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.

 

[jimmymc]

I've done a few NCL cruises but not the Joy specifically.

If you'd prefer to dine at a similar time each night with a shared table, go to the solo meetup every evening. One of the cruise director's staff will organize a short activity followed by dinner in the main dining room, so you can sit with people who you've started to get to know. If you want to dine on your own, there's rarely a wait for two tops in the MDR.

Make sure to get reservations for your upcharge dining credits that come with More at Sea. Those restaurants are popular and will book up.

The Cavern Club was one of my favorite venues on the Encore. You do need to get there early if you want a seat, at least 30 minutes.

The musicians in general were the best entertainment. The stage shows were great when they were doing broadway, now they're standard cruise things.

 

[mcd2745]

We've done a couple of NCL cruises - neither of them on Joy. We enjoyed them both. Actually, one of my favorite things about NCL was freestyle dining. I prefer not having a rigid schedule every day. I will say the biggest negative we felt was the service - especially from the room steward. I don't blame the actual crew persons though as they probably are responsible for more than double the number of staterooms a DCL room host has. Gotta cut corners somewhere i guess to keep the lower price point. MDR service tended to be a little slow also. We're not heavy drinkers, but it was nice having the drink package included as well as a couple of specialty restaurants. Gave it more of a real "all-inclusive" feel to the cruise.

 

[FastPasser.]

We recently did a ten day Alaskan cruise on the Joy. We liked the ship a lot but the entertainment was not up to par, there was a lack of onboard activities and the staff/guest interaction was pretty weak.

The DCL level of service and friendliness from the staff wasn’t there.

 

[dreamer17555]

I've done a few NCL cruises but not the Joy specifically.

If you'd prefer to dine at a similar time each night with a shared table, go to the solo meetup every evening. One of the cruise director's staff will organize a short activity followed by dinner in the main dining room, so you can sit with people who you've started to get to know. If you want to dine on your own, there's rarely a wait for two tops in the MDR.

Make sure to get reservations for your upcharge dining credits that come with More at Sea. Those restaurants are popular and will book up.

The Cavern Club was one of my favorite venues on the Encore. You do need to get there early if you want a seat, at least 30 minutes.

The musicians in general were the best entertainment. The stage shows were great when they were doing broadway, now they're standard cruise things.

Solo meet up? Nice! I did not know NCL offered this and I really appreciate the advice (especially to arrive 30 mins early to the Cavern Club).

 

[dreamer17555]

We recently did a ten day Alaskan cruise on the Joy. We liked the ship a lot but the entertainment was not up to par, there was a lack of onboard activities and the staff/guest interaction was pretty weak.

The DCL level of service and friendliness from the staff wasn’t there.

The staff interaction concerns me. I did notice the Joy seems to lack the entertainment offerings like DCL (or Royal who has amazing entertainment). The price for a 4 night solo sailing in an inside room, with drink package, single speciality dining, taxes, port fees, and gratuity was just under $500. I sadly cannot find a solo DCL sailing for under $1250 (and that is a 3 night before drinks or gratuities). Appreciate the insight. I will try to set my expectations to reflect the cost

 

[DCLMP]

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.

How was the ship overall? NCL has a lot of good itineraries on their older ships especially in Asia.

 

[CamColt]

I've only been on 3 older NCL Ships, and while I will say they don't compare to Disney, the cruises were still a great time! Just don't go in expecting what you get on DCL.