Here is my Norwegian Joy review! I just returned from a week long cruise on the Norwegian Joy from NYC to Bermuda. This was my first cruise since 2019, so I wanted to see if it was similar to pre-pandemic cruises or if it has changed since. (Answer: it was just like pre-pandemic cruises!)
I also wanted to check out The Haven, which is Norwegian Cruise Line’s upscale/luxury enclave of suites and amenities.
Overall this was a wonderful cruise. We were looking for something easy to get to (New York City is a 2 hour drive from us) with a relaxing itinerary. I’ve done 11 day cruises where we are in a different port every day. Those can be so fun but also pretty exhausting. The weather wasn’t the best but that is beyond anyone’s control and also a bit expected for early May in the northeast part of the US. That didn’t stop us from enjoying our 7 day cruise!
Norwegian Joy Review Details
The Norwegian Joy is a large ship. In fact it is Norwegian’s third largest cruise ship in the fleet. There are 20 decks (though the 18th, 19th & 20th decks are partial decks). At double capacity, it holds 3,776 passengers, though our cruise had 4,178 passengers (more than 2 people in a stateroom). There are over 1,800 crew on board. It is a newer ship, built in 2017 and refurbished just a few months ago in February 2024.
There are 5 complimentary (included with your fare) restaurants:
- The Garden Cafe (buffet)
- The Manhattan Room (main dining room)
- Savor (main dining room)
- Taste (main dining room)
- The Local (24 hour bar & grill)
- Cagney’s (steakhouse)
- Food Republic (sushi and Asian foods) – *open select days for lunch
- La Cucina (Italian)
- Le Bistro (French)
- Ocean Blue (seafood)
- Q Texas Smokehouse (barbeque)
- Teppanyaki (hibachi style)
Restaurant Menus
The Manhattan Room / Taste / Savor (the complimentary restaurants) all have the same menus. They do change daily, so basically you can just choose which restaurant atmosphere you want to dine in. There are no reservations – the perk of Freestyle cruising on NCL! – so you simply go to which one you want to when you’re ready to eat.
The Specialty restaurants do require reservations, so it’s best to make those as soon as you can. I did not manage to get a photo of The Local, American Diner, Cagneys or Teppanyaki menus (my bad). Food Republic’s menu is a touchscreen gadget at each table so was not able to get a photo either.
We did eat at The Local, American Diner, Savor, Garden Cafe, and Ocean Blue, Le Bistro and Food Republic.
The Haven is the upgraded, luxury experience on Norwegian cruises. Not all NCL ships have a Haven, but the larger, newer ships do. It is typically at the top of the ship, either in the aft (rear) or forward (front) of the ship, and includes special staterooms, private courtyard, pool and hot tub(s), and some include a restaurant and lounge with a bar. You can only enter the enclave with your Haven key card.
The Haven also includes upgraded bed linens, luxury bath amenities, a personal 24-hr butler and concierge to help with dinner reservations and entertainment priority.
Haven guests can embark and debark early and through special entrances, along with priority tenders to shore.
Here is a video walkthrough of our cabin 9708 which is the Forward Facing Penthouse Suite on the Joy.
Outlet Note: our room had equal numbers of Type C (European) and US outlets. No USB ports. One side of the bed had a US plug and the other a Type C. The outlet in the bathroom is not powerful enough for a curling iron or other hair tools. In our living area, there were limited outlets. Bring a cruise-approved (non-surge protected) power strip and a Type C converter so you have enough options to keep everything fully charged!
The Haven (annoyingly) is not identified at all on the daily itinerary and hours of operation. So I’ll list them here for you:
- Haven Bar is open from 7 am – 11 pm daily.
- Haven Restaurant is open 7 – 10 am on sea days; 6:30 – 9:30 am on port days for breakfast; 12 – 2 pm for lunch, and 5:30 – 9:30 pm for dinner.
Haven Horizon Lounge
Is the Haven worth it? YES!
The saying “you get what you pay for” is referring to the Haven on Norwegian. The private enclave of the Haven is just that…a haven from the louder, busier parts of a large cruise ship. We spent a lot of our time there and never had a problem finding a lounge chair on the indoor or outdoor decks, the hot tubs always had space, and the only time there was a wait for the Haven Restaurant was on boarding day for dinner.
Service was fantastic in the Haven. Though I do not really understand the 24 hour butler service. We met our butler, Mansur, shortly after arriving to our stateroom. We did ask he keep our mini-fridge filled with bottled water, which he did. But we didn’t see him again until the last day of the cruise asking if we needed anything.
