer door was closed. And our keys didn't work in it. I was able to find someone passing by and he explained the purpose of the outer door and asked if we were a family or traveling with the guests next door. When I explained no, he said our keys wouldn't work then. He called for our cabin steward to come and open it. Ten minutes later, while we're standing there dripping wet, the same staff member walked by again and wondered where our steward was. So did we. I understand, it's embarkation day, but when you have wet guests locked out of their cabin, someone should be able to pop by and help. It took over twenty minutes for the steward to come by and let us in. He again asked if we were family with the cabin next door and when I said no, said 'ok, we'll set the door to remain open.' I'm confused why it wasn't already, since they should have known we didn't book together with the people next door but all right. Going in, we got changed and started to organize things. I heard our neighbours arrive and went to explain about the door to ensure they didn't run into that as well. While putting things away, I checked the fridge to ensure I had put my wife's medication in it and noticed it was still hot. I called the steward again and he said he'd look into it. I also mentioned the room itself was boiling hot (hotter then outside it felt) and he said he'd get someone to look at it. We left to explore the ship and came back two hours later. The room was still boiling hot, the outside door still closed and the fridge still broken. I called the steward again and asked for an update, and was told 'ok, ok, we're working on it.' I explained my wife's medication needed to be refrigerated and it had already been hours since it was at proper temp, in very hot weather. He said he understood and would get it fixed. We went on deck since it was cooler then our room and poked around a bit longer. Returning an hour later, still no fix or updates. I called again and was told again 'ok, ok, we're working on it.' I explained that's not acceptable, and I need a resolution or for them to store my wife's medication. And by the way, the room is so hot we're sweating just sitting there. Giving up on him, I call Guest Services where I wait on hold another 30 minutes for someone to answer. The woman there keeps interrupting me when I try to explain the situation and says the steward should have called them. But it seems she's blaming me for the fact he didn't, which I didn't appreciate. Finally I asked to be moved to another aft cabin if they can't resolve these issues soon and she puts me on hold to talk to her manager. Ten minutes later, she's back and offers me another cabin. The numbering though indicates it's not aft, though she assures me it's 'an aft cabin and still a sunset veranda.' She encourages me to check it out, so I do. Well, yes, the AC works and so does the fridge, but it's midship. I paid extra for this view for the Alaskan cruise for a reason. I go back and call her back and explain 'I wanted an aft cabin for this cruise' and she responded 'it is aft.' Apparently some people on ship have a different view of aft. I explain I don't want to lose the view and can't they just fix these issues. She sends an electrician who says the AC is working, evidenced by when you put your hand on the vent, you can just barely feel air. I point out it's not working well then, and perhaps they could fix it? He grumbles but leaves. Another one comes by to look at the fridge and says, guess what, it's working. I check and no, it's not. A bottle of water I put in 3 hours ago is still boiling hot, as is the medication. I ask how it can be working if it's not cooling anything and he repeats again 'it's working.' I get back on the phone with guest services and she calls him and he gets annoyed and takes the whole fridge, saying he'll replace it. By this time, we've missed the sail away and dinner reservations are coming up. So we get changed and leave for dinner, having been promised by the time we get back, it'll all be fixed. As we leave, I notice a third electrician has taken the wall panel outside our room off and is replacing a part in the functioning AC. Dinner at least was a treat. After the horrible customer service, with people literally lying to my face, the staff at dinner in the MDR was great as was the food. And by the time we returned out our room, the AC was working and a new fridge was as well. I get embarkation day is insane for the staff. But this was just poor service, topped off by multiple people lying to me. I have a lot of patience for support people, I worked in the customer service field for twenty years now and teach 'soft skills' to agents and techs for a living. But lying and refusing to give clear and simple updates, even if it's just 'we're not sure of the timeline' really ticks me off. Finally at the end of the day, as we were turning in, the steward stopped by asking if the fridge was working. When I thanked him for the help (what little he did) and mentioned I looked forward to seeing him through the week, he responded 'your room is at the end of my rotation, so I may not always get it done.' Which would prove true. Not an auspicious start but thankfully the rest of the trip was less eventful. We woke on the first full day going down the inside passage and wow. The views. My God, I'm so glad we didn't swap to that midship she kept pushing. In another thread, I had asked if we should take a complimentary upgrade to Aqua and most said no, due to the views. They were right. I don't care how good the food in Blu was, it couldn't match these views. We'd continue to be amazed at this our whole cruise, especially at Hubbard Glacier when we could sit and enjoy the views for hours in comfort. The cabin itself was quite large, one of the larger non-suites we've done. The balcony was big, though I wish it had more of a roof for the occasional shower we had. Still, amazing. The bed was very comfortable and I