Semi-Live Joy 7 nights NY-Canada New England 9.16.2022 - we are back

[graphicguy]

31 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

A final look at Pier 88, almost all colors called by 8:25, we just went thru the MDR to the AFT gangway, the closest one to exit for the terminal's lower level. Got our 2 bags, flag a porter & quick got thru facial recognition again. CBP officer took a quick look at our passports & welcome us home ... We're across 12th Ave by 8:45 to order our ride, Carmel - Uber & went w Lyft, a bit more pricey than usual w U.N. Assembly in town, but heading home in a Toyota sedan now ... should be at our doorsteps before 10 am.

 

I know that scene.  Will be there in about a month! 😉

[Snowrose]

15 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Did you see any hints of fall colors during this cruise?

 

We were on the cruise before mking, there were a few branches turning color here and there but not that many.

[Snowrose]

14 hours ago, dmlrra said:

Going on Joy when you come in tomorrow. Just curious how bad vibration is in aft since that is where we are. Thank you for your reports. Very informative. Enjoy your last evening!

 

We were on the cruise before this and rode out the end of Hurricane Earl one evening. The ship was amazingly stable after taking on ballast and setting out the stabilizers. We did gain a few new creaks in the walls after that night and did have one maybe 20 degree tilt sideways as we crossed past the lead waves and back into calmer waters, but that was it.

Edited September 23, 2022 by Snowrose

[Holly g]

Thanks you for an enjoyable read!  

I read every word and thought the pics were great!  We are taking this cruise Oct 12 but it’s a 10 night. 
so where are you going next?  Lol. Looking forward to your next cruise report!

[fstuff1]

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

A final look at Pier 88, almost all colors called by 8:25, we just went thru the MDR to the AFT gangway, the closest one to exit for the terminal's lower level. Got our 2 bags, flag a porter & quick got thru facial recognition again. CBP officer took a quick look at our passports & welcome us home ...

We're across 12th Ave by 8:45 to order our ride, Carmel - Uber & went w Lyft, a bit more pricey than usual w U.N. Assembly in town, but heading home in a Toyota sedan now ... should be at our doorsteps before 10 am.

 

CBP officers looked at your passport?

When i went through, noone stop me or anyone ahead of me after the facial recognition cameras.

 

Any reason why?

random?

 

[mking8288]

42 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

CBP officers looked at your passport?  When i went through, noone stop me or anyone ahead of me after the facial recognition cameras.

Any reason why?  random?

Yeah, just 1 CBP officer & he was Asian ... we went down the middle (porter following / alongside with us) where there was almost no wait ~ 8:35 to 8:40 

DW and I went thru those funky cameras (they don't auto zoom, tilt & adjust ... silly tech) quickly & without errors.  The uniformed guy stopped Mrs. M and took 2 quick glances at the passports, then smile & welcome us back home - it was simple.  Perhaps, it was just a random thing & not our profile(s) - only had 2 carry-on bags (oversized, unzipped) plus a smaller rollerboard & a cabin-size backpack with us ... didn't even ask any questions.   

 

Now that you mentioned it, hmmm ...  I was thinking, are you going to stay on again or decided to take a rest with Fiona approaching 

 

3 hours ago, Holly g said:

Thanks you ... taking this cruise Oct 12 but it’s a 10 night ... Looking forward to your next cruise report!

Thanks all for following and if the pictures & short stories helped bring a smile or two, then I know the effort was totally worth it.  We think of & missed other CC friends (i.e. @jaja from NJ) whom we've met and unable to cruise or not yet, for whatever reasons - life changing events aside from Covid.  Stay tune for our next "semi-live" ... most probably, take the So.Carib route this winter on a longer itinerary & hit some new/different ports - not to exclude catching a last minute rock bottom deal & just pack and go, and blend in quietly.  

 

4 hours ago, Snowrose said:

The ship was amazingly stable after taking on ballast and setting out the stabilizers ... gain a few new creaks in the walls after .. and ... one maybe 20 degree tilt sideways as we crossed past the lead waves and back into calmer waters, but that was it.

