Joy vs. Escape? Talk to me.

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

Debating b2b Canadian itineraries this fall on the Joy or the Escape out of NYC. 

 

Been on the Escape many times. My favorite large ship. Been on the Bliss but never the Joy. 

 

Downsides to the Joy I see....not at all into the Galaxy pavilion, no Howl at the Moon, and no Moderno (love it, fight me), and no access to the front of the ship due to expanded Haven/Vibe space. 

 

Anyone on Team Joy want to convince me otherwise? I'm open minded. 

[debenson0723]

Been on both...the Joy does not have a Thermal Spa either, which was a downside for me. But the Escape does not have an Observation Lounge, which I greatly missed. It's really a toss up for me but for that itinerary, I would probably pick the Joy for the OL.

[hallux]

For a Fall cruise in the Northeast - the Joy may be preferable.  She has the enclosed Observation Lounge and I think also has heaters on The Waterfront, which the Escape does not.

 

I have been on both, both were great cruises, both are great ships, they each have their pros and cons which I think have pretty much been covered.

[mking8288]

Ports are different for the Escape and Joy this Fall - and if you are looking at a B2B, only Joy is offering that option unless I'm missing something.  Tendering for these mega ships is a challenge and not practical, as far as I am concern ... with the short amount of time for a day stop at some of the ports scheduled, long lines to get on lifeboats unless you booked shorex and/or get priority tendering.

 

Dining options are different but perhaps you can try out Q Texas Smokehouse instead of Moderno, and Food Republic is nice as well, different & casual.  OL on the Joy is nice if weather isn't great outside and the pool deck too, has heaters for the outdoor.  Been on both the Escape and the Joy, twice and this time around - for us, Escape won the coin toss for us ahead - not sure who's running the senior team (GM & others) onboard this Fall, always had great leadership managing.  Joy is also well run by the team.  It's a mostly port intensive itinerary so not too concerned about making production shows with busy specialty dining plans on 3+ nights, but expecting to see cutbacks onboard & less than robust services from the hard working crew, whenever sailing NCL ahead in the coming months.  Go with the flow & bring good dose of humor along for the unexpected.  

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

Thanks for the responses. I hate the observation lounge, so no loss there. It's just full of disgusting people sleeping and drooling. My balcony is my observation lounge. 

 

As to the tendering issue, I'm sapphire (or whatever Platinum Plus is called now). I assume that gets me priority tendering still? Or did NCL get rid of that for my convenience? 

[mking8288]

3 minutes ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Thanks for the responses. I hate the observation lounge, so no loss there ... As to the tendering issue, I'm sapphire (or whatever Platinum Plus is called now). I assume that gets me priority tendering still? Or did NCL get rid of that for my convenience? 

OK, I see ... 

 

NCL does a good job tendering pax ashore sailing on mid-sized/smaller ships when tendering is required (GSC excluded for this purposes b/c Norway I and II are both double deckers with 200% capacity per transfer).  

 

Priority tendering means you get to join several hundreds Haven guests and anyone, everyone else to be granted priority tendering, as long as they hold a NCL shorex ticket(s) ... it basically meant you can go whenever you are ready to go ashore but not to get to the "front" of the line to get on the next lifeboat loading.   Coming back, tendering is also the long line to get back to the ship - unless you are in Haven ... just something to keep in mind.   

[bkrickles1]

I've never heard anyone say they hated the OL!

I liked it better on Encore than Joy because of the round, sit-down bar, but it's a great space on Joy and is one of the big draws of the breakaway plus ships that have it.

With that being said, Escape would be your best choice if itineraries are equal and the OL means nothing to you.

I sailed Escape in 2018 and Joy in 2022. Loved my experience on both and would probably give the edge to Escape, as others have said. Howl at the Moon and Choir of Man were fantastic fun on Escape, but Joy is every bit as much fun with their entertainment.

2 big theater shows, comedians and 5 or 6 live musical acts every evening.

I enjoyed it so much, we're sailing Joy again in 25 days!!

[hallux]

Something else I just thought of - Joy's pool seemed to be heated, Escape's did not (unless it just wasn't turned on).  While I was on a Caribbean itinerary for both it didn't matter A LOT, but there was surely a difference in pool water temperature.  For a Fall cruise, this may matter, unless someone knows if the Escape's pool CAN be heated and just maybe wasn't when I was on board.

