Anyone been on NCL Joy Lately?

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, allready said:

I should have been clearer- the variety of slot machines were bad, and table min just too high. So much they were mostly empty tables

Thanks.  That makes sense.  I generally don't gamble, because I worked for my money.  I will play slots if there are true penny slots on board.  They're hard to find.  I found four on the Encore.  I found zero on the Joy.  I had to put a dollar into each machine to see what the "real" minimum bet was.  I finally just gave up at a fifty cent machine and decided to just make two minimum bets.  The literal first bet paid off a couple bucks, so I cashed out and collected my "winnings" at the cashier.  I think I tripled my money gambling that cruise.  Who can beat that? 😎

[phillygwm]

On 12/4/2022 at 12:45 PM, drumming cruisers said:

am wondering if anyone has been on the ship recently and thoughts about it. 

 

To preface, I was on Joy in October, Balcony cabin.  I quickly disregard super positive or super negative reviews.  I hope this will be constructively critical.  I'm actually booked on the Joy again next November so nothing I say was that bad 🙂  

 

I found the configuration of my room a bit odd (squeezing around the bottom of the bed to get from one side to the other.)  Also, I preferred the Observation Lounge on other B+ ships, where there's a huge circular bar, good for socializing.  The one on the Joy is a walkup.  That's great if you just want to chill but I found it less social and spent less time there versus the Bliss.  I especially enjoyed A List bar and the Brewhouse. 

 

I didn't see Footloose, though I enjoyed Elements.  I'm not one for onboard entertainment so that's high praise.  Restaurants were all good and service was outstanding in Le Bistro.  Maitre d' at Cagney's was especially accommodating (less so in Le Bistro.)  I had some issues in Ocean Blue but that was because it was a Canadian itinerary and drink service was a bit convoluted while in Canada waters.  That was a function of Canadian logistics (only one bar on each level can be open so the Deck 8 restaurants were all serviced through A List.)  The actual service was otherwise great.  Casino had a dedicated smoking area so the smoke was well contained.

 

All in all, while I preferred the Bliss (I've not been on Encore or Escape) I had no serious complaint with the Joy.

Edited December 9, 2022 by phillygwm

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

All in all, while I preferred the Bliss (I've not been on Encore or Escape) I liked the Joy as well.

That's good to hear.  I've been on Encore and Joy, but not Bliss yet.  We do have a 2023 Bliss B2B booked and paid, so I'll soon see for myself. 😎

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's good to hear.  I've been on Encore and Joy, but not Bliss yet.  We do have a 2023 Bliss B2B booked and paid, so I'll soon see for myself. 😎

I LOVED the Observation Lounge on the Bliss and spent most of my (not insubstantial) drinking time there.  I think its OL is similar to Encore, from what I've seen in pics. 

 

It's always nice to find your "local" when you're on a ship, which I really didn't do last time on Joy.  I didn't care for the walk-up OL bar, which disappointed me.   I think Brewhouse came closest to my favorite, though I loved the bartenders at A List.  

 

Live and learn.  I was on Deck 15 last time, thinking I'd be in the OL a lot more.  Instead, I spent most of my onboard time on Deck 8.  So made sure my cabin is on 8 this time around.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

53 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

I think Brewhouse came closest to my favorite, though I loved the bartenders at A List.  

I think we were on the same Joy sailing in October.  If you spent significant time in the brewhouse, you may have seen me in action!  (I was the guy who always had a tall Guinness nearby).  Did you spend much time listening to Ryan at the Piano/Guitar?

[phillygwm]

19 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I think we were on the same Joy sailing in October.  If you spent significant time in the brewhouse, you may have seen me in action!  (I was the guy who always had a tall Guinness nearby).  Did you spend much time listening to Ryan at the Piano/Guitar?

Yes, we were on the same 10 day.  I found the Brewhouse relatively late in the cruise.  There was a Colombian guy on piano.  At least I'll not need to get acclimated on my next sailing.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

21 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

There was a Colombian guy on piano.

Yep.  That wasn't Ryan.  I know the guy you're talking about.

[Sailing12Away]

19 hours ago, phillygwm said:

It's always nice to find your "local" when you're on a ship, which I really didn't do last time on Joy.  I didn't care for the walk-up OL bar, which disappointed me.   I think Brewhouse came closest to my favorite, though I loved the bartenders at A List.  

Different strokes for different folks. We were at the A list bar while waiting for our group before dinner and it was our least favorite. They made you stick to the drink choices on the menu only, didn't have some of the ingredients to make 1/3 of those drinks, took about 10-15 mins to prepare a single drink, and barely said hi or acknowledged you at all. 

 

Guess we just hit them on a bad night. It was early, 6pm so can't say it was overly crowded yet.

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, Sailing12Away said:

Different strokes for different folks. We were at the A list bar while waiting for our group before dinner and it was our least favorite. They made you stick to the drink choices on the menu only, didn't have some of the ingredients to make 1/3 of those drinks, took about 10-15 mins to prepare a single drink, and barely said hi or acknowledged you at all. 

We had a group board at the Other Place for our sailing.  Everyone was posting pics of their Espresso martinis that one bartender in A List made.  Not usually my thing but, of course, I had to try.  Yes, it was really good!  Plus, it was convenient for a pre-dinner drink when we were at Cagney's or Le Bistro.  But the bar tended to be crowded so I understood they couldn't really socialize.  I usually stuck to Veuve and often a club soda or Diet Coke on the side if I was getting a bit too carried away so nothing terribly complex.  I liked the entertainment in District Brewhouse but it was sometimes difficult to have a conversation.  The bartenders in Maltings and the rum bar were very friendly but I'm not really a "brown liquor" or rum guy so didn't spend a ton of time there.

 

I really didn't find myself migrating to any one bar, as I often do.  Maybe that was because it was Canada and there were limited bars open much of the time.  I found the wine bar was rarely open except for special events (I had OBC to burn so signed up for two tastings.)  Loved Shakers and the Champagne bar on the Jewel and Breakaway class ships, OL on the B+ class other than Joy, etc.  

[tcruisin77]

A List was the only bar I could find that made the Aviation cocktail. It’s a like it or not botanically flavored martini that was my evening drink of choice on our last trip. 

[HuliHuli]

I've sailed both Bliss and Joy - overall I liked the Bliss better and have booked her next July.  I like the restaurants better on Bliss, e.g., Los Lobos; DW did not like LeBistro food.  Joy felt more crowded and some of the service staff - bar/housekeeping - were not on top of their game.