Striking Out to New Turf – A Joy(ful) Live – 3/18 – 3/25, Western Caribbean

[cruiseny4life]

Hi everyone - continued terrible internet. Only on Cruise Critic. We're in Harvest Caye having lunch in the Haven, then back to the beach fun!

 

Looks like this is going to be a review, rather than a live. Argh!

[mking8288]

20 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

... continued terrible internet. Only on Cruise Critic ... going to be a review, rather than a live ... 

You are on a cruise, go ahead & enjoy your vacation time onboard & ashore.  

 

Suffice to assume, Starlink hasn't rolled out yet, no Joy.  Apparently, someone claimed that the Getaway is switching over, unconfirmed.  

 

We stick with Google Fi unlimited Plus plan traveling abroad, on T-Mobile & their GSM cellular partner networks ... 5G and 4G LTE signals & coverage, switch off ship's satellite WiFi as soon as pickup a solid land tower's ping, with data only sims and tethering included at no extra charge. 

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Hi everyone - continued terrible internet. Only on Cruise Critic. We're in Harvest Caye having lunch in the Haven, then back to the beach fun!

 

Looks like this is going to be a review, rather than a live. Argh!

Have notice this in the past.  There's something about the connection between Cruise Critic and (any) cruise line's internet.  Some sort of incompatibllities.  Not sure what.  I know most internet activity using ship WiFi plans, while still not good, is at least serviceable.  Cruise Critic and ship WiFi?  Some sort of protocol glitch.

 

Cruise Critic might want to think about working with the cruise lines.  I'm sure from a marketing perspective (people trying to post their pics, vids, comments in real time) it would behoove both the cruise lines and Cruise Critic to sync.

[js]

Enjoy your cruise! What are you drinking?

How is the Haven bartender?

 

Would you mind taking a picture of your cabin. I have the same category HJ on Joy for August. If you could also please take a picture of the Haven Observation Lounge that would be fab too!

 

Enjoy your time with hubby and we will impatiently wait for you to return lol

Edited March 21, 2023 by js

[brookie848]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:04 AM, cruiseny4life said:

We stopped at one of the brand new NYS Thruway service areas. I've heard a lot about how badly these were designed. Suffice it to say, I was underwhelmed. Whomever approved the design of these pole barns needs to be fired Pronto!

 

 

 

Bottom line: NYS bid this hatchet job out and privatized the service areas. I love privatization, said no one ever. 

 

I haven't been in one of the new ones yet, but my husband went in one on one of our trips to/from the Finger Lakes last year. He said it was a nightmare -- he had to wait to use a urinal. It boggles my mind that they made them so much smaller. And there are a LOT of buses that use the Thruway. I can only imagine what is going to happen when a MegaBus and a tour bus converge on one of these at the same time.

 

And it ticks me off that they put Chick Fil A in them. Do not put a restaurant that is closed on Sunday in a place that needs to be open on Sunday.

[brookie848]

On 3/18/2023 at 4:35 PM, cruiseny4life said:

I've been instructed to let everyone know about a couple of annoyances. As a good husband, I am following through. 

 

1. Our luggage was halfway down the hallway, nowhere near the room. My husband hunted the suitcase down and ensured it made an appearance in our room.

 

2. The fruit bowl is kind of sad. We definitely received much better previously. There was no plastic, and bow, either. 

 

 

3. My annoyance, kind of. We have a succulent plant, instead of fresh flowers. The flowers provide a pop of color which I like. No shade to the succulent though. I enjoy them too!

 

 

4. We have met out butler, when he brought the fruit. He said he'd come back later. We haven't seen our room attendant. By this time, we have always been greeted and asked about our room preferences. $25 per person, per day, you'd expect the same service as when we paid $20 per person, per day...come to think of it, we pre-paid so maybe this is the new $40 per day service. I'll keep everyone updates.

 

5. Most importantly, we're not that annoyed. Just pointing out the differences from previous cruises and what we like/don't like, thus fat. We've had a wonderful 4.5 hours onboard so far!