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

Something else I just thought of - Joy's pool seemed to be heated, Escape's did not (unless it just wasn't turned on).  While I was on a Caribbean itinerary for both it didn't matter A LOT, but there was surely a difference in pool water temperature.  For a Fall cruise, this may matter, unless someone knows if the Escape's pool CAN be heated and just maybe wasn't when I was on board.

Pool isn't an issue for me, especially for a September Canadian cruise. 

[JandC_Cruising]

For what it's worth, we like getting Vibe passes and the Escape's Vibe is still only the Starboard side of the ship (at least that was the case last time we were on her in early 2022).

The Joy has both Port and Starboard and two hot tubs (ok...warm tubs 🤪).

 

We LOVE Pinchos Tapas bar on the Escape....probably our favorite sea day lunch on any ship.

 

For our money, time, and itineraries we typically take, we would love them to add the Thermal Spa on the Joy...Get rid of the Laser Tag or the Galaxy Pavilion....

 

While we don't "hate" the OL, we really haven't put it to much use on either the Joy or Encore.  Quick bite one or two afternoons, but on warm weather cruises, we would likely only use it a lot if it was bad weather and then our thought is that it would be a mad house.  

 

Finally, not that it is repeatable, but after multiple times on both,  I'm up in the Joy casino more than I am up in the Escape casino....💰

 

 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Pool isn't an issue for me, especially for a September Canadian cruise. 

Fair point, but just figured I'd put it out there...

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

1 hour ago, JandC_Cruising said:

For what it's worth, we like getting Vibe passes and the Escape's Vibe is still only the Starboard side of the ship (at least that was the case last time we were on her in early 2022).

The Joy has both Port and Starboard and two hot tubs (ok...warm tubs 🤪).

 

This is actually a big point in favor of the Escape for me. I despise the concept of Vibe, but if they're going to do it I like that on the Escape it's somewhat minimal and general pax still have access to the full length of the ship on the port side and a section of the front. 

[omahabob]

Totally off topic, but every time I see the title of this thread, I expect to see "Goose" at the end of it.

Edited June 28, 2023 by omahabob

[Georgia_Peaches]

Joy will always be a no-go for me due to lack of thermal suite.  Escape is my favorite NCL ship.

[RB9643]

36 minutes ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

I despise the concept of Vibe, but if they're going to do it I like that on the Escape it's somewhat minimal and general pax still have access to the full length of the ship on the port side and a section of the front. 

 

 

Wait, didn't they change that area to all Vibe? Or am I thinking of a different ship? Seems like we just had this discussion in another thread. Either that, or I'm slowly going insane....

 

 

[hallux]

24 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

Wait, didn't they change that area to all Vibe? Or am I thinking of a different ship? Seems like we just had this discussion in another thread. Either that, or I'm slowly going insane....

 

 

As of March the entire Port side of deck 19 on the Escape was open, bow to stern.  I believe the Joy is the one that had that space converted to Vibe..

Edited June 28, 2023 by hallux

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

40 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

Wait, didn't they change that area to all Vibe? Or am I thinking of a different ship? Seems like we just had this discussion in another thread. Either that, or I'm slowly going insane....

 

 

They dramatically expanded the Vibe on the Getaway. I was on the last cruise before the refit, and I'll likely never sail on her again. 

[RB9643]

7 minutes ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

They dramatically expanded the Vibe on the Getaway. I was on the last cruise before the refit, and I'll likely never sail on her again. 

 

That's it! It was the Getaway. The public port side was added to Vibe. Thank you.

 

 

[Elvis1209]

3 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

Finally, not that it is repeatable, but after multiple times on both,  I'm up in the Joy casino more than I am up in the Escape casino....💰

This past February I took a Celebrity cruise.  When I figured out my casino winnings I was up $.25!  Never getting rich that way!!!

 

Elvis

[DMParisHoneymoon]

We are fresh off the Joy (July 1-9 sailing) and previously was on the Escape on 3 separate occasions as our fave ship out there! Overall we were very pleasantly surprised with the Joy! Really the 2 ships have the same look and feel, just some differences that you and the other posters have indicated. 

 

I'd say that Spice H20 might be something to think about, and which water feature you prefer. Escape has the grotto which is great for when it's hot, whereas Joy has the large hot tub, which might be better for the itinerary and/or your personal choice. With that said when the hot tub was busy it was loud and packed - but just before dinner the crowds always thin out and before you knew it we were the only ones in the giant hot tub! 

