Is the NCL Joy really that bad for Americans??

[ddakrt]

No disrespect, but some societal norms are BAD if it's not your society. It's ok to say that, it doesn't make you prejudiced, a xenophobe, racist, etc.

 

The reason I wouldn't cruise on Joy has little to do with the Chinese...I don't think the itineraries look great.

 

The difference is context. Someone can say that their social norms are bad if they're here, but as a foreigner travelling to their country, saying they're wrong or they're rude and ignorant at their own home is not the way to think.

 

Agreed on the Joy's itinerary, it's mediocre at best.

[maggie cruises]

If you do get sick, most pharmacies in major citieis in China offer traditional chinease medicine and most floor space is tedicated to that. In a small corner in the back is the western medication.

 

 

 

Simialr to Gernmany and Switzerland, I have found western medication has simple labelling, no-colour, black text on boxes white boxes. No photos or marketing material. Same stuff.

 

 

 

If you do go Japan (where) most of ports of call are on these cruses, you should keep in mind that people in Japan are hyper sensitive to cleanlyness by North American standards. It Japan most toilets are electronic water jets that clean your underside after using the toilet. You are also expect to wear a mask if you are sick and in public places. Most who are not sick also wear masks during the winder season when on the metro or walking around to protect themselves from germs.

 

 

 

Lol my post was referring to the disgusting sanitary habits described on this thread on the Joy by the Chinese pax

 

 

 

 

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[maggie cruises]

Everyone in this thread has been very clear about the difference in social norm, PC has nothing to do with it. Please don't bring politics into this discussion.

 

 

 

At the end of the day, if you're to travel overseas to their country, you need to understand that it is their ways of life, they're not being rude or ignorant, that's their norms and we as visitors should try to either conform or tolerate.

 

 

 

Ok but the disgusting habits described here are actually barbaric if you ask me

 

 

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[em-sk]

Ok but the disgusting habits described here are actually barbaric if you ask me

 

 

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Yes, by North American norms, hygiene standards in may parts of the world can be viewed as barbaric. No question. The Japanese hold their public spaces to an even higher hygiene standards that we do in Canada or the US.

 

That said, I have always felt safer traveling in China or Japan than in the US.

[BostonGal35]

There were quite a few Chinese passengers on our recent Baltic cruise. We usually enjoy other cultures and meeting people from different countries. Many of the Chinese passengers were the absolutely rudest people I ever met. They berated the crew in loud voices, they pushed and shoved into elevators. In the buffet line they literally just got in line in front of you, and ignored any protest. At first, I just thought they were bumping into me accidentally and would say excuse me to be polite, then I soon realized they just didn't care if they slammed into me, whether I was carrying a hot coffee, a plate of food, etc. soon I just started throwing an elbow to protect my personal space.

 

 

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this was my experience as well, on my baltics sail. i would personally never sail the Joy unless i could hide in a Haven room all cruise.

[TravelingSmurf]

this was my experience as well, on my baltics sail. i would personally never sail the Joy unless i could hide in a Haven room all cruise.

 

We got their concierge suite. Definitely not the Haven but better than a regular room!

[em-sk]

We got their concierge suite. Definitely not the Haven but better than a regular room!

 

Interesting. I had a look at the deck plan and the description. That sounds like it has a special lounge with a dedicated buffet on deck 15. Nice looking photo.

 

This Concierge almost sounds like something between a regular cabin and the Haven. Does this existing on any of the other ships?

[TravelingSmurf]

Interesting. I had a look at the deck plan and the description. That sounds like it has a special lounge with a dedicated buffet on deck 15. Nice looking photo.

 

This Concierge almost sounds like something between a regular cabin and the Haven. Does this existing on any of the other ships?

 

We have been looking at this cruise since around August. This is the first time a concierge suite became available. Every time I have looked up until now it has only been balcony and mini suites. It was a little bit more money but definitely not outrageous. I’m hoping the lounge we have access to will be something we can retreat to if we feel the need to. I really hope they serve food there especially breakfast. Other than that we are interested in trying some of the specialty restaurants.

 

I know the Bliss is very similar to the ship but I did not see concierge suites there. I’m not sure if this is the only ship that does them.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Mom2CrazyKids
Forgot to answer a question

[ColinIllinois]

Interesting that they don't have any Studio cabins on this ship.

