weisla

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

And no, on 2 of 3 of our cruises this year, the app and Kiosks were not fully loaded when embarkation started. Don't know when everything was loaded, but we could not book without talking to a real person. 

This past week on the Joy we embarked from NYC at 3pm. The kiosks were not fully loaded and the app was down until well into the evening. I was able to book a few items through the kiosks but not everything. Also, both the kiosks and the app (when working) allow bookings but not cancellations. You have to call or go in person to cancel. This left me wondering how many people had multiple reservations, made by mistake in the app which is easy to do, and didn’t bother cancelling or were unable to get through to do so. 

I’m on the Joy this week and some form of breakfast is served from 5:30am - 11:00am.

The buffet breakfast turnover is happening at 10:30. 
Dinner however is done by 9:30. Then only late night in the local or room service. My son has made several last minute buffet runs to get one last ice cream cone before 9:30. We left Food Republic mid-meal when service was a bit slow, legged it up to the buffet for ice cream, and then back down to FR so my husband & I could finish our final plates 😂

Yes, it is free. On the Joy in Bermuda today. We docked at Noon and the ferry to St. George’s left at 1:00 and 3:00. There were three ferries back, maybe at 3:00, 4:30, and 6:00. I can check the daily when we get back to the ship. I’m actually on the ferry to St. George’s right now, but the local ferry. Using a daily transportation pass. $19 for a 1-day adult pass, $31.50 for 2-day.

I like the bottle of champagne idea! 😉 we ate at Ocean Blue on the first night, no idea if that makes any difference. FWIW, we ate at Le Bistro a few nights later (I had scallops and diver sole) and agreed that the Le Bistro meal was WAY, WAY better than Ocean Blue. 

Thank you, very helpful!!

I am on the Joy this week and ordered the cioppinno. It was served in a wide, low entree size bowl (comparable to a pasta bowl, sorry I didn’t get a photo). It was a large serving, full of shrimp, pieces of lobster, calamari rings, mussels, and a few clams. The broth was delicious, comparable to the flavor of a good lobster bisque but without the cream.

4 hours ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Just FYI a lot of the NCL Bermuda excursions are these excursions (if you read the descriptions they’re exactly the same/same boats, etc.). So if you want to compare prices vs. the $50 excursion credit or if you don’t have the credit, you can check this out. Some of them work out better with the credit but on a lot of them NCL’s markup is so high it’s still better to book direct. https://www.islandtourcentre.com

Thanks, this is really helpful. Comparing the posted rates for our dates of sailing, the markup varies quite a bit for different excursions. From $5 more for the rum tasting cruise to $19 for Famous Homes & Hideaways cruise to $49 for a Dockyard Segway tour. This operator also offers a lot more options than can be booked directly through NCL. 

On 6/27/2023 at 9:35 AM, bjtravelnews said:

Just off the Norwegian Joy, RT NYC/Bermuda, departing June 18, 2023.  Getting onto the ship seemed to be a much easier process this year.  We boarded on deck 7 and headed down to deck 6 to get some lunch at Savor.  Food was served quickly and was pretty good.  Nice to have those first drinks, too!   There is no formal muster drill since everyone was required to watch the safety video as part of the online check in (and several emails prior to sailing to watch it again).  We simply had to report to our assigned muster station and have our card scanned.

 

I am going to separate my comments into the good and bad, starting with the ship itself.  We love the casual atmosphere of Norwegian.  Despite the large number of people on board, the public spaces rarely felt so crowded that we couldn't find a seat somewhere.  The Waterfront on deck 8 is amazing.  Great views and very quiet during the day.  District Brew House is one of our favorite places on the ship.  We never seen a huge crowd there (maybe because it's tucked away in a corner).  Overall, all the staff was extremely nice and polite.  However, I could sense an underlying current that some were stressed due to serving the large number of passengers (we were close to a sell out).  We never had a bad meal on the ship.  If anything negative could be said, I would say that we get too much food at the sit-down restaurants.  I would love to have the option of smaller portions to avoid wasting so much food.  We ate at Ocean Blue and Cagney's Steakhouse.  Food was excellent at both, as was the service.  There were times that service was a bit slow at Taste and Savor, but the food was good.  Same for the Local.  The Local is also a really great place for a sit-down breakfast.  There was a great variety of food in the buffet and it was always good.   There was sometimes a wait to get into the Manhattan Room, but it wasn't a long wait.   I think this has more to do with under-staffing rather than the number of people dining. 

