Dorhead1230

There are lots of things to love about the newer ships, in my opinion. If you’re cruising mainly just for peace and quiet and serenity, maybe not the best because there are indeed many people. Numerous people. Everywhere. Lol. Ok, maybe I exaggerate slightly…the ships are huge and you can find peace and quiet when you want. But then there’s also a lot of other fun stuff to do—more entertainment than you can possibly fit in, great variety of bars, some interesting specialty dining options, cool/unique activities, etc. I will say, if you’re pool people, it’s not great on the big ships—simply not enough space in the pool or on the deck directly adjacent to accommodate. We’re not pool deck people so it has no impact on our enjoyment. Plenty of deck space in other areas if you just want fresh air/sun. We always book balconies so we have the option to sit out on our own balcony, too. I’m sure you’re going to have a wonderful time! Thanks for following the review! You’re welcome! On Getaway, Splash is plopped in the middle of deck 13, so I saw it every day. On Joy, it’s on deck 5 (which I think is the normal location on Breakaway Plus ships, because I feel like that’s where it is on Escape). So I probably won’t see it as much, unless we go to one of the open play times when parents can go with their kids. But I’ll be sure to post any important/interesting info I come across about it!

Received the email below today regarding youth programs and family activities. I do not recall receiving any such email prior to our February sailing. Seems like they want people to be prepared for the fact that when there are a ton of kids onboard, Splash and/or Entourage may have long lines and/or fill up at times and need to turn people away. Splash Academy was right next to DM’s cabin and drop-off was INSANE every day in February. That was February break, though, and I can’t imagine a cruise could ever have more kids on it than that one did, even any summer cruise. We don’t use Splash because we’re lucky enough to have DM with us to watch LM at night, and since we both work, we want to spend as much time with him as possible on vacation. I did just have a moment of panic, though, upon first looking at this email thinking it was going to say Splash was closed or something. First off, I would feel bad for kids who love it. But even more so, I want people to be able to drop their kids off so there are a few less running around the rest of the ship all the time 🙈🙊

Ironically, so are my in-laws. Couldn’t work out DH’s and BIL’s vacations to be at the same time, so they’re the week after us.

Also, is it weird that I keep reading posts from people saying they get 7273749827 emails to watch the safety video, and even though I’m sure that’s super annoying, I have some anxiety/FOMO because I haven’t gotten any? 😆 Probably shouldn’t even put this out there and jinx myself because now the emails will start flowing in!

T-6 days! And today is almost over already! Are we the only fools who run around like mad having to get stuff and do errands leading up to a cruise? We’ve cruised enough to know what we need, but there’s still always such a list of stuff we have to do/get. Shoes for DH, especially, are the bane of my existence. He wears a 14, which hardly any stores carry in-stock, and after weeks of ordering from different places so he could keep trying stuff on, we still spent time hitting up several outlets today (where he again got nothing and then had to order more online to try, anyway). We also inexplicably decided to make tonight the night to cook a lobster and crab leg dinner, which makes a mess and takes forever to eat because of shelling it all. Anything to procrastinate from actually packing, I guess 🤪. Our non-NCL crustacean food porn: Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get some more useful preparations done! Anyone else a bit of a last-minute packer?

Ahhhhhh! 7 days! Hopefully by this time next week we will be checked in at the terminal (dare I say…boarding?). We were such a mess getting ready to go in February that I’m like a drill sergeant now barking at everyone to get their stuff out and organized (well, not LM who desperately wants to pack himself but isn’t allowed because, if left to his own devices, he’d be roaming around in jammies or just undies and socks for a week 🤭). Plus, DH has to work right through Saturday, and got ordered to work overtime when he’s supposed to be off tonight into tomorrow, so it makes a bit more of a time crunch. So, here I sit for the hubby fashion show, helping him match outfits to pack so we’re not crazed the night before again. Although there are certainly some merits to late arrival at the pier, it’s not for me. I don’t need to be breaking down the door when they open (and have no desire to entertain LM in the terminal for 2 or more hours waiting to board), but having a leisurely boarding and a civilized dining room lunch always sets a nice tone for the first day!

