Overall, I had a great time as I cruise to relax…additionally, I enjoy NCL.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Pretty fast…however chaotic, only because everyone was in a rush, didn’t want to wait and wasn’t following instructions. We were ok with the process because we know the drill and we’re retired, so we’re not in a rush to do anything. We literally got out of the Uber and within an hour we were checked in and having lunch at the buffet.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
I did not go to the main dining room. I went to the Garden Cafe, which in my opinion is great for breakfast. For some reason, on this cruise, the buffet wasn’t good as it has been in the past. I frequented “The Local” this time, as it is a 24hr spot. I have to say the breakfast there was very good, as was dinner. I really enjoyed Teppanyaki…as per usual, it was great!! I also ate at “Q”, the Texas barbecue restaurant. I did not like it. I was on this ship before and enjoyed “Q”, however this time, I’m going to rate the food as horrible. I ordered the brisket. It had a smoked taste of ZERO, it tasted like it was baked in the oven. Each one of the five 5 slices were 90% fat. The honey jalapeño cornbread was horrible, as it was super gritty, and there was no honey/jalapeño flavor, just jalapeño grit. The Mac & cheese appeared to be elbow macaroni with butter and cheese melted on top. The banana pudding was beautifully presented, however it wasn’t good.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
I caught a couple of the games played in the Atrium, they were fun to watch.
I spent a lot of time in the Observation Lounge, as I went on this cruise to relax. I chose it because I had already been on this one, which made it super easy for me to relax because I didn’t feel the need to get off at any of the ports…plus it rained very hard in both, costa maya and Cozumel. The Observation Lounge has a small buffet with pastries, charcuterie and fruit, coffee, tea and fruit drinks (the same ones served at the large buffet). There’s also; A bar if you want alcohol and Starbucks.
I enjoyed the casino and the 7D Zombie shoot out in the Galaxy Pavilion ($8 charge).
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The Staff was amazing…everyone I encountered was very courteous and respectful. I have nothing bad to say about the customer service extended to me on this cruise. The personnel on the Joy work extremely hard and I appreciate all that they did to make my cruise experience enjoyable.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Joy is a very nice ship, it was always clean. The bathrooms were exceptional…I was surprised considering the number of passengers that were on board.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Balcony stateroom, nice and spacious. Great Stateroom Steward, “Gilbert” was on point and took care of our stateroom as if our room was the only room he had to take care of. He was awesome.
Ship tip
Be patient, it’s a large ship with a lot of passengers, everybody can’t be first. Be kind to the staff, they work very hard with no days off during the entire cruise. Lastly, this is not a tip, it’s just something I do…as one can do as one please…to show my appreciation to my Stateroom Steward, I purchase random items that I think one might enjoy and put them in a gift bag along with a thank you card with a monetary gift inside. The gift bag is a token of my appreciation. It’s always well received. This time I did candy and Bluetooth sunglasses
Small and crowded, as 4 cruise ships were there at the same time. It was very hot, so we walked a little, stopping in the shops, made a few purchases and then returned to the ship.
Although the lines were long, disembarkation was pretty fast. Of course there were some people openly complaining (especially when the staff took 2 wheelchair passengers to the front of the line🤣), however my husband and I got off the ship without issue, found our luggage and was on our way.
JimOhio, Second Mate, I didn’t reduce the ports ratings, I hadn’t previously rated these ports…maybe I should have added that nothing changed from the time I had been there and then returned, my rating remains a 3…I’m going off both times I visited, nothing changed. If you’re going, I hope you have a great time.
Thanks for sharing. However, how can you reduce a port's rating on the sole critiorion that you have been there before? That is not helpful to anyone who might be going there in the future.
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