We had a balcony cabin.  Although the these rooms seem to be smaller than other cruise line balcony cabins, it was adequate space for the two of us.  On the other hand, our friends had 3 females in a balcony cabin and it was very tight.  Shampoo and soap are now in dispensers in the shower.  I miss having the individual bottles, but I understand the waste and extra cost associated with that.  Forewarning - the cruise line also has done away with the other extras, like lotion and the small amenity boxes.  Our top favorite place on the ship is the Observation Lounge in the front of the ship, with two-story floor to ceiling windows looking out the front of the ship.  There is a bar here (servers also walk around taking drink orders) and a Starbucks (extra cost, even for those with the beverage package).  At times, there was food served inside the main space and also along the sides leading into the main space.  On our last year's cruise on the Joy, the Observation Lounge was relatively empty.  The word must have gotten out because it was much more crowded this time.  There is always seating available on each side of the ship, leading into the main section of the Lounge.

 

Bermuda, as always, was beautiful.  This was our seventh trip to the island.  The people are very friendly and helpful if you need directions.  Norwegian has its own ferry to St. George, but there are also public ferries going to both St. George and Hamilton.  The buses are also very easy to navigate.  We rarely take shore excursion except for the sunset cruises.  I highly recommend a one or two day transportation pass so you don't have to deal with the complicated system of fares by zone.  The passes are good for both the ferries and buses.  We lucked out with weather.  It was beautiful and there was only a spritz of rain here and there.  For several weeks prior, we were watching the Joy from the Port Bermuda webcam and it was raining all the time.  People in Bermuda said it was the most rain they have gotten in over 100 years.  In fact, the huge amount of rain was causing issues with draining and sewage.  We are not beach people and have done Horseshoe Bay several times.  So we took the NCL ferry to St. George on Wednesday.  Thursday we took the public ferry to Hamilton, shopped a bit, then took a bus to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.  From there, we got on the bus again to stop at the Swizzle Inn for a late lunch.  This is quite the experience and we go back every year.  We then took the bus to St. George and then the NCL ferry back to the Dockyard.  A heads up for anyone who needs to know - there is no bus service from St. George to the Dockyard.  You must take a bus to Hamilton.  From there, you can transfer to one of the buses that goes to the Dockyard or pick up the public ferry.  Friday we stuck around the Dockyard, went to the National Museum (the fort), saw the dolphins at Dolphin Quest (part of the admission to the fort, but interaction is an extra cost) and explored the Commissioner's House.  Great views from here.  We were required to be back on the ship at 2:30 for a 3:00 sail away.  We always try to be back early to avoid the long lines.  This year for the first time, we saw pier runners - those stragglers who don't get to the pier until we are ready to leave.  There were several small groups watching on deck 8 and cheering the stragglers on to "run."

 

Now for the not-so-good:  

Normally, rooms would be ready sometime between 2 and 3.  It's quite obvious that NCL has cut staff to the bare bones.  Our rooms were not available until after 4 PM!  Rooms on the higher floors were available first.  I was also disappointed that sail away was moved from 4 PM to 6 PM.  That meant that many people were eating dinner while the ship was pulling out of port and sailing out of the harbor.  As always, the Garden Buffet was chaotic and very busy. Despite the spaciousness, it almost always felt very crowded.  We have learned to find tables all the way back (at the front of the ship) as there seems to be more open seating there. 

We didn't even try to see the shows (we've seen Footloose and Elements previously, so not a priority for us).  But the shows were sold old almost immediately 

Dinners in the Specialty Restaurants were over the top.  However, I am very disappointed in the lack of passenger respect for the dress code.  Ocean Blue is one of the places where guests are asked to dress more formally (upscale business attire).  We even got a reminder phone call in the room about the dress requirements.  I was disappointed to see men and women in shorts and very casual clothing.  Same for the Steakhouse.  I think it takes away from the special experience of these dining venues.

Elevators were often crowded and there were teens who were playing the game of pushing all the buttons to make them stop at every floor.  They also were running up and down the stairs to push the buttons on the floors outside the elevators.  We took the stairs whenever we could. 

Everyone in our group had the same complaint about the pool area.  Chair hogs getting up early, putting their stuff on the the lounge chairs by the pool, then going to breakfast.  Even through the day, they would leave to do something else and keep their chairs "reserved" for when they came back.  The attendants at the towel exchange said it no one returns in 30 minutes, another passenger is allowed to remove the items from the chair.  They were not going to enforce the rule.  Considering how much people were drinking on the ship, this sounds like a potential for serious confrontation.  Too bad there isn't a way to reserve chairs for a two hour period - NCL could make a lot of money on that.  The tiny pools were always crowded.  Some people literally got into the pool and stayed there the entire day, having drinks brought to them.  One of my friends complained about not being able to even get into the pool.  Someone reminded her that those people who lined the edges were drinking all day and not getting out - so good chance the pool was also their bathroom!  (Some of the people in our group paid for the Vibe Beach Club passes just to avoid these issues and said it was well worth the extra cost.)

