The Definitive Norwegian Joy Cruise Review (After the 2024 Dry Dock Refurb)

There’s a little story about how I ended up writing this Norwegian Joy Review.  If you visit this site regularly you will of course know that we are regular cruisers.  But we also own a vacation home in Florida that we spend almost 6 months of the year at, with the rest of the time either at our other home in Scotland or on a cruise somewhere.

US immigration laws mean that we can only visit for a maximum of 90 days at any one time, so we typically fly over in February, stay until the end of April, and then come back to Florida again in mid-September and return in early December.

So we were about to book our flights for our February to April trip and we had a quick thought – why don’t we do a transatlantic on the way back in April? It’s a popular time for cruise lines to move ships from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, so before we knew it, we had booked Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas from Miami to Barcelona, and at a very decent price!

So that left us with sorting a one-way flight to the USA. Now if you know how the travel industry works, then you will realize one-way flights can be very expensive.  Fortunately, I just happened to spot a post from Cruise Industry News stating that Norwegian Joy was going into Dry Dock in Europe in January. 

That could only mean one thing – the ship would be repositioning back to the USA after the Dry Dock. Now we had an alternative option to a one-way flight.  We could do transatlantic both ways!

But here’s the really interesting thing about this cruise – there were NO ports of call. It was 11 straight days at sea with no stops.  I love Sea Days on a cruise, so this was my idea of bliss. 

Some Important Information To Know About This Review of the Norwegian Joy

Now before we get into this review properly, it’s important to point a few things out.  Firstly this is a review of a ship that is just out of a Dry Dock refurbishment.  Some work was still quite likely to be going on while we were on the way to Miami and some additional maintenance staff would be on board as a result.

For example, the Thermal Suite was not fully complete and we received notification a few weeks prior to the sailing that the Thermal Suite would not be open during the cruise (more on that later).

Additionally, due to it being a February crossing, the weather would not be ideal, so a lot of outdoor areas remained closed or had limited access most days.

All of that was to be expected and in terms of my review, I have not factored any of that in.

The price we paid for this cruise was fantastic and I could put up with the odd inconvenience, so please bear all that in mind.

Full disclosure: As with all of our cruise reviews, we paid for this trip ourselves. However, the NCL Media team did arrange for us to get access to The Haven, the Vibe Beach Club and the new Thermal Suite to help us with this review, and we thank them for their co-operation. Please note however this has not influenced our review in any way.

Norwegian Joy Review – What Was Changed In The Dry Dock Refurb February 2024

Norwegian Joy entered Dry Dock in Rotterdam on January 22nd 2024 and the refit and maintenance program included the following

• The addition of a new Thermal Suite (replacing the old Galaxy Pavilion Virtual Reality Area)
• An expansion of the Vibe Beach Club taking over the upper deck space previously occupied by Laser Tag
• The addition of 24 new staterooms to replace approximately 2/3’rds of the Port side of the Observation Lounge 
• Expansion and refurbishment of the two Haven owner’s suites to add an additional room to each suite
• Installation of Starlink Internet
• Replacement of carpeting throughout the ship
• Replacement of all mattresses in the cabins
• Deep cleaning work
• General ship maintenance, upgrades, and safety checks

Our Cruise Itinerary – 11 Night Transatlantic Crossing Southampton to Miami 

As mentioned earlier this was a cruise with NO PORTS OF CALL. We left Southampton on February 13th and arrived in Miami on February 24th, with no stops in between.  So this was going to be a clear test to see what Norwegian Joy offers with no ports competing for our attention.

Embarkation Process At Southhampton Horizon Cruise Terminal

On embarkation day, Norwegian Joy was docked at the Horizon Terminal in Southampton. This is the newest terminal at the busy port and it resembles a typical airport terminal. Even the security scanners required the removal of laptops from bags like they do at airports. Something I’d never seen done at a cruise port security area.

The security process was, however, relatively quick and we were soon directed to an NCL check-in desk to get our Cruise Account card.

Once checked in we were directed to seating areas depending on either Latitudes status (NCL’s Loyalty Program) or if you were a Haven guest or not (NCL’s luxury suite-level accommodation area).

We were allocated Group Number 21 to get on board. We could be a little while.

This group number did surprise us a bit as we would normally assume that after priority boarding was complete, you would then board according to the arrival time NCL gave us for checking in.  We spoke to a few cruisers more experienced with NCL and they were surprised by this as well. Our boarding time was meant to be 10:30.

Fortunately, our wait was less than expected and from the time we got dropped off by our Uber at the terminal to the time we were on board was less than 90 minutes.  I’ve had quicker boarding processes, but in the overall scheme of things that is absolutely fine.

Norwegian Joy First Impressions

We entered Norwegian Joy on deck 6 just beside the Q BBQ Restaurant and beside the elevator lobby.  That means we didn’t get that immediate “WOW” impact that you can get on some ships where you enter straight into the central atrium area or central promenade.