I did mention a brief listing last night around 6'ish - per Capt Svedung, an expected & sudden strong wind gust from chopping thru the cold front caused it, not from the outer bands of Fiona still way, way far out & approaching Bermuda then ... as we're in the North Atlantic SE of Cape Cod.  We listed or tilted, maybe 10 to 15 degrees, no worst than 20 degrees as things would begin to slide & go flying ... quickly corrected from the bridge, with 2 updates from the bridge to calm "nerves" 

 

It's going to be very interesting - tracking & "monitoring" today's 10 days run to C-NE to see what & where the Joy is diverting to.  Capt Svedung is an experienced old hand at NCL and he's excellent at the controls - the other captain is leaving the ship today for vacation, and with new crews that came onboard last Friday - it can be a wild one.  Overall, we did hear metals grinding last night (behind the walls, the bathroom door (latex glove inserted into the door "lock" silence it) and inside the closet with the wooden hangers (bath towels used to cushion, clipped & drapped over as padding to cut down the noise)  - not really new to all these, just surprised that it's happening to a fairly "new" ship.  It helped DW got another restful night ... didn't get awaken to nudge me to "fix" things or to dial 00

 

5 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I know that scene.  Will be there in about a month! 😉

Oh yeah, pretty much status quo at Pier 88 - seemed like they are changing & adjusting the check-in process, sequence & how different "privilege" passenger groupings are processed & handled.  All-in-all, much improved over the Joy's early May embarkation steps (maybe, it was the Bermuda curse ... LOL)  Allright, your turn in a few weeks and will be following along - your live report among the few that I always look forward to.   Word of caution - (food) portion sizes are average to big, to sometimes ... jumbo, be careful or you will be bringing home extra pounds.  Since we are all retirees now, why not - LOL.  Still, DW and I ate more fish onboard for the week vs. being home ... discovered crispy hash browns that's been MIA and I'm happy with my smoked salmon "fix" for a little while. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by mking8288

[snorklinbarb]

@Turtles06You're totally correct about the wording.

Just got off Joy and we cleared immigration in Portland.  So when we received that "Know Before You Go" I noticed that same blurb when I checked Gold and it said I was "required" to get off at 7:45 am. to "clear immigration."

 

Called Guest Svcs who checked it out and said, "No, you don't have to get off  because you already completed immigration."

 

I told them it was causing some confusion.

 

Apparently same thing happened in this case?

Edited September 23, 2022 by snorklinbarb

[snorklinbarb]

Glad you are home and hope this time you both remain healthy and hearty!

Edited September 23, 2022 by snorklinbarb

[Turtles06]

26 minutes ago, snorklinbarb said:

Apparently same thing happened in this case?

 

Hi Barb, I don't think so.  @mking8288's last port was Halifax, so they didn't hit U.S. immigration until back in NY.  IIRC, your cruise had Portland as its last port before NY, and the first after Canada, which is why you all had to clear U.S. immigration in Portland.

That is some confusing language in the Daily!  🙃

[ChiefMateJRK]

32 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Capt Svedung is an experienced old hand at NCL and he's excellent at the controls

Does the Captain actually do anything with the controls?  I think that's Sulu and Chekov.

[mking8288]

Continuation of the Freestyle Daily - Day 2, 3, and 4 (PDF format for easier/faster download for those interested, or else, skip ove)

 

Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 2.pdf Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 3.pdf Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 4.pdf

Edited September 24, 2022 by mking8288

[Sea Monster 2]

@mking8288 Thanks for this thread and for organizing the M&G! I will add to the story of the list yesterday when we hit the storm— our cabin was on the front of the ship and we were watching it roll towards us. That wind gust grabbed one of our deck chairs and tossed it overboard!! Very dramatic moment!  That said, for all the wind we encountered, we found the ship to be very stable and comfortable.  It was great to be back to cruising and we had a wonderful week!