I was with a group of friends and family (we had 22 cabins).  The biggest gripe for everyone was the smoking.  Despite the no smoking policy, people were smoking all over the ship on the outside decks.  Staff did not appear to stop anyone.  People were smoking on the balconies.  The people in the cabin next to us were smoking marijuana on their balcony so often that it became hard for us to sit on our balcony.  Friends said they had the same problem. 

We used to Norwegian app to stay in touch with everyone.  While a great option without having to use internet, there were times when it didn't seem to work and we constantly had to reconnect to the ship's wifi.

I was told the Joy will be heading for some refurbishment in Jan/Feb of next year.  The ship is starting to show age and these are badly needed. 

We arrived back in NY much earlier than previous years.  By 5:00 am we were already docked.  In past years, we were able to get up just before 5 and see the lighted bridge and the beautiful NYC skyline as we pulled into the harbor. I believe the crew needs the extra time once we are docked because the ship is so short-staffed.

 

Bermuda - not many negative comments here.  However, I was greatly disappointed in the Dockyard.  The stores used to be open late to allow ship passengers to shop.  Everything was closed by 5:00.   Snorkel Park Beach used to be open the entire time until late at night.  The hours are now very limited.  I heard that they have opened a sister venue at Tobacco Bay, so I am guessing that's where they now concentrate their efforts.  Snorkel Park Beach was open during the day on Friday, which is nice for those who want to have some beach time, but don't want to leave the Dockyard.  We walked into the Fun Golf.  This place is heavily advertised on the ship and on the signs in the Dockyard.  Perhaps at one time it was a nice place.  However, it is now a bit run down and could use some renovations and updates.  There were some people golfing when we visited, but not many.  And most of those there were sitting on the benches and drinking.  At one time there was much more here.  Now, everything in that area looks like it either had been abandoned or was close to being abandoned.

 

 Overall comments:

We love Norwegian Cruise Line and it's casual atmosphere.  It's great being able to eat when and where we want, as opposed to a set dining time with the same group of people every night.  While most passengers were polite, there were some very rude people.  This was especially prevalent on the elevators where some passengers would immediately hit the close door button, even though they were the only one on the elevator. 

For Bermuda - it's our favorite cruise destination out of NYC.  We love having almost three days on the island.  Despite having been there, now for the 7th time, we always find something new.  This year, we walked beyond the main tourist area in St. George and found a beautiful park.  There is so much to do on the island and we love how safe it is and easy to get around on public transportation.

We missed not stopping in Norfolk.  We were lucky to have experienced that stop last year and were disappointed it has been dropped from the itinerary (sadly, NCL should have returned the port fees we paid for Norfolk).

 

One comment about the Meet and Greet.  I started a roll call well over a year before sailing.  It wasn't real active, but there were 24 people signed up for the Meet and Greet.  Only two other people showed up.  It was embarrassing to me because the crew puts a lot of effort into the time and space.  I also bring a lot of gifts to hand out.  Most of them went to the crew.  PLEASE - if you sign up for a meet and greet, attend!  

 

We will be back again next year on the Joy, same itinerary.   If anyone has any questions about the ship or things to do in Bermuda

Thank you so much for your excellent trip report! I’m curious whether you book Bermuda sunset cruises through NCL or independently. We’re sailing on Joy in 2 days for our first visit to Bermuda and it sounds like a lovely outing.

Can anyone tell me what the price for the upgrade is onboard? We’re 2 days out from sailing on Joy and I’m cut off from adding it to my cart. Was going to skip it until I just read a 5 page thread of favorite NCL dishes! 

I’m sailing NCL Joy embarking on July 1. When I checked the parking reservation site a few days ago the fee was $4.95. FYI, when I went back on the NYCruise site tonight to book my reservation the fee has been raised to $9.95. 

