Newbie NCL Crusing Questions (Joy, but all answers welcome!)

[Mka3721]

Hello!

 

My mother and I are going on an early May cruise on the Joy to Alaska for her birthday.  🤗  This is only our third cruise, though (and the last two were long ago) and our first one on NCL, so I have a few questions if anyone would mind answering them.

 

1)  Is there a two night dining package available to be booked on the cruise, and how much is it?  We have three specialty restaurants due to perks, but would also like to dine at two more of them.  The rep on the phone told us that we could book two night dining package on the cruise, but I don't know how much I should trust reps on the phone.  If the three dining package is cheaper when booked ahead (or all that's available), we can fit it in, but we'd prefer just two nights.

 

2) What wines are served at Wine Lovers the Musical?  Are they wines that can only be gotten for 15$'s+?  How is the show?  We have the perked beverage package and so we're sort of leery of spending extra money on a short show with booze, but if the wines or the show is amazing, we can be talked in to it.

 

3) My mother wants to know what sort of sweeteners they have on the ship, and if they have flavored creamers.  (I don't drink too much coffee besides overly sweet junk, and Starbucks charging 20% gratuity scares me away from them.)

 

4) It looks like our flight will be getting in relatively late (after 11 it lands, and how long it'll take us to get to the ship is a mystery).  Do we still have a chance of booking the shows and the silent disco?  We're not to in to the go-karts or laser tag stuff, but we would like to see those.

 

5) Are there still towel animals?  I love towel animals. =/  I've been reading mixed reports.

 

6) Is Victoria a relatively safe place to walk to downtown/Chinatown on our own and explore?  None of the shore excursions really appealed to us.  I'm looking at 'A Taste of Victoria Food Tour' as something we could book off ship, but I'd actually prefer us making our own little food (and maybe wine and beer?) tour and exploring on our own.  I'm not adverse to doing research, but any advice or tips on where to go would be appreciated.

 

Finally, if you can think of anything special I can surprise my mother with for her birthday, please send me a private message. 🙂 She reads these boards too, but I'm still trying to surprise her!

 

 

Thank you so much for reading.  Hope everyone is enjoying their cruising!

[mking8288]

AFAIK, there are no 2 nights dining package for sale on 5+ nights sailings, maybe the 3 or 4 nighters ??  I wouldn't count on it being offered on the Joy once earmarked for the China market, where their specialty dining did NOT sell well, couldn't fill up Teppanyaki nightly then.  

 

No flavored creamers available, except maybe at Starbucks for an upcharge.  Sweeteners - 2 to 3 different types offered, pretty standard across the fleet.  If creamers are "that" important, maybe put them in a 3-1-1 bottle/pouch (100 ml/3 oz.) and see if you can check them thru.  

 

The last time we visited Victoria, we stopped at its Chinatown, the oldest & among the smallest & quietest in N.A. - not much to see & worthy eating, something about the narrowest building to take photos, that's about it - Seattle's old Chinatown will offer just as much to see, time permitting.  We ate an overpriced lunch there, food is comparable to our local takeout joint - advice, skip any ideas of eating there.  Vietnamese dining was a little better, in the downtown area.  Victoria is safe to walk around, unless things changed in the last decade since we took the rental car & ferry across, stayed over for 2 nights.  From the cruise terminal, it is really - IMHO, too far (40 minutes, per Google) to walk & there are some hills/grades - given the distance, hail a taxi or use other means of public transport.   Do visit the harbour/waterfront downtown - it's nice & pretty, flowers should be in full bloom by May ... Fairmount Hotel for high sea in the afternoon & check the open hours for visitors to walk thru the Parliament Building nearby.  

 

BTW, welcome to CC - dont' forget to check out the destination forum here for tips, guides and latest for the ports; and, if you aren't on the ship's Roll Call, please join as fellow CC'er on the sailing could have plenty of good advice to share.  

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Mka3721 said:

Hello!

 

My mother and I are going on an early May cruise on the Joy to Alaska for her birthday.  🤗  This is only our third cruise, though (and the last two were long ago) and our first one on NCL, so I have a few questions if anyone would mind answering them.

Happy Birthday Mom!

 

1)  Is there a two night dining package available to be booked on the cruise, and how much is it?  We have three specialty restaurants due to perks, but would also like to dine at two more of them.  The rep on the phone told us that we could book two night dining package on the cruise, but I don't know how much I should trust reps on the phone.  If the three dining package is cheaper when booked ahead (or all that's available), we can fit it in, but we'd prefer just two nights.

No 2 night package. The minimum is 3. Can be booked in advance or on the ship. The Rep was wrong. 

 

3) My mother wants to know what sort of sweeteners they have on the ship, and if they have flavored creamers.  (I don't drink too much coffee besides overly sweet junk, and Starbucks charging 20% gratuity scares me away from them.)

All of the standard sweeteners (Equal, Splenda, Sweet and Low) - Generics.

 

4) It looks like our flight will be getting in relatively late (after 11 it lands, and how long it'll take us to get to the ship is a mystery).  Do we still have a chance of booking the shows and the silent disco?  We're not to in to the go-karts or laser tag stuff, but we would like to see those.