[Apsalar]

One thing I thought of that may be useful in Shanghai and on the Joy - learn to say a few phrases in Mandarin. Things like "hello" (ni hao) and "thank you" (xie xie, sounds something like shiuh shiuh), it really does go a long way.

[ColinIllinois]

One thing I thought of that may be useful in Shanghai and on the Joy - learn to say a few phrases in Mandarin. Things like "hello" (ni hao) and "thank you" (xie xie, sounds something like shiuh shiuh), it really does go a long way.

 

 

How do you say "If you cut in front of me again and elbow me here in the buffet line I'll punch you in your baby maker"?

 

IT'S A JOKE!! lol

[TravelingSmurf]

One thing I thought of that may be useful in Shanghai and on the Joy - learn to say a few phrases in Mandarin. Things like "hello" (ni hao) and "thank you" (xie xie, sounds something like shiuh shiuh), it really does go a long way.

 

I absolutely agree! We have already learned those phrases. Anything beyond that and we are lost! We have traveled through France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and a few other places. We always make it a point to learn basic phrases and to attempt to speak in their language. We have all always had pretty decent experiences when it comes to trying to communicate. I think if people see you trying they are more willing to help you out. I would never go somewhere and expect them to know English.

[ColinIllinois]

Thanks to my career, retired Navy and after that working as a communications contractor for the Dept of Defense, I have been in over 30 different countries. Some places have been fantastic and some I couldn't wait to exit as quickly as possible.

 

Personally, I wouldn't sail on the Joy if my fare was paid for based on my past experiences, but that's just me. I would say to the OP..... GO FOR IT. Life is one big adventure and if you don't try new things or get outside your comfort zone, what is the point of this whole crazy life?

 

Although you said you aren't big on reviews PLEASE try and make an effort to come back and at least give us a mini trip report of your thoughts and experience. I'm pretty sure a whole bunch of us would find that interesting.

 

Gracias. Or as they say in China...Muchas Gracias.

[rsato]

I'll add my 2 cents to the the discussion from the perspective of a) frequent cruisers (13 completed), b) fans of NCL (9 cruises) and c) sailed on the RCL Quantum of the Seas after 3 days touring Beijing.

 

Visiting Beijing was an amazing experience, we stayed at the Hilton near the Imperial Palace and found the area as comfortable and luxurious as any world class city we have visited.

 

The Quantum was a wonderful ship, but Americans have to be ready for a chaotic experience with disorganized crowds. It was curious that some of the places you typically think would be crowded on an American ship - their modern theater/bar, the adult indoor pool - were vacant. The shopping bazaars and the buffets were madhouses, the pay restaurant were ghost towns.

 

You just have to go into the cruise with expectations of a much different experience. My other remarks of our adventure:

 

http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2015/11/adventures-in-china_14.html

 

Happy Travels!

[TravelingSmurf]

I'll add my 2 cents to the the discussion from the perspective of a) frequent cruisers (13 completed), b) fans of NCL (9 cruises) and c) sailed on the RCL Quantum of the Seas after 3 days touring Beijing.

 

Visiting Beijing was an amazing experience, we stayed at the Hilton near the Imperial Palace and found the area as comfortable and luxurious as any world class city we have visited.

 

The Quantum was a wonderful ship, but Americans have to be ready for a chaotic experience with disorganized crowds. It was curious that some of the places you typically think would be crowded on an American ship - their modern theater/bar, the adult indoor pool - were vacant. The shopping bazaars and the buffets were madhouses, the pay restaurant were ghost towns.

 

You just have to go into the cruise with expectations of a much different experience. My other remarks of our adventure:

 

http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2015/11/adventures-in-china_14.html

 

Happy Travels!

 

I agree with you about going onto this trip with different expectations. This will be our 10th overall cruise and I’m sure it will be incredibly different from anything we’ve experienced.

 

 

I read your trip review, it sounds very similar to what we are doing. We will arrive in Shanghai, stay there for three days before getting on the cruise. On the cruise we will go to Nagasaki and Hakata. We will return to Shanghai from the cruise and go to Beijing for a couple days and then return back to Shanghai and fly out. I have a feeling the weather is going to be very similar to what you dealt with. Thanks again for sharing your trip report.

