Overall, it was a satisfactory cruise. Food, Staff and ship were very good and we added to the ships economy / bottom line through the casino! This was one of the smoothest sailing ships we have been on. The ocean was very calm on most days and we really never felt any wave motion. However, the disembarkation stained an overall pleasant cruise.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Later than normal to board due to previous cruise being delayed to port.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
All the main restaurants were pretty good and buffet on the 16th floor was used mainly for breakfast. Omelettes were perfect everytime in the Garden Cafe! Cagney's Steak House was great as usual; however, the Q Texas Barbecue should not be a specialty restaurant as the brisket was tough, served less than warm and all are overpriced. Will not visit the Q again!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
On Sea Days, the pool areas were packed thus the reason we visited them in the afternoon while in ports. Visited the casino as well and as usual, very tight!
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Footloose was OK; the other shows were difficult to get reservations. Would have liked to visit the comedy club but was always full. (The ship was sold out).
Children's Programs
No kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
NCL staff were always helpful and personable.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Our Cabin was mid - aft starboard side which made it easy to visit the 3 main restaurants. Long walk to Garden Cafe in the morning, but we would take elevator to 16 and walk through the pool areas. Always nice and quiet at night where we were.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Liked having the bed close to the sliding door which we would leave partially open at night. TV was great without any reception issues and the internet was about the best we have ever seen. The 300 complementary minutes for us were just about enough for the 12 days.
Ship tip
During Sea Days, head to the Observation Deck on 15. Comfortable, nice and quiet with food and drink available during the day.
Tour of the Panama Canal was very good. The IMAX Documentary was very educational as there were may things discussed we did not know (or remember from school!). The Tour Guide was fantastic!
3rd world country with vendors / private individuals meeting the tour bus to sell their wares as soon as the door opens. We understand they just want to earn a living, but felt they were way to pushy.
We were very familiar with Aruba and took the city bus from the main station up to the north end of "Palm Beach" to see all the improvements. Also visited "Kay's Family Jewelers" for a new dinner ring for my better half. They did not disappoint!
Seems the JOY has had issues on many prior and on our disembarking event. This was a sold out cruise and there were only FOUR Customs Agents (out of 14 Lanes) handling over 3800 passengers not including any of the crew that were departing the ship. We were scheduled for 0900 (Red Group) to depart the ship since we had transport to the Miami IAP. We didn't get through customs until 12:45 and glad our flight was not departing until 4:30PM. Many passengers missed their flights due to the mess departing the ship and I'm sure there will be many letters and demands written to NCL senior staff. Even though it was Customs causing the issues, there should have been prior communication between NCL and Customs with prior knowledge of the shortage of agents before the ship even arrives to port. It was a cluster!
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