A revamped ship that includes fun paid venues for teens and tranquil areas such as the Waterfront and Observation Lounges for those looking to slow down a bit. Enough options to customize the experience for the vacation you desire whether it’s packed full of activities (such as Go-Carts, Laser Tag, VR Arcade, Pools, Hot-Tubs, Water slides, Mini Golf, Casino, Nightclubs, Theatres a decent variety of Bars and Restaurants, etc.) or relaxing out on deck or a vacation that lies somewhere in-between!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We were booked in the Haven and the security line was not specified but once found moved steadily. Beyond the security check it was quite chaotic and disorganized to finalize check-in and board the ship. We were not in a rush however and able bodied so the shuffling around and waiting was a minor inconvenience. Later we found out that our week was the first for a new company at the port so that shed light on the process and is nothing that couldn’t be ironed out for in the future. Overall a good experience.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We had heard for weeks about how the Haven Restaurant was the best in the fleet and that may have ultimately led to an unrealistic expectation. Eating at the Haven is like eating at the same specialty dining venue almost every meal of your cruise. It’s good but not great. What makes it good is that there is no need for a reservation, you are seated immediately each time, the atmosphere is nice and every seat offers spectacular views. Most of the staff take the time to get to know you personally and like all crew are very friendly. They may not be the the fastest servers but will accommodate if you have post dinner plans you are trying to keep. What would make it the better is to offer a rotating menu. The menu is the same everyday and the food is only slightly elevated. Staff will allow you customize your order to eat different items from the options provided (i.e. swap out vegetables, add an additional protein or have food delivered to your stateroom for later).
The other restaurants tried were Teppanyaki and La Cucina. Teppanyaki was a wonderful dinner and “show” that offered a great value and tasted fantastic. La Cucina offered relaxing seating out on the Waterfront (don’t suggest if it is a hot day because the air flow can be minimal). The food was good but not as good as a higher end Italian restaurant on land. It is boxed pasta instead of homemade but the salads and entrees were visually beautiful and did taste good.
Next time we are eager to try Ocean Blue and Le Bistro as we shied away from them as were told by other cruisers the cuisine in the Haven Restaurant was quite similar to them.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The ship on board activities seem great for teens. The Joy offered a go-cart track, laser tag and a Virtual Reality arcade center. The pools were smaller as this was a redesigned ship that was originally created for the Asian market. The creation of these venues on a ship is quite inventive and impressive just not something we were looking to do more than once. The items we enjoyed were the water slides, the mini golf course and fitness center. Also, the casino had enclosed smoking sections that kept the main staircase and Atrium free of smoke. The activities seemed to be open most days and times which offered the experiences without the worry of crowds. Overall we would have liked to see a multi-use venue such as a sports court or some more options that didn’t come at an additional cost.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The Cavern Club was a great addition to offer an authentic feel and more intimate venue. The BeatleStory at the Cavern Club and Theatre were lively shows and the musicians sounded great! Footloose was good. It’s not our favorite Broadway show but the cast was wonderfully talented. Since the Bermuda itinerary goes out of New York it would be great in the future to provide a more sought after production. Elements was good but it was almost too much for our taste with the constant stimulation from all sides of the theatre. Still it is truly mesmerizing and breathtaking when you sit back and realize the work and magnitude that goes in to these productions whether it is your style or not.
Other entertainment we took part in were the comedians and a few of the live musicians in the smaller venues. We looked in the freestyle daily but didn’t see some of the items we look forward to such as Dueling Pianos, Improv Comedy and a singer/piano player taking requests.
Children's Programs
We did not have our daughter with us on this cruise.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The crew on Norwegian are extremely friendly, personable and professional. In the Haven our Concierge Patrick was phenomenal as well as our Room Steward Jeff. Our Butler also did not disappoint and we wish we would have gotten to see him and know him better but with our itinerary and plans we spent a lot of time off the ship when we were in port.
We found the staff in all the restaurants to be equally as friendly and welcoming but service was often slow and a little lack luster when it came to checking in on us periodically. That made it a little difficult to receive a refill on a glass of water. For this reason we asked to have a pitcher of ice water kept in our fridge. We stopped at our suite which was conveniently located often to refill water bottles to stay hydrated in the hot temps!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everything was clean that we experienced. We noticed by the end of the cruise that most of the areas we frequented were mid and forward which were conveniently located near our suite. We would have liked to see a few more options or variety on the ship but most likely was difficult to create with the redesign. We are looking forward to the Prima class ships which look likely they were designed with a great deal of thought!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The suite was the perfect size as we only had 2 people. It had a walk-in closet and plenty of drawers which allowed us to keep countertops clean and all our belongings organized. The balcony was a great size and we got a lot of use out of it since we had both chairs and loungers. The room offered free on-demand movies which we took advantage of a little when were laying in bed at the end of the night.
Ship tip
Think about the cruise you are looking for and make sure this ship aligns with it. We would have liked a few more entertainment options that we typically look forward to such as the dueling pianos. It’s tough to say if we would go back on the NCL Joy again because there is nothing wrong with it but entertainment/ on-board activities didn’t offer some of the things we enjoy the most. The paid venues such as the Galaxy VR Pavilion are something we may have been more willing to try if we had a little less time in port. We love Bermuda so much and there is so much to explore there that we didn’t want to “waste” time on the ship trying Virtual Reality.
We live in New York State so we did not stay in the City. We drove to and from the port and parked at the Cruise Terminal which was extremely convenient and cost effective. We felt safe leaving our vehicle there and had no issues.
It’s a nice addition to the Bermuda Itinerary. We got off for a bit and explored around as we’re not as familiar with Norfolk as we were with some of the surrounding areas (i.e. Williamsburg and Virginia Beach).
Bermuda never disappoints! It’s an island that offers spectacular views, culture and history. We’ve been four times and find more and more to visit with every trip. With this visit we were able to take a more in-depth look at the historical significance of St. George and the eastern end of the island on Wednesday by taking the complimentary Ferry through NCL. We hiked Coopers Island Nature Reserve, swam in a private cove and toured St. Peter’s Church.
On Thursday we had rented a Bermi electric car and explored the Island at our leisure from end-to-end with stops at the Blue Hole, Admiralty House, Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Fort Hamilton, Fort Scaur as well as lunch on Front Street and additional stops to catch-up with locals, hike and grab coffee!
Friday we returned our vehicle, shopped in Hamilton and returned to Dockyard to spend our remaining time on the West End of the Island. There was an abundance of water sport activities as well as shops, museums and food options that we were able to partake in before departing.
All our disembarkations have been smooth with NCL as we opt to roll all our own bags off and tend to wait closer to 8:30-9am to disembark being that we have a short drive home from the New York Cruise Terminal. With that being said, this was the best it has ever been!! Our butler provided us with a fantastic in-suite breakfast before taking the Haven Service Elevator with our bags to the gangway where we quickly went through customs, boarded a second service elevator to our car at the top of the garage. The added bonus was that our suite was on the starboard side of the ship(facing the parking garage). We were able to remotely start our vehicle to cool it down while we disembarked. We were able to get off the ship so quickly and efficiently get through the terminal that our car was still running when we got to it! We didn’t expect it to be that fast! (The remote start cycle was still running so less than 10 minutes from leaving our room to getting to our vehicle) It felt like we were on the road instantaneously after finishing our hot breakfast!
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