But the staff were so immediately friendly and the ship looked remarkably clean and fresh – almost like a new ship. You could easily tell that a lot of the carpeting was new just by the feel of it underfoot.

The best part was that we were told that we could go straight to our rooms if we wanted to.  Normally when you board a ship the staterooms are still being cleaned and prepared after the previous guests. With Norwegian Joy coming straight from Dry Dock, there were no previous guests.

We originally booked an Interior room midship on the 11th floor for this cruise. But in the weeks previous to the cruise we received an email from Norwegian’s Upgrade Advantage program.  

This program is similar to what you might see on many cruise lines (e.g. Royal Caribbean’s Royal Up Program) where you can bid on an upgrade to your stateroom.  I almost always put a smallish bid for an upgrade and hope for the best. About 75% of the time I am unsuccessful, but occasionally we get a nice upgrade.

This time, I wanted a bit more space, so I put a bid in for a Club Balcony Suite. As luck would have it, our bid was successful and we snagged a Club Balcony Suite on deck 11 midship starboard side. It wasn’t the smallest bid, but it was a lot less than it would have cost us had we booked that Cabin originally. 

For a westbound transatlantic crossing I would have preferred a Port side balcony, but you can’t have everything. We were still very pleased with the upgrade.

Why would I prefer a port side balcony? On a transatlantic westbound crossing, the ship faces the same direction the whole cruise essentially. That means the port side of the ship is “south-facing” and gets any sunshine.  Balconies on the starboard side will get little to no sun as they are North-facing.

This actually part of the origin of the word “posh” to describe things that are that little bit nicer or special – Posh stands for “Port Out Starboard Home”.  You would sail out from the UK westbound on the Port side and on the return, you would do Starboard, as that side of the ship would be facing the sun.

Muster Drill

As is typical of most modern cruise ships, most of the muster drill process is handled as part of the check-in process. You have to watch through some safety videos, which cannot be skipped.

The benefit of this is that you no longer need to do a formal muster drill on board at a set time prior to or just after departure.

All you need to do now is to attend your muster station on embarkation day at some point before the ship departs.

When you visit the muster area, a staff member will scan your card to confirm you visited the mustering area, and give a quick recap of how to wear a lifevest, plus answer any questions you might have.  It takes no time at all and is much better than the old process.

Stateroom Review – Club Balcony Suite Deck 11 Starboard – Cabin #11810

We had the pleasure of staying in stateroom 11810, a Club Balcony Suite on deck 11.

This room was a nice surprise, offering more space than we’re typically accustomed to, complete with a generously sized shower room and a cozy seating area.

The standout feature had to be the bathroom, boasting a double sink and a luxurious double-width shower, enclosed by glass sliding doors.

The shower itself was equipped with an adjustable showerhead and six additional body jets – it was awesome – easily the best shower I’ve experienced on any ship or hotel.

The main sleeping area featured a very comfortable king-sized bed, surrounded by convenient lighting and charging options, including USB-A sockets at each side of the bed. 

There was lots of storage, thanks to a large double wardrobe and additional shelving, which easily accommodated all our belongings for the 11-day crossing.

Our stateroom attendant, Made (pronounced Maddie), was particularly attentive, offering extra hangers and ensuring our room was always impeccably maintained throughout our cruise.

The “suite” also included a multi-use area with a sofa, dressing table, and study space, along with a flat-screen TV and a mini-fridge stocked with a complimentary bottle of bubbly, a nice touch as part of the Club Balcony experience.

Power outlets were more than sufficient for all our gadgets. The balcony, although on the smaller side, was a pleasant spot for the last couple of days when the sun finally appeared.

The room featured modern conveniences like a “Do Not Disturb/Make up My Room” switch and a temperature control system that kept the heating and cooling perfectly to our liking.

Although the cabin was located close to the elevators, noise was never an issue, and the suite’s midship position minimized any ocean movement (we had 33-foot swells at one point!).

I always wonder why cruise lines use the term “suite” for a stateroom like this. I typically associate a “suite” as a unit with separate living and sleeping areas.

We were really pleased with our stateroom and our stateroom attendant.

NCL Joy General Cleanliness

During dry dock, it was clear to see that the ship had been given the full deep clean treatment.  It was almost like a new ship – everything was clean and sparkling.

On any ship more than a few years old, you will always spot some scruffy areas, but I never spotted any on Norwegian Joy.  It was really hard to believe thet the Norwegian Joy cruise ship was 7 years old.

Of course, cleanliness is not just about aesthetics, it’s an important hygiene factor as well, especially for an industry that was so heavily impacted by the COVID pandemic.  I was delighted to see that NCL has a strict approach to cleanliness for food hygiene, with the placement of the entertaining “washy washy” staff member located strategically at the entrances to the Garden Cafe.