 

We were also concerned about missing Moderno - but surprisingly found that Q was a great replacement for it!  The Pitmasters Platter will still give you the meat sweats like at Modernos....just the meat is smoked instead (so maybe smoked meat sweats instead? Lol). We also thought the use of the Q space was better utilized vs the sparsely used Dinner Club on the Escape. You could also go to the Q bar anytime to watch entertainment which was a nice plus. But there's no real replacement for Pinchos as another poster already mentioned. Also, we lovvveeeed eating at Le Bistro on the Waterfront. There's something about the wait staff removing the cloches to reveal your dinner with the sea breeze on your face that's hard to beat or replicate. But we love the look of Le Bistro on the Escape and missed that extra buzz of activity when going by 678. 

 

The only thing I could really feel different was that the Joy was more cut up with venues separated differently. For example poor Maltings Whiskey bar was all on its own in this separated room off the atrium on deck 6. We definitely much preferred the Tobacco Road location up on deck 8 on the Escape. However with that said, the cigarette smoke from the casino was better controlled on the Joy, and you didn't smell it anytime at 678. Sometimes on the Escape the smoke wouldn't find any escape. 

 

IMO, I think that the Joy is more of a 'fun different things to do' kind of ship with the race track, laser tag and galaxy pavilion. Whereas the Escape is more of a 'chill and relax in the sun' kind of ship with the extra deck space (for all), amazing spa, and the Guy Harvey channel (which we we actually missed on the Joy! Lol). 

 

Lastly, oddly enough we also actually prefered The Local vs O'Sheehans. The Local has more of a lighter white/cream colour scheme throughout vs the darker woodsy pub feel of O'Sheehans. We just thought the Local looked better for its location despite it being nearly identically laid out. Unfortunately the wings are still the disappointing oven baked type and not properly fried on either ship. But at least the rest of the food options are amazing! 

 

All this to say, you're really not going to go wrong on either ship. DW and I still felt like we were at home on the Joy - just found it to be a little different. But, we've agreed and realized that the Breakaway Plus class is our preferred ship class out there in any fleet. It just checks so many boxes for us (Waterfront, dining variety, overall ship layout, Spice H20, deck parties, District Brewhouse, The Cellars, waterslides, etc etc) that we'd be thrilled to find ourselves on either again (or the Bliss or Encore)! 

 

Cheers and have fun choosing 🙂

 

 

[firstimer2009]

14 hours ago, DMParisHoneymoon said:

We are fresh off the Joy (July 1-9 sailing) and previously was on the Escape on 3 separate occasions as our fave ship out there! Overall we were very pleasantly surprised with the Joy! Really the 2 ships have the same look and feel, just some differences that you and the other posters have indicated. 

 

I'd say that Spice H20 might be something to think about, and which water feature you prefer. Escape has the grotto which is great for when it's hot, whereas Joy has the large hot tub, which might be better for the itinerary and/or your personal choice. With that said when the hot tub was busy it was loud and packed - but just before dinner the crowds always thin out and before you knew it we were the only ones in the giant hot tub! 

 

We were also concerned about missing Moderno - but surprisingly found that Q was a great replacement for it!  The Pitmasters Platter will still give you the meat sweats like at Modernos....just the meat is smoked instead (so maybe smoked meat sweats instead? Lol). We also thought the use of the Q space was better utilized vs the sparsely used Dinner Club on the Escape. You could also go to the Q bar anytime to watch entertainment which was a nice plus. But there's no real replacement for Pinchos as another poster already mentioned. Also, we lovvveeeed eating at Le Bistro on the Waterfront. There's something about the wait staff removing the cloches to reveal your dinner with the sea breeze on your face that's hard to beat or replicate. But we love the look of Le Bistro on the Escape and missed that extra buzz of activity when going by 678. 

 

The only thing I could really feel different was that the Joy was more cut up with venues separated differently. For example poor Maltings Whiskey bar was all on its own in this separated room off the atrium on deck 6. We definitely much preferred the Tobacco Road location up on deck 8 on the Escape. However with that said, the cigarette smoke from the casino was better controlled on the Joy, and you didn't smell it anytime at 678. Sometimes on the Escape the smoke wouldn't find any escape. 

 

IMO, I think that the Joy is more of a 'fun different things to do' kind of ship with the race track, laser tag and galaxy pavilion. Whereas the Escape is more of a 'chill and relax in the sun' kind of ship with the extra deck space (for all), amazing spa, and the Guy Harvey channel (which we we actually missed on the Joy! Lol). 

