Bermuda 2024 on the Joy

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

I’ve never been on NCL but have sailed many times on Celebrity.  Both have 7/day Bermuda sailings this summer out of the NYC area.  The Joy has a sailing with four full days in Bermuda instead of three, which is very appealing. 
I don’t know anything other than what I’ve read as far as reviews go, which are so subjective. 

My question is:

has anyone sailed both lines to - specifically to Bermuda -to offer some comparisons? The pricing is fairly compatible, however we do have $600 in credits to use or lose with Celebrity.  But that extra day in Bermuda sounds really nice.

Sailing Celebrity is on the Eclipse and it’s not been refurbished for awhile. Sailing NCL we’d have to do an all inclusive, which we wouldn’t be doing with Celebrity, so spending more that.. 
We’re just doing an inside cabin on either, won’t be in the cabin and never use the balcony as much as we think we’re going to. We do like to eat and food is important, but figure we might be eating dinner off ship a few times. Last few times on Celebrity, the food was kinda meh. 
 

 

Edited February 10 by WatermelonSugarHigh

[njhorseman]

44 minutes ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

I’ve never been on NCL but have sailed many times on Celebrity.  Both have 7/day Bermuda sailings this summer out of the NYC area.  The Joy has a sailing with four full days in Bermuda instead of three, which is very appealing. 
I don’t know anything othe4vtgan what I’ve read as far as reviews go, which are so subjective. 

My question is:

has anyone sailed both lines to - specifically to Bermuda -to offer some comparisons? The pricing is fairly compatible, however we do have $600 in credits to use or lose with Celebrity.  But that extra day in Bermuda sounds really nice.

Sailing Celebrity is on the Eclipse and it’s not been refurbished for awhile. Sailing NCL we’d have to do an all inclusive, which we wouldn’t be doing with Celebrity, so spending more that.. 
We’re just doing an inside cabin on either, won’t be in the cabin and never use the balcony as much as we think we’re going to. 
 

 

We've sailed many times to Bermuda and elsewhere on both cruise lines, although not on either of those ships.

 

First...please look carefully at NCL's itinerary. You do not get four full days rather than three. On some Joy sailings you get an extra night docked in Bermuda but your ship leaves at 7 am on that last day so you're not in Bermuda for a full extra day, really just a few extra daylight hours on the next to last day and then the extra overnight. There may be a Joy sailing or two that arrives an afternoon earlier, but it's still not a full additional day. Most weeks the two ships have virtually identical schedules.

 

Second...Why do you say you have to do an "all inclusive" with NCL? You can reject  the Free at Sea beverage (open bar) or specialty dining packages, or both, and that way you won't have to pay the gratuity charges, which are substantial for the beverage package. We consume little alcohol so we always reject the open bar package. and save hundreds in gratuity charges. we do take the specialty dining as the gratuity charge is minimal.

 

Frankly, we aren't fans of larger ships and Eclipse is at least a bit smaller than Joy, but not so much so that based on size I would choose it over the newer Joy. that Eclipse hasn't been refurbished would be somewhat off putting to me.

 

IMO the $600 in "use it or lose it" credits might sway me in the direction of the Eclipse as otherwise I would consider it a 50-50 coin toss, with the Joy winning based on age and likely condition and Eclipse winning based on its smaller size

 

 

Edited February 10 by njhorseman

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

37 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

We've sailed many times to Bermuda and elsewhere on both cruise lines, although not on either of those ships.

 

First...please look carefully at NCL's itinerary. You do not get four full days rather than three. On some Joy sailings you get an extra night docked in Bermuda but your ship leaves at 7 am on that last day so you're not in Bermuda for a full extra day, really just a few extra daylight hours on the next to last day and then the extra overnight. There may be a Joy sailing or two that arrives an afternoon earlier, but it's still not a full additional day. Most weeks the two ships have virtually identical schedules.

 

Second...Why do you say you have to do an "all inclusive" with NCL? You can reject  the Free at Sea beverage (open bar) or specialty dining packages, or both, and that way you won't have to pay the gratuity charges, which are substantial for the beverage package. We consume little alcohol so we always reject the open bar package. and save hundreds in gratuity charges. we do take the specialty dining as the gratuity charge is minimal.

 

Frankly, we aren't fans of larger ships and Eclipse is at least a bit smaller than Joy, but not so much so that based on size I would choose it over the newer Joy. that Eclipse hasn't been refurbished would be somewhat off putting to me.