Oh that’s just one of my own invention for when I’m posting on here lol…Little Man! But I like munchkin, too 😊

Just sitting here with LM watching the Port NY webcam waiting for Joy’s sail-away. They’re doing a one-off 8-day itinerary this week that’s the same as what we were supposed to do on Getaway in February (ours was altered and skipped Bermuda, though). Scheduled to depart at 3, but they’re not moving yet. Note to self…don’t tell a toddler we’re going to watch our ship sail away until it’s already happening. His current running commentary: “Is it moving yet?” Repeat about every 30 seconds, and sometimes sprinkle in: “When’s this going to start up?” “Why is this taking so long?”

We do sail in 2 cabins when my mom comes—DH and me in one and my mom and her little roomie in the other. And this time, one is in DH’s name and one in mine, as we are the ones that get the casino rates. So we’ll luck out and end up with two sets of vouchers! Btw, I do find it odd that if two Platinum guests are travel companions it’s like, nope sorry only one qualifies for that benefit. I’m sure it would be pretty expensive for NCL given the number of people that are Platinum and above now, but it does seem to “water down” the benefit a little. I’d at least think once you move beyond basic Platinum they’d throw people a bone and give it to both 🤷🏻‍♀️

Brooklyn…as real as it gets 😅

As far as specialty dining goes, this will be the most we’ve had on one cruise. Back in the day, wasn’t the FAS 3 specialty meals on a weeklong sailing? Am I misremembering? Mommy-ing has killed some brain cells, and teaching teenagers has killed some more, but I feel like we used to reserve 3. Anyhow, this cruise, we have the 2 included with the FAS (and all four of us have it, because of booking 2 cabins), plus DH and I are now Platinum for the first time! So, we’ll have an additional 4 vouchers for dinners for 2 (2 of those vouchers including the bottle of wine). Our usual go-to’s are Moderno and Cagney’s, but no Moderno on this ship. So, our plans are currently: 1. Cagney’s (usually a highlight but totally meh on Getaway in Feb.; hoping that was an off day) 2. La Cucina…ah, the Olive Garden of the seas…usually wouldn’t bother but with the extra meals we have this time we’ll go. Plus, LM will be so happy there because, while he doesn’t have the most adventurous palate, he digs fried calamari and will burst with happiness when they plop an entire pizza in front of him all for him. 3. Q…just to try something new and different; also has some stuff that will make LM happy and I know it won’t be too formal or long and drawn-out. Teppanyaki on the ships does nothing for us as good hibachi places are a dime a dozen on Long Island. As lovely as Le Bistro is, we’re just not that into the menu, and maybe we’ll give Ocean Blue another shot at some point but several years ago I feel like it was just ok on Escape a couple times and we just never bothered with it again. I think that was also back when they still charged an extra supplement for it, so that may have turned us off a little more. So, those 3 will kill the FAS meals and 2 of our 4 platinum vouchers (will use the ones with wine at Cagney’s or La Cucina assuming recent reports are correct and they’ll give us 4 courses with the vouchers). Btw, does anyone know if you use the two vouchers with wine at the same meal if you can take one bottle unopened with you for another night? For the remaining 2 Platinum vouchers, we’re going to do one Food Republic dinner and just use one voucher for 2. There is zilch LM will eat off that menu (unless they bring him just like lumps of plain sushi rice lol), so that’ll be a kid’s meal for him. DM, DH, and I could never in a million years eat 16 dishes from there 🤢, so I’m hoping they’ll be cool with the 3 of us using one voucher and then if we need to get 1-2 extra dishes just to follow the rules we’ll pay for them. The final voucher for 2 is undecided. If Food Republic is as awesome as it was in the past, it may be one more visit there for a lunch. Otherwise, LM would probably dig the decor at American Diner so maybe a lunch there (I would never waste a dinner on that place; looks like half the menu is stuff you can get at The Local lol). I think I invest too much brainpower in planning dining, but we do enjoy our vacation meals and the big ships are crowded, so I like to have those ducks in a row to avoid disappointment! Speaking of ducks, the next random tangent my mind is on is that I am still pondering maybe bringing some ducks to hide this time…it’s one more thing to lug along, but I think LM would greatly enjoy hiding them around the ship. 🦆👀