You can order anything from the Haven Restaurant menus to be delivered and set up in your stateroom with linens and full table service, should you not want to go to the restaurant. You request this through your butler. However with us being on deck 9 and the restaurant on deck 18, we decided the food would be better if we ate in the restaurant itself. I suppose if we were in the actual Haven enclave, having that dining service in our room would be a nice perk, and food still fresh and warm with the restaurant right there.
The Haven Bar staff was fantastic. They were so friendly, entertaining, funny and they made amazing cocktails. Be sure to check out their smoked old fashioned – they have at least 8 different wood chips you can choose from to customize the smoked flavor!
Staying in the Haven, you also get escorted on and off the ship in port through its own tender entrance and elevator, have a special queue line for the St George’s Ferry, you are escorted to entertainment events in the theater and have reserved seating there, and on debarkation day, you are whisked down in private elevators and through the terminal in a special line, bypassing the other passengers, saving a lot of time. These perks are truly wonderful and make the overall experience much more pleasant and relaxed.
The *only* complaint we have about the Haven is we wish it was for adults only. Or at least 16 & up. While there were only a few kids in the Haven on this particular cruise, the Haven pool atrium roof was closed (it can slide open) and the kids occupied the pool and indoor hot tub almost the entire time, making it very loud and was hard to relax and read a book anywhere inside. They were also noisy in the Haven Restaurant which took a bit away from the serene environment.
Food & Drink (and package upgrades)
We had some amazing meals and delicious drinks on our week long voyage. With NCL’s Free At Sea, you get unlimited open bar (up to $15 per drink), 150 minutes of internet (for a 7 night cruise), one $50 shore excursion credit (for sailor 1) , and 2 specialty dining credits (for sailors 1 & 2 in a cabin). All you do is pay the gratuities for the beverages and specialty dining for the Free At Sea (FAS) package.
Upgrades are available for purchase – you can upgrade just beverages, or internet, or dining, or all of the above. There are several options for internet (unlimited, premium, and by number of devices), beverages (premium alcohol, Starbucks, bottled water), and how many additional dining credits you want.
FYI, for the internet, if you upgrade to the unlimited, you can use on more than one device, just not at the same time. So I kept my phone logged in mostly but was able to disconnect and then log in on my laptop for when I needed to do emails, etc. The unlimited internet was decent and fast to upload photos for a social media post, but videos were much slower so I refrained. My cell carrier’s coverage in Bermuda was really good so when off the ship I was still able to use my phone in every way I would as if I was in the US.
When doing the math, for us it made sense to upgrade our entire Free At Sea package – so we had unlimited internet, 2 additional specialty dining credits, $50 shore excursion credits per person for every activity planned, and unlimited Premium Plus beverages, which included unlimited Starbucks beverages, unlimited bottled water, and unlimited sodas and juices. We thoroughly enjoyed Starbucks every morning, sometimes in the afternoons, and the top shelf alcohol that came with the Premium beverages. You can also get the full bottle of (most) wine while dining at a restaurant instead of just by the glass!
My overall Norwegian Joy Review of food & drinks = fantastic! We are foodies, but we also know preparing meals 24/7 for 4000+ passengers is no small feat. And you are not dining in a world class restaurant (yes I’ve seen other reviews of people picking apart their meals on this ship). But the food was delicious, and the drinks were even better! We ate at the buffet once, in the Haven Restaurant several times, and at Food Republic, Ocean Blue, and Le Bistro specialty restaurants.
Here are some photos of what we enjoyed while on the Norwegian Joy! (some photos from the Haven Restaurant, and some from specialty restaurants)
Daily Itinerary
Wonder what goes on daily on a ship this big? Every day in your stateroom you get a Freestyle Daily that includes the hours and operations of the bars, restaurants and clubs, as well as the entertainment and activities going on all around. Click below to see each day’s itinerary as we sailed from NYC to Bermuda and back again.
ATTN: Latitudes Members – you get a discount on shore excursions booked through the ship (discount varies by level). In order to get that discount, you have to go to the Shore Excursions desk and have them apply it. We booked ours through the NCL app and even though I’m logged into my account, it did not apply my Latitudes discount. A tad annoying, but you do have to go to the desk and ask them to apply it before the last day of the cruise.