We were on the Epic a few weeks ago and our fruit bowl was sad as well. It was never refilled unless we requested something (our M&Ms and beverages in the fridge were never refilled, either).

We also had a succulent instead of fresh flowers. I was really looking forward to the flowers since we haven't had any in our house in over three years and I miss them. My husband had a kidney transplant and fresh flowers in the house are one of the things that are technically illegal for him.

[Sailing12Away]

On 3/21/2023 at 3:11 PM, mking8288 said:

You are on a cruise, go ahead & enjoy your vacation time onboard & ashore.  

 

Suffice to assume, Starlink hasn't rolled out yet, no Joy.  Apparently, someone claimed that the Getaway is switching over, unconfirmed.  

 

We stick with Google Fi unlimited Plus plan traveling abroad, on T-Mobile & their GSM cellular partner networks ... 5G and 4G LTE signals & coverage, switch off ship's satellite WiFi as soon as pickup a solid land tower's ping, with data only sims and tethering included at no extra charge. 

Correct, no Starlink yet on Joy although it is coming. On our trip earlier this month we had dinner with one of the communication engineering officers. He said they have the equipment, but haven't yet had time to start installing it everywhere on all the ships. Said it would take a few months.

 

When you're on board, on the login.com website it lists a few "free" websites that don't use minutes. CC is one of them, but just like the experience here it never actually worked for me either. We have T-mobile and depending on where we're going will splurge the extra $40 for upgraded mobile data/calling on one of our phones for 10 days of coverage. I'd rather pay that then the unlimited wifi fees on board. For most things, our regular mobile data is fine, but if we have private tours booked I like having calling available to connect with the guides. 

[cruiseny4life]

We're on the ferry to Mexico and I have service! Don't know how long it'll be, but heeeeeeeey for a minute! Next cruise = unlimited internet. I don't like this conserving minutes, so yes, I'm a bad person that enjoys a connection to the outside world. 

 

We are still having a lovely time. Teppanyaki was great. I ordered a total of two drinks and received five throughout the night. Yum. Here's the booze sitch halfway through dinner.

 

[cruiseny4life]

Dinner last evening was in Q. While not land-based BBQ, it was good. The Mac and cheese (yall know I love me some mac) was decent, certainly not great.

 

 

Let's just get this out the way though. If you pay a la carte, you're nuts. Sorry to mybfriends that ordered a la carte. Norwegian should seriously be ashamed of themselves for the prices they charge for the portion sizes served.

 

 

Dining package? Ok, even though I'm still paying, I just don't known what with Free at Sea. And, we did upgrade to the two extra meals. That was certainly not a deal, but I dont feel ripped off like I would if I had paid a la care. With the dining package there is more than enough food though.

 

 

 

Still, the food was decent. The Wanted didn't sisappoint as they didn’t play super loud.  We were able to enjoy our food and conversation with our Canadian friends we've made onboard. They also played old classics, some Zac Brown Band, and Beach Boys.

 

 

We did have a fun evening enjoying the food, music, and conversation.

 

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/19/2023 at 9:20 AM, rainmakerjjo said:

which bars do you recommend?

You're sailing Haven, right? The Haven bar. Except that the bartenders are far too overworked. Typically there is one poor lady working while Rodney works elsewhere. I feel very poorly for Franchelle as she's moving constantly all day and dealing with entitled Haven passengers that are whining about poor service. 

 

I can't really recommend any bars. Lines everywhere are long, bartenders won't make the drink you request (even in Haven). Tried to order a Peach Bellini and was told no. I've never been told no in the Haven. More to follow on this as it has happened a couple of times. So, best to just pack your patience, have a couple drink possibilities, and be kind to the bartenders. Don't be a Haven entitled b@$!@=d.

 

 

[laudergayle]

Dessert TO-GO…with plastic wrap!!!  How novel.

[Sugar Magnolia]

36 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

We did have a fun evening enjoying the food, music, and conversation.