With Norovirus and then subsequently COVID impacting cruise ships, cruise lines fitted washing stations outside buffet dining areas.  Many of them also implemented a “washy washy” staff member that reminds guests to wash their hands before dining with an entertaining rendition of songs.

I don’t know what cruise line started this, but we first witnessed it on Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas in 2019.

At the entrance to all the dining areas and restaurants on the ship, hand sanitizer machines were always available, and I never found any of them empty.

In the toilet areas, paper towel dispensers were also located at the exits, so you could use a towel to open the door handles as well.

The only area where I felt this could have been improved would have been hand santizer being placed in the elevator lobby areas or at the stairwells.  These are probably the two most heavily used “touchpoints” on any ship, so this did seem to be a disappointing oversight.

Norwegian Joy Deck Plans and Layout Overview

Norwegian Joy is the third largest ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet and was launched in 2017.  The ship has a Gross Tonnage of 167,725 and has 19 passenger decks. 

It is one of NCL’s “Breakaway Plus” class of ships and can host 3,883 passengers and 1,821 crew.  This gives it a very impressive passenger-to-crew ratio of 2.13. 

Interestingly the ship was originally designed for the Chinese market. This market places less importance on sun decks and pool areas. However, in 2019, the company decided to redeploy the ship to the USA and $50 million was spent adapting public spaces to suit a Western audience.

Compared to the latest ships being launched, like Icon of the Seas, Norwegian Joy could at first glance feel small, but it is anything but. This is a huge ship with lots to do.

However, it does have one quirk – the main pool area on the ship is small for such a large ship.  The two pools are also quite small and positioned in diagonal corners of the deck, rather in the typical central space. 

This does mean what you lose out on in pool space is made up for with LOTS of space for sun loungers!

The reason the main pool area is relatively small is due to all the other activity areas take up space on the upper decks 16,17,18 and 19.

At the front of the ship you’ll find The Haven, Norwegian’s private “ship within a ship” enclave. Then just behind that you have the newly expanded two-deck Vibe Beach Club which is a premium-access area.

The main pool area sits in the mid-section followed by the Kids water park and the two large water slides. 

Towards the aft you have the incredible double-deck Speedway electric go-kart circuit, the mini golf course and then finally the “Spice H2o” adults area which sits at the very aft of the ship.

On deck 15 forward you’ll find the wonderful and perfectly named Observation Lounge.

The next focus for guests is decks 6,7 and 8 where you will find the majority of the entertainment, bar and dining venues and of course the casino.

Norwegian Joy Pool Area Reviews

In terms of “public” non-premium access, Norwegian Joy effectively has two key areas for Sun worshippers.  The main pool deck and the upper sun deck on deck 16 and 17 mid, and the Spice H20 adults-only area at the very aft of the ship on deck 17.

The Main Pool and Sun Deck Area on Norwegian Joy

As mentioned earlier, the main pool area is relatively small for a ship of this size. It wasn’t an issue on this particular cruise because: 

A)The ship was only at 2/3rds capacity due to it being a transatlantic crossing with no ports

and

B) It was mid-February and we only really saw sunshine and reasonable temperatures on the last couple of days of the cruise.

But I do wonder how it might cope on a Caribbean cruise?  The pools themselves are both quite small and one was reserved for adults only on our cruise, so I suppose that is the same configuration on all sailings.

Of course, having smaller pools, does mean that there is more desk space available for sun-loungers but I still think finding a sun-lounger could be difficult on busy sea-days.

I was curious about this, so I asked this question on Facebook to cruisers on the cruise after ours (which was going to the Caribbean) and they confirmed that the pool area gets very busy and finding a sun lounger was difficult.  

However, they did say that it was always quite easy to find a lounger at the adults-only Spice H20 deck area.

The pool area also has a couple of hot tubs and a small stage area for performers.

Up on Deck 17, the deck area is quite wide, so once again there are plenty places for sun loungers. I also like that they had two areas with canopies on either side of the deck to provide some sun protection if you are like me and burn easily.

This is where you will also find the running track.

There is a bar at either end of the pool deck and on our cruise I only saw one of them in use and I always got served quickly.

Waterslides and Kids Water Park

If you have kids with you on a Norwegian Joy cruise, it is fair to say that there will be lots for them to do.

Up on the pool decks you have two extremely cool waterslides.  On the Aqua Racer, you go down the slide on a water ring. 

The other is the much faster Ocean Loops slide which actually loops you over the edge of the ship – there is a see-through section strategically placed for you to get a quick glimpse of the ocean directly below you LOL – one for the daredevils. Personally I wouldn’t trust the bolts to take my weight LOL.

Kids also have the Aqua Park, which I am sure will keep the younger kids and toddlers amused for hours.