Good morning! Eight days to go—huzzah! Here’s questions for any past Joy cruisers who may be reading this…upon embarkation, what location is used on the Joy for dining reservations? (We have our main specialties booked, but I want to reserve Food Republic). Or, does FR come up to reserve on the screens? Also, is it the same location to book laser tag? LM is too little for go karts but he is fully committed to trying out the laser tag.

This is good to know! We don’t have our full plan for Bermuda firmed up yet. I think with it being a place we’ve been to several times, and because we love it and know we’ll go back again, it makes us a little lackadaisical with planning. We’re definitely taking LM to Horseshoe Bay. Some of the other beaches that are harder to reach and/or don’t have restrooms are just out of the question with a 4-year-old (and frankly the restroom issue matters to us all lol). Weather forecast permitting, I want to do that on Thursday, as I think a lot of people from Joy and Celebrity Summit will head right there on Wednesday. On the last day, we generally like to hang in the Dockyard, wander through the Clocktower Mall, we may hit up the fort and museum, etc. Wednesday is more up in the air, so ferries and/or buses may be involved…good to know where we’d need to go buy passes if required! We also don’t tend to be NCL excursion customers, especially in Bermuda where it’s so easy to navigate on our own. In fact, years ago, DH and I were there during Cup Match. We decided to actually go to Cup Match and watch some of the cricket. It was such a blast! Everyone was super nice to us, inviting us into like hospitality areas or whatever they were, giving us food and drinks and swag from corporate sponsors haha. So we’re totally cool with just making our own way when in BDA. However, I am looking at the glass bottom boat twilight cruise for Wednesday night. LM tends to be a night owl like DH and me, so he’d still be up for it and it’s only 1.5 hours. Seems like a nice, easy activity for us all and with the excursion credits that one does work out cheaper through NCL than direct through Island Tour Centre.

I tried on the Getaway. Tried SO HARD lol. I couldn’t get anything to load on CC without starting the wi-fi clock. Even on the FAS minutes it wasn’t any great shakes and sometimes I had to just wait a while to post. Maybe there will be a wi-fi miracle on the Joy and it’ll work better! Not holding my breath, though!