On 6/12/2023 at 1:46 PM, Winky7650 said:

I prefer strong coffee, so I brought these with me. 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07C6C4QDS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

Several on the Getaway in May complained that only decaf pods were available from the stewards 

The above show unavailable for me, so I just ordered these from Amazon to take on the Joy in July:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YJPZC5A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you, I enjoyed your review and will follow this thread! Sailing on the Joy, July 1-9, to Bahamas & Bermuda w/our 9yo. DH & I are seasoned cruisers & our son has cruised once on DCL when he was 5. This will be our first post-Covid cruise, first on NCL, and first trip to Bermuda. At 5 he wasn’t excited to be dropped off at DCL kids club, and we’re hoping he has some fun at Splash Academy. Do you think there are a good range of activities for multiple age groups? 

18 days! And so much to do!!!:eek:

I try to stay away from cooking and mixing and becoming Madame Curie with the packets. This is because, for example, I gained 10 pounds this holiday season- baking and cooking. I do add some shredded cheese and a few jabs of hot sauce with the chili but that is pretty much it. If I feel that I have to go off plan I eat more protein (obviously). My sticks are purple every day (whole bottle left over from Atkins, lol) and no way am I going out of ketosis. That's my big worry about coming back from the cruise- three days of headaches and hell before I get OP again.

 

Has anyone else noticed any behavior changes...? I'm glad to have the extra energy but i seem to go from 0-60, temper-wise, in about 2 seconds. Hmm.

Hi Seago, the moodiness is totally normal! I can't say it totally goes away, but it does improve once you get into the groove and start enjoying that 'ketosis high'!

I understand the reluctance to avoid to much doctoring of the MF meals. Extra protein is good, especially in the beginning if it helps you to stick it out through the really crappy phase at the beginning. In 5/1 I was really obsessed with counting everything I ate to make sure that I stayed in ketosis. I would some days allow myself extra calories if I was really hungry or feeling weak, but always stayed under 100 carbs.

I used the MF site to track my eating for a while, but then I switched to My Fitness Pal. I use their free iphone app, but its also available as a free website. Tracking isn't for everyone though. It worked for me because it kept me accountable to myself, but its a lot of work and can encourage (sometimes unhealthy) obsession. The beauty of the MF plan is its simplicity - follow the plan and it works without any need to count or tinker.

I found that after a while in ketosis, it wasn't so painful to get back into it after a few days off plan. I stayed in ketosis for most of my 5/1, but I took a trip to Paris last March and ate totally off plan for several days. I did exercise a lot - we walked for hours a day around the city - and only gained a few pounds despite decidedly excessive eating and drinking! I didn't find it too hard to get back into ketosis, none of the horrible headaches or moodiness that I experienced at the very beginning. I also didn't have any digestive problems when I ate rich French food, but some people report serious discomfort when suddenly eating 'normally' or overeating after a while on 5/1.

On a personal note. I ahve reached my half way point 15 weeks in. I have dropped 75 pounds and just 75 more to go to the 180 I hope to be some time this summer!!! :D:D:D

Congratulations, that is amazing, as is you and your wife losing more than 8 lbs. on a cruise! I like the 3/3 suggestion. I did something similar on a couple of non-cruise vacations, or sometimes 3 MF/2 LG and it worked well.

I put in another TSFL order tonight. I am excited to try the new chocolate chip cookie things - has anyone tried them? I also stocked up on lots of healthy L&G veggies and proteins. I am ending the post-cruise/holiday junk food binge!

Some food tips related to previous posts from Seago and Whiteway -

I loved the peanut butter and coffee soft serves, but mostly made them as drinks. Peanut butter as a shake with sugar free chocolate syrup is like drinking a peanut butter cup (like the sugar free syrups used to flavor lattes in coffee shops, not something like Hershey's - is this ok to mention or is this breaking forum ad rules?) I chose not to count the SF syrups as condiments as they contain no carbs and this worked for me, but might not work for everyone. I also liked the mango as a shake.

I don't like the MF cappuccino, so I mix the coffee soft serve with hot coffee in the ninja blender and its like a latte. I also use vanilla pudding for this with a few pumps of SF syrup blended until frothy. I have this for breakfast just about every day.

For the brownies, try extra liquid and don't cook as long as it says. I'd use almost 4 tbsp. of liquid (water mixed with SF chocolate syrup) and cook for about 1 minute. Some people report liking the brownies chilled in the freezer for about 30 mins. I assume this is after cooking, but I'm not sure.

I found low cal/carb salsa (5 cals. per tbsp.) and add 1-2 tbsp. of salsa to the chili, this makes it way more palatable for me.

For the pancakes there are low or no carb pancake syrups available, MF even sells one now. Not sure if its ok to mention brands, but feel free PM me for suggestions.

Another pancake idea, MF "cookies/biscuits" - I mix pancake and shake packets together, and sometime use soft serve, and bake them. I tried pudding in the mix but it did not bake up well. My favorite combo: 1 packet of pancakes (plain or chocolate chip):1 dark chocolate shake:1 peanut butter soft serve.