Spice H20 Adults-Only Area

At the aft of the ship on Deck 17 you will find the Spice H20 adults only deck area.  This has a large hot tub on the port side and a large bar and seating area on the starboard side.  Then there is a large deck area which sits below a large infotainment screen.

Part of me thinks this area might have been nicer without that screen as you would get a much nicer view of the sea, but that’s probably an age thing. 

Definitely a very nice area of the ship.

Bizarrely to get to Spice H20 you’ll probably walk through the ugliest part of the ship.  As you walk from the sun deck and jogging track area on Deck 17, you pass through a long ugly steel-sided corridor which resembles something that you would see on a ferry rather than a cruise liner.  I’m sure NCL could do something much nicer in this area.

The Norwegian Joy Vibe Beach Club

If you don’t like crowds and want a “premium-level” experience you may want to consider purchasing access to the Vibe Beach Club.

This is an exclusive area of the deck which is much quieter and access is capacity-controlled so that you will never have any problems finding a sun lounger.

This area of the ship was expanded during Dry Dock, with the Vibe Beach Club extending up on to the deck above, where the Galaxy Laser Tag used to be.

NCL very kindly provided access for us during our cruise and you can find our full Vibe Beach Club review here.

However, I can say, that the next time I am sailing with NCL and the Vibe Beach Club is available, I will definitely use it.

The premium-quality loungers were so comfortable and the bar staff were soooo attentive. It really was a premium-quality experience and the Vibe Beach Club area itself was in great shape – everything looked brand new.

Lounge and Entertainment Areas on Norwegian Joy

There are so many different locations on this ship to either relax, socialize, or sit back and enjoy some entertainment. If you were to get bored on this ship, that probably would say more about you than the ship itself. There was always something to do.

The Observation Lounge Deck 15

This was probably my favorite place to relax on the ship.  It’s right at the front of the ship on deck 15 and wraps around with full floor-to-ceiling windows to give you a great view of the ocean.

For a cold Atlantic crossing, this was perfect and would be ideal for a sailing on Norwegian Joy to Alaska or Canada.

Now this area is not without some controversy.  It is a very popular part of the ship and NCL removed a section of it during dry dock to add 24 new cabins on the port side.  I think when this was first announced some cruisers were concerned that literally half of the lounge was being removed. In reality they actually removed about a third of it.

If you look at the new Norwegian Joy deck plans you can see how the port and starboard sides of the lounge differ.  There is still that great wraparound section at the front and a long section on the starboard side.

At the front of the lounge, there was a nice bar and a Starbucks. In the starboard section, they provided snacks in the afternoon at a little buffet area.

Even on a cold cruise like this, we never ever had any problems finding a seat in the Observation lounge.  The only seats that ever seemed to be at a premium were the ones right at the front below the windows – they had the best view, so that was no surprise.

The District Brewhouse Deck 8

We found ourselves in the District Brewhouse a lot on this cruise. It has a nice “pub” feel and provided live music with piano-bar singalong-style entertainment each night.

Our favorite entertainer was Zoe Jackson. She had a huge repertoire and had the place jumping every night she was performing. Fabulous!

That bar itself has around 20 beers on tap as well as all the usual wines and liquor.  

At the rear of the bar there was a separate seating area if you wanted to watch the TV sports channels.

The only downside of the bar was the positioning of the entertainment – a lot of the seating areas can’t really see that position well, but apart from that it was great.

The Cellars Deck 8

The Cellars resembles a high-end wine bar and looks really lush.  They held regular wine-tasting events here that always seemed very popular.  However, outside of these events I rarely saw anyone in this area.

The Cavern Club Deck 8

The Cavern Club on Deck is NCL’s homage to the Beatles and can be found on many ships in their fleet.  It’s a fabulous venue.  It’s a fully enclosed venue, so you really felt you were in a club rather than on a cruise ship.

We found ourselves in here a few times on the cruise – most of the time watching the house band Adda playing a themed evening.  The band were fantastic. If you’ve ever wanted to see how someone can play a Carlos Santana lead solo on a keyboard, go and watch them and be amazed!

Of course, you cannot have The Cavern Club without the Beatles, and on the nights the Beatles tribute band played in there it was crammed. Fortunately, the tribute band also performed in the Joy Theatre on three nights of the cruise as well, so everyone had a chance to see them.

I’m not a Beatles fan, so they sounded alright to me, but a few guests mentioned to me that they had heard better tribute bands.

Sugarcane Mojito Bar Deck 8

Directly opposite The Cavern is the Sugarcane Mojito Bar. All of the house bands and performers (Adda, Marcks Brothers, Duo Estrella ,and Arvin & Emily) played here regularly throughout the day and evening, so it was always a popular spot.

Suffice to say, they made awesome Mojito’s!

The A List Bar Deck 8

The cleverly named A List Bar is strategically located at the entrances to Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro, two of the most popular specialty restaurants on board.

