Norwegian Joy Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Overall, Norwegian managed logistics HORRIBLY. This was our 20th cruise, but first with NCL. Never again would we ever go on this line!! *3 hour wait to get on ship *messed up our specialty dinner reservation to the steak house, and only 2 of our family were allowed to go. We were so disappointed as we got all dressed up for our family holiday dinner, and even ran back to the room to try to find our paperwork. We had to pay for 2 of us, if we wanted to, as they said it wasn't in their computer (though it was part of our package!) I left crying. We had our teenagers stay, and my husband and I went to the buffet in great disappointment. :( *nickle and diming you every minute (Warning: keep a close watch on your bill!! We had the liquor package and they charged us for sodas, they charged fees while you embarked because you were at a US port, fees for shows, fees for room service,...) It was the worst we'd ever seen! *had to wait 3 hours in line to get our internet package turned on that we ordered before the cruise) *constantly put Haven and those with frequent traveler status priority so we always waited for everything (tenders, getting off the boat at ports, etc.) We felt we were treated like 2nd class citizens since it was only our first time won Norwegian *2 ports were just shipping container ports, so nothing to see unless you paid for a taxi to go somewhere *anytime you had a question at the front desk, there was always a minimum of 20 people in line and you had to wait hours *they wouldn't let you settle your bill until the last day, when you had to run to catch your flight, so we just got stuck with fees we didn't dispute (It must be a strategy of theirs) *limited evening shows - only 2 they kept running night after night *you had to sign up for all shows in advance or they were booked, but still the same stuff repeating night after night *We were hoping to do the Ship Tour, which you were supposed to sign up for within the first 24 hours according to NCL's website. We REALLY wanted to do that. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to covid but even if it wasn't, it was for Haven guests only. *Debarkation was also a disaster. They had thousands of people walking across the parking lot while busses were coming in and out. It's not a wonder someone wasn't hit! Overall, we had a great family time, but Norwegian sure messed up all the logistics. Our cabin steward Nada was fantastic and we went on the most amazing excursion in Ensenada, the Desert Moon Ziplining adventure. That was truly 5 stars! All said, you've been warned about Norwegian!!

Though weather related setbacks and delays are acceptable, the number of issues encountered during this trip are not acceptable. We were disappointed with this cruise and future NCL trips are in question for us!!!!

My 4th time on the Joy. First time in the Haven on the Joy. I enjoyed the Haven more on the smaller BREAKAWAY.

We loved the Joy so much we are going again in July!

The cruise was overall great. After all, your trip is what you make of it, despite most circumstances. I thought the staff helped me just enough on the ship. They do not wait on you hand and foot, but they do take excellent care of you. Cleanliness is important, and they did not miss a beat on that. Food quality helps to make an experience, and they did most times, but even if they did not, the service made up for it. The ship was enjoyable, with so many activities to try. The crowd was fantastic and fun; I don't think I met any strangers onboard. This specific itinerary is very dull to an avid cruiser, but I knew that when booking the cruise. Overall, it was a great time, and I would book this ship again with other itineraries.

i have no interest in providing a review of this cruise for your benefit and not mine

This was the most disorganized cruise I have ever been on. I have cruised with every line except Disney. I was so disappointed. I don't know what's going on but this ship needs to get it together.

In my humble opinion (only being on 2 cruises) I feel that the cruise was very organized, the staff always did their best to entertain us and make us feel welcome, and I would not hesitate to take another trip with Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Love it, did not have to travel to another state to cruise and NCL is accommodating in every way.

Our representative, Steven Upton, from , was nonexistent after we booked. We could never get a hold of him. Called and no answer, left messages and no return calls. He must have received a commission from our booking and that was the end of him. We just started speaking to anyone who answered the phone and they were all very helpful. This is not pertaining to our cruise, but it was pre-cruise info, so wanted to add it.

Overall this was a great cruise! The itinerary was great. We had Sea days, but also plenty of time in Bermuda. Food, staff, entertainment, and cleanliness were the highlights of our time on board.

NCL never disappoints. You may have a bad moment or even a day but they hit all the notes. Great Specially meals, great shows, great mixologists. Big Casinos however no buffet this time. Staff if trained and happy. Buffet still has lukewarm to warm food but good selection. Try the Hummus in the Buffet

The NCL Joy was a great ship. Well designed and fun. Main dining room was disappointing, but buffet in Garden Cafe on 16 was outstanding, with a delicious carving station at each meal. Our particular cabin attendant was disappointing - super slow - probably burned out in her job. Ports of call were all great, with the exception of Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Taxi Mafia runs the port. Either pay what they want or, literally, you are NOT allowed to leave the port. You are a hostage to their fees or you do not see anything beyond the port.

