We cruised on the joy in November 2023 and no complaints about the food or entertainment so we definitely will be cruising on this ship again. We had the drink package and spent not a dime out of our pocket. Cruising in November November was less crowded
There is nothing bad about the food on NCL Joy, it meets all of my expectations compared to all the other (30+) cruises I have been on. I do not go on vacation for food, I go on vacation for experiences. Food is just fuel and I found everything to be great.
Food is super subjective and these are just opinions. It can be different in every sailing. This was just our experience. Yours could have been very different. I also love food so it is not just fuel but is an experience. All different types of opinions hence the subjectivity. Thanks for your feedback and thanks for watching.
while I respect your travel preferences, I think it is pretty damning for a non-foodie to be like "food met expectations" that makes it seem like the food isn't particularly good for the average person, and probably bad if you're a foodie. I'm going on my first NCL cruise in 35 days and I'll find out if they can keep up with my foodie self. I go in with Celebrity and DCL being my #1 and #2, though Princess and Carnival had their moments. I would eat any chicken dish from Princess any day of the week, especially those chicken bites with the Szechuan sauce.
Love Taste/Savor. I dont get why its even there honestly. But its nice to go for breakfast when you dont want to deal with buffet crowds. Its nice and quiet and not rushed. I normally go here first on embarkation day while everyone makes a b-line for the buffet. Its a nice relaxing start to the week.
I've do the same! Years ago we went to the Garden Cafe on boarding day and everyone seems to be in a frenzy with food excitement! No thanks! lol Ever since then it's always been Taste or Savor for a nice seated lunch and glass of bubbles. It is the ONLY way to begin a cruise properly if you ask Me. LOL
You are so funny.Lol. I learned from you that NCL is the king on the nickel and dining passengers, The ship is over crowded and the lines for food is extremely long. The excitement that use to be in places like the Manhattan room has been changed. The video you showed looks like there are no private tables like there would be on Royal. The other complimentary restaurant which also is a long wait to get in has no place to sit and looks like a hospital cafeteria. lol. You are hilarious but I get it.
O’sheehans is the sht. I dont like that they changed it to an uppity restaurant. Im glad the food is the same. The wings are everything. Youre exactly right its very cafeteria feeling.
I went on Norwegian spirit and the food was great and very tasty. The I took a trip on pride of America and the food was mediocre, somewhat tasteless. It sounds like it was somewhat deliberate, since a chef said some people don't like things "spicy" and the have to make everyone happy, I felt they made no one happy.. anyway id like to hear how others feel and if other ships like joy or epic compare and if they're more like spirit or more like pride. I did think having nice tasty meals, contribute to my overall enjoyment
I agree with the nickel and diming on NCL, we definitely noticed that on back to back cruises compared to Princess. On another subject, can you recommend any good, reasonable annual travel insurance for couples?
Most cultures wipe their bottom with their left hand and use their right hand for eating😮 the last buffet I went to they put out a fresh Tray of Mexican food, and a man stepped in front of me and scooped the whole tray onto his plate, left me there with nothing, and thought nothing of it😂
Just came off the NCL Joy two weeks ago. I was very disappointed in everything about this Cruise ship and found the food to be on a level of a fast food restaurant.
Sept 2023: Just came from NCL Joy, Canada ports, 7 days. We did complimentary dinings through-out. Garden Buffet - Breakfast Good for breakfast, standard (what you would expect) for breakfast common items Floor is Very busy for breakfast Bring your own coffee mug, their cups are very small, pour from cup directly to your mug (cleaniless, NCL team members watch for this too) Coffee taste like cheap coffee, on a lighter side, good for the Folder tyoes, not for coffee enthusiasts (me) I am really big on Cleanliness. Plate cleanliness is a solid A. I check every time, cos I am anal. Not once did it disappoint me. Garden Buffet - Dinner For dinner, it is a hit or miss affair. Some is good, some is not. Sad to say but i would rate them at C. Some items are hard, too salty, tasteless, or not genuine to ethnicity. If you dine here, get a little of whatever you want, try it first. If it tastes good and texture is what it should be (ex: tortilla isnt hard as a rock), then come back and load up your plate. Each night, restaurant have a theme (ex: BBQ, Steak, Asian,…). Creativity for specialty nights is A+. Desserts are good. Salad bar is good! Ethnic food is not genuine (Chinese, Mexican, India, …). If you are a casual consumer, you might delight in it. Otherwise, you might be disappointed with it. PS: there is NO spicy food here. There are peppers and spice in couple areas (literally). A common complaint i heard from others is that the food is cold or tasteless. Savor/Taste For dining, highly recommend over Garden buffet’s dining. They taste better and is generally warmer than buffet. Presentation is A+. Atmosphere of the restaurant and customer service (waiters, servers, and area manager) are significantly better than Garden buffet. Coffee! While not Starbucks, coffee in main dining areas is better than Garden Buffet. Food is reliably tastier and more edible (if you know what I mean) than GB. Local: Terrible here foodwise. Dont go (except they are open when others are not (Ex: 3am)) Conveniently located next to Atrium (central entertainment area), Casino, 7th floor. PS: to be fair, i am not a fan of diner, grease food. Hence a harsher grade. You might like this place. Every time I walk