So as you would expect this bar was always busy with diners grabbing a pre-dinner cocktail. As the evening progressed it gets much quieter and became a nice place to sit for a quiet drink or a chat with friends.

The Local Bar & Grill Deck 7

The Local doubles as a nice relaxing bar and casual dining area.  The bar was always busy as it looks down onto the Atrium area where there was always some form of entertainment or presentation going on.  

They actually had seats located all around the edge so that you could sit and watch the Atrium activities.

Like the District Brewhouse, they have beers on tap here, but only a couple.

Skyline Bar Deck 7

The Skyline Bar is the Casino Bar and although Morag and I don’t use the Casino, we found ourselves in here a lot as it had a really nice vibe and they made the best “Dark and Stormy” Cocktails on board.

The “live” entertainment here is cool as well.  They have virtual entertainers that appear on two sets of 4 tall screens. Each of the screens shows one entertainer from the band – e.g. Bass Player, Drummer, Vocalist, and Guitarist would be on separate screens.  

This was really well done and I rarely saw the same band twice and the music genres changed regularly as well. 

Q Texas Smokehouse Deck 6

Although this is one of the specialty restaurants you can also sit at the bar in here and watch the nightly entertainment which was provided by the excellent Mercks Brothers.  I’m not a Country music fan, but this band was excellent and proved to be very popular on the ship

The Atrium Deck 6

This was clearly the “hub” of all entertainment on the cruise ship. Rarely was there a point you would walk through here and nothing would be going on.

There is a massive tall entertainment screen here and a decent-sized stage surrounded by comfortable seating.  During busy events, the staff added additional fold-out chairs to ensure there was always a seat for everyone.

The Bar here is great and headed up by one of the friendliest bartenders on the ship – look for the guy in the Cowboy hat!

Being such a busy area, getting served at the bar could occasionally take a little time, but that is to be expected.

The Social Deck 6

The Social is a fully enclosed venue that doubles as the Comedy Club and Nightclub on the ship.  This was another popular venue that hosted many special events and the late-night “DJ Fly” set that was always popular.

During Comedy shows it was always standing-room only, so get there early!  

If you find the music a bit loud in here – the top tip is to make your way to the separate bar area on the left – it’s quieter in there.

Maltings Whisky Bar Deck 6

Tucked in a corner to the right of The Social you will find the Maltings Whisky Bar.  Imagine a nice warm cozy bar with very comfortable seating. 

They had a nice range of whisky available and also made some very nice cocktails here as well.  Quite often this bar was still in use at the very wee hours of the night!

Mixx Bar Deck 6

You can think of the Mixx Bar as a poor man’s A-List Bar but without the price difference LOL. Just like the Bar on Deck 8, this is positioned between two restaurants. But this time it is the complimentary Savor and Taste restaurants. 

Just like the A-List Bar this was very busy early evening and got quieter as the night progressed. 

The Humidor Cigar Lounge Deck 8

This is a very traditional style Cigar lounge and any time I popped my head in the door (I’m not a smoker) this was always busy.  So if you enjoy a Cigar, then this might be a popular spot for you.  The entrance is off the outside promenade on Deck 8.

The Joy Theatre Deck Deck 7

I am used to seeing quite “grand” theatres on cruise ships. but the Theatre on Norwegian Joy was quite “plain” in it’s design.  The upside of that was that there was no unnecessary design features that might block your view.

The seating was very comfortable and there was a decent amount of legroom as well.

On our cruise there was a show in the Theatre at least once per night, every single night. The shows performed were as follows:-

• BeatleStory
• BeatleStory (Sgt Peppers)
• BeatleStory (Abbey Road)
• Memory Magic
• Levity Comedy with Alex Boardman
• Levity Comedy with Flip Schultz
• Vocalist Heidi Karlsson “A Touch of Broadway”
• Vocalist Heidi Karlsson “Decades of Diva”
• Broadway Cabaret (80’s Musicals)
• Elements (Main Production Show)

All of the shows were as good as the types of shows I’ve been seeing on cruise ships for years.  Standouts were Heidi Karlsson and the Broadway Cabaret show where the performers’ harmonies were spot on.

The only disappointing show was ironically the main production number, Elements. This was a complex show that involved elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. It includes ballet, interpretive dance, and magic performances. 

I’m not sure if it was a new set of performers, but the choreography seemed a little off and one section of the show was skipped due to “ship movement”.  This was a section that was meant to feature “aerialists”, but on the backstage tour that some of our fellow cruisers enjoyed, they were told that the aerialists were not actually on board for this cruise.

The magic tricks performed during the show were quite good, but again you could see some “holes” in their act as at one point you could see how the trick was performed as a performer slipped into a unit from the background of the stage.

So hopefully this was indeed just some rough edges on what is clearly a complicated and difficult show to perform.  

