Brief Joy westbound Transatlantic 13 to 24 FEB 2024 review

[NordicExpat]

This transatlantic was my 15th and my wife's 20th. We were in the Haven for this crossing, and it was our 2nd time in the Haven on the Joy. We knew what type of cruise this was going to be when we booked...a North Atlantic crossing in February on a ship just out of dry dock. Not a very desirable cruise for most. It seems the price dropped very low, enticing some to book without fully understanding what to expect. Anyways, we had a general idea and attempted to manage our expectations accordingly.

 

Weather is always a big topic for transatlantic voyages. We sailed a more southerly route to avoid low-pressure systems across the North Atlantic. The temperatures were cooler than I like, but thankfully it wasn't as cold as I had prepared for. Most days, the temperatures were in the 60s with occasional rain and fog. The sea conditions matched my expectations, with the captain mentioning the Atlantic swell was 10 meters on most days, fluctuating between lower and higher levels, accompanied by a consistent wind of ±50 kts. Unfortunately, I experienced seasickness for the first time in all my cruises, which sucks. I suspect it may have been triggered by a hangover. I suppose turning 50 last year may be starting to take its toll on me, considering I've experienced slight airsickness on a couple of turbulent flights in the last year or so.

 

The Joy is a beautiful ship and the Haven on her is wonderful. As far as changes out of dry dock, I noticed the new cabins on deck 15 port side. There might be new carpet in some public areas. We never made it to the new spa area, but heard it was really nice. Vibe was closed so we did not get to see the expanded area. My assumption is the dry dock was not very extensive since I did notice some worn carpets and places that needed paint. But hey, I have no idea what is and isn't included and about as far away you can get from an expert.

 

This cruise had ups and downs, and not just the 10-meter swell. We stayed in a 2-bedroom suite. The cabin is perfect and our favorite. Our steward was great and took great care of us well. We saw the butler 2 times. Once passing in the hallway while he was delivering snacks to rooms and the other time on the last morning to get his tip. We do not require anything extra, so no big deal. We figured he might have had a couple of special cabins. Before this cruise, the Haven restaurant on the Joy was some of the best dining we have had while cruising. On this trip, it was very underwhelming. The service and food were very inconsistent. The hostesses were wonderful, but the servers were so-so. We had to constantly ask for water refills and other drinks. Even with how slow the Haven bartenders were, sometimes it was faster to go downstairs and get a drink.

 

We initially intended to have most of our meals in the Haven but ended up changing our plans due to its inconsistency. Specialty restaurants were ok this trip. Food Republic was outstanding as was La Cucina. Food and service were awesome in each. Q was pretty good even though I don't care for that type of smoked meat. Ocean Blue was good and fun. Le Bistro was not very good, but amazing service. Cagney's was typically not very good. My salad and side of onion rings were nice, but the steak... I ordered a ribeye, med rare. The first steak was past well done, maybe even past burnt. The second was better, closer to medium and seasoned properly. It was lacking flavor though and had stringy sinew throughout. The quality of beef just is not that good or what it used to be.

 

I guess while I'm complaining so good, I'll discuss the premium plus drinks package. At almost $800 for this trip and my wife has to go to certain bars to get champagne bugs me. Having only one champagne available for that price is ridiculous, but my wife does like the Pommery. When the Pommery ran out, it was substituted with La Cool, which she didn't mind. The La Cool ran out and a Moet appeared. Then the last couple of days Moet Chandon and Veuve were available in the Haven. I pretty much only drink beer and the brewhouse is great but has most of the beers I don't care for. Having Guinness on tap was nice and Fat Tire in the bottle worked for me, but I do miss Molson Canadian on board. I rarely drink coffee, but figured I'd try to get my money's worth with Starbucks instead of getting into trouble with the scotch. I did enjoy some Macallan Terra though.