Greetings, all! I’ve been trying to hold off starting my live-ish Joy review, as I’m not sure I can keep anyone entertained for too long before I actually embark. My life is not exciting! However, today I’m officially doing the single-digit dance, I’ve been done with work for the summer for a week, and I need a distraction from the sense of impending doom wrought by another round of Canadian wildfire smoke making its way to Long Island today. So, here we are! The start of another live-ish review of the continued adventures of Dorhead, DH, DM (my mom), and LM (my son, the little man). For my last semi-live review in February on Getaway, the wi-fi was hot garbage, but I fought it bravely and occasionally emerged victorious. We’ll see how the Joy treats me; I’ll do my best to post whenever it cooperates throughout the cruise! I will not buy unlimited amounts of semi-functional wi-fi, but I do have my 150 minutes, plus LM’s, which I will gladly pirate from him, and possibly some of DH’s and DM’s too (everyone has FAS because we have two cabins). I’ll also do Verizon TravelPass in Bermuda so I can just use my phone as normal while we’re there. A little background about us: I’m 39 and a high school English teacher (hence my penchant for very lengthy posts), DH is 43 and an NYPD officer, DM is a woman of a certain age and would perhaps murder me if I publish said age, and LM is 4 1/2 and has been psyched for this cruise for months. This will be DH’s and my 10th cruise together (all NCL), and our 7th to Bermuda (6th exclusively to Bermuda, plus one that made a day-stop there). We love, love, LOVE Bermuda…I seriously consider being “accidentally” left behind every time we go there ☺️. We haven’t gone since 2019 when LM was only 9 months old, so everyone is eagerly awaiting our triumphant return. This will be our first time on Joy, and I’m quite excited to experience this ship! I know it is similar in many ways to Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape, but it has some things that will be new to us, especially the Observation Lounge! I don’t know why I am so excited about a windowed room full of tables and chairs and whatnot, but I am and it will be glorious lol. I think it is because we are not hang by the pool people (love swimming, hate the sea of humanity), so the OL just looks like such a chill place to hang out and relax. DH and I are casino people, so we book through Casinos at Sea. He exists on a somewhat higher plane of degeneracy than I do, so he gets comped balconies pretty much whenever, and I generally only get a discount, unless I have an offer for a specific comped cruise. We have two balconies next door to each other on deck 10, one booked in DH’s name (for his comp) and one in mine (for my sad little discount). I am sure I’ll spend some time in the casino this cruise, but maybe not as much as usual. I’ve gotten a little annoyed at my offers from CAS, so I probably won’t be devoting as much of my gambling budget to this cruise, as I am treated much better for my play in our land casinos (Caesars AC and Mohegan Sun). Sorry if your eyes just glazed over from casino-speak! Interesting note on the cabins (I did post about this on here some time ago, but as I doubt there are many who eagerly await my every word): the Joy’s deck plan is all kinds of messed up on NCL’s website. Well, maybe not ALL kinds, but messed up if you’re seeking out an angled balcony. We were very frazzled for months before and right up to our Getaway cruise as we were getting ready to move and then moving, so we SERIOUSLY dropped the ball with room assignments (the CAS booking agent actually screwed up, but we didn’t catch it until it was too late) and DH and I ended up a deck above and down the hall from DM and LM. Sucked. Majorly sucked. So, I was crazy with checking deck plans and planning room choices before we called this time. Booked 10946 (depicted as angled balcony on deck plan) and 10942. Subsequently (maybe a week or two later) Googled cabin numbers to see what I could find and found a few reports (one with photographic evidence) of the Joy deck plans being one-off regarding the angled balcony cabins 😩. Checked online and saw that on the port side, 10340 and 10342 were still available and our CAS rep was a rock star and switched it for us. Also, there are many cabins on the Joy deck plan with the PrivaSea symbol (including the ones we have) that are in no way enclosed or obstructed (photos of the outside of the ship clearly show this). So, NCL, fix your deck plan! Sheesh! That’s enough semi-coherent rambling for one sitting. Maybe I’ll go get some things together to pack and avoid a repeat of my February debacle of not finishing packing until nearly 4 AM on embarkation day (had just moved and didn’t know where stuff was 🤦🏻‍♀️). Before I sign off for now, I’d like to announce up front that anyone else on this sailing is welcome to chime in and contribute info, experiences, whatever at any time. At a point when I disappeared for a bit from my Getaway semi-live, someone chastised a person who was adding info to it and I felt just awful about that. It’s a freakin’ cruise message board, not a treatise of my philosophies on life. As long as you’re willing to acknowledge that at the end of the day, my opinions are the correct ones, all are welcome to contribute! 😜

Ahhhh this is amazing! Thanks, guys! I really want to hear the band, but I don’t love crowds and it can be difficult for me to get to the venues super early before showtime because of my little dude. I’m lucky because my mom comes with us so there’s someone to watch him (and DH doesn’t like Beatles anyway so I’ll probably go to this alone), but sometimes he only wants me to put him to bed, etc., so if I can just show up at the outside bar, grab a drink, and chill outdoors listening, I’ll be super happy!

This is awesome; thank you! I don’t need to see them…like, uh, not actually The Beatles and I don’t need that part of the illusion 🤣. Is the sound quality ok outside, though? Is it muffled?

