First time on the Joy

Item: Norwegian Joy
Rating: 4.8
Author: emilykk

Norwegian Joy Cruise Review

emilykk

Contributor Level: Second Mate

302 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5

5 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 12, 2020

Ship: Norwegian Joy

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 13653

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

This was my 4th cruise and my first that was not on the Jewel. I was hesitant about the larger ship and the number or passengers but was pleasantly surprised about the number of times I forgot how many people were on the ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Haven guests started boarding around 10:50 followed by special assistance and other groups at 11:00. I would get there early if possible; there was a line already forming outside of security by 9:30. Once they opened up, they were able to move people through pretty fast. We were checked in by 10:30.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

There was a large selection of food available along with multiple drink stations spread out. I did not care for the set up of the food stations (I have gotten used to the buffet set up of the Jewel)

American Diner

5 out of 5

Enjoyed their complimentary breakfast. (It is a limited selection but they did have a croissant egg sandwich that I did not find in the main buffet)

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

We enjoyed the Observation Lounge and the Waterfront. We chose not to participate in some of the other activities. When we would walk through the Atrium, it was always crowded and loud with events occuring.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Saw Footloose and enjoyed it. Also listened to Cryptic Duo in the Observation Lounge.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The elevators are only forward and aft (no midship), so that causes people to walk a distance to get to them.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

There was more space than what I thought there would be (after reading reviews) for our inside cabin. There was a high threshold between the main cabin and the restroom. There were no drawers in the room and the only shelves were inside the closet (that also required bags to be lifted over a threshold if you decided to store your bag in there). The lights above the beds were nice. The USB charging stations above the beds were convenient along with the three outlets by the table.

Ship tip

There are plenty of places to be on the ship that aren't too crowded/loud which may help of you are concerned about the size of the ship and the number of passengers.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Customs delayed the disembarking of passengers on our cruise. Norwegian communicated when possible and apologized for the wait. I decided to hang out on the Waterfront on deck 8 until my group was called rather than waiting in a line or crowded area.