bkrickles1

My nephew arranged for 2 vans at a pretty good rate but I don't recall particulars. I'll check with him when I see him in a couple of days.

What a coinkydink! Lmao 😂

Sunday mornings are great for going to the pier from LI. I'll be coming from Smithtown in 14 days, but my group of 13 is meeting in Deer Park at 7:30am to start our journey as we like to board as early as possible! Have a fabulous time! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Yep. Had a family club balcony suite on Joy last summer and the tub/shower combo made it narrow for a relatively big guy like me. But, like you said, it's those family suites that have the tub. We are leaving again on Joy in exactly 2 weeks and we have a regular MA club balcony suite and it just has the big shower, which we're really looking forward to.

Can't wait to see yours when posted, but in the meantime my wife found these on another site from 6/11 - 6/17 Joy sailing. 15 days till Joy for us!! Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-11-Sunday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-12-Monday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-13-Tuesday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-14-Wednesday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-15-Thursday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-16-Friday.pdf Freestyle-Daily-2023-June-17-Saturday.pdf

Well, luckily for us, you're not in our group. Lmao 😂! We travel with people who like to stick together and have fun as a group! And they're stubborn because those of us that have cruised before are trying to save them some frustration. Anyway, we'll be fine. 15 days till Joy!

100%

Exactly!!!!! That's not a great representation.

Thank you! That's what I thought. We are 1 cabin, 1 reservation and 1 CC! Thanks for the quick response.

Quick question for those more experienced with the shareholder obc. They split the $100 between my wife and I so it shows $50pp. If I go over my $50, will the balance of whatever I'm doing/purchasing then come out of my wife's $50? Is it treated as one $100 obc or is it separate? I would imagine it's one lump sum, but I thought I'd check since it's my first experience with shareholder obc. TIA

I'll be starting my piles in approximately 9 days! My last 2 cruises I've become real good at not packing too much clothes. I spend some time thinking about what we'll be doing during the days (which is practically nothing) and knowing our dinner/show plans in the evening helps a lot too. I plan on 4 gym days, so I account for that too. Also, we had a club balcony suite last summer and we do again in 16 days and that provides us with the one free bag of laundry, so that comes into play with the packing. Hey, as long as I don't run out of underwear, I can successfully cruise!! I'm really looking forward to all you have to say about Joy. We had so much fun last summer on her and expect the same this year. Have an epic time!!

Agreed! I just checked the Joy dailies (again) from a couple of weeks ago and port days for breakfast were 6:30 - 10:30am and sea days were 7:00 - 11am. Totally reasonable!!

Yeah, I got my email within a day of sending proof and it was posted on my reservation almost immediately and split between me and my wife.

Agreed! When the staff is overwhelmed at O'Sheehans/Local, it can take longer to eat there than an mdr. That's why we went directly to Taste/Savor last summer on Joy, when we boarded. There was 7 of us and we had quite the enjoyable lunch (and cocktails!!!). I'm sailing Joy in 16 days and there'll be 13 in our group. I know most of us will go to mdr for lunch, but we've got 1 stubborn family of 4 who've already said they're going to the buffet. Lol!

I'm a little confused with the thread. My daughter just sailed Escape at the end of May and she said the buffet, for breakfast, never closed before 10:30am and was open until 11am on a couple of days. I already posted here that there are Joy dailies posted somewhere on another site from a couple of weeks ago that shows those same hours. The 9:30am closing of the breakfast buffet is definitely not fleet wide, so it's odd that some are seeing that. I think a 10:30 or 11am closing is not outrageous, with a lunch reopening at noon. I'm sailing Joy in 16 days and, believe me, I'll be paying attention to this. I do understand that people would like them to stay open later for snacks. I would too. But, I also remember going later to the buffet and there were never a lot of people there. Again, I'm sailing soon on Joy and will have all these things fresh in my mind to pay attention to. And, yes, I will still thoroughly enjoy my cruise!!! Lmao!!

Either Taste or Savor mdr will be open for lunch. A lot of people tend to go to the buffet and it gets incredibly crowded. The mdr is usually mostly empty when we've gone and it's quiet. It's a nice comfortable experience and sets you up for the rest of your first day on board. We've done the Local/Osheehans for our first meal too and it was fun, but noisier and a little more hectic.

I'm sure the kiosks work, but I always board on the early side and prefer to go to the Social/Headliners and book my entertainment directly and ask any questions I might have. I then walk across to Teppenyaki and book my specialty dining reservations in person. If you board early, this can all be done within 15 minutes and I've never not gotten good days and times. Then we're off to muster and then lunch in the mdr!! Just my preference.

I just found a whole week of dailies from June 11-18 on Joy. Breakfast at the buffet is 6:30 - 10:30, 7:00 - 10:30 or 7:00 - 11:00. It appears to be dependent on whether you're at sea or in Bermuda. Lunch is always 12- 3PM and Dinner is always 5- 9:30PM Obviously there are differences from ship to ship but as far as the Joy is concerned, I think these hours are sufficient for breakfast and lunch and maybe a little lacking in the evening, but not a deal breaker.

Again, don't worry about it. I have sailed Escape, Encore and Joy in the last 5 years and I've always made my entertainment and dining reservations once I boarded. I've always gotten days and times that I'm good with and without any problems. And, I haven't had any priority like suite or Haven guests.

I just saw a daily from June 17th on Joy, and while it's cut off a little, I could see buffet hours for morning and afternoon. They were 7:00 - 11:00am and 12:00 - 3:00pm I'm not sure why there's such a discrepancy between ships, but I saw this on Facebook.

Someone on here is doing a live review next week on Joy and has promised to post dailies. We'll get to see what's really going on! 17 days till Joy for me!!!

I know with specialty it's 5:30 and it might be the same for mdr. You definitely don't want to squeeze in a specialty meal. You just won't make it comfortably. Even the mdr will make it a little close. In the past we've gone to the mdr before an early show and just had apps and dessert. Much faster and we had plenty to eat. Bottom line is that the early shows make dining a little more complicated.

Teppenyaki is the place for dining reservations on Escape, Encore and Joy! There will be people there with ipads/laptops and they will help you schedule your specialty restaurant reservations. Across from Teppenyaki is the Social where entertainment is reserved.

Thank you!! I was with my group of 13 yesterday and everyone is soooo excited!! We had my 7 and 8 year old nieces with us last summer on Joy and I brought them one day down to deck 5, so I'm aware of the much preferred location. Lol! I've been hesitant to ask as I don't want to overstep, but are you planning on posting dailies? If so, thanks in advance! If not, thanks in advance! Lmao!!!!!

2pm is a great flight time! You'll be able to take your time in the morning and have a nice breakfast before disembarking. We always go to Taste/Savor for breakfast on disembarkation day. It's a nice way to finish up and it allows the people who are in a mad rush to get off early. Lmao!