 

All in all, it was a great cruise. The ship is beautiful and the crew are wonderful. Our last few cruises have not been as enjoyable as before. To us, it seems the price keeps on the up while the quality is on the down. We do enjoy the NCL product and plan to continue sailing with them. Part of me wants to try a transatlantic on another line, but I'm hesitant because we do enjoy NCL very much. I'm not sure if we'll do another crossing at this time of year, but we have a few months to decide before the Bliss next year.

 

[QuestionEverything]

Is there a reason you choose to not experience other cruise lines?

[cruiseny4life]

I love your review. Thank you so much for you posting it! 

[Laszlo]

Nice review..... As far as motion sickness goes I swear by Reliefband Premier. I don't get motion sick often but when I do this will work in 5 minutes. I bought one for a friend when he was going thru chemo for cancer in 2013. He was horribly sick and not of the drugs that are supposed to help did much for him. The band works, my wife and I each have our own and I keep two spares. They are pricey but that price is well worth  

 

https://amzn.to/3Pedwzp

[lepidoptera]

Thank you for taking the time to write a review! Interesting reading about the changes due to the dry dock. 

[tcmagnum]

6 hours ago, sicness4x4 said:

This transatlantic was my 15th and my wife's 20th. We were in the Haven for this crossing.

 

Weather is always a big topic for transatlantic voyages. 

 

 

 

Since you are more experience than we are on transatlantic crossings than we are (first on coming in October), could we pick your brain for a little bit?

We've been researching a transatlantic crossing for a few years now and I hope we have a realistic expectation of what we will experience.

Have you done a transatlantic from Rome to east coast of Florida?

In mid-October?

Could you give us an idea on what you've seen/experienced?

We know the weather is at the mercy of Mother Nature and can/will change on a dime, but curious if you always had one type of weather or did it vary (we assume it will vary from great to crappy!)?

Is there any chance we will see sun/warm? Or just cloudy/rainy?

We are hoping for some sun, but this is a cruise for my sister and I to just relax and chill, so some rain will be welcomed. 

We are good with some waves/swells - it's pretty fun!!  

We are also in the Haven section on the Epic.

Does the pool deck top open and close or is it fixed?

 

Thank you for anything you share with us.

[sasand01]

I was on the Feb. 24th sailing in The Haven (my first time) and felt the same about the Haven Restaurant. Service was so-so, often had to ask for water or a drink more than once. We ventured to Cagney's one night, and it was also underwhelming. Food Republic was excellent! 

 

The new spa was incredible! 

 

It is a beautiful ship...willing to give it another chance! 

[NordicExpat]

19 hours ago, QuestionEverything said:

Is there a reason you choose to not experience other cruise lines?

We have a little and always enjoyed NCL more. My wife will reach Ambassador in a couple of cruises, and I have around 100 points to go. However, all the changes NCL has implemented over the past few years might be reaching a tipping point. We find ourselves discussing other cruise lines more often now. While we still enjoy the NCL product and mostly know what to expect, I am beginning to think that the day when we say "enough is enough" might come soon.

[NordicExpat]

16 hours ago, Laszlo said:

Nice review..... As far as motion sickness goes I swear by Reliefband Premier. I don't get motion sick often but when I do this will work in 5 minutes. I bought one for a friend when he was going thru chemo for cancer in 2013. He was horribly sick and not of the drugs that are supposed to help did much for him. The band works, my wife and I each have our own and I keep two spares. They are pricey but that price is well worth  

 

https://amzn.to/3Pedwzp

Thank you. I never knew such a thing was available.

[NordicExpat]

15 hours ago, tcmagnum said:

Since you are more experience than we are on transatlantic crossings than we are (first on coming in October), could we pick your brain for a little bit?

We've been researching a transatlantic crossing for a few years now and I hope we have a realistic expectation of what we will experience.

Have you done a transatlantic from Rome to east coast of Florida?

In mid-October?

Could you give us an idea on what you've seen/experienced?

We know the weather is at the mercy of Mother Nature and can/will change on a dime, but curious if you always had one type of weather or did it vary (we assume it will vary from great to crappy!)?

