Highly underwhelming

Norwegian Joy Cruise Review to Bermuda

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 13
Helpful Votes: 234

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Joy

7 Night Bermuda & Atlantic Coast (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 12, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Joy

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8168

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Was looking forward to this cruise which I actually had originally booked as far back as 2019, but we all know what happened after that. Very disappointed, as well as other passengers with the lack of organization during disembarkation and that there was no notice about skipping Norfolk, Virginia without any additional incentive in lieu of skipping that port.

Embarkation

3 out of 5
As usual, leaving from NYC was efficient & seamless.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
The food was awesome - no disappointments at all. From The Garden Cafe to the Specialty dining experiences, the food was really delicious. As far as the drinks, I'd like to once again send a "shout out" to all wait staff and bartenders!! You guys ROCK!!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Activities were ok~

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The shows and musical groups throughout the ship were all amazing!

Children's Programs

n/a

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
From our cabin steward "Rene" to all the wait staff & bartenders - KUDOS to you all !! Amazingly patient & courteous !!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Extremely clean ship, high maintenance standards met thoroughly. Love this ships layout & design.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
As usual, our stateroom met our cruiser needs, and enjoyed our balcony tremendously.

Ship tip

The reason why I have given this title is because of Norwegians failure to give us any additional credit or incentives when Virginia port was cancelled. As a matter of fact, most passengers heard through "word of mouth" that port stop was cancelled, without an additional day in Bermuda being offered. To say that this was highly disappointing is an understatement. As a Platinum level member, clearly I am used to cruising w/ NCL. After numerous cruises with this organization, I have come to expect a warm and efficient welcome from the Cruise Directors and Assistant. Sadly, this cruise fell "flat" and consequently, I have now moved a future cruise to another ship. From addressing my concerns with other cruisers, I also gathered that they were as disappointed as we were in terms of the lack of communication and notice. It also felt like the crew is/was continuously working towards trying to meet the passenger's expectactions without support from higher ups. The crew, the stewards, bartenders and all staff are amazing at what they do, and credit to their effort is due. NCL's decision to not address the motor failure we experienced during embarkation on 11/12 and their lack-luster lack of providing any other remedies was a huge turnoff for us passengers. Especially, seasoned NCL patrons who have come to expect & receive a well-rounded experience. It is said you get what you pay for, but here nothing was offered in return. Very disappointing indeed.

Ports of call

New York, New York

4 out of 5
NYC Resident etc

Norfolk, Virginia

1 out of 5
It was highly disappointing that we were not offered anything at all from NCL when this port was canceled. Why NCL? Is this what you guys are doing now?

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5
Always a great time in Bermuda!! This was a 1-day port stop, and not the usual 3-days we’re used to doing here, so we decided to stay hyper-local & spent the day at Snorkel Beach. Fun!

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
A complete disaster. I took footage of the chaos and lack of organization. It was like NOTHING i have ever experienced with NCL. I did experience such chaos and disorder with Carnival once, and that's all it took for me to never go back. This needs to be look at in further detail.
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