 

 

Did you like the banana pudding? I enjoyed it on the Encore.

 

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

Did you like the banana pudding? I enjoyed it on the Encore.

 

Yes! The pudding part. I'm a simple guy (if you hadn't noticed), so I'd prefer whipped cream to hardened meringue. I just took the meringue off and it was delish!

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, laudergayle said:

Dessert TO-GO…with plastic wrap!!!  How novel.

There's been all sorts of to go containers on this ship! I have photos of others somewhere for those that want visual proof.

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/21/2023 at 4:56 PM, js said:

Enjoy your cruise! What are you drinking?

How is the Haven bartender?

 

Would you mind taking a picture of your cabin. I have the same category HJ on Joy for August. If you could also please take a picture of the Haven Observation Lounge that would be fab too!

 

Enjoy your time with hubby and we will impatiently wait for you to return lol

Here's our room! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We requested the lounger, so don't expect it unless you ask your steward or pre-cruise concierge.

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/21/2023 at 3:51 PM, graphicguy said:

Have notice this in the past.  There's something about the connection between Cruise Critic and (any) cruise line's internet.  Some sort of incompatibllities.  Not sure what.  I know most internet activity using ship WiFi plans, while still not good, is at least serviceable.  Cruise Critic and ship WiFi?  Some sort of protocol glitch.

 

Cruise Critic might want to think about working with the cruise lines.  I'm sure from a marketing perspective (people trying to post their pics, vids, comments in real time) it would behoove both the cruise lines and Cruise Critic to sync.

You'd think, eh? NCL internet, free and paid, does not like Cruise Critic on Joy. On Getaway it was fine. Could just be satellite coverage here versus along the eastern seaboard I suppose. 

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/21/2023 at 8:53 PM, brookie848 said:

I haven't been in one of the new ones yet, but my husband went in one on one of our trips to/from the Finger Lakes last year. He said it was a nightmare -- he had to wait to use a urinal. It boggles my mind that they made them so much smaller. And there are a LOT of buses that use the Thruway. I can only imagine what is going to happen when a MegaBus and a tour bus converge on one of these at the same time.

 

And it ticks me off that they put Chick Fil A in them. Do not put a restaurant that is closed on Sunday in a place that needs to be open on Sunday.

I'm an old fashioned Millennial. Give me lots of restroom stalls and urinals, McDonalds and a pizza place. That's all I ask for. We don't need no stinking fancy chicken sandwich with a penchant for preaching. 

 

Oh well, the governor doesn't call me about these kind of decisions. 

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

You'd think, eh? NCL internet, free and paid, does not like Cruise Critic on Joy. On Getaway it was fine. Could just be satellite coverage here versus along the eastern seaboard I suppose. 

Loving your review.  I wonder if the unlimited would make a difference.

 

But, I'm like you.  I like to peruse the news every a.m. on my iPad with my coffee.  Poor WiFi would put a damper on that.  Plus, as you've noted, posting to CC is a real PITA, but not so sure that's all NCL's fault. CC should have some skin in that game.

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/21/2023 at 9:18 PM, brookie848 said:

We were on the Epic a few weeks ago and our fruit bowl was sad as well. It was never refilled unless we requested something (our M&Ms and beverages in the fridge were never refilled, either).

We also had a succulent instead of fresh flowers. I was really looking forward to the flowers since we haven't had any in our house in over three years and I miss them. My husband had a kidney transplant and fresh flowers in the house are one of the things that are technically illegal for him.

We do have a good butler. He's bringing us only what we want (mini blts, chocolate covered strawberries, and pineapples), plus refilling our iced tea, water, gummies, and M&Ms.

 

I'm sorry you did not. That's no good.

[zzdoug]

I'm on the internet right now and trust me, you aren't missing anything.  Enjoy the peace.

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/19/2023 at 9:32 AM, Sailing12Away said:

Enjoy! I did warn you about the lack luster sticks though...