For each packet used add about 2 Tbsp. liquid (water or water mixed with SF syrup), and a 1/4 tsp. or so of baking powder if desired, though they will come out fine without it. The dough should be moist and fairly sticky, similar to bisquick or drop biscuit dough.

Stir and portion out (as many portions as the number of packets that you used) as evenly as possible onto parchment paper. I usually use 6 packets per batch for 6 portions/meals. You could probably also cook them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, but I always used parchment and they wouldn't stick. Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes until puffed up and fairly firm to the touch.

Each makes one meal. I always weighed mine after cooking and found the portion sizes to be fairly accurate, within 0.1 oz each. I freeze these after baking and they keep well. Defrost at room temp. or microwave for 20-30 secs. from frozen. They keep better if frozen because the protein in the MF packets starts to oxidize and degrade fairly soon after preparation - hence the "MF stink". Once I left a travel mug that had my MF 'latte' in it in my car overnight, phew did it stink in there the next day, even with the lid on the mug.

I was also compulsive about the MF boards, and though some folks over there are SO holier-than-thou I did find a lot of nice people and very helpful support. I haven't participated there for a while though as the lectures and constant "100% on plan or not 100% on plan" battles were wearing out my patience.

Last tip - if you feel weak or dizzy, try drinking some electrolyte enhanced water (just plain water, not flavored like a sports drink - there are several brands available). My TSFL HC, who is a physician, suggested this and it really helped me. I found that my blood pressure was really low on 5/1 and this helped me to keep my energy up and not feel so dizzy.

Sorry this post is SO LONG!!!

So you may be fighting an impossible fight right now and be better off going a different route.

I don't know if its completely impossible but I certainly don't have the drive that I did when I started 5/1 originally, but I'm not eating very healthfully now. I got so used to being in no fruit/restricted veggie mode on MF that even in transition and maintenance I never really regained interest in fruit or some veggies that I used to eat. Most days now I eat 2 or 3 MF meals during the day, totally blow it at dinner and don't eat much in the way of fruit or vegetables at all. This is NOT how I was eating pre-cruise:( Its time to get back to the basics of eating well and tracking what I eat!

I will let you know how I do. The stuff should come today or tomorrow. I can't fit into any of my work clothes- yesterday was another embarrassment. I can't wait for this stuff to arrive. It's been years- I should do okay.

Good luck! The first couple of days are rough, but once that ketosis kicks in you should feel pretty great! I hear from people on the MF boards that the difference in food options between now and several years ago is tremendous. The chocolate chip pancakes are great (I mix them with other packets to make portable MF 'cookies') and I love the new bbq/pizza puffs. I had a wake up call after new years when I tried on some of my work pants and felt like a sausage, if I could even zip them. I made a promise to myself that if I started to gain I wasn't going to buy bigger clothes like I'd done in the past - this is a good motivator! Keep us posted on your progress.

So I lost 65 lbs. on Medifast 5/1 from Oct. 2010 - June/July 2011 transition. I'd maintained within 5 lbs. of goal since July, until I cruised on Enchantment of the Seas the week before Christmas. I found myself slipping back into pre-MF habits on the cruise (eating when I wasn't hungry, eating for entertainment, etc.) and continued pretty much through New Years Day. Since Mid-December I've gained back 12 lbs. I made up my mind to draw a line in the sand and go cold turkey back to 5/1 but then I caught a bad flu the first week in January and couldn't face the packets (though I managed to stick to it when I was sick on 5/1 before).

I've started most every day on plan in the last week but by dinner I'm eating carbs again. I'm terrified because I'm going on another cruise in March and I'm afraid I will allow myself stay in 'cruise eating mode' until the next one is over! I had my first appointment with a new trainer today, so that should help me get back on track. For some reason the idea of going back into ketosis freaks me out this time which doesn't make sense, because I had a iron will on 5/1 for 8 months until I reached goal.

But, my question for any frequent cruiser MF maintainers out there is: how do you break out of 'cruise eating' once you get home (or do you even let yourself get into cruise mode in the first place...)??

Thanks!

Lauren

Totally understand! However, that does not change that fact that the majority of us are waiting with bated breath for your next post :p

I'm sailing on Oasis in March and a member of the "waiting with bated breath" club, thank you for your excellent review, looking forward to the rest! I hope the DROBO decides to cooperate! ;)

Congratulations!

8 days, Enchantment of the Seas! I can't wait!!