NCL? Tips?

[dreamer17555]

So I found an amazing last minute rate for NCL Joy for a 4 night solo sailing in Nov. I have sailed Royal previously but mostly I have cruised DCL extensively. Would love to hear what I should expect from NCL? For those who have sailed both DCL and NCL, I would really love to hear your thoughts so I can set my expectations accordingly. I am looking at booking a thermal spa pass as it seems somewhat similar to the Rainforest Room. I am a bit concerned about how freestyle dining works as a solo cruiser (I really like set dining times). I did book the drink package as More at Sea too if that is important.

Anything experiences you can share regarding NCL I would sincerely appreciate

 

[DCLMP]

My husband and son did a week on that ship and really loved it. He ranks it as his favorite ship. I guess that is a vote in the good column for what it's worth.
I'm cruising out of Istanbul on the Viva next Summer so I'm interested in reading some responses. I'm cruising for the itinerary so as long as I have a bed, food and alcohol I'll most likely enjoy it.

 

[imbelle]

We did a Greece cruise on the NCL Jade, which I believe is a smaller, older ship than the Joy so YEMV.

The Thermal Spa was not as elevated decor-wise as the Rainforest Room, but I had a favorable experience. I only saw 4 other people in there the entire week, There was an icy plunge pool and a spa pool in the women's side, another spa pool and lounge chairs in a shared unisex area. It was clean and well maintained.

The freestyle dining was convenient since our port sail away times were fairly late. There was one time where we had a wait to get into the dinning room but it mostly worked out. No problem getting a table for two at any time. We did the Free at Sea package which included 2 specialty restaurant dinners. The food at those was better than the included restaurants but nothing was particularly memorable. The Free at Sea package also included drinks (I don't drink alcohol but I was able to get mocktails).

We picked this particular ship over DCL strictly for the specific itinerary and used it basically as a floating hotel to get to the different islands. It turned out to be a good choice because without all the distractions on a DCL ship, it was much easier to just relax in the Thermal Spa after a day in port without feeling that I was missing anything.