Flight lands at 11:15, you get bags at 11:45, you'll be at the port around 12:45. Go to the Joy Theater, Deck 7, Forward, Starboard entrance to book your shows. 

 

5) Are there still towel animals?  I love towel animals. =/  I've been reading mixed reports.

Make sure you let your room steward know that you LOVE towel animals.

 

6) Is Victoria a relatively safe place to walk to downtown/Chinatown on our own and explore?  None of the shore excursions really appealed to us.  I'm looking at 'A Taste of Victoria Food Tour' as something we could book off ship, but I'd actually prefer us making our own little food (and maybe wine and beer?) tour and exploring on our own.  I'm not adverse to doing research, but any advice or tips on where to go would be appreciated.

Yes, it is safe. 

 

Finally, if you can think of anything special I can surprise my mother with for her birthday, please send me a private message. 🙂 She reads these boards too, but I'm still trying to surprise her!

 

 

Thank you so much for reading.  Hope everyone is enjoying their cruising!

Have a wonderful cruise. 

[RedRover96]

10 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

No 2 night package. The minimum is 3. Can be booked in advance or on the ship.

Might be slightly cheaper to purchase in advance of the cruise(???)

[MyTMo777]

You can also consider just going a la carte at the other two restaurants you want to try, instead of buying a package.

 

Victoria is lovely and perfectly safe. If you enjoy walking, it's a beautiful and leisurely stroll from the cruise terminal to the inner harbour. I would suggest either walking or taking a cab to Fisherman's Wharf first. Enjoy a wander around there (and be sure to look for the seals!). From there, catch a water taxi ($6/per person) over to Chinatown. The water taxis are one of my favourite parts of Victoria. You'll get some great views of The Empress Hotel from the water taxi. You can also buy a hop on hop off package for the taxis and ride them to all kinds of destinations. Be sure to stop at the main Inner Harbour right in front of the Empress and get off. Walk down Government Street and definitely buy Roger's Chocolates! 

 

I could go on all day about Victoria and all the things to do there. Been there too many times to count and absolutely love it.

[Sauer-kraut]

There is no private messaging on Cruise Critic.

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, MyTMo777 said:

You can also consider just going a la carte at the other two restaurants you want to try, instead of buying a package....

 

 

I agree with this.  If you are planning to go to 'Q', you will find the portions are huge.   You really don't need to use a dining credit to get a good sized meal here for two people.  My husband and I (on the Bliss) split one entree and a variety of side dishes.  We should have ordered less so we had room for dessert 😉

If you want to go to Food Republic, it is all small plates and you can't use a dining credit nor would you need to.

You could research the menus by watching reviews here on Cruise Critic or google them.  Should be menus same or similar to the Bliss.  Have a great cruise!

[hallux]

On 3/27/2019 at 11:05 PM, mking8288 said:

If creamers are "that" important, maybe put them in a 3-1-1 bottle/pouch (100 ml/3 oz.) and see if you can check them thru.

 

If you're checking the bag with the airline there's no need for the 3-1-1 rule, that only applies to carry-on.

 

I agree with the others, you don't need to have a package to cover the additional specialty restaurants, you can just book them and pay through your on-board account.  Considering the shortest is 3, it might be a better deal to just pay as you need/want for the last 2, or just eat in the main dining room for those nights.

[carefree20]

I look forward to your review of Joy when you return.  We are scheduled to sail on her in Jan. 2021.  I'm sure she's gonna look like a new money after her dry dock! Enjoy!!

[rmurray847]

On 3/27/2019 at 7:08 PM, Mka3721 said:

 

 

2) What wines are served at Wine Lovers the Musical?  Are they wines that can only be gotten for 15$'s+?  How is the show?  We have the perked beverage package and so we're sort of leery of spending extra money on a short show with booze, but if the wines or the show is amazing, we can be talked in to it.

 

5) Are there still towel animals?  I love towel animals. =/  I've been reading mixed reports.

 

6) Is Victoria a relatively safe place to walk to downtown/Chinatown on our own and explore?  None of the shore excursions really appealed to us.  I'm looking at 'A Taste of Victoria Food Tour' as something we could book off ship, but I'd actually prefer us making our own little food (and maybe wine and beer?) tour and exploring on our own.  I'm not adverse to doing research, but any advice or tips on where to go would be appreciated.

 

Most of your questions are well answered already, but here's my two-cents on a couple.

 

We saw WINE LOVERS on our TA, April 2018 on the Breakaway.  It is a low budget show.  Cast of three...basically, an older gentleman who knows and loves wine tried to teach a pair of young folks (who may or may not develop into a couple during the show) all about wine.  I don't remember how many tastings we had, 4 or 5, I think.  A modest lunch as well.  It was done in the (almost) round and was full of corny jokes and forgettable songs about wine.  We still had a fun time though.  HOWEVER, we were on a 12 night cruise with 7 days at sea...so having a change was much appreciated.  I would say that I would NOT recommend when you could be spending time on deck looking at Alaska!  The wine was a cut above the "included with the drink package" but not exactly earth-shattering either.

 

There are still towel animals.  Expect 3 - 4 on your cruise.

 

We were in Victoria about 3 years ago.  No part felt unsafe.  The area IMMEDIATELY around the dock is not super attractive (few ports are), but downtown is nearby and it's very pretty.