 

Lastly, oddly enough we also actually prefered The Local vs O'Sheehans. The Local has more of a lighter white/cream colour scheme throughout vs the darker woodsy pub feel of O'Sheehans. We just thought the Local looked better for its location despite it being nearly identically laid out. Unfortunately the wings are still the disappointing oven baked type and not properly fried on either ship. But at least the rest of the food options are amazing! 

 

All this to say, you're really not going to go wrong on either ship. DW and I still felt like we were at home on the Joy - just found it to be a little different. But, we've agreed and realized that the Breakaway Plus class is our preferred ship class out there in any fleet. It just checks so many boxes for us (Waterfront, dining variety, overall ship layout, Spice H20, deck parties, District Brewhouse, The Cellars, waterslides, etc etc) that we'd be thrilled to find ourselves on either again (or the Bliss or Encore)! 

 

Cheers and have fun choosing 🙂

 

Thanks to the OP for this question since I will be going on Escape for the first time Sept 2024 on a 10 day round trip from Barcelona.  And thank you for this great info about the ship.  We have two specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea but was thinking of buying two more before we board.  I've only been on 2 NCL sailings but became sick on the last trip and missed eating at both La Cucina and Moderna.  Is it worth it to buy extra dining packages or just pay the cover price?  BTW, I love both beer and wine so I think I found my ship!  

Edited July 18, 2023 by firstimer2009

[schmoopie17]

38 minutes ago, firstimer2009 said:

Thanks to the OP for this question since I will be going on Escape for the first time Sept 2024 on a 10 day round trip from Barcelona.  And thank you for this great info about the ship.  We have two specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea but was thinking of buying two more before we board.  I've only been on 2 NCL sailings but became sick on the last trip and missed eating at both La Cucina and Moderna.  Is it worth it to buy extra dining packages or just pay the cover price?  BTW, I love both beer and wine so I think I found my ship!  

We are also on the Escape in September, 2024, except we're round-trip from Rome. It could be the same trip, since the Barcelona and Rome round-trips overlap on our cruise. 

 

In any event, being beer snobs, the District is our go-to on the Escape. We're also amateur wine snobs (I don't know what's good but I know what I like), so any bar pouring wine works, as well. And when we're not in the District, we usually end up in Tobacco Road...very cool vibe and great for people watching.

 

We haven't given any thought to buying extra specialty meals, since this will be our first cruise as Platinum with the additional free dining vouchers. But I would think that buying the additional package would be a better deal. However, I've been wrong before...

Edited July 18, 2023 by schmoopie17

[DMParisHoneymoon]

6 hours ago, firstimer2009 said:

Thanks to the OP for this question since I will be going on Escape for the first time Sept 2024 on a 10 day round trip from Barcelona.  And thank you for this great info about the ship.  We have two specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea but was thinking of buying two more before we board.  I've only been on 2 NCL sailings but became sick on the last trip and missed eating at both La Cucina and Moderna.  Is it worth it to buy extra dining packages or just pay the cover price?  BTW, I love both beer and wine so I think I found my ship!  

 

We always buy the extra 2 specialty dining pre-cruise. It's cheaper than on board and definitely cheaper than paying a la carte, which seems the majority of NCLs specialty restaurants now. It does make laugh and semi feel good though to see the extra value signing off the zeroed out bill of what the price would've been. 

 

You'll have no probs getting your beer and wine fix in! We splurged for Premium Plus and it was well worth it especially for the bottles of wine we were able to order each dinner. 

[firstimer2009]

13 hours ago, DMParisHoneymoon said:

 

We always buy the extra 2 specialty dining pre-cruise. It's cheaper than on board and definitely cheaper than paying a la carte, which seems the majority of NCLs specialty restaurants now. It does make laugh and semi feel good though to see the extra value signing off the zeroed out bill of what the price would've been. 

 

You'll have no probs getting your beer and wine fix in! We splurged for Premium Plus and it was well worth it especially for the bottles of wine we were able to order each dinner. 

I would splurge for Plus but my hubby loves his Maker's Mark Manhattan and it's not part of it. We found one bar on Star in 2019 that had it. Hopefully Escape has Maker's on board somewhere.  

[RB9643]

6 hours ago, firstimer2009 said:

I would splurge for Plus but my hubby loves his Maker's Mark Manhattan and it's not part of it. We found one bar on Star in 2019 that had it. Hopefully Escape has Maker's on board somewhere.  

 

Unlikely. Once it's gone it's gone, and I doubt Makers lasted long once it was dropped. It happened to my beloved Seagram's VO in February. Found a bar with the last bottle, nowhere to be found after that.