Is there any chance we will see sun/warm? Or just cloudy/rainy?

We are hoping for some sun, but this is a cruise for my sister and I to just relax and chill, so some rain will be welcomed. 

We are good with some waves/swells - it's pretty fun!!  

We are also in the Haven section on the Epic.

Does the pool deck top open and close or is it fixed?

 

Thank you for anything you share with us.

We haven't specifically sailed from Rome to Florida, but we've have sailed from Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Southampton to Florida, as well as from Rome and Southampton to New York. We have sailed westbound in September, October, November, and December. We've encountered 15m waves with gale force winds and experienced the North Atlantic as calm as a placid pond.Our smoothest crossings were in mid-October to mid-November sailing to Florida. Temperatures vary, but generally hover in the 60s and 70s during a southerly crossing from the Mediterranean to Florida.

 

We are booked on the Epic TA this October. I think it will be something like my 7th crossing on her and my wife's 10th. It is great ship for a tranatlantic. The Haven pool deck does not have a roof and is open to the elements. I anticipate pleasant weather with temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny skies. The Mediterranean is wonderful in October. While some nights may feel a bit chilly, especially for me as I get cold easily, a hoodie should suffice for the first few nights. As we leave the Azores, each day should bring warmer weather as we approach Florida.

[NordicExpat]

5 hours ago, sasand01 said:

I was on the Feb. 24th sailing in The Haven (my first time) and felt the same about the Haven Restaurant. Service was so-so, often had to ask for water or a drink more than once. We ventured to Cagney's one night, and it was also underwhelming. Food Republic was excellent! 

 

The new spa was incredible! 

 

It is a beautiful ship...willing to give it another chance! 

We also look forward to sailing on the Joy again.

[tcmagnum]

5 hours ago, sicness4x4 said:

We haven't specifically sailed from Rome to Florida, but we've have sailed from Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Southampton to Florida, as well as from Rome and Southampton to New York. We have sailed westbound in September, October, November, and December. We've encountered 15m waves with gale force winds and experienced the North Atlantic as calm as a placid pond.Our smoothest crossings were in mid-October to mid-November sailing to Florida. Temperatures vary, but generally hover in the 60s and 70s during a southerly crossing from the Mediterranean to Florida.

 

We are booked on the Epic TA this October. I think it will be something like my 7th crossing on her and my wife's 10th. It is great ship for a tranatlantic. The Haven pool deck does not have a roof and is open to the elements. I anticipate pleasant weather with temperatures in the mid-70s and sunny skies. The Mediterranean is wonderful in October. While some nights may feel a bit chilly, especially for me as I get cold easily, a hoodie should suffice for the first few nights. As we leave the Azores, each day should bring warmer weather as we approach Florida.

We are on the October Epic TA.

This cruise is a chance for my sister and I to just chill.

It would be nice for some sun and mid-70’s but we will have cards and dominos and books, so we will be good. 
Maybe we will see you on board…

[bjtravelnews]

Thanks so much for the great review.  I have heard some not-so-nice things about NCL lately and downgrading of service.  Will be on the Joy in June, so I hope I won't be too disappointed (thied time on the Joy for this itinerary to Bermuda).

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, bjtravelnews said:

Thanks so much for the great review.  I have heard some not-so-nice things about NCL lately and downgrading of service.  Will be on the Joy in June, so I hope I won't be too disappointed (thied time on the Joy for this itinerary to Bermuda).

 

 

I'm one of those that discussed what seemed like downgrading of service on my trip aboard Pr1ma in November. Despite that, and the other cut backs that have occurred, I think you'll still have a really fine time. It may not be exactly what you remembered, but based on the most recent previous lives from folks sailing it seems the onboard experience is still a really good one. It just might not be quite as good as it used to be. Of course, I'm still holding back, waiting to see what happens before I book something else. 

[L1211]

@sicness4x4 thanks so much for the review.  Super helpful- are TAs typically lower passenger counts?? Does that result in lower staffing?  Interesting..,