NIce ship. Good pace between ports and at sea days.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Getting to the NCL port in Miami was mayhem. Crowds coming and going, closed access roads but once we got into the terminal it was smooth.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Lots of options in the buffet including Indian and Asian cuisine which is great for vegetarians. We were glad to have specialty restaurants included since they were a nice change of pace especially the French spot Le Bistro.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
5 stars to the cruise director and everyone who helps create a continuous line up of activities like Trivia and game shows. So much fun! Pools were not appealing. Small and always super crowded but that means lots of other people like them. Nice fitness center. Race cars, mini golf and VR gaming was great.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Saw the Beatles 4 times. Really good show from this Australian cover band. DJ was good and music parties spanned the decades. Hard to catch the Joy Theatre shows. Footloose should be replaced. Mentalist and Illusionist duo should have more nights. Elements was terrific.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Everyone seemed genuinely happy to assist with any request. I don't know how staff continued to smile on day 5, 6, 7 and beyond but they did. Rooms were cleaned quickly, restaurant tables turned quickly. Sometimes long lines at the front desk and the internet access was not intuitive and nearly everyone had to get help.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I liked a smaller ship feel. The Joy is definitely a bigger ship with 20 decks and 6000 people but layout was logical and easy to learn. Standard balcony room was plenty big with lots of storge. Very clean in all areas. One design flaw is the pool deck loungers. The front legs stick out creating an opportunity to catch your toes and trip. My foot was sore for 10 days from this andI saw others do the same.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
After cruising in a suite type cabin I found the standard balcony to be just fine for 2.
Ship tip
Make your reservations for shows and dining before your cruise.Seafood restaurant and Elements were sold out by the time we looked.
Little disappointing since Costa Rica is known for lush beauty and wildlife. We toured 2 parks over 5 hours and saw 4 sloths and maybe one monkey. Rainforest was not very lush. Beach at the National Park was nice. Banana plantation was OK learned a lot but super touristy.
Colon is a run down city. Excursion to the Embera indigenous tribe was disappointing. In spite of reading 12 -1 5 great reviews it was very touristy feeling. The Embera people were kind but it was it seems the focus was to sell cheap souvenirs that we'd seen everywhere (made in China) with a few items that may have been made by the tribe. This area is in drought so the canoes could not cross the river without people getting out to push. This was almost a 2 hour bus ride each way too which I was not expecting. The guide was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information.
We were surprised to find the port has a wildlife area that was really well done. Sloth, parrots, monkeys, peacock. We walked around the Old City which was nice. The wall is only left in sections so you cannot walk the periphery. Take an Uber for $2 vs the organized walking tours or taxi for much more.
3 hour wait to get off the ship. Not sure why the delay. Maybe customs issue but people missed flights, our excursion was cut short. Bad information give by security personnel caused further delay.
Of all the cruises I have been on the Joy voyage on 4/15/23 had the most disappointing food. The meat (even in the specialty restaurants) was (really) tough. I'm hoping that this was a one off. Maybe the purchaser got a bad deal. Considering what I paid for the cruise I was expecting palatable food. Breakfast was good but other meals I found myself gravitating towards salad.
The ship and crew were very accommodating. I'm going to sail on another CruiseLine next time. Norwegian really needs to make some changes if this is their new norm.
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