BirdTravels to Alaska on the Norwegian Joy

[BirdTravels]

On 8/4/2019 at 1:27 PM, aniv20cruise said:

Awesome, up-to-date info on the Joy!  We'll be there in 2 weeks.

Curious, you have a concierge suite which gives you access to the concierge?  Is it the same person that handles the Haven also?  Who is the current concierge on the Joy?

 

Thanks and we'll be following the rest of your trip.

Clarification, there is one Concierge handling the 85ish Concierge rooms. 

 

There is another Concierge with two Assistant Concierges handling the 85ish Haven rooms. 

[Drivencruise]

Hi, I can see from the daily that whilst in Victoria , the ship was allowed to only operate one bar per deck . How was this ? Were other venues “open” but without a functioning bar ? Was there entertainment on in all the venues ? Did the wait staff do regular bar runs from the open venues ? 

Thanks for your great review and sorry for all the questions ! 

 

[AmyRitter]

Over all, did you like the Concierge category?  Would you book it again?

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Drivencruise said:

Hi, I can see from the daily that whilst in Victoria , the ship was allowed to only operate one bar per deck . How was this ? Were other venues “open” but without a functioning bar ? Was there entertainment on in all the venues ? Did the wait staff do regular bar runs from the open venues ? 

Thanks for your great review and sorry for all the questions ! 

 

Not sure what your question is. If a bar is closed there is no service there. Closed is closed. Yes, lots of places to get a drink. However, since it is a late port call, many will be off the ship. 

[BirdTravels]

38 minutes ago, AmyRitter said:

Over all, did you like the Concierge category?  Would you book it again?

It is a similar question as to whether you would pick a mini suite over a balcony. A little/lot more space. When the price of the Concierge room dropped close to our mini suite, we paid for the bigger room. 

 

We are seasoned cruisers. We embark early. We devote  the first 30 minutes on board to getting entertainment and dining sorted. Is it “nice” to hand the requests to the concierge, sure. Was the private dining room a plus. Sure. Was it worth a lot of money, probably not (but we paid a little more money). So the answer is, for a small additional cost, we look at it as just another cabin class. 

 

Our routine is a leisurely lunch. Then a fast paced walk to all of the “open houses” on the ship to help the feed live thread. It takes a lot of effort to get the “behind the scenes” peek at venues like the Splash Academy, Entourage, Spa, attractions, etc. Places which are only open for a few hours on embarkation day. We spend a several hours on embarkation day collecting the flyers and photos to feed the thread over the week. We try to collect the answers to the questions asked weekly/daily here on Cruise Critic and present it in one, consolidated thread. 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

Breakfast on bed? Or out on the balcony taking in the beauty of Alaska, Room Service can help you. 

 

Hang Tag for morning breakfast. Place the tag on your door and food will arrive the next morning b

 

 

[Drivencruise]

Hi, sorry if my question wasn’t clear . I’m embarking in Vancouver in a few months and we’ve got a late departure . I was hoping that the venues would be open eg on deck 8 it appears that the restaurant bar is the designated open bar . So therefore the cavern, the district, sugarcane etc will all be closed  ? I was hoping that there would just be no bar service in these venues but that you could still sit in them and even see some of the musicians that these venues have on other evenings .  

 

[BirdTravels]

Don’t know the nuances of the Canadian law. Today, in Victoria, there are no live performances until we leave port.   

[BirdTravels]

Drink of the Day. With the Beverage Package, the goal is to try every foo foo drink that you would never pay money for at your local. 

 

BTW we are close enough to Washington State today as we sail into Victoria that the 10.1% Washington tax is being applied to all drinks. 

 

[BirdTravels]

Compared to other ships on other itineraries, the Wi-Fi on the Joy has been pretty poor. Each photo in this thread takes a minute to several minutes EACH to upload. 

 

[BirdTravels]

Port Valet Luggage Tags, airline boarding passes and ID stickers have all been delivered to our room. They are sending a message “your vacation is over” 😞 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

 

Good Morning Victoria!

 

 

Docked on the port side (all others were on the Starboard side). 

Edited August 9, 2019 by BirdTravels

[BirdTravels]

Built for Alaska, the Observation Lounge takes up 1/3 of Deck 15 for a “living room”  to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It includes a bar and Starbucks. 

 

[BirdTravels]

The Waterfront (along both sides of the ship on Deck 😎 is another relaxing place to enjoy the Alaskan beauty. Sofas, chairs and tables to relax and read

 

 

[seemoreroyals]

We are enjoying your awesome review on the Joy.  Probably the most comprehensive trip report I have ever seen on cruise critic.  I read earlier where long pants are needed by men in both Le Bistro and Ocean Blue.  Are long pants also required to be worn in The Manhattan Room MDR?  

[BirdTravels]

49 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

We are enjoying your awesome review on the Joy.  Probably the most comprehensive trip report I have ever seen on cruise critic.  I read earlier where long pants are needed by men in both Le Bistro and Ocean Blue.  Are long pants also required to be worn in The Manhattan Room MDR?  

Nope. And, from our observation, Ocean Blue was accepting men I shorts if they sat outside on the waterfront. 

[seemoreroyals]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Nope. And, from our observation, Ocean Blue was accepting men I shorts if they sat outside on the waterfront. 

 

Thank you.  When we go in December we are planning on Ocean Blue, Q, and Teppanyaki for our 3 specialty dinners and would prefer to dine at the Manhattan Room the rest of the nights.  Good to know we can leave the long pants at home.  Tomorrow is the 4 month mark and we will be able to make show and dinner reservations.  I am hoping they will let us reserve the outside seating for Ocean Blue.  That would be nice.  

[allieoops12]

Bird, did they do martini tastings on the sea days? NCL had the best martini tasting the last time I was on one of their ships.

[drumming cruisers]

Great review. as always.

Where did you see the bears? Was it on an excursion? If so, what excursion?

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

Thank you.  When we go in December we are planning on Ocean Blue, Q, and Teppanyaki for our 3 specialty dinners and would prefer to dine at the Manhattan Room the rest of the nights.  Good to know we can leave the long pants at home.  Tomorrow is the 4 month mark and we will be able to make show and dinner reservations.  I am hoping they will let us reserve the outside seating for Ocean Blue.  That would be nice.  

I would bring a pair of long pants. Al fresco dining is outside and the weather can contribute to whether that is possible. Rain, wind, humidity all dictate whether you can eat out or not. 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, drumming cruisers said:

Great review. as always.

Where did you see the bears? Was it on an excursion? If so, what excursion?

Sorry for not responding quick enough.  Was looking for a better name. The NCL shore ex in icy strait was called “whales and wildlife”.  You can book the wildlife part without the whales. 

 

They take you on a short walk through the forest. There was fresh bear scat on the trail and the escorts carry shotguns (vs bear spray). You go down to observation platforms along a river. We hoped to see more wildlife, but it is hit and miss on who is on the river and the salmon are just starting to run now. 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, allieoops12 said:

Bird, did they do martini tastings on the sea days? NCL had the best martini tasting the last time I was on one of their ships.

Scan through the dailies. There was a sign with all of the planned tastings (at the Social on embarkation day.  I did not get a clean photo of the list. 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, allieoops12 said:

Bird, did they do martini tastings on the sea days? NCL had the best martini tasting the last time I was on one of their ships.

Scan through the dailies. There was a sign with all of the planned tastings (at the Social on embarkation day.  I did not get a clean photo of the list. 

[BirdTravels]

Day 7 Main Dining Roon

 

[BirdTravels]

Need some fresh squeezed juice, visit the Garden Cafe bar. Juices and combos are $5.