I'm a first-timer on NCL, and folks on this site were so helpful, I thought I'd pay it forward with a review of the pros and cons of my 9-day Joy cruise. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, but I'll break it down by category. Just for some background, I was traveling with a friend of many years and age-wise, let’s just say we are both old enough to be able to compare the Beatles tribute band to the real thing, whom we saw together at Shea Stadium---so no comments of any things specifically geared towards kids.
Ship: My friend and I both enjoy larger ships more than smaller, as we feel they offer more to do and there’s always somewhere new to explore. The Joy ticked off that box, but it is also a beautiful, elegant-looking ship. Most striking is the Observation Lounge on deck 15; I have never seen anything like this on any ship of any cruise line I’ve traveled with. Nearly an entire deck is dedicated to creating a large, airy, comfortable space to sit and relax or read or play board games (provided for you if you don’t have your own) or get a bite to eat (complimentary nibbles throughout much of the day) or to simply sit and watch the ocean go by. There are floor to ceiling windows and comfortable couches, chairs, and even loungers to do it in. Even if you have a balcony room, as we did, it is easy to be drawn to the views from this part of the ship.
Cabin: we booked a 'regular' balcony room: 11788. (a bit forward of mid-ship, a few cabins away from the elevator--something we both wanted. There was never a problem with noise, either from people getting off and on the elevator, or the 'bings' announcing its arrival.
Pros: the room was modern-looking, and had a lot of interesting amenities, like a bedside lamp with a USB port so that you could charge your phone/iPad while reading in bed. Also, in addition to the normal light, there was also a little 'pen-light', great if one person needs a bit of light while the other is sleeping. We both found the beds comfortable and the pillows even more so. The bathroom was reasonably sized for room of this type and the shower had a glass door--so no playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtains. And there was a good amount of shelf space with all our separate toiletries and makeup. There was also plenty of shelf space in the cabin for 2 women to tuck away all their clothes and shoes. (assuming you use the shelves under the desk too) The couch was next to the balcony door--which I prefer--and while the balcony itself was not huge, it was certainly big enough for 2 people to sit out there comfortably. (NOTE: when standing at the railing, the view looking straight down to the ocean is a little bit obstructed, as that part of the deck looks down on the top of one of the restaurants 2 or 3 decks below. But it’s not really a problem as you can certainly see the water, and when sitting, you see only ocean; it’s definitely not a big deal)
Cons: the cabin was VERY tight, both in length and width. With the beds separated into twins, there is literally 3 inches of space between one of the beds and the closet. In order to access much of the closet, my friend had to stand or kneel on her bed, because no human legs could fit between the bed and the closet. (If you are a couple and the beds are joined together, this problem will be solved—but it will still be tight) Width-wise, there is maybe a foot or so between the end of the beds and the wall. My suitcase would not fit through without turning it sideways, and for those that need them, there’s no way a wheelchair or even a walker would get through that space; you would have to fold them up to get them past the beds. Once you’re past the bed(s), there is a reasonable amount of space between the couch on one side and the desk/shelving along the wall on the other. All that said, after the first shock about the size, we did get used to it and were relatively comfortable in the room. We both agreed that if the price was right, we’d both book that type of cabin again.
Food: My friend generally slept in and hit the buffet for breakfast when she woke up. I’m an earlier riser and I generally went to the dining room. (both Taste and Savor) We both went to ‘The Limited’ a couple of times. Lunch was always at the buffet and dinner was in the Manhattan Dining Room every night except the 2 specialty dinners we booked. Overall, we found the food to be quite good in all those places, although obviously better in the dining room and best in the specialty restaurants.
Buffet: Lots of choices, lots of variety, whether it was the salads, the main dishes, or the desserts. Some things were much better than other things, which could be a product of personal taste as well as general quality. Basically, it was the equivalent of a nice, upscale buffet (a oxymoron, I know—but such things do exist) and I can’t imagine not being able to find something you will like—and plenty of it. We were happy with the choices and quality of the food there.
Taste/Savor: same menu in both places. I only went here for breakfast, simply because I usually ate that meal alone and it was easier to do it here rather than the buffet, where there’s always the problem of what to leave on the table so that no one else takes it. I went here primarily for the bagel, cream cheese and smoked salmon platter, because it’s my favorite breakfast and at $40 a pound here in NYC, I needed to get my ‘lox fix’ while on the ship. And it was really good.
The Limited: I ate here twice for breakfast, and it was also good. I had a cheese omelet once and the French toast another time. Both were good, diner-level food. (and I mean that as a compliment) Also, if you’re in a hurry, this is the best place to get served quickly. We didn’t eat lunch or dinner here, but the menus looked interesting.
