An amazing time!

Norwegian Joy Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 37

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Norwegian Joy

7 Night Bermuda & Atlantic Coast (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 26, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Joy

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 14140

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Check in was a complete disaster but once you got onboard everything was beyond amazing!

Embarkation

2 out of 5
Check in was brutal. We got dropped off at the pier and proceeded to stand in various lines with seemingly no real organization for 3 hours. This definitely put me in a bit of a mood which is no way to begin a vacation. Once we finally got onboard everything was great!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
We ate in the following venues - The Local, Savor, Taste, "Q" Texas Smokehouse, Le Bistro, Cagney's, Garden Cafe and snacks in the Observation Lounge. For me, the "worst" restaurant was The Local - it was nice because it was quick and easy but the food wasn't the best we had on the ship. Everywhere else we ate was delicious!

The Local Bar & Grill

3 out of 5

I was not a big fan of The Local, the food was just okay in my opinion. The spinach artichoke dip tasted like soup somehow? The wings were really good however.

Le Bistro French Restaurant

5 out of 5

We were always too nervous to try Le Bistro because we didn't think we'd enjoy anything there but this time we decided to branch out and try it for free as part of our dining package. It was amazing! Do not miss this place - my husband got the veal and said it was the best he's ever had.

Garden Cafe

4 out of 5

It is a typical buffet but everything I tried was good! I really enjoyed the little premade sandwiches in the sandwich case.

Cagney's Steakhouse

5 out of 5

Everything we ordered was top notch. Our server "Ana Banana" was great!

Q Texas Smokehouse

4 out of 5

Very cool vibe, service was great, just not the *best* BBQ we've ever had. Still recommend trying!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
There were lots of things to do - go karts, water slides, mini golf, the Galaxy Pavilion. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because we were past the weight limit to do certain activities - and we're not huge people lol. My husband really wanted to do the go karts but was unfortunately unable to do so because of that limitation (I know it's all for safety reasons). We used the pools, hot tubs and water slides on a port day since most cruisers were off the ship and they were very nice. The hot tub in Spice H2O was HUGE (35 person capacity!) and sooo relaxing.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
We always enjoy the various game shows in the Atrium. 4 Blue is an awesome rock band that played in The Cavern Club a bunch of times; we really enjoyed going to see them. The other onboard entertainers were great as well. The Beatles tribute band is definitely not the best one out there but they were still really great and we loved seeing them in the Theatre. They also played in the Cavern Club but we did not catch those shows. I had heard mixed reviews on Footloose but I loved it! The cast was amazing. We saw them later on in the week at a Broadway Cabaret which was also REALLY good.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
The only complaint we unfortunately have to make is about our cabin steward. He just wasn't up to the standard we typically see on cruise ships - not terrible, just not the best. Every other crew member we came across was friendly and efficient. Our cruise director Roberto and his staff were the standouts of the ship for me.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
We were used to this style of ship as we have sailed other Breakaway-class ships in the past. There was always a crew member cleaning, wiping down surfaces, reminding guests to "washy washy", etc. The ship was incredibly clean and there were hand washing stations as well as sanitizer dispensers everywhere you went. We felt very safe the entire trip as far as Covid precautions are concerned.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We were in a Penthouse Suite with Balcony (non-Haven). It was the perfect size for the two of us. I love that it had a king sized bed and not two twins pushed together like in lower category cabins. We had a nice long balcony (as wide as our stateroom) that came with 2 chairs and a small table. The bathroom was great as it had a good sized bathtub with glass doors instead of a tiny corner shower. There was plenty of storage space in both the room and bathroom.

Ports of call

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5
Bermuda is always a great time. We did a sunset catamaran cruise the first night, went shopping the second day and went to Horseshoe Bay Beach the final morning - and went into the most beautiful, clear water turquoise water I've ever seen in my life! Definitely do not skip the beaches when in Bermuda.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Super easy - we did the Self-Assist option and were off the ship getting into an Uber in less than 30 minutes.
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3 Comments

Gwbigdog    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

GabeNSteph    2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

javawoody    2 years ago

Thanks for the review

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