But there is one major issue with the Theatre.

When there was a band performing in the Q Texas Smokehouse you could clearly hear them when you were at the back of the theater. And I mean CLEARLY – not just a subtle thump from below – I could make out exactly what was being played.  A little more creativity in event scheduling would easily avoid issues like that,

Restaurants and Complimentary Dining Areas on Norwegian Joy

American Diner Deck 17

I was looking forward to giving the American Diner a try on this cruise as NCL recently switched it to a complimentary venue – I’m a sucker for a decent burger.  Sadly it remained closed during the entire cruise. 

As this is effectively an “outdoor” venue I suspect it was due to the inclement weather on the cruise and the lower cruise occupancy levels making it not financially practical to open.

It does look nice though!

Garden Cafe Deck 16

The Garden Cafe is Norwegian Joy’s main buffet-style restaurant and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

The restaurant has a huge range of food available catering to many different tastes ranging from Asian and Indian food to Burgers Hot Dogs and Pizza. 

There was also a carvery section which offered a different roast every single day.

One other nice feature was the ice cream bar with around 10 different flavors available.

We never had any problem getting seated in here and the staff were always very attentive and efficient.

It was also great to see the “Washy Washy” staff stationed at the two main entrances reminding cruisers to use the wash stations provided.  Not every cruise line does this, but I believe it is a hugely important hygiene regime to avoid outbreaks of Covid and Norovirus on board. 

Observation Lounge Deck 15

In the afternoon (2:30 to 5pm) snacks are available in the observation lounge. These ranged from feature sandwiches to scones and cakes. Very nice!

The Local Bar and Grill Deck 7

The Local Bar and Grill has a fixed menu for the duration of the cruise and serves food and drinks from 5am to 9:30pm as well as late night snacks until 4am

We had a late breakfast here one morning and had lunch a couple of times.  The food always arrived hot and was tasty.  

The Manhattan Room, Taste and Savor – Decks 6 and 7

I am grouping these three venues together as they are effectively Norwegian Joy’s “Main Dining Room”.  The Manhattan is the largest of the three and matches the classic cruise ship Main Dining Room in its design.

Savor and Taste are slightly smaller and we really could not discern any real difference between the two.

The three venues shared the same daily menu.

First of all – I LOVE NCL’s concept of “Freestyle Dining” where you don’t need to make reservations for the main dining rooms.  You can just turn up, give them your cabin details, tell them how many others are with you and they get you seated.  We had no waiting the entire cruise and I loved that idea.

If you have sailed with Royal Caribbean, it’s a bit like “My Time Dining” but without the long queues if you forgot to make a reservation!

Food quality was excellent and as good if not better than any of the other major cruise lines we have sailed on.

In terms of service, we found that Savor and Taste seemed to get food out quicker, but that may have just been coincidental.  The waiters were so attentive and easily the best service I have experienced in a cruise ship dining room.

Specialty Dining or Paid Restaurants on Norwegian Joy

Like most cruise lines, NCL offers some “upcharge” restaurants on their ships.  We had the “Free At Sea” package which included one specialty dining voucher for each of us.  We decided to use that at Cagney’s.  We did not dine at any of the other venues, so this is more of a comment on the aesthetics of each venue.

Food Republic – Deck 8

This venue offers World Cuisine in small dishes, giving you a chance to “taste the world”.  The venue has a very modern design and you order from electronic tablet devices at your table.

It had a nice bright interior with great views out to the ocean.

La Cucina – Deck 8

La Cucina is Norwegian Joy’s Italian restaurant and is located mid-ship on deck 8 opposite Ocean Blue and The Cellars Wine Bar.

The wide-ranging menu covered everything from Antipasti to main dishes and Pizza

Ocean Blue – Deck 8

Ocean Blue’s focus is of course on seafood, with such delicacies as Lobster, Tuna, and Salmon being readily available. But the menu also included some meat, chicken, and vegan dishes including Filet Mignon and a Cauliflower Steak.

Cagney’s – Deck 8 

Cagney’s is a very nice dining space that wraps around to the aft of the ship, with some stunning views out to sea.

This is where we used our Free at Sea dining voucher and we both ordered the Filet Mignon as our main dish.  The steak was definitely larger than the 8-ounce specified and was cooked to perfection.  One of the nicest steaks I have ever had.

Unfortunately, I had requested traditional french fries which were not listed as sides on Cagney’s menu – they offer “Truffle fries”.   This led to some communication confusion between our main server and an assistant and mashed potato was delivered instead. 

By the time my french fries arrived, I had already demolished the Filet Mignon.  So what did they do? They gave me another Filet Mignon – Fantastic service!

Le Bistro – Deck 8

Le Bistro is of course the French-theme restaurant on board,  Think Steak Tartare, Escargot, Coq Au Vin, and Lobster Thermidor.