The overall experience was seamless. The crew were very attentive, joyful and well groomed. We really enjoyed NCW Joy and would consider the line and ship again.

Though being negative about some areas hoping they will or would improve, we had a great time. It rained 4 days out of 7 which isn't anyone's fault but it does effect your vacation, concentrating people on the ships inside venues. If your a karaoke buff get to The Cavern line early, it's done 10:30 to 11:30 pm most night with 2 nights 9:30 to 11:30 pm. And it's the only place that karaoke is done at. Book your cruise and enjoy..

I surprised my wife upgrading from an inside cabin to a Club Balcony to a Haven Penthouse without telling her. She had been nervous about crowd with the Pandemic so the relative solitude of the Haven was worth it for me. The Haven restaurant is as good as any specialty restaurant on the ship. The Panama Canal Transit was the highlight of the trip.

Do not understand why this ship gets low ratings. Embarkation was the most organized I’ve seen. Ship was clean and in great shape. Food was great. Staff were all very pleasant and always welcoming and very busy making sure we all had a great time. Just don’t go on any cruise thinking you are going to get a 5 star hotel and meal. Go to relax and have a great vacation and you will!

Norwegian is not a luxurious cruise line. But mostly good service, clean accommodations and the ports we wanted to see.

This was my third cruise with NCL and my fiancés first cruise. He enjoyed it so much, he wants to do another in September. It was an amazing time, we made the very best of everyday and kept busy. We even joined in some activities we normally wouldn’t back at home like bingo, dance line lessons, game shows. We booked passes for The Vibe which is a pass only section of the ship that has its own bar, bathrooms, rinse off showers, two hot tubs and plenty of lounge chairs - it was the best decision we made. I’m not into crowds at the pool, and I didn’t want to be around noise and children (I escaped my own) so this was extremely enjoyable for us.

I am a seasoned “cruiser” with over 30 cruises on various ships and WAS a loyal Norwegian customer before this HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!. We had extremely poor service on this ship and poor food quality in the main restaurants. The staff was confused and had no clue what they were doing half the time. Big money grab for Norwegian Cruise Lines as they were more concerned about selling out the ship than its customers. Katty Byrd / Senior VP guests Services sent me over 12 emails for safety protocol saying call 911 in case of emergency. My room phone cord was broken until the last 2 days and was reported several times to staff with no response. It was only fixed when by chance, when I ran into Trevor/ Assistant Manager of the ship as he was walking around because customer service refused for me to speak with any management of the ship. My room TV was constantly crashing the entire cruise and we could not watch any of their informative videos the entire cruise. You had no other choice than watch them on TV because the ship was oversold with no seats in the theater to watch them live. I was told by Customer Service Desk that the TV cannot be fixed because the system is too old and still runs on Windows 7. Security crew has no clue how to keep the lines moving with long waits every time. Underneath our legs which were on the Tender seats got burnt coming back from Great Stirrup Cay Tenders because bench seats were exposed to the sun and the seats were over 120 degrees which we documented with I-Phone thermometer. I had to help an elderly customer off this tender boat back from Stirrup Cay as she had heat exhaustion, because there is no canopy and we were in the sun. Security team then lets out the people downstairs in the tender area who were sheltered and cool the entire time, leaving us to further bake in the sun. They had two gangway ramps there but Security was only using one gangway ramp because they had no clue what they were doing. Cruise was way oversold so could not get into any of the shows, as their Theater is too small . Game room games were broken and poorly maintained and prizes were empty the first half of cruise. Brought it to the attention of the Slot Manager who is responsible for the game rooms with no apology and says to me “he is overwhelmed.” I did not eat dinner twice because the meat that was served to me was tough and could not even cut it with the knife they provided; I also brought this to their attention. They lost us as a long time customer for 30 years even before the Latitudes program was in effect. I also brought all my issues to the General Manager Rohinton Mottahed who also had an attitude and thinks that he is better than the customers with NO APOLOGIES... Shame on you Norwegian Cruise Line. EPIC FAIL AS A CRUISE COMPANY!!!