[mking8288]

Final batch of Freestyle Daily - Day 5, 6 and 7 in PDF format for download - 

 

Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 5.pdf Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 6.pdf Freestyle Dailies Joy - Day 7.pdf

[mking8288]

These 3 pages were distributed for NYC Disembarkation upon returning from our last port, Halifax, NS.  

 

Although both Savor & Taste were suppose to stay open for breakfast until 8:30 am, Savor was closed by 7:30 as there weren't too few remaining onboard & going to the MDR - hardly busy at all - with the lower occupancy level of 2,900 pax.  We saw a handful of the 24 children/teens onboard during the entire week, mostly really younger ones (pre-schoolers)

 

I stopped by Guest Services and spoke with one of the team member about the wording & "required" to disembark to report to immigration/custom at the designated hour (i.e. Sapphire, no later than 7:45 am ) ... not true.  We (and others) can stay onboard as late as 9 a.m. but that we should let the steward know so that they can work around other empty (vacated) cabins assigned first.  Poorly worded - someone, most likely, didn't properly do the cut-n-paste and it wasn't proofread before mass printed for distribution.  

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2022 by mking8288

[mking8288]

39 minutes ago, Sea Monster 2 said:

@mking8288 ... great to be back to cruising and we had a wonderful week!

Allison & Eric, glad that everything worked out - I was pleased with seeing so many showing up for the M&G, and for some of the officers to be there.  Too little time really for the group to truly mingle, chat & share stories ... while mindful this cruise was a first for some since 2020, tried to keep it short & fun.  Despite our balcony, we spend a good amount of time forward at the Observation Lounge, watching the sea go by - calm & smooth ocean all week along last night.  I was downstairs coming out of LeBistro and realized ship was tilting and listed by more than a few degrees briefly, paused to grab a handrail - and the captain's voice came over the PA shortly for the 1st time then.  Haha, that was exciting but I can just imagine watching a deck chair flew off into ocean air.  Trust that both of you are home and/or still in town enjoying the city - safe travel, regardless ... watching NOAA on the latest storm updates.

 

The Joy sailed again with no change in reported next port/destination up north (PEI ... I believe) while the QM2 is heading from NY to Boston instead, around the same time.  Hmmm ... 

 

5 hours ago, snorklinbarb said:

Glad you are home and hope this time you both remain healthy and hearty!

 

Thanks and you read/followed our previous "joy'ous adventure" at sea ... LOL.  First thing we both did, self-swab since we got a good stockpile of kits around, happy to report & share that - 20 minutes later, "negative" x 2.  Going to repeat that in 2 or 3 days, just in case.  I'm pretty sure our bivalent booster shot done about 2 weeks ago "helped" a little bit.  We've been using our regular masks selectively all week.  However, watchng "Elements" the show in the main theater Wednesday night, we discretely changed to our KN95 once seated ... especially when we heard a bit of random, coughing around us.  A small fraction of folks, mostly older passengers continue to mask up, a wise move & is more than simply peace-of-mind.  

[EllieinNJ]

Yesterday before disembarking the ship, me and my husband both were starting to feel cold symptoms coming on.  We got home around noon and he started to feel worse.  Heavy coughing and bad headache while I just had what seemed to be a head cold.  This morning we both tested positive for covid.  Had to cancel a dental appointment for Monday and doubt if I can go back to work on Tuesday because I work in a hospital and we have to do a questionaire about covid every morning before coming to work.   I have been working in the ICU the whole time during the pandemic and this is the first time I've caught covid.

 

I just wanted to mention a few things I enjoyed very much during this cruise.  First, we love the entertainment on board and the Joy did not disappoint.  We saw two of the Beatles shows in the main theater and thought they were one of the best cover bands of the Beatles we have seen.  Footloose was okay but a tad too long.  I remember seeing Elements a long time ago and enjoyed it just as much now as then.  One of the comics, John, was much funnier than the other and we saw both his shows.  The singer Gen in the main theater did a Divas show and was wonderful.  The magician did nothing new.

 

We also listened to Arvin and Emily several times in the Atrium and loved them.  My husband loves latin music but was not thrilled by the latin bands.  And then the Footloose cast did a show of Broadway tunes from the 1980's which was exceptional.  