Like Cagney’s opposite it has a very nice design with great views out to sea.  

Q Texas Smokehouse – Deck 6

Looking for some comfort food – the Q Texas Smokehouse offered a wide range of meats and fish from the fire pit.  From Brisket and Short Ribs to Jalapeno Sausage and Shrimp Skewers. 

Teppanyaki – Deck 6

A meal at Teppanyaki is almost part theatre, part dining experience. The tables within the hibachi restaurant are effectively separate cooking stations where your Chef will prepare the food in front of you with some theatrical tricks along the way.

Every time we passed, this seemed very popular! 

Starbucks on Norwegian Joy

If you can’t make it through the day without an authentic Starbucks coffee fix, you will find Starbucks venues at the Atrium on Deck 6 and the Observation Lounge on Deck 15.

The Waterfront

If there is one area of the ship that sets the Joy and its sister Breakway and Breakaway Plus class ships apart it is The Waterfront. 

For me, this is what cruising is about! The Waterfront is a wide promenade area that wraps around the majority of deck 8 and allows the venues on that level to extend themselves as both interior and exterior venues.

Of course, on a mid-February Atlantic crossing, the weather was not conducive to using this area. But fortunately, on the last couple of days, the sun came out and we managed to spend some time here.

You could sit and have a nice relaxing drink courtesy of the Cavern or Sugarcane’s external bar areas, or you could just relax in a quiet spot courtesy of the many lounge chairs that line the deck. 

You can even dine Al Fresco with the outdoor seating areas at La Cucina, Ocean Blue, Cagneys and Le Bistro.

Due to the weather, I only saw Ocean Blue set up for outside dining, but on a Caribbean cruise, this would be amazing.

One of my major criticisms of Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, was how “detached” I felt from the sea on that ship.  A feature like The Waterfront really takes you back to what cruising should feel like.  Just a wonderful space!

Norwegian Joy Speedway

This was something different. I’ve seen a few “interesting” features added to cruise ships, but this was a first for me.  The ship has a full two-tier go-kart racing circuit featuring both single and dual-rider electric karts.

I did intend to give it a try, but sadly I never got around to it. However fellow cruisers on our Facebook roll-call group for the cruise appeared to enjoy it, although they did say the track is tight and it can be very difficult to pass slower karts. 

Each session lasts 8 minutes and you can go around the track as many times as you like in that period.

Mini Golf

There is a little 9 hole mini golf circuit which can be found at the back of the Speedway circuit. Despite being an avid golfer, I never used it, but any time I was up there, it was quite busy.

Fitness Centre

Like most ships, Norwegian Joy features a fitness center. This seemed to be a decent size with lots of modern equipment.

Mandara Spa

The ship features a Spa and Beauty Center with a Hair Salon and even a Barber Shop.  At the start of the cruise, you could get a walk around the very modern facility with an explanation of all the treatments available.

The New Thermal Suite

Part of the Dry Dock work was to build a new Thermal Suite as part of the Mandara Spa on Norwegian Joy, and this was in fact to be the biggest Thermal Suite in the fleet.

However, a number of weeks prior to our cruise we were informed that the Thermal Suite would not be open as work would still be underway to complete it after the Dry Dock period.

However, on the last day, the facility was opened up to invited guests and we were very lucky to be able to experience the Thermal Suite first hand.

You can read all the details in our Norwegian Thermal Suite review, but let’s just say it was a very nice experience. There are lots of different experiences available in the Spa from Saunas, to Steam rooms, Salt Treatments and even Ice cold plunge pools. 

For me, I could have just lain on the hot tile thermal warming beds watching the sea view – it was very relaxing.

Again, I am sure this is just a teething issue and they may add some more sound insulation, but there is a lot of noise generated from movement on the deck above, which is the Spice H20 area.  You are relaxing on a bed with nice ambient sounds including birds tweeting and then bang, a noise above invades the tranquility. I’m sure they will fix that particular issue.

All in all it is a stunning feature of the ship that I would definitely book on a future cruise.

The Haven on Norwegian Joy

NCL has a unique feature on many of their ships which they call “The Haven”.  It’s essentially a luxury enclave for suite-class guests and could almost be described as a “ship within a ship”.

We were in a Club Balcony Suite which although described as a “suite” is more than a few categories down from a Haven-level stateroom, so we did not have access.

However, I was very fortunate to be provided with a private tour by the Ship’s staff to allow me to get some photos and video for my review.  I also knew a few guests who were were staying in The Haven who were able to give me their feedback on the experience.

The summary of their feedback was generally “Once you try The Haven, you will not go back to a regular cruising experience, It’s that good!”

From what I saw on my short tour, I can fully understand why. It looks drop-dead gorgeous and the rooms that I saw were incredible.

Morag has already told me to start saving! You can see why she said that by taking a sneek peek into the NCL Haven on Norwegian Joy here.