[mking8288]

Thank you everyone ... decided to book the cruise. We are not necessarily looking forward to ... it is something we can deal with ... will answer any questions that I am asked when I get back.

Good, you made an informed decision with plenty of dissenting opinions & advice given. Best wishes - even a simple pictorial review post-cruise here on CC will be highly valued and read as a pioneering report. There is NOT a single member review written thus far, yet - can't find anything on other popular/English language websites either.

 

It is a lot of work to scan & upload pictures and FS dailies, etc. but those would be very helpful and usable to others prepared for such an adventure.

 

Pack some extra hand sanitizers (TSA/airport security compliant) and once you are in PVG (Shanghai) - pickup some of those pocket-sized thick & absorbent facial tissues (multi-purposes) - while in the big metro city, places like McDonalds and KFC's (everywhere) along with major hotels will have clean western toilets and tissues, others possibly not & those tissues are a must to wipe & clean.

 

Task ahead, if not done - your challenge is to figure out ground transportation to/from PVG airport & city hotel, and to the cruise port ... local equivalent of Uber is popular for on-demand services but Chinese language-based. Like for-hired taxi, they use Alipay (not ApplePay or Android Pay) for payment of fares - cash always cheerfully accepted in RMB - have them available for transactions & small purchases. Stick with recognized brands of bottled water as clean, safe drinking water are always in question. Imodium to come along, just in case and you should be fine. Avoid ice cubes from tap water & appealing "street" food - enjoy the smell, color & looks then move on.

 

Download Google Translate's offline simplified Chinese module, as it can come in handy for quick, simple short phrases & in basic communications. Just beware that the digital firewall might block access by online search engines to certain sights, although it is often possible when staying in upscale hotels catered to international travelers (or, with a VPN) - best to plan ahead & do most online searches ahead of your trip.

 

Specialty dining should have good availability without advanced booking. Some of the (senior ?) service staff, if not all, had likely been trained abroad on a NCL ship - some of the ones we talked to on the Breakaway last month signed the typical 8 months contract ... including some of the host/ess & housekeeping / room stewards, so basic English should not be a major obstacle. Not all of them were happy campers and spoke of extended & long working hours with minimal rest - hopefully, they're coached to smile and shown to be more friendly once back at home.

 

Since you'll be in Shanghai for several days pre-cruise & returning afterward, do make plans to do some sightseeing ... Suzhou and Hangzhou are within 2 to 3 hours of driving time from Shanghai, and worth a side trip ... just make sure you avoid any shopping tours or stops. I pulled up our pictures from previous PVG trip for visuals to you.

 

PVG or Shanghai's Int'l Airport is amazing & top notch, you will likely be impressed and struggled to wonder about airports & TSA here in the U.S.

[TravelingSmurf]

Good, you made an informed decision with plenty of dissenting opinions & advice given. Best wishes - even a simple pictorial review post-cruise here on CC will be highly valued and read as a pioneering report. There is NOT a single member review written thus far, yet - can't find anything on other popular/English language websites either.

 

It is a lot of work to scan & upload pictures and FS dailies, etc. but those would be very helpful and usable to others prepared for such an adventure.

 

Pack some extra hand sanitizers (TSA/airport security compliant) and once you are in PVG (Shanghai) - pickup some of those pocket-sized thick & absorbent facial tissues (multi-purposes) - while in the big metro city, places like McDonalds and KFC's (everywhere) along with major hotels will have clean western toilets and tissues, others possibly not & those tissues are a must to wipe & clean.

 

Task ahead, if not done - your challenge is to figure out ground transportation to/from PVG airport & city hotel, and to the cruise port ... local equivalent of Uber is popular for on-demand services but Chinese language-based. Like for-hired taxi, they use Alipay (not ApplePay or Android Pay) for payment of fares - cash always cheerfully accepted in RMB - have them available for transactions & small purchases. Stick with recognized brands of bottled water as clean, safe drinking water are always in question. Imodium to come along, just in case and you should be fine. Avoid ice cubes from tap water & appealing "street" food - enjoy the smell, color & looks then move on.

