The key point of this cruise for us was relaxation and Norwegian Joy provided exactly that. Could it have been improved here and there? Yes. Was it perfect? No. But we came away feeling overall that we had a fantastic time.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Check in was smooth and organised. Boarding started promptly at 11:00 am. All state rooms were ready by 15:00.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good but not spectacular. Service wherever we ate was great. Food Republic was a standout.
The Local Bar & Grill
4 out of 5
Breakfast, Lunch, very late dinner. The Local met our needs each time. If you like pub food you can't go wrong here.
The District Brew House
5 out of 5
A great spot to relax and have a drink. Never seemed to be crowded. Staff were friendly and helpful. Go here if you want some variety in your beer and beer adjacent options.
Le Bistro French Restaurant
4 out of 5
Impeccable service. Limited menu but really good food. A picky eater could have trouble finding something they really want in each course. I must emphasise, everything we had was really good.
The Cavern Club
3 out of 5
Always seemed full. Go early if you want a seat. The Beatles cover band was quite good.
Cagney's Steakhouse
3 out of 5
Solid steakhouse experience but the Joy's Cagney's trails behind the ones on other NCL ships. Not by far mind you, but behind nevertheless.
Food Republic
5 out of 5
This was our first ship with a Food Republic and therefore our first experience with this venue. Both the food and the service were outstanding.It's a great lunch option on sea days. Just be warned it can be a lot of food if you try to maximise your dining package.
Garden Cafe
4 out of 5
On a full ship the Garden cafe was always full but never so full that you couldn't find a seat. The food was what you would expect from a buffet, that is to say plentiful, varied and average.
The Manhattan Room - Main Dining Room
4 out of 5
This applies to Savor and Taste as well. Good food, good service, varied menu. I particularly liked that Cagney's entrees are available (for an upcharge) giving you the option of a specialty dining experience in the main dining room if you wish. Overall not spectacular but a solid dining experience.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
3 out of 5
It felt like the late night entertainment offerings were limited probably due to NCL's removal of many of their "big" shows across the fleet. We'd already seen Elements on another ship and while the Beatles cover band was very good we were not inclined to watch every one of the multiple shows they put on during the cruise. One was enough.
The rest of the entertainment was your standard cruise ship fare. We caught some of it in passing but nothing stood out one way or the other.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Across the board service was excellent. Our room steward was attentive without being intrusive and took care of everything that needed taking care of. We only had to make a couple requests and those were swiftly addressed as well.
Our one subpar experience was with CruiseNext who are also responsible for the Latitudes program, they dropped the ball a couple times.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It was our first time on a Breakaway Plus class ship. It was not as easy to navigate as the smaller ships but I have no real complaints. We're not pool people so it didn't matter to us but it did seem like the pool deck is not scaled adequately to the capacity of the ship. Not enough pool for the number of pool people.
I also wasn't fond of the casino layout. Something about it felt open and exposed and did not incline me to partake.
Overall the ship was very clean ( and constantly being cleaned ) and appeared well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The stateroom was a non-Haven suite. It was roomy, comfortable and clean. No complaints. Just note that the suites on the Joy lack some of the perks of suites found on the rest of the NCL fleet. Can't say that we felt like we were missing anything though. It was our first time in a suite on NCL and it was one of the highlights of the cruise for us.
Ship tip
The wall/alcove with the plaques from ports visited is accessible on this ship. Find it and take a photo.
This was our first time in Bermuda. We did it "on our own" with a friend who lives there. There is a lot more to see and do than we expected and the island is beautiful.
Note: There is a Visitor's Center within walking distance of the ship where you can buy passes and/or tokens for the ferry(and buses). You can also buy a Tourist SIM card (3 gigs of data for 7 days) at the same location for a very reasonable price.
A complete and utter mess. It defies description how badly disembarkation was handled. I may just go with self-assist next time, as no one seems to adhere to the color coded system and NCL doesn't seem to know how to enforce/police it.
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