 

This was our first time eating in Food Republic and Q.  The food in Food Republic was outrageously good.  I loved my cajun shrimp skewers in Q but my husband didn't like the ribs there.  The portion was small and raw.  Cagney's was great as always but this time I was a little disappointed in Le Bistro.  We ate there the last night and nothing seemed to taste good.  It was right before we started to feel sick.

 

We took three of the NCL excursions.  The best one was in Boston.  It was the city tour and harbor cruise.  We had a great guide and was very organized.  We did the hop on hop off bus in Saint John during on and off rain so wasn't too bad.  I mentioned the hop on hop off bus in Halifax previously where they made us wait standing in a line almost two hours.  When we got back to the ship we complained to the Shore desk people.  We received half the cost back plus they gave us a bottle of wine and had a cheese platter sent to our cabin.  In Portland we did a private tour with Discover Portland.  It was less than half of what NCL charged, even with the $50 off.  Just a ten minute walk down the main road to Long Wharf.

 

Henry, thanks for setting up the meet and greet and for arranging such an entertaining slot pull.  I had a great time even though i missed the latitudes party.   Hope to see you again on a future cruise.

[Thunderbird19]

For us newbies to NYC disembarking, do people have to “head across 12th Ave” because that is where we would get a taxi or UBER to bring us to a mid-town hotel? Thanks, in advance.

[shof515]

1 hour ago, Thunderbird19 said:

For us newbies to NYC disembarking, do people have to “head across 12th Ave” because that is where we would get a taxi or UBER to bring us to a mid-town hotel? Thanks, in advance.

the taxi waiting area is across the street from the terminal, you need to cross 12th ave

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Yesterday before disembarking ... me and my husband both were starting to feel cold symptoms coming on.  We got home around noon and he started to feel worse.  Heavy coughing and bad headache while I just had what seemed to be a head cold.  This morning we both tested positive ... been working in the ICU the whole time during the pandemic and this is the first time I've caught covid.

We also listened to Arvin and Emily several times in the Atrium and loved them. 

 

Henry, thanks for setting up the meet and greet and for arranging such an entertaining slot pull.  I had a great time even though i missed the latitudes party.   Hope to see you again on a future cruise.

 

Oh mine, thanks for sharing that, sounded like the last time we hit the C19 jackpot on the Joy and was also toward the end of the cruise, DW's positive result was a day behind mine ... mild symptoms easily mistaken for the seasonal cold toward the end of the 7 nighter.  Being an experienced ICU nurse, you know what to do for the next few days, the worst for us was over after 2 to 3 days, just feeling tired & wanted to rest, sleep - we stay hydrated & took extra Vitamin C's ... didn't bother to get ourselves tested until day 6 or 7, wasn't until day 10 or 11 that the faint line began to go away.  We quickly used up 4 or 5 test kits each and isolated at home, started emptying out our food stockpile in the freezer & called for food deliveries.  Feel better & it should gradually go away, and you'll have additional "natural" immunity on top of the booster shot(s).  

 

We are fine this time (knock on wood) ... thus far, not experiencing anything and going to do a 2nd round of self testing tomorrow - should be fine to further relax & venture out again.  We didn't go to the lounges or catch any shows except Elements, nor gone to the Latitudes gathering ... knowing that we won't be missing anything important.  Perhaps, we lucked out this time ... unless being in a healthcare environment (worked in an Article 28 FQHC for nearly 10 years in administrative capacity with training & hands-on in disaster/emergency mgmt, etc.) - just can't walk around all day in full PPE and really do proper decon - nearly all Joy cruisers ignore the washy washy drills & bypassed the sanitizers.  

 

Now, back to our usual routines & hanging out here on CC, while plotting our next cruise and look at last minute deals, etc.  Missing that gentle rocking already, spent all day doing laundry, cleaning the home & started getting out fall clothes ... staying productive.  Have a volunteer project to finish up in the next week or two, then resume working on upgrading hardwares on the home network server - instead of putting more in the "cloud". 

