We had a lot of fun overall and didn’t let the little stuff bother us. But the service could have been better, the layout could have been better thought out, and we were annoyed about sooo many extra charges with no effort to compensate for the inconveniences caused by norovirus on board - missing activities, constantly having hands sanitized, inability to access buffet on your own to get exactly what you wanted because you had to be served, washing and scrubbing everywhere all the time, delays boarding, and generally feeling a little unsettled about potentially getting sick. Would have appreciated some better customer service and instead got a tired and grumpy crew.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Took forever because they were sanitizing from norovirus. Understandable but they needed some crew members directing where to go rather than a mob shoving their way. We were there several hours early and were nearly last to board.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food and drinks were good. Awesome tastings. A little disappointing how much requires an extra charge for an already expensive trip.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We did everything available - water slides, laser tag, race cars, VR room. Because if norovirus there were no golf clubs or ping pong paddles. I totally get that but when you take away free activities it would be nice if you compensated that with a complimentary activity - basically everything cost extra. Waited in ridiculously long line for race track even with a reservation. But the activities themselves were a lot of fun - just a little expensive to do more than once with a family of 5.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Elements was awesome. Footloose was unfortunately pretty amateur. Tried to see the Beatles cover band but could never squeeze my way in.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
Overall the teens had fun so I have to give 2 stars. But the teen club was absurdly small. We have been on much smaller ships that had nicer and larger rooms. This meant they were often participating in activities in other locations and didn’t have a home base or reached maximum capacity very early. The kids club was not a hit at all. We had a 10 and 12 year old with us and neither wanted to spend time there. The games were not designed for their age and were better suited for younger kids. Seemed like a lot of dodge ball going on and not a lot of creative options.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I am going to assume that some of the service was attributed to our staff working triple time to continuously sanitize the boat due to norovirus. For that reason I am giving 3 stars otherwise it would be less. People weren’t smiling, seemed miserable with their jobs, argued with passengers, and did not add to the experience. The exceptions were people running tasting classes, one of our room stewards, and laffy taffy in the teen room who was a wizard with names and connected even with grumpy 14 year old boys.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The design of this ship is not intuitive. Lots of noise because of odd placement choices. Spa under the gym so during my massage I heard constant thumping on the ceiling. Super small teen room seemed weird in light of other giant sized choices. Could have gotten rid of one whole bar and not missed it because if all the options to make room for the teen travelers. The outward facing restaurants were an interesting choice but usually too cold or windy to enjoy so I found myself missing views unless I was willing to endure elements. Probably better on a summer cruise though. They were trying desperately to keep up with sanitizing. I don’t know that norovirus can be blamed on lack of cleanliness - I think it just happens sometimes and they did everything possible to keep it from spreading. But it was a little unnerving to see hallways being scrubbed down over and over.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Nice size, great bathroom with nice storage and updates. Loved the shower. Storage is a little weird in the cabin. Lots of shelves and not so many drawers or hooks.
Ship tip
Acquaint yourself with the observation lounge. This is a great escape with awesome views, no waits at the bar, a Starbucks, and always a place to sit and chill. Be prepared to spend more on board than usual. But DO spend the money. Le Bistro, tepanyaki and the American diner did not disappoint. And laser tag, water slides, race track and especially the VR called walk the plank were worth the extra money despite the annoyance of having to pay.
We did fly boarding and rented a boat to snorkel/sunset cruise. Neither activity was thru the ship. The tendering process was a bit arduous but the water, beaches and snorkeling was great.
Went to stone island. Great relaxing day. Much cheaper options than going thru the ship so worth it to shop. We got an all day, all you can eat, all you can drink, with boogie boards, banana boat, etc for $25/person.
Most beautiful city we have seen in Mexico and we travel regularly in Mexico. We ATV’d to a small beach that we basically had to ourselves and surfed. Water was beautiful, city is beautiful, jungles are awesome, and people were friendly. This was a highlight of our trip.
Yes, it is much better to have some annoyance with the constant cleaning. I will be on the Joy on Dec. 15th and am very grateful for their hard work. They have apparently now had 2 consecutive rounds of Norovirus in the past month. Unclear if a passenger again brought it on, inadequate cleaning/disinfecting after the first round, or an ill crew member, but in spite of it all, I’m really looking forward to the trip:)
It's great that you had some fun even though there was a norovirus outbreak I don't blame NCl, it happens with so many people in confined spaces. It's just unfortunate. I sail on the Joy in January and I plan to wash my hands constantly. I'm glad a good time overall.
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