On previous ships I sailed that have Headliners (which is called the Social Club on Joy I believe), nothing in that venue can be booked. That includes comedians and Howl at the Moon (which I don’t know if they have on Joy; doesn’t come up in the app for my upcoming Joy cruise). I want to say sometimes if they do a comedian show in the theater you can book onboard, but even those may be first-come, first-serve? I’d have to look at old Dailies. Another venue I’m certain does not take reservations is the Cavern Club (The Beatles shows).

Just FYI a lot of the NCL Bermuda excursions are these excursions (if you read the descriptions they’re exactly the same/same boats, etc.). So if you want to compare prices vs. the $50 excursion credit or if you don’t have the credit, you can check this out. Some of them work out better with the credit but on a lot of them NCL’s markup is so high it’s still better to book direct. https://www.islandtourcentre.com

I keep discussing Food Republic with people on here but not responding to the main thread topic lol. Obviously there’s some pretty great stuff in the specialties and I’m sure there is in the Haven, so I’ll comment on my favorite MDR meal from Getaway in February. To be honest, Cagney’s was pretty mid on that cruise, so this meal might have topped that for me. Based on the date on my photos, it was the night 4 menu. The jalapeño cornbread was great, and then I can’t remember exactly what kind of wontons these were, but they were pretty decent. What I was surprised I enjoyed so much was this pork belly entree. It was nice and crispy on top with a sweet glaze, the slaw had such a nice crunch, and it all went really well with the mashed sweet potatoes. Also, with a few exceptions (lava cake and chocolate layer cake 🤤), I tend to be unenthusiastic about NCL desserts, but I really enjoyed this little carrot cake that night. Surprisingly, DH was also happy with his cannoli (Italians from NY here, so we weren’t expecting miracles lol), but I didn’t try them.

Yeah I think in our previous experiences there on Escape, there was never anything that was bad—some items better than others, but all good! I’m hoping they’ll be cool with us just using one of our Platinum Latitudes vouchers for two there, even though we’re 3 adults and my son. The little man is 4 and there’s nothing there he will be likely to eat, so it’ll be kids’ menu for him anyway, and 8 dishes will certainly be more than enough for DH, my mom, and me. I figure worst case if they say we need to order something for the 3rd adult separately we’ll just get 9 items, because anything beyond that would just be wasteful!

We’ve done FR a couple times on Escape and loved it. In 2019 when my mom came with us on Escape, it was her favorite because there’s so much variety, even though she doesn’t eat red meat along with a few other things that cause her stomach issues. I’m really looking forward to it on Joy! Actually I was just mentioning to DH that I was wondering if maybe we should do it for dinner the first night. I don’t like to book the other specialties the first night because I feel like we’re always a little pooped from getting to the ship and embarkation, but I’m thinking FR might be a good way to avoid the first night MDR chaos.

Sushi is one option at Food Republic, but just one option of many! They have SUCH a great variety of different types of dishes and cuisines. Definitely one of our favorites when we sail on a ship that has it.

@salzdt schools in the tri-state are generally in session until at least the week after you booked (in NY we go until pretty much the end of June), so you shouldn’t be packed with kids then. Obviously the big ships always get kids because there’s so many activities for them, but you wouldn’t be overrun the first week in June.

Oh yes, MDR lunch is always my preference. For our February Getaway cruise, we had just moved and were kind of a disaster with getting organized and packed and getting out of the house in the morning, so we got to the ship too late for MDR. Sounds stupid but it screwed the whole first few hours of the cruise for us…ended up doing O’Sheehan’s because we want nothing to do with the buffet upon embarkation. Watched everyone around us getting their food even if they ordered after us, and finally found out our waiter never bothered to make sure our food came out; then they closed for muster, so we got no food. They just shouldn’t have sat us if they knew it was cutting it too close. I wouldn’t care if I couldn’t eat because I certainly have enough chub to survive a few hours lol, but you leave my 4-year-old hungry and crying and I get pretty grumpy 😐 (fortunately I had a couple little snacks in our carry-on for him). I’ve spent the last two weeks telling the family we will be packed 100% at least 24 hours before embarkation and up and out early enough to get our darn MDR lunch this time! 🙃