Nice Cruise, Terrible Day One and Last Day

Norwegian Joy Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 162

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Joy

15 Night Panama Canal - Eastbound (Los Angeles To Miami)

Sail date: February 24, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Joy

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11310

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Forgetting the first day and last day, the over-all cruise was very nice.

Embarkation

1 out of 5
Awful airport transfer and embarkation. 2 1/2 hours waiting outside LAX for the transfer bus, outside in the rain and sleet to board the ship with the closest entry door not open. Instead NCL has us go to the furthest door with no cover. We all got soaking wet.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food was ok at the main dining areas. Too slow at times and food not always good. Buffet was better as far as food quality.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Pool was nice. Sitting area and nearby table made it comfortable. Go cart track is fun.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
Mediocre entertainment. A couple of the shows were good. Footloose had a so so lead singer and was boring at times. DJ and country music band was very good.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Waiters were ok. We did not get the same one everyday even if in the same dining area and same table. It was hit or miss how good they were due to that. Room steward was very good but seemed over worked. He had double the rooms and did the cleaning once a day. Due to this he never had the room done at a consistent time. Guest services was very good and helpful when needed.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
Nice layout. Easy to get around the ship. Very clean and well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Typical cruise ship room. Comfortable and clean. Wish the closets were a bit larger.

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

1 out of 5
Terrible embarkation

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4 out of 5

Acapulco, Mexico

3 out of 5

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

4 out of 5
Coffee plantation tour is worth going to.

Panama City, Panama

3 out of 5
Seems to be a nice port. Drop off point at shopping area was not that great.

Panama Canal Transit

4 out of 5

George Town, Grand Cayman

4 out of 5

Miami, Florida

1 out of 5
Process to get off ship and transport to airport was terrible.

Disembarkation

1 out of 5
Long lines, too many people and not enough buses. Over 1 hour to get off ship and then a 2 hour wait in line for the transport bus. We needed to take a taxi to make our flight on time. Paid for transfer through NCL but couldn't use it due to the delays.
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