 

The slot pull was definitely fun and laughter filled ... and it was a very good to excellent turnout for the M&G, attendance was pretty close to the numbers I had in mind based on the sign up, although I never like being given the Brew House b/c of its physical layout & setup ... but, whatever ... pleasantly surprised that we are such a small circle of cruise "addicts" - names & faces, they just clicked, remembering each other from somewhere back in the days.  I'm sure that we'll come across each others again on another cruise.  Good luck on running your upcoming M&G and happy cruising soon.   

[Luv2cruze me and u]

Spot on!  Just got off same sailing.  Great week!  One more tip for anyone who has a late flight and does not know what to do with their bags.  We booked our flight thru NCL (Never Again).  It is cheap but beware your flight times are non negotiable (for the most part) and once booked, you are stuck with it.  Our flight back to Cleveland was 7:20pm so we had all day to hang in NYC.  The issue is we had three bags and didn't want to drag them all over the city.   There is a business called USA Bounce.  they are actually all over the country.  We found one at 612 11th Street.  This was about a 4 block walk from the pier.  The store is the Sunrise Market Place and is a small grocery store.  Don't be alarmed when you walk in.  Show them your reservation (print off before you leave home) and a gentleman will tag your bags, ask you to take a picture of the tag and bags for verification at pickup, and you will walk back to the sidewalk and he will open the door next to the store and place your bags inside.  There were about 20 suitcases inside.  We left and explored NYC for the day and returned about 3:30 to get bags and grab an Uber to the airport.  Cost is about $7 per bag.  Super smooth process.  Made the day much more enjoyable.  Will absolutely use this service in the future.  

 

FYI....may post this as a new thread for others on other ships/cities.

 

 

[shof515]

2 hours ago, Luv2cruze me and u said:

We found one at 612 11th Street.

 

 

one slight error: the actual address is 612 11th Ave

 

612 11th street is in the Brooklyn, very far away from the Manhattan cruise terminal

[Luv2cruze me and u]

53 minutes ago, shof515 said:

one slight error: the actual address is 612 11th Ave

 

612 11th street is in the Brooklyn, very far away from the Manhattan cruise terminal

Many thanks for the correction.  

[LATTELOVE]

On 9/22/2022 at 12:03 AM, mking8288 said:

Late night onboard the Joy - bars & lounges are alive & busy, ditto for to he casino, nobody out on the waterfront at 10 pm ... a bit chilly at 62 deg F and light wind.  Sea state with large waves, wave height gone from 8 ft. to 11.5 ft. now, ship speed at 18 knots on a 229 deg heading.

 

Really enjoying your photos and reviews.

Very beautiful ship.  

 

I love this picture of pillow man,

I have never seen any other cruise

line doing anything like it, So cool!

 

Thank you!

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, LATTELOVE said:

Really enjoying your photos and reviews.  Very beautiful ship ... love this picture of pillow man ... never seen any other cruiseline doing anything like it, So cool! 

 

Thank you ...  just finished our NCL post-cruise eSurvey and recognized our steward for her efforts, going above & beyond.  She found them to bring smiles & laughter not just to us, but apparently - to others on the deck assigned to her.  In our 22+ years worth of NCL cruising ... this is a first for us, especially in "steerage" - most certainly earned our token of "appreciation" in a gift envelope toward the end of our cruise week.  

 

Also, happy to share that both DW and I tested twice negative on our post-cruise C19 home test kit results.  Whew, didn't bring them the invisible micro-visitors home with us and/or risk spreading/exposing others.  Time to look ahead at our winter cruise, not ruling out a last minute bargain cruise deal this Fall - of course, after final payment deadline, prices dropped.  

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Also, happy to share that both DW and I tested twice negative on our post-cruise C19 home test kit results.  Whew, didn't bring them the invisible micro-visitors home with us and/or risk spreading/exposing others. 

 

Why all the testing?  Do you test all the time?  Covid happens (a LOT).  Nobody cares any more.