 

Download Google Translate's offline simplified Chinese module, as it can come in handy for quick, simple short phrases & in basic communications. Just beware that the digital firewall might block access by online search engines to certain sights, although it is often possible when staying in upscale hotels catered to international travelers (or, with a VPN) - best to plan ahead & do most online searches ahead of your trip.

 

Specialty dining should have good availability without advanced booking. Some of the (senior ?) service staff, if not all, had likely been trained abroad on a NCL ship - some of the ones we talked to on the Breakaway last month signed the typical 8 months contract ... including some of the host/ess & housekeeping / room stewards, so basic English should not be a major obstacle. Not all of them were happy campers and spoke of extended & long working hours with minimal rest - hopefully, they're coached to smile and shown to be more friendly once back at home.

 

Since you'll be in Shanghai for several days pre-cruise & returning afterward, do make plans to do some sightseeing ... Suzhou and Hangzhou are within 2 to 3 hours of driving time from Shanghai, and worth a side trip ... just make sure you avoid any shopping tours or stops. I pulled up our pictures from previous PVG trip for visuals to you.

 

PVG or Shanghai's Int'l Airport is amazing & top notch, you will likely be impressed and struggled to wonder about airports & TSA here in the U.S.

 

Hey mking8288!! Thank you so much for all of the great advice. I have never put pictures on CC. I can’t just upload them directly from my phone? I guess I’ve never paid attention on how to do it. I figure I would press a button and it would let me select the photos I want to add. I don’t have a problem posting a basic trip report but some people are incredibly detail oriented and have tons of pictures. That is not something I want to do.

 

As for some of your other suggestions we have done a few. We have downloaded the Google translate for off-line use. We have also bought plenty of sanitizer. I have transportation worked out in Beijing but not Shanghai yet. Picking up some of those tissues is a great idea. As for cab fares, we are probably going to pay in cash since we don’t have access to Ali-pay. I am definitely going to see your post and make sure I read through it every so often to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.

 

As far as English being spoken on the ship I agree with you. More than likely we will be able to find some English spoken throughout the crew because of time on other ships.

[Pitzel]

One more tip for navigating in Shanghai — always take a screenshot of an address or have your hotel write down their address in CHINESE CHARACTERS. Show this to your taxi driver and you should have no problems getting around. Taxis were remarkably inexpensive (in my opinion) — an hour long ride was less than $10 US.

 

The Bund is absolutely worth seeing at night.

[luckycanuck1867]

Hey LrgPizza! We choose this ship because it looks like it would be fun to sail on. The ship itself has a lot to do and the food looks amazing. On the video I watched most of the signs and menus were in english. Here is the link if you are interested:

 

 

 

Thankyou for this link, very interesting.

 

 

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[TravelingSmurf]

One more tip for navigating in Shanghai — always take a screenshot of an address or have your hotel write down their address in CHINESE CHARACTERS. Show this to your taxi driver and you should have no problems getting around. Taxis were remarkably inexpensive (in my opinion) — an hour long ride was less than $10 US.

 

The Bund is absolutely worth seeing at night.

 

Thank you for reminding me about having something written in Chinese characters. I have read that several times before while I was researching this trip but it’s definitely a good reminder. I have read that you have to show them in Chinese characters as opposed to pinyin.

 

 

I am definitely getting really excited for this trip!

[mking8288]

... I can’t just upload them directly from my phone? I guess I’ve never paid attention on how to do it. I figure I would press a button and it would let me select the photos ...

 

Done my last 3 or 4 "Semi Live" CC blog - trip report using mainly, Tapatalk's mobile App. - mostly on Android smartphones & tablets, but also on iPhone (5S) ... very easy to do, using the same profile/credentials on the desktop signing in. CC has its own Mobile Forum App and it is very similar. Download and install these 2 free Apps, and play with it before you leave for overseas. Scroll down after typing in any text to select & add pictures or images, "Send" to directly upload & finish to post, fairly easy to learn to do w/o using cloud server, etc.

 

Don't worry about spending time abroad writing & posting, key is save those pictures & images - post them later ... the old sayings, a picture is worth a thousand words. While riding in a taxi on our way over to Nassau's Baha Mar casino-resort, snapped pictures & add a few words, hit "Send" & bing, it's done. Those following will figure it out, ask questions - you answer those later, if & when you have time AND internet access ... without breaking the bank on usage charges.