Manhattan Dining Room: We ate dinner here all but two of the nights, and thought it was wonderful. There were 5 or 6 entrees that were different every night, and 5 or 6 ‘classics’ that were repeated nightly. Everything we ordered there was very well-prepared and yummy. We did miss the one night of lobster tails that NCL has eliminated, but there was plenty of other seafood dishes, and lots of other tasty things as well. Eating here was more of an ‘experience’ than the other free dining venues; lots of attention from the waitstaff, multiple courses, and the offering were generally a bit more elegant. And it also takes more time to eat dinner here. These were all things my friend and I were looking for, but I can certainly understand that there are many people on board for whom this type of meal is not what they want. (I should note, given the constant ‘dress code wars’ on CruiseCritic boards that you can eat here in pants, shorts, or anything else, except bathing suit attire. But there were people here who got dressed up—as we did one night, simply because we wanted to)
Specialty Restaurants; FYI: there has been some controversy on board about just how much you can order in these restaurants. I can only say that both times, the first thing our wait person said when giving us the menu was “you get 1 appetizer (and 1 soup or salad in Cagney’s), 2 sides, an entrée, and a dessert. No unlimited anything. That said, it was still SO MUCH FOOD. The portions in both places were very generous and frankly, we left food on our plates in both places because it was just too much. (it really hurt not be able to take home leftovers in a doggie bag!) Others may have had a different experience, but either way, you are not going to leave hungry.
Q Texas BBQ: we chose this because BBQ is the one kind of food that isn’t as prevalent in NYC as the other choices, and we thought it would be a nice change. We were very happy with the choice. The food was really good, and the service was as well—and there was a live band too!
Cagney’s: Steakhouses are something we’re very familiar with in NYC, but so many posters on CC raved about this place, we had to try it—and we were not disappointed. Our steaks were cooked to perfection and all the components of the meal were fabulous. Again, great service and there was a sophisticated ambiance; having a meal with Frank Sinatra singing in the background seemed perfect. We would definitely recommend eating here.
Pool: I hit the pool every morning at 7:00 AM, so that I could swim laps and do some water aerobics, which would have been impossible any later in the day. My friend liked to go in the afternoon, when it was the most crowded.
Pros: For me, there were no cons. I had the pool (and seemingly the entire pool deck) to myself, and it was quiet and peaceful; my only companions were towels on chaises—and the occasional passersby leaving their towels. Every once in a while, someone would sit down in one of the deck chairs and as I was finishing up my workout, sometimes someone else arrived to begin their workout in the pool. It was an absolutely lovely way to start my day.
Cons: the pool deck was mostly that—deck and not pool. There is the ‘main’ pool, just off the buffet entrance, and another pool on the other side of the deck, next to the kids’ aqua park. In fact, for most of the cruise, I thought that was the ‘kiddy pool’, not only because it was next to the aqua park, but because it had a lifeguard stationed there. Both pools are relatively small and become so crowded, they are impossible to actually swim in later in the day. And very oddly, there is no ‘shallow end’ in the pool I swam in: it’s 6’10” from end to end and I was told that the other pool is about 5’10” from end to end. There are also a couple of smallish hot tubs, which were as packed as the pools as the day went on. And unlike most other ships I’ve been on, there’s no complementary ‘adults only’ pool. And yes, the chair hogs were out in force. And no, the rule was never enforced. When I arrived at 7:00 AM, there were already dozens of chairs and chaises with towels on them. The upshot of this, is that when my friend came down in the afternoon to hit the pool and sit for a while, it was almost impossible to find a free chaise. As I said, for me it was no problem, but for others, be warned: until or unless NCL (or any cruise line) is willing to enforce their own rules, if you’re not willing to get up early in the morning and ‘save’ a seat, you’re probably not going to get one later in the day—and certainly not a group of chairs together for a family. (obviously, on port days, it was much less crowded than on sea days)
Entertainment: We saw both featured shows (Footloose and Elements), also a husband/wife aerialist act, a comedian, a magician, a cabaret act by some of the Footloose cast, and of course—the Beatles tribute shows. (Footloose, Elements, and the comedian required reservations (for his ‘family-friendly’ show) that could only be made once on board; the rest were just show up and enjoy)
Pros: we loved everything we choose to see. All of the performers were really talented and the productions very professionally done. Our personal favorites were the cabaret show (45 minutes of Broadway show tunes sung by really talented people, up close and personal—yes, please) and the Beatles show. There are 3 separate segments to this: the Beatlemania years, the Sgt. Pepper years, and the Abbey Road years—all done in the ‘Cavern Club’, a mock-up of the real one in Liverpool. But there are also 2 shows in the theater, which combine the music and costumes from all the eras, and thus repeat what was done in the Cavern shows. Be warned—if you want to go to the Cavern shows, get there EARLY—it’s a small venue and fills to standing room very quickly. But it really fun. There’s also a thousand things going on during the day and night; trivia games, line-dancing lessons, contests, music by the pool, etc. And of course, the casino and the shops for those interested in that. There’s something for everyone, all the time.
Cons: there really are none; we enjoyed everything we saw.
Service: Generally, the staff on all cruise ships are helpful and nice; after all, they want your repeat business. But I have to say that NCL seemed to be a cut above other cruise line I’ve been on. From our cabin steward whom we saw every day, to staff members we saw just once on the entire cruise, everyone was incredibly friendly and solicitous. If you stopped for more than a moment to think about where you were headed next, there was a staff member there asking if they could help. The Guest Services desk was wonderful in solving a couple of problems for us, and when my friend developed an allergic reaction to her seasickness patch and couldn’t go on our snorkeling trip because of it, the Excursions Desk staff person returned her money without any hesitation, even though it was way beyond the 48-hour deadline to cancel. Waitstaff in every restaurant were so kind and professional. In short, there wasn’t a staff member on the Joy that didn’t model this behavior.
Overall, we both had a very positive experience on the Joy and would cruise with NCL again if the opportunity allowed. I’m sure I forgot some things, so if anyone has any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
