Norwegian Joy Cruise Reviews - Reviews

It was wonderful and had a fantastic time. The embarkation and disembarkation was terrible.

Great Ship. Great Staff. Norwegian’s freestyle cruising really suites me.

Great way to see the canal. We were disappointed in our room location and noise. Service was not as good or as friendly as on previous NCL cruise.

This is the 15th cruise taken and 6th with NCL. NEVER have I experience such a poor and disappointing embarkation/disembarkation. Two hours for each is unacceptable. The ship was short-staffed, I believe, in those two areas and in some nights of main dining. The number of passengers lead to experiencing long lines, wait times and no seats partially due to some of the venues where things were held. I don't feel NCL was prepared for the age of most cruisers. I would venture a guess the average age might have been 70-75. This would mean not a lot of partiers and late nighters. From what I observed the bars and Casino did not get a lot of attention. Most nights the Joy Theater was filled to capacity and if you weren't in line 60 minutes prior to the show, the likelihood of getting a good seat was questionable. Although the claim saving of seats is not allowed, there was no presence of any one to prevent it. In fairness virtually all cruise lines make the same claim and lack of enforcement. In the Cavern Club when the Beatles Revolution performed, people lined up 75 minutes before the later show. One night I experienced coming at 8:00 PM for a 9:00 PM show only to find there was not one seat left to sit. I attended an art auction. The art director commented when there was clearly not enough room in the venue for all people to sit, this was the second auction this had happened and it would give him more credibility to ask for a larger room. The atrium was inadequate for many of the live music events and demonstrations, etc. There were only 6 computer stations and they happened to be next to the atrium. So in the crowded times people used the computer stations for their atrium seating, which was disconcerting when I wanted to use the computer. The Observation Lounge was a hidden secret for about two days, then after that it was jammed packed. I did reach out to NCL directly and they replied very quickly and apologetically. They offered $150 OBC for my wife and me for a future cruise. That was appreciated.

This was our 18th cruise and I don't think we'll be going again for awhile. At least not on NCL. The port stops on this itinerary were mostly bad. The itinerary was changed days before our departure with no compensation or explanation. Very disappointed all around with NCL.

We had dreamed of this trip and it hat it all :-) The only thing we think can be better is the information via the speaker on board. It is simply to poor sound quality.

We were so pleased with the entertainment on this cruise. It is the top priority for us when cruising.

This was a great experience from a destination point of view. The ships service staff was top rate. Entertainment was first rate. The facilities were really good. It almost made you forget about how terrible management is and how really mediocre the food and beverage product is.

Wonderful. I think I have just about shared a capsule of it to give anyone food for thought. Met some very nice passengers, too.

Excellent cruise, ship is big, room is on the small side but the bathroom size makes up for that. The pianist and singer Arvin at the main lounge was amazing and was the highlight of our cruise.

First time on a Norwegian cruse and was a bit disappointing...I'm disabled and was not warned when I booked that there was going to be a lot of walking to get to elevators. I was using a walker and could not use the stairs. Felt there were not enough daytime activities as other cruse lines and the evening entertainment was good but not enough. Also I have to add, it was worst drink service in public areas I've ever experienced on a cruise!

A fantastic voyage overall. Just a few minor complaints, but nothing that would affect the quality of my cruise.

Overall, would consider trying Norwegian again in future, but as of now, still trying to recover from this last one.

Great cruise, great weather, very little to complain about. Would do this one again!

Our 5th NCL cruise and very likely our last. We just felt like the ship was one big party and we were on vacation to unwind. Ship was beautiful and the food was outstanding.

Memorable, would definitely cruise this beautiful ship again

Nice family cruise. While the weather was not great, we enjoyed most specialty restaurants, the shows and activities. Loved the sushi demonstration by Food Republic chef.

Most of the journey was great except for the noise level in the room.

Probably okay for most but NCL’s free-style approach, mega ship and continual up-selling was not for us.

NCL is not what it used to be. The Joy is a big reason. Where is the Norwegian I used to love? As a long time NCL customer I had a number of issues with this ship and changes NCL has made. We were given a 50 pictures for 500 dollars deal which is way more expensive than in the past but we also knew we were getting a 30% discount so we thought 350 is not too bad. So after spending 2 hours to pick out the 50 we liked best they told us we could not use our picture rewards program on this deal. We walked away - NCL lost 350 dollars and we lost our pictures. Who wins on this? Also - Their Cruise Next staff are about as aggressive as they come. 5 times I said I only wanted to spend 150 dollars for a 250 credit on my next cruise. They pushed so hard they were practically calling me stupid and even falsely told me I cannot buy a single 250 credit. I was so frustrated I stopped working with the first sales rep and moved to another. And the new one used the same aggressive tactics. Finally, We noticed our balcony and the dinner tables much more compact and tight. As if NCL wanted to save money by shrinking the non-income providing areas. And there is a fee for many activities that used to be free. And those fees are very high. Where have you gone NCL? I want you back!