This was a wonderful cruise and we had a great time! The Joy is a clean ship with a wonderful crew and many fun activities. I would recommend this cruise!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The check in process was easy and quick. We have Platinum status with Norwegian so we were able to use the priority line. The service representative was very friendly, pleasant and helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was good and there was a good selection. We especially liked Savor and The Local. The buffet had a good variety and it's design helped lessen congestion.
The service in Savor and The Local was excellent! Possibly the best service I have had in 17 cruises!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There are a lot of family activities on this ship, but I was disappointed that there is not a sports court for basketball or soccer. The activities such as the race track and laser tag are really fun, but involve a fee.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
There is a good variety of entertainment on board. Make sure to make reservations before the cruise if possible. There was always something interesting happening in the atrium on deck six.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
My 10 year old grandson and 6 year old granddaughter loved Splash Academy! There were always fun and interesting activities. They especially loved "Survivor" and the glow night! It was helpful that I did research before the cruise and picked up some glow items from Walmart and Dollar Tree. I
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
This was probably the best service that I have had on 17 cruises! The staff was always friendly and attentive! We especially loved our cabin steward, the servers at Savor and "The Local" and the staff at the race track.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship has lots of activities for adults and families. I do wish that there were more free activities, such as a sports court. There are very few open deck areas, so having an inside cabin made it impossible to get on deck in time when the Captain announced that whales were spotted. The ship was very clean and in good repair.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
There were 2 adults and 2 children in this cabin. We found that the children had to be on their bunks for the adults to be able to move around freely. More storage space would have been handy, but we knew an inside cabin would be tight for the 4 of us.
Ship tip
Be sure to check out all the activities such as the race track, laser tag and mini golf!
We enjoyed the Rainforest Sanctuary and Raptor Center excursion. It was fun for the children. The other part of our group went Salmon fishing. Unfortunately the salmon weren't biting, but the boat captain was very friendly.
We went gold panning and had the Salmon lunch. Gold panning was fun and interesting. We actually panned in Gold Creek in the same manner as the original prospectors. The children were delighted with their little gold flakes.
The salmon at lunch was some of the best that I have had, and I live in Washington State. The brown sugar sauce was delicious!
This was my fifth cruise to Alaska and my first visit to this port. This is by far my favorite Alaskan port! We took the Hoonah Sightseeing and Tribal Dance excursion. We made a bathroom stop beside a wonderful playground that the children loved. The Tribal dance was wonderful and my granddaughter went on stage to dance at the end of the presentation! I was impressed that the dancers were all high school students except for the drummer. They are passing on their culture to the next generation!
I appreciate that the port is owned and operated by the Tlingit tribe. It is nice to know that the funds spent are supporting them.
Our other group could not get a fishing excursion at the last minute, so they bought fishing poles and fished off of the pier in Hoonah. They caught 3 halibut, many sculpin and flounder and a starfish😂. They had a great time!
Be sure to book your shore excursions early for this port. They fill up quickly, especially if there are two ships in port at the same time.
Victoria is always fun. There is a variety of things to see and do. We did not book an excursion as we live nearby in Washington State and have visited Victoria several times.
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