Norwegian Joy Starlink Internet Review

For a person like me who essentially works online, the Internet is a day-to-day requirement.  But sadly cruise ship Internet is not cheap and often not reliable.

Fortunately, in recent years, we have seen the advent of Starlink and many cruise lines have rolled out this impressive technology bringing onboard Internet experiences much closer to what you might be used to at home.

I was delighted therefore to discover that NCL was installing Starlink on the Norwegian Joy as part of the Dry Dock upgrades.

Sadly, once at sea, my excitement soon fizzled out.  Yes, Starlink had been installed, but it was clear that the internal network infrastructure on the ship had not been adjusted to compensate for the increased speeds available.

To give you an idea. Here is the speed I am used to seeing with other Starlink-enabled ships.

And here was the speed I was getting on Norwegian Joy’s standard Internet plan. 

A few days into the sailing I succumbed to buying the premium access level as everyone who had that was getting double the speed I was.  At that point, the Internet became “usable” as far as I was concerned.

Hopefully, NCL’s IT staff will have had this fed back to them and they will get a team of technicians on board to adjust the throttling on the internal network – assuming that is all that is required.

NCL’s Free At Sea Package

On this cruise, we had the “NCL Free at Sea” package.  For a small supplement to cover the service and gratuity charges of each individual package the Free as Sea add-on provided us with the following:-

• Free unlimited drinks package for any drinks item – this covered beer, wine, and spirits priced below $15
• One Specialty meal – covering the cost of appetizer, main course, and dessert
• 150 minutes of standard Internet
• A $50 shore excursion credit

For me, this can be filed under the heading “no-brainer”.  For the small additional cost to cover what the gratuities might cost if we purchased these items separately, I cannot ever see a reason why I would not include this as part of my booking. It’s an incredible offer.

The only thing we could not take advantage of was the $50 shore excursion credit because the only excursions offered related to tours around Miami. After the cruise, we were heading directly up to our home in Clermont and didn’t have time to take advantage of these. 

NCL Cruise Director and Onboard Entertainment staff

Our cruise director Jake and his team of entertainment and activities staff did a great job on this cruise.  There was a very diverse range of activities to cater to all ages and interests and there was never a point where we felt there was nothing to do.

I also believe they got the balance right where you could either get involved or not.  On some cruise ships, you can’t seem to get away from the entertainment staff and simply enjoy some peace and quiet.  Jake and his team got this balance perfectly right.

NCL Guest Services and General Customer Service Levels

As far as the rest of the staff on this ship go, NCL has done a wonderful job of instilling exceptional levels of customer service in every single area of the ship.

Not once did a member of staff walk past me without saying good morning, good afternoon, or asking how I was.  Not once did I see a grumpy face or witness any “attitude” from a disgruntled member of staff.

Maybe it was just because they were fresh from Dry Dock and glad to be sailing again, I don’t know. But by heck it was impressive.

Disembarkation at Miami

Disembarkation at Miami was a bit of a shambles – but to be clear it wasn’t NCL’s fault. It was down to mismanagement of the immigration desks at the port.

As this was not a “closed loop” cruise, ALL passengers had to go through normal immigration procedures.  But I could not understand why they didn’t have separate lines for US Passport and non-US passport holders – surely this might speed things up?

Also, there was no Global Entry fast-track queue for pre-background checked passengers (we have Global Entry and I highly recommend it if you travel to the USA a lot).

Having said that, it’s similar to the delays we see at many airport immigration lines.

Interestingly, we noticed about 30 minutes into queuing that if we had hired a porter for our luggage, we would have skipped the main queue and gone straight into the immigration hall – that didn’t seem right either.

Once again – this was nothing that NCL or the staff on the ship could control. In fact, they recommended guests relax on the ship for longer and let the queues go down a bit.

Norwegian Joy Cruise Review – Our Verdict – 9.5 out of 10

Well if you have got this far, well done. This was a long review as this ship has so much to offer.  I think by now you will realize that I am giving this ship a very favorable review.

Hands down this is one of the best cruise experiences I have ever had and would rate this ship 9.5 out of 10.  This really could be my new favorite ship!

What I really liked about this ship was that although it is clearly a very large ship, it never ever felt that way. It had that cozy “small ship feel” due to the clever way it has been designed.

No areas of the ship ever felt crowded and you could easily find entertainment or relaxation any time of the day.

The only reason I would knock that half point off was for the Internet and a couple of minor annoyances on the ship (do we really need “muzack” everywhere – even playing in the background of the Captain’s announcements?).

It honestly was that good. And what made it for me was the staff. Never have I seen such a focused and engaged team as I have on this ship. Every single crew member on the entire ship greeted you as they passed and never without a smile on their face. 

If you have the opportunity to sail on this ship, just do it. We will most certainly be back!

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