 

Rodney at the Haven bar is amazing, he'll take good care of you. He'll keep the shots flowing at night. His wife is down at the Maltings bar, and she's lovely as well if you wanted to visit with "gen pop" at some point.

 

If you see a big guy from Nicaragua down near the pool or atrium bars named Jose - he's great as well. He used to be in the Haven until they promoted him (which makes no sense to us, if they're great they should be kept up in the Haven). 

 

I need to stop being lazy and finish adding all my photos and such from my trip. Don't forget when eating in the Haven restaurant to ask if they have any specials. Not sure if it was just on our trip since it was 15 days, or if it's something they're doing routinely now. It wasn't anything fancy - just something from MDR you could easily get up there, but it helped break up the monotony of the same menu every day.

Unfortunately we haven't found Rodney to be quite so great. Maybe with the bar regulars, but he's often nowhere to be found (they've assigned him elsewhere so no shade to him)! 

 

We went with the upgraded dining package so only three dinners in Haven which makes me slightly sad. We enjoy the Haven, but on 15 nights, I'd be variety too! No specials for us, probably because we aren't fortunate enough to be on the ship as long as you! 

 

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/20/2023 at 10:05 AM, CDR Benson said:

 

This was our experience, as well.  The Good Mrs. Benson and I spent most of our mid-mornings relaxing in chaise longues by the pool in the Haven Courtyard.  And within two or three minutes, a waiter would appear to take our drink orders and keep us replenished.  That pretty much held true for whenever we were in the Haven Lounge or the Horizon Observation Lounge, also.

 

In our case, it was almost always the same two waiters who took care of us, no matter where we were in the Haven.  That made tipping easy; I just gave both a decent tip on the last night of the cruise.

 

 

We also have been having servers come by, quite often! Generally the same two, though we have had a couple others stop by to help out also. We've been basically hogging a Haven sundeck cabana all week...well on sea days. We're loving the comfy pads, jumping in the hot tub, and repeating for hours at a time. 

[cruiseny4life]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:13 AM, zzdoug said:

Sounds like they are working out some of the kinks.  I figured things would get better.  15 minutes for a muster drill is shorter than I remember in the Before Times.

 

I'm sure it's old news now! No more muster drill after April 1st. Just the edrill. Lucky you!!

[CDR Benson]

54 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

. . . [B]artenders won't make the drink you request (even in Haven). Tried to order a Peach Bellini and was told no. I've never been told no in the Haven. More to follow on this as it has happened a couple of times. So, best to just pack your patience, have a couple drink possibilities, and be kind to the bartenders. 

 

This element of your report surprised me a tad.  It must be part of the general decline in services NCL instituted this year, for last September, we had no problems at all ordering cocktails that were not featured in the Haven bar menu.  We didn't go "off menu" that often, but when we did, the only consequence was that it took a little longer to arrive.  (Assumedly, the barkeep had to look up the recipe in his Mr. Boston guide.)  "We can't/won't/don't do that," was never a response.

 

Your experience is a bit distressing.  NCL raises its prices?  O.K., that's the nature of the beast.  But to reduce the range of services at the same time is faintly spurious.

 

 

[mking8288]

54 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

There's been all sorts of to go containers on this ship! I have photos of others somewhere for those that want visual proof.

Okie dokie for Haven guests to be given plastic wrapped food to go b/c ... Plus, others are using not just ziplock bags but also Tupperware containers.  Heck, if that's the case, why not just walk out with their plates & bowls, covered or otherwise - perhaps, crew members are instructed to not confront their onboard guests to make corporate's announced decisions worst than what it is ... 

 

Junior crew members, perhaps, not wishing to further see more "steerage" guests endangering the practice and traditions of giving cash "recognitions" for going above & beyond.    "Enforcements" of the "no takeouts" were reversed several years ago under Frankie's stewardship and there is hope & reasons to believe that this attempt would meet its demise soon, again.   Hoarding of extras isn't a solution to waste management - more plates, cups & dishes piling up along the corridors being reported on another recent cruise report.