 

We used Google's Project Fi (data only sim on iPhone) for our int'l travel - before that, it's been local prepaid/data sim as WiFi can be hit-n-miss abroad (Asia being largely the exceptions, outside China) - officially, you will need to show passport/travel documents to obtain & activate a prepaid Sim card in China, but for your stay - could be useful and not too expensive, definitely cheaper than going rates on the "Joy" for satellite access.

[datolim]

I agree with you about going onto this trip with different expectations. This will be our 10th overall cruise and I’m sure it will be incredibly different from anything we’ve experienced.

 

 

I read your trip review, it sounds very similar to what we are doing. We will arrive in Shanghai, stay there for three days before getting on the cruise. On the cruise we will go to Nagasaki and Hakata. We will return to Shanghai from the cruise and go to Beijing for a couple days and then return back to Shanghai and fly out. I have a feeling the weather is going to be very similar to what you dealt with. Thanks again for sharing your trip report.

Here is my 2 cents. Since you have decided already keep your expectation really low. How low do you have to go, I would say lower still. Go for the experience and not the enjoyment. Your health and sanity comes first. Comfort and enjoyment maybe for another time and place.

I am saying this as an Ethnic Chinese from SG. Together with our brothers in HK we would not go on the JOY. We speak the same language but we behave differently. So best of luck to you.

[TravelingSmurf]

Done my last 3 or 4 "Semi Live" CC blog - trip report using mainly, Tapatalk's mobile App. - mostly on Android smartphones & tablets, but also on iPhone (5S) ... very easy to do, using the same profile/credentials on the desktop signing in. CC has its own Mobile Forum App and it is very similar. Download and install these 2 free Apps, and play with it before you leave for overseas. Scroll down after typing in any text to select & add pictures or images, "Send" to directly upload & finish to post, fairly easy to learn to do w/o using cloud server, etc.

 

Don't worry about spending time abroad writing & posting, key is save those pictures & images - post them later ... the old sayings, a picture is worth a thousand words. While riding in a taxi on our way over to Nassau's Baha Mar casino-resort, snapped pictures & add a few words, hit "Send" & bing, it's done. Those following will figure it out, ask questions - you answer those later, if & when you have time AND internet access ... without breaking the bank on usage charges.

 

We used Google's Project Fi (data only sim on iPhone) for our int'l travel - before that, it's been local prepaid/data sim as WiFi can be hit-n-miss abroad (Asia being largely the exceptions, outside China) - officially, you will need to show passport/travel documents to obtain & activate a prepaid Sim card in China, but for your stay - could be useful and not too expensive, definitely cheaper than going rates on the "Joy" for satellite access.

 

I will definitely look into downloading those apps. I will also look into Google’s Project Fi. The next thing I was going to start researching was being able to use our iPhones while in China. I understand with their great firewall not everything is going to be accessible.

[Catchum]

iPhones in China not a problem we spent a month there and most of our guides had the newest version. Check what email addresses work, gmail was blocked for most of our tour so worth creating an account which is not I think yahoo worked but this was a couple of years ago.

 

Other tips - when ashore take tissues and hand wipes for the bathrooms some can be quite memorable.

A small town in China is 4 million people so personal space is not something most people have any concept of.

Chinese Chinese food is nothing like US or British Chinese food.

Did not see anyone spitting or anything else gross.

Ask the ship to write you a message in Chinese characters which says “if found lost and confused please phone this number (insert ship/port agent number)” we were on a land tour and tour and twice people gave a local the card supplied and they phoned for help. Locals are really helpful even if they don’t speak English.

 

China remains one of our most amazing trips but it is not a vacation!

[em-sk]

....

 

I guess ncl weighed the profits from the casino and has decided that this unhygienic pax demographic was worth going after

 

 

On 2nd thought I'm sure ncl ran the numbers on the high profits to be made from the casino on these pax and never even knew about their unsanitary practices ....although if they did know I doubt they would care

....

 

I am fairly certain NCL knows what they are doing in Asia.

 

Genting Group is a major share holder of NCL. They are based in Malaysia and have casino and hotel interests across Asia. Genting also owns Star Cruise lines that are massive in Asia market.

 

The relationship between NCL and Star go back many years.