 

IMO the $600 in "use it or lose it" credits might sway me in the direction of the Eclipse as otherwise I would consider it a 50-50 coin toss, with the Joy winning based on age and likely condition and Eclipse winning based on its smaller size

 

 

I didn’t think to ask about not taking their Free at Sea.  Good point!  I’ll ask. 
It is actually four days on (only) one of their sailings in July.  It has one less sea day. Arrives on a Tuesday at 10 am and leaves on a Friday  @ 3 pm with sea days on either side, which would give us another full evening in Bermuda.  It it worth potentially losing $600 for is I guess the question.  And from the reviews I’ve read, NCL might not be quite as nice? But the Eclipse cabins do look dated. We don’t mind older ships though. 
I have to book something by 4/11 on Celebrity or we lose the credits. I could potentially book something else in addition, but I’m kinda cruised out and would like to do a few land-based vacations after this. I’d be willing to possibly lose the credit for more time in Bermuda and less sea days, which we are not fans of at all. 
I could potentially book something in Celebrity for next year I guess, too, but these credits were supposed to be use and sail by 4/11 and they made an exception. 

Edited February 10 by WatermelonSugarHigh

[Laszlo]

Keep in mind you can also take the NCL (Gem) out of Boston to Bermuda and one day in Bar Harbor

[njhorseman]

13 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Keep in mind you can also take the NCL (Gem) out of Boston to Bermuda and one day in Bar Harbor

The OP lives In NY City, so they would have to travel to and from Boston for the Gem, but the Joy and Eclipse  are local, requiring minimal travel.

[njhorseman]

54 minutes ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

I didn’t think to ask about not taking their Free at Sea.  Good point!  I’ll ask. 
It is actually four days on (only) one of their sailings in July.  It has one less sea day. Arrives on a Tuesday at 10 am and leaves on a Friday  @ 3 pm with sea days on either side, which would give us another full evening in Bermuda.  It it worth potentially losing $600 for is I guess the question.  And from the reviews I’ve read, NCL might not be quite as nice? But the Eclipse cabins do look dated. We don’t mind older ships though. 
I have to book something by 4/11 on Celebrity or we lose the credits. I could potentially book something else in addition, but I’m kinda cruised out and would like to do a few land-based vacations after this. I’d be willing to possibly lose the credit for more time in Bermuda and less sea days, which we are not fans of at all. 
I could potentially book something in Celebrity for next year I guess, too, but these credits were supposed to be use and sail by 4/11 and they made an exception. 

OK, I assume you're talking about the Joy sailing departing July 21 that arrives in Bermuda on Tuesday July 23. While the NCL website has a 10 am arrival, the official Bermuda port schedule says it arrives at 1330 hours, or 1:30 pm. One might be inclined to believe NCL's version of its own ship's schedule, but if you look at the schedule for July 23 you'll see that Vision of the Seas will be occupying the Heritage Wharf berth that the Joy uses until 12:30 pm, and the port schedule is consistent with Royal Caribbean's own schedule. Conclusion...it's virtually certain that the Joy will not be docking at 10 am that day, so you'll get extra time, but not a full extra day.

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

I’ve never been on NCL but have sailed many times on Celebrity.  Both have 7/day Bermuda sailings this summer out of the NYC area.  The Joy has a sailing with four full days in Bermuda instead of three, which is very appealing. 
I don’t know anything other than what I’ve read as far as reviews go, which are so subjective. 

My question is:

has anyone sailed both lines to - specifically to Bermuda -to offer some comparisons? The pricing is fairly compatible, however we do have $600 in credits to use or lose with Celebrity.  But that extra day in Bermuda sounds really nice.

Sailing Celebrity is on the Eclipse and it’s not been refurbished for awhile. Sailing NCL we’d have to do an all inclusive, which we wouldn’t be doing with Celebrity, so spending more that.. 
We’re just doing an inside cabin on either, won’t be in the cabin and never use the balcony as much as we think we’re going to. We do like to eat and food is important, but figure we might be eating dinner off ship a few times. Last few times on Celebrity, the food was kinda meh. 
 