LOVE the rounded corners. All beds should have these! We also loved the fact the bed was beside the balcony. In other ships, they have a couch next to the door. We loved lying in bed and just looking out over the water. The dining on the ship was good but not spectacular. I wonder if the restaurants for special guests, like Blu or Luminae were a bit better? The buffet was decent and the MDR was good each night but little blew our socks off. We ate one night in Tuscan and found it not as good as the MDR, with wait times for food and service far too long. I prefer ships that have little diners or pubs you can grab something in. This just seemed a bit too concentrated in one or two areas only. Still, to each their own and some passengers we spoke to loved the food. I just would have liked more variety I think. The bar staff, like on any ship, are way to overwhelmed. It'd be nice if there was someone at the bar just doing simple things like a can of pop or bottle of water to expedite it. Speaking of, I LOVE that they give you cans, not just tiny glasses that are 80% ice when you order soda. And the aluminum bottles for water were great. For the issues we had, we received an OBC for 100$. We spent it mostly on gelato, which was delicious 🙂 Kept our eyes out on the cruise for whales and saw three. Two breaching a bit but not much and a burst of water from a blowhole one morning at breakfast. Still, we had a planned excursion for whale watching so weren't to bummed at not more sightings. The ship's decor is... classy I guess is the right word. It feels a bit like old school classic. String quartets, pianos, crystal everywhere. It's a simple elegance which was nice. The WiFi on the ship is a mixed bag. We had the basic, which is really basic. Most websites would time out but could check email when I wanted. Of course, we're in the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by ice and mountains, so the signal probably not the best 🙂 And I did do this trip to unplug, so outside of checking in on my mother a few times, I mostly stayed offline. There are a lot of things about the ship I really loved. The maps of the ship in the elevator, showing quickly what was on what deck. The ample seating. Just everywhere, seems you turn a corner down a hall and there are chairs. It was nice and random. The blankets they had on deck. Lots of little things to just make it a bit nicer for everyone. One odd thing, after so many years of doing the Caribbean or Bahamas, this is I think the first cruise I've ever worn long pants on. Feels odd 🙂 We did three excursions, two of which were mind blowing. A Whale Watch and Seafood Feast in Icy Strait, where on top of the Humpback we saw, we were luckly enough to observe an Orca pod (6-9, hard to count) including young ones for almost an hour. In Juneau, we did the Mush Camp and rode with the dogs and then got to help socialize the puppies, aka get lots of licks from them! They were so cute! It was amazing. We also did a trolley in Ketchikan, which went to the Native village as well so we could see and learn more about totem poles. It was interesting, but not fair to compare to the wildlife. I felt bad a bit, I think we'd have been more interested if it was first, not last. A few other small gripes about the cruise. The photo center was open really odd hours, one day just for 1.5 hours. The app is great but often I found the times it listed for hours for services or dining differed from what was in the daily planner. Wasn't sure which was right. On the first day, there was a lot of upselling, trying to get us to upgrade drink packages, book excursions, book specialty dining, etc. I get it, but it was a bit aggressive. We got stopped four times on the way to our muster station for drill by people trying to get us to buy stuff. There was a bit of an attitude among some staff that if you didn't want alcohol, you weren't worth their time. Both waiters and bar staff rolled their eyes at me more then once when I just asked for water. In the MDR, the sommelier on our second night after we again declined a drink said 'hopefully you'll drink something tomorrow.' What, he not get paid if we don't drink? Just rude. We have reasons for not drinking alcohol, leave us be about it. Still, the cruise was great, and Celebrity was ok. Didn't hate the line, didn't love it. Everyone has their own tastes in what they want and I think Celebrity just isn't us. Again, if we find a great itinerary (there is an Italian Riviera and a Japan one we have our eyes on) or a great deal, we'll sail with them again. They're just not our first choice I think.

Have made note. Will check it out 🙂

Yeah, added a note to the list of everything else lol Miss the days when you just showed up with a ticket and things happened.

Ok sounds good, thanks all. Seems silly but ours not to question why!

I know there are a few threads about ArriveCan on the forums but I can't find a clear answer on this. I keep getting emails from Celebrity saying this: "Before arriving to the pier, all guests will need to complete an entry form with specific information regarding your visit to Canada" The problem is I am not visiting, I live here 🙂 I'm a Canadian citizen. I don't need to use it to fly to Vancouver. But I can't find a clear answer, do I need to fill it out somehow before I can board the cruise out of Vancouver? I get I may have to use it when returning from Alaska and disembarking in Vancouver, but can anyone help clarify if I need to fill it out simply to board the boat in Vancouver, if I am already present in Canada? I can't get a hold of anyone from Celebrity to answer this, so hoping someone here knows. Thanks in advance.

Having the same thing, I get 2-3 emails PER DAY telling me to update my stuff even though it's already done. And I completely understand about the tech. Hell, I'm an IT professional (in theory) and I'm trying to figure out ArriveCan and failing.

Very cool, did not know that, a great tip, thanks!