sailawaybellaluna

One thing I love about NCL is that you can eat lunch in Savor or Taste (can't recall which) upon boarding. I'm not a buffet person, and after a chaotic morning I really appreciated sitting down at a proper table and having a lovely lunch! The service was a bit slow and chaotic, but I think that's very typical for the first day of a cruise! The staff were very friendly and I thought the food was delicious! I had a vegetable risotto and my friend had the fish and chips and we both enjoyed drinks. Keep in mind that even if you have the beverage package, any drink you purchase that may be above the $15 limit will also be charged an additional tax (on the full retail price of the beverage) while in a US port. Definitely not a big deal, but something to be aware of. There were a lot of carry-ons in the dining room as none of the cabins were ready as of yet. We finished our lunch around 1:30 but our cabin still wasn't ready. At this point we decided to try and go up to the observation lounge but it was absolutely packed. Everyone had the same idea and you could hardly navigate with all the people and luggage. So we headed back to Deck 10 and asked if we could just leave our luggage in our closet and leave. We went to wander around the outer decks and take a tour of the ship! It was such a beautiful day! As it turns out many cabins weren't ready until after 4:00 p.m! It's been a while since I cruised NCL, but I found this to be really late?!

Ok, so off we go. We had an 11-11:30am boarding time. Thanks to some recent reviews here on Cruise Critic, I had a heads up to what a disaster embarkation and disembarkation has been lately on the Joy. 😳 They were not exaggerating. And on this cruise we really had the perfect storm, literally. More to come on that during our last day. I had checked the port of LA schedule to see which berth the Joy would be leaving from and arriving at. I also called Norwegian the day prior to confirm where we should park as our boarding documents just gave the general address for the port...I knew we would be leaving from Berth 92. I sailed from there on the Discovery Princess several weeks ago and had the easiest time boarding and disembarking. This was a totally different scenario. Most of us were looping around birth 92 until they finally placed an employee out there to tell us to park down at berth 46 and take the shuttle back (opposite of what NCL had advised). Ok, no big deal. The sun was shining, the rain had stopped, and we were excited to get on board! We decided to do one more loop and drop our luggage off with the porters before heading down to berth 46. It was probably 2 miles down the road and we encountered quite a queue to get in and park. But we found a spot and were grabbing our carry-ons and walking towards the line for the shuttle. Again, a few extra steps. In Southern California I'm used to just parking right at the port and walking on and off the ship. We got on a very crowded (standing room only) shuttle and made our way back to berth 92 again. We grabbed our carry on, and started queuing for security. It was very quick and efficient. There was someone standing at the front of the line specifically for Haven guests so they could jump ahead. Sadly, that wasn't us! After security we went inside the terminal and queued up again for our sail and sign cards. The process probably took another 30 minutes and then we were free to board the ship!

Now when we decided to take a cruise, we were hoping to go over President's Day weekend since our kids are out of school for 4 days and we wouldn't be too concerned with drop off, pickup, homework, etc. Make it easy on the husbands and grandparents so this becomes an annual getaway! 🤪 I found the itinerary back in September and we decided to jump on it. We got a great deal that included one evening in the specialty dining, 75 minutes of free Wi-Fi, unlimited open bar, and discounted shore excursions. We only live an hour from the port of LA so we packed up and headed out! I am not a light packer by any means, but we knew we would end the week with Stormy weather and had to be prepared! Two big suitcases and two carry-ons for both of us. 🙈

I thought I would start a mini review on my cruise last week aboard the Norwegian Joy! A little about me: I usually sail with my husband and two kids (and often times my parents, brother and SIL as well). However this cruise was a little "momcation" for me and a friend. It was my 33rd cruise and her FIRST ever! I had sailed on the joy right after her refurbishment in 2019, and enjoyed a wonderful cruise through Alaska on board with my daughter. I thought this would be a great ship for a first-timer and was really excited to introduce my friend to cruising! More to come...

Thanks so much! I'll be doing this itinerary in a couple weeks aboard the Joy!

Thank you!

Absolutely, we've had the privilege of traveling to 9 countries since Covid started with another 7 planned for this year. And as you've said, a lot has changed, which is why I appreciate hearing from people who have actually visited these places recently to get a first hand account of their experiences. Not simply the logistics of what something may cost, but the vibe of many places has also changed and evolved as a result of the pandemic. Aren't the boards a place to to ask questions and share experiences? I have also contacted the resort but haven't heard back...

We will be on the Carnival Celebration in April, docking in Amber Cove and are struggling to decide how to spend our day. There are a couple of excursions that interest us, but they leave so early! 😅 We're traveling with our kids and also grandparents, so I was looking for an option near the ship and found Maimon Beach. Not much information out there other than it's a 20 minute walk outside the port and down the road. If anyone has been recently I would love information on whether or not they have chairs and umbrellas for rent, if there are restrooms there, and any food or drink options. Thank you!

Would love to hear from anyone who has been here recently. Is a resort day pass required? I see they're selling them for $40/person. Or are we just able to rent chairs and umbrellas and order food and drinks? It looks to be about a 7 minute taxi ride from the port. Is traffic pretty bad in that area? Just trying to plan our time. Would appreciate feedback from anyone who's been recently. Thank you!

I have the same questions and would love to know if anyone has been there recently. Is a day pass purchase required? Or can we just rent chairs and umbrellas and order food and drinks?

I have this same question! Would love recs for an excursion or DIY beach day. Traveling with kids and grandparents and hoping for something relatively relaxing.

Great idea, thanks!

Thank you! This explains the lack of reviews and discussion about her.

Hi Everyone! On a whim, I booked my family of 4 in two verandah staterooms on an upcoming sailing on the Oosterdam! I'm really excited about it. We were planning to be in Italy anyway when I saw a casino offer come through, so we decided to jump on it. I am having trouble finding any recent reviews/photos/feedback from passengers who have sailed the Oosterdam recently. If you have anything to share, I'd love to hear it!