 

 

Just to give you an idea on the Joy, here's my live post of a 5-day Bermuda last year

 

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

4 hours ago, njhorseman said:

OK, I assume you're talking about the Joy sailing departing July 21 that arrives in Bermuda on Tuesday July 23. While the NCL website has a 10 am arrival, the official Bermuda port schedule says it arrives at 1330 hours, or 1:30 pm. One might be inclined to believe NCL's version of its own ship's schedule, but if you look at the schedule for July 23 you'll see that Vision of the Seas will be occupying the Heritage Wharf berth that the Joy uses until 12:30 pm, and the port schedule is consistent with Royal Caribbean's own schedule. Conclusion...it's virtually certain that the Joy will not be docking at 10 am that day, so you'll get extra time, but not a full extra day.

Thank you so much for that port info.   I think I’m going to book us on the Celebrity Eclipse and use the credits up. Another 1/2 day would be nice, but I know Celebrity and what to expect. Perhaps because I’m getting older and familiar is kind of comforting for me, maybe I’m not ready to try another line right now. We just got back from a Virgin Cruise and it was absolutely wonderful but I’m ready for some same-old same-old and Celebrity is that for us.  I’m really looking forward to seeing a new port, we’ve never been to Bermuda and I can’t wait to do some sightseeing. 
thanks again. 

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

5 hours ago, Laszlo said:

Keep in mind you can also take the NCL (Gem) out of Boston to Bermuda and one day in Bar Harbor

We’ve been to Bar Harbor many times. Love it.  We took our kids camping there many summers when we had an RV. 

[stinkyharriet]

On 2/11/2024 at 12:08 AM, WatermelonSugarHigh said:

 I’m really looking forward to seeing a new port, we’ve never been to Bermuda and I can’t wait to do some sightseeing. 
thanks again. 

Bermuda is wonderful!  I’ve been three times and will be going back again on the Joy in May.  In July the Joy will be packed with kids.  I’ve never been on Celebrity but I think they attract fewer families with kids.  No matter which ship you choose, you’ll have plenty of time in Bermuda. For the overnights, you can stay out as late as you want.

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

2 hours ago, stinkyharriet said:

Bermuda is wonderful!  I’ve been three times and will be going back again on the Joy in May.  In July the Joy will be packed with kids.  I’ve never been on Celebrity but I think they attract fewer families with kids.  No matter which ship you choose, you’ll have plenty of time in Bermuda. For the overnights, you can stay out as late as you want.

Thank you Harriet! We did end up booking on Celebrity Eclipse for the last week of July. I can’t wait. July gives me a little time to lose some weight to fit into my “suitcase clothes.” 🙃

[graphicguy]

Two separate topics.....Bermunda and which cruise line/ship.

 

I have only sailed NCL to Bermuda, but have sailed Celebrity to other ports.

 

Bermuda?  Beautiful.  And, I like using the ship as my hotel room after a day exploring.  No regrets or reservations about Bermuda.

 

Now, the Joy or Eclipse...or, a new(er) ship in the Joy (that was also recently refurbished) than the Eclipse..older and no refurbishment.  

 

Perks don't matter because you don't want them on either cruise line.  So, that makes it somewhat easier.

 

If perks don't matter I'm not sure the $600 on Celebrity matters either, given you're not planning on using or buying perks.

 

Personally, I like both lines.  But, I'd go for the newer ship.  You stated you want something a little traditional but were willing to try Virgin, which is the most non-traditional cruise line sailing now.  NCL probably has a little bit of new and different and a lot of traditional.  Not having to make reservations or worry about where and when I were dining every night is very appealing to me, too.

 

 

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Two separate topics.....Bermunda and which cruise line/ship.

 

I have only sailed NCL to Bermuda, but have sailed Celebrity to other ports.

 

Bermuda?  Beautiful.  And, I like using the ship as my hotel room after a day exploring.  No regrets or reservations about Bermuda.

 

Now, the Joy or Eclipse...or, a new(er) ship in the Joy (that was also recently refurbished) than the Eclipse..older and no refurbishment.  

 

Perks don't matter because you don't want them on either cruise line.  So, that makes it somewhat easier.

 

If perks don't matter I'm not sure the $600 on Celebrity matters either, given you're not planning on using or buying perks.

 

Personally, I like both lines.  But, I'd go for the newer ship.  You stated you want something a little traditional but were willing to try Virgin, which is the most non-traditional cruise line sailing now.  NCL probably has a little bit of new and different and a lot of traditional.  Not having to make reservations or worry about where and when I were dining every night is very appealing to me, too.

 

 

We booked on Celebrity earlier this week and they applied the $600 to the cruise fare.  With the senior and resident discounts, we got a total fare for two at $1283.02 -for an inside guarantee room.  That’s almost like stealing this cruise!  We couldn’t go to the Catskills overnight for that cheap! Another comment on here mentioned that the extra day in Bermuda on the NCL sailing could be only an extra half day and that helped make the decision for me. Something holds me back from booking NCL when there are other options, not sure why? 

 

The Guarantee cabin can be anywhere on the ship and we’ve never done that before. We’ve also only had an inside once, but we really are just using it as a place to sleep and shower.  There will be three sea days, but the amount of times we’ve spent on the balconies or suites we paid for is always minimal to not at all.  We just don’t get our monies worth from them.  Balconies are a glorified place to dry swimsuits (for us) and we don’t sit and drink champagne or entertain in our suite 😂 I always picture myself sitting and reading on the balcony with coffee, or gazing at the sunsets, but it has never happened in over 20 years. I get a to-go cup of coffee and we’re in line to get off the ship as soon as we can. We are just never in the cabins unless we’re napping or getting ready to go. We shall see how bad the cabin turns out to be I guess. 
 

Virgin was amazing, the ship was brand new, extremely well-designed and the public areas were off the hook. The entertainment was phenomenal, in a class by itself.  But imho,where they missed the mark for us was restaurants that are too hard to get in with food that is far too “fussy” and a lot of emphasis on vegan, gluten free, fad menus being Instagram- worthy. Fine for some, just not my cup of tea.  
I’ve spent my entire career in the culinary industry and I appreciate an energetic trendy menu.  Cooking and entertaining is my passion, but elegant, well-prepared classic dishes never go out of style and there was nowhere to dine that offered that.  Eating in the Galley was similar to being in a mall food court and too kitschy. All that being said, we would still do another VV if the itinerary was right.  It was really fun.

 

 

 

Edited February 18 by WatermelonSugarHigh

[psuboater]

We sailed on the Celebrity Summit 3 times to Bermuda and then switched over to the Norwegian Joy last year and will be sailing on the Joy again.

 

For the price, we felt that Celebrity went down hill. The things we looked forward to - like the fresh cooked grill offerings in the buffet for dinner have gone away with the pandemic. We also felt that the activities have all but dissapeared. We're big trivia people and they used to have 2-3 offerings of trivia a night, and then it went down to 1. We're not big party people, but we felt bored on the Summit.

 

We like the offerings what the Joy has to offer. We spring for the Vibe Beach Club ($249pp) for the week and its lovely. It's a 18+ area on the top deck with padded loungers and umbrellas with a bar. They cap the amount of people that can get passes so there's always a padded lounger waiting for you. It's heavenly.

 

We also feel there's a better mix of demographics on the Joy - and people overall seem friendlier. We loved Celebrity, but the Celebrity of old times.

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

41 minutes ago, psuboater said:

We sailed on the Celebrity Summit 3 times to Bermuda and then switched over to the Norwegian Joy last year and will be sailing on the Joy again.

 

For the price, we felt that Celebrity went down hill. The things we looked forward to - like the fresh cooked grill offerings in the buffet for dinner have gone away with the pandemic. We also felt that the activities have all but dissapeared. We're big trivia people and they used to have 2-3 offerings of trivia a night, and then it went down to 1. We're not big party people, but we felt bored on the Summit.

 

We like the offerings what the Joy has to offer. We spring for the Vibe Beach Club ($249pp) for the week and its lovely. It's a 18+ area on the top deck with padded loungers and umbrellas with a bar. They cap the amount of people that can get passes so there's always a padded lounger waiting for you. It's heavenly.

 

We also feel there's a better mix of demographics on the Joy - and people overall seem friendlier. We loved Celebrity, but the Celebrity of old times.

Same. I agree completely. Celebrity went downhill, food is meh and it’s a snoozefest at night.  It used to be great. We were on Millennium Nov 2022 and the food situation was atrocious. Hoping it’s improved some since there was a lot of negative feedback happening right after. We were told our sailing was a test to see if reducing the buffet to literally nothing would fly. I hope it’s better in July on the Eclipse but not expecting much.  Especially since we’re only paying $1,283 for two!  That’s ridiculous pricing. 
You’ve made me want to try NCL. 😊 thanks