The good and the bad (check-in) Joy, NYC to Bermuda, May 1, 2022

[kylenyc]

The good: Joy has a lovely crew. My experience with all crew members was nearly perfect. Food was excellent at Cagney's and Food Republic. I found the food at La Cucina to be bland (shrimp lobster ravioli and the soup). I opted for La Cucina over the Smokehouse because I had a craving for carbs. The carbonara was pretty good. Tip: On ships with a La Cucina, the room service pizza I suspect comes from La Cucina because it's crispier with better ingredients. I'm not fond of the layout of the Joy because many of the venues feel smaller and enclosed. Spice H2O felt smaller and the layout cramped.  People will appreciate that there is an enclosed smoking section in the Casino although plenty of smoke creeps out into the hallway but far enough away from main section of the casino. Judging by the many more active gambling on this sailing, I suspect, this is a good thing for NCL's bottom line. I'm a fan of the Jewel-class ships. For more apples to apples comparison, I prefer the original Breakaway class ships where Maltings, Shakers, Ocean Blue, Wasabi Bar, Raw Bar, etc on Decks 7 & 8 are out in the open. It makes Breakaway-class ships feel bigger and the boardwalk more accessible. The bars ran out of mud slides and charge a premium to make anything with Bailey's. They no longer stock Captain Morgan spiced rum. Shocking I say. Shocking!

 

The bad: Check in time is now even longer and more strenuous than when covid testing was required at the pier. 90 minutes of standing. Here's my experience:

• Arrive at the pier and stand in line for security screening.
• Next EVERYONE except Haven guests are directed to a pre-screening line where port agents check your documentation (Bermuda Travel Authorization, vaccination, covid test, identification). Haven guests skip to the front of this line. Latitudes Gold plus priority embarkation is not respected. Everyone must go from standing in a security line to standing in another line with no place to sit. I observed that most people came prepared with their documentation. This means that all passengers are required to be screened in order to identify the minority of passengers who need additional assistance. This increased  overall standing waiting time for all passengers (except Haven guests).
• Next to the check-in line. The line here is next to non-existent because everyone is backed up on the previous line. Of the five port agents I encountered throughout this process, none recognized Latitudes Gold plus priority embarkation or waiting area as was done for past Bermuda cruises. One was flat out rude. When I escalated to a supervisor I was finally directed to board. Unfortunately, the only opportunity to escalate is after waiting on two very long lines.

 

NCL should return to the regular check-in process. If a passenger is missing documentation, they should be pulled aside and given additional assistance. This would ensure that all passengers have the fastest check-in experience possible.

Edited May 8, 2022 by kylenyc

[CastAStone]

21 hours ago, kylenyc said:

The good: The bars ran out of mud slides and charge a premium to make anything with Bailey's. They no longer stock Captain Morgan spiced rum. Shocking I say. Shocking!

I was on the same cruise and they ran out of a ton of beers as well. They said they were struggling with sourcing. They also appear to be getting rid of Jack Daniels products, they had disappeared from all the menus (but were still at most of the bars).

[kylenyc]

On 5/9/2022 at 8:22 AM, CastAStone said:

I was on the same cruise and they ran out of a ton of beers as well. They said they were struggling with sourcing. They also appear to be getting rid of Jack Daniels products, they had disappeared from all the menus (but were still at most of the bars).

I meant to put that in the bad section. No mudslides or Jack is certainly not a good thing. 🙃

[jfio1021]

28 minutes ago, kylenyc said:

I meant to put that in the bad section. No mudslides or Jack is certainly not a good thing. 🙃

did they have alternate Irish cream ? mudslides are my fav drink, this is disappointing 

[kylenyc]

On 5/10/2022 at 11:02 PM, jfio1021 said:

did they have alternate Irish cream ? mudslides are my fav drink, this is disappointing 

They didn't have a replacement at Spice H2O. When the bar "ran out of mudslides", he substituted kind of regular cream or ice cream mixer. Later he made me something with Kahlua Amaretto cream and vodka. A bit sweet but nice. I eventually settled for white russians (kahlua and vodka).

 

Armand at the A-List bar still had some Baileys. He might make you a proper mudslide one even though that bar isn't suppose to serve it. He's a nice friendly bartender. They are probably saving what stock they have left so they can serve Irish coffee at Cagney's and Le Bistro.

 

The bartender at the Atrium bar has more experience and said they'd make it. She told me if you have the beverage plan they will make it for you with Bailey's and charge you the difference of anything over $15. She said it be about one or two dollars.

Edited May 12, 2022 by kylenyc