Entertainment
There are many great entertainment options on board the Joy. In the theater we enjoyed several comedy acts, a magic show, the Beatles show, Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal game shows, and their main show Elements was fantastic! Elements is performed on two different nights, and they had two shows those nights, at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm.
There is also a rather large casino on board, complete with a high rollers room and a smokers room.
There is an arcade*, go-kart speedway* (racetrack), mini-golf, teen lounge, two waterslides, library, the Mandara Spa* with new Thermal Suites!, tax and duty free shopping, art gallery and auction, fitness center, internet lounge, smoking lounge, and humidor/cigar lounge.
* additional fee applies
Bermuda!
What a beautiful island. Unlike many of the Caribbean islands, this one is very clean and you are not bombarded with hustlers trying to braid your hair or buy things from the inside of their coats.
At only 21 miles long, and at most a mile wide in parts, Bermuda is a small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Mild weather year round – the ocean is 60-70 degrees in the winter and 70-80 degrees in the summer – making it a great destination any time of the year.
Spring (April & May) and Fall (September & October) are the best to visit as the weather is fantastic yet the crowds are minimal. Prices are usually less as well so if you can go then, it’s well worth it!
This was our second time to Bermuda – the last being 24 years ago. We liked the 3 days here, allowing us to explore at our leisure. We walked around Hamilton for part of a day, went on a Bermuda Triangle sunset cruise, took an ebike excursion in St George to Cooper’s Island Reserve for a day, and explored the Royal Naval Dockyard, where the Joy was docked for our visit.
The snorkeling is amazing in Bermuda with it being surrounded by coral reefs. These reefs aren’t as vibrant in color as their counterparts in the Caribbean due to the colder ocean temps, but there are still so many to explore. Shipwrecks galore – due to the reefs – also make for great snorkeling and diving, or a glass bottom boat tour.
Wondering what kind of activities are available to do in Bermuda? So many!!
Check out my preferred suppliers below for all that you can do when you visit Bermuda!
We did enjoy our cruise very much. Of course nothing is perfect and we did have some things that we wished were a bit better, but overall it met and exceeded our expectations.
I hope you enjoyed my Norwegian Joy Review – and be sure to check out my specific NCL Joy Haven Review post!
I would love to help you book your next cruise and happy to talk to you about our experience and use that to ensure you have the best vacation possible! You can contact me or schedule a call below, and I invite you to join my private Facebook group Luxury Travels with Becky for even more travel talk, tips and expert travel advice!
We highly recommend the Norwegian Joy NYC to Bermuda cruise!
Frequently Asked Questions - Norwegian Joy
What dining options are on the Norwegian Joy?
There are five restaurants – including the 3 main dining rooms, the buffet, and the 24 hour dining restaurant – open to all in the Norwegian Joy.
There are seven specialty restaurants ($), as well as room service ($).
What types of cabins are on the Norwegian Joy?
There are 1,888 cabins on the Joy, ranging from inside, outside (window), balcony, large balcony, suites, and the Haven. Each cabin holds a minimum of 2 passengers, though there are cabins designated for solo travelers.
Many cabins can accommodate 3 or 4 passengers; larger suites can hold up to 6, and the Haven Owner’s Suite has 3 bedrooms and can accommodate 8 passengers! There are also cabins that can connect to neighboring cabins for larger families and traveling companions.
How many pools are on the Norwegian Joy?
There are two public pools, and they are on the smaller side. There is a pool in the Haven for Haven guests.
There are two hot tubs on the pool deck (16) for all to use; one large one in Spice H2O (adults only most of the time). There are three hot tubs for Haven guests, and 2 hot tubs in the Vibe Beach Club ($).
What is the Free At Sea promotion on Norwegian Joy?
Free At Sea promo (FAS) is for the first two passengers in any cabin. It includes unlimited beverages*, a $50 shore excursion credit per excursion for passenger 1 only, free wifi minutes (amount varies by length of cruise), and specialty dining credits (also varies by length of cruise).
When this promo is included in your cruise fare, you simply pre-pay for the beverage and dining gratuities.
*alcoholic beverages up to $15 – does not include bottled water, premium plus selections or Starbucks beverages.
What things are extra costs on the Norwegian Joy?
There is a lot included in your cruise fare, but there also are many different options to upgrade and personalize your cruise experience.
Dining upgrades – purchase an upgraded package for more specialty dining credits, or you can simply pay as you go if you decide to visit more specialty restaurants than what is included for you.
Beverage upgrades – choose to add unlimited Starbucks beverages, bottled water packages, or upgrade your entire beverage package to Premium Plus and have all beverages on the ship (except milkshakes in the American Diner) included! Or simply pay as you go the difference for Starbucks, water and whatever alcoholic beverages exceed the $15 limit that is included in your FAS promo.
Internet upgrades – on top of your included free minutes, you can purchase an unlimited package, or an unlimited premium (which allows streaming) package. Internet upgrade package prices change each day (pro-rated) and cannot be purchased after day 3, I believe.
The arcade, casino, Speedway racetrack, Vibe Beach Club, and Mandara Spa (including the Thermal Suites which were recently added in the Feb 2024 refurb of this ship) are additional costs. There are packages you can purchase for all of those, both ahead of time and on the ship. They do sell out so plan accordingly!
You can also purchase Photography packages to capture all your experiences forever in prints, gifts and digital files.
In cabin on-demand movies are also available for a fee, unless you are in a suite or in the Haven.
There are often wine tastings, beer tasting, whiskey tastings, etc. These are not included in any beverage package so there is an additional fee and reservations required to take part in those.
You also can update your entire Free At Sea package, which includes Premium Plus beverage package (incl. unlimited Starbucks and bottled water), $50 shore excursion credit for each excursion for passenger 2, unlimited wifi for one device for passengers 1 & 2, and additional dining credits* (varies on length of cruise) – for only $49 per person, per day!
What are the entertainment options on the Norwegian Joy?
There are many entertainment options on the Joy. Some require an additional fee, and some are weather-dependent.
There is mini-golf, the speedway racetrack, aqua water slides, pools, hot tubs, an arcade, casino, live music, deck parties, and afternoon & evening shows, including game shows, Broadway-style shows, musical and magician shows. The current main show is Elements, and they have 2 performances each of the 2 evenings it is scheduled on the Joy, and reservations are required.
What adult areas are on the Norwegian Joy?
Spice H2O is the adult area on the Joy. It has a bar, large hot tub, big screen TV and outdoor seating. After 7 PM, the Spice H2O hot tubs are open to all.
Several of the evening entertainment options are only for 18+ audiences.
What types of outlets are in the cabins on the Norwegian Joy?
This ship was originally designed to sail in Asia before the itinerary change to sail mostly out of the US, so there are multiple types of outlets. There are Type C European outlets, and US outlets, along with a USB outlet or two in most cabins. To utilize as many cabin outlets as possible, I strongly suggest getting a Type C converter – I recommend this 2 pack Type C converter with 4 outlets, 2 USB and 1 USB-C port from Amazon.
What can you bring on board, and what can you not bring?
Always refer to NCL’s guidelines before packing for your cruise.
At the time of this post, guests are permitted to bring unopened and sealed bottles of wine and champagne on board, for a corking fee ($15 for 750 ml bottles; $30 for 1.5L bottles – no fee for guests with beverage packages). Guests cannot bring water, milk, soda or any liquor or beer on board. If a medical condition requires water or milk to be brought on board, you’ll need to clear that with NCL first for pre-approval.
You cannot bring fans, irons, travel steamers, coffee makers, drones, walkie-talkies, candles, flowers, weapons, animals and more on board. Your stateroom steward is advised to unplug any electronic devices (laptops, hairdryers, etc) when not being used to conserve power.
Refer to NCL’s What to Pack and What Not to Bring for updated lists.
How many decks are on the Norwegian Joy?
There are 20 decks on the Joy. Public decks are 5-20. Decks 18, 19, and 20 are partial decks (cannot walk all the way around.)
Staterooms are located on decks 5 through 15, and on decks 17 & 18 for Haven guests. There are also Haven staterooms on decks 9 through 15, that are not in the Haven proper, but have access to the Haven enclave.
The ship capacity is 3,776 (which is based on double occupancy of 1,888 staterooms), however many staterooms have more than 2 passengers, so it can easily hold over 4,000 passengers on any given sailing.
Are there formal nights, or dress code requirements on the Norwegian Joy?
The beauty of NCL’s Freesytle Dining is that there are no ‘formal’ nights. There are no fixed dining times. The main dining rooms do not require a reservation. You can choose to eat when you want, where you want.
Specialty dining restaurants do require a reservation, and some fill up very fast.
There are dress codes for dinner in the restaurants. Main Dining Rooms have a dress code of no hats or flip flops, and specialty dining have a dress code of long pants and collared shirts for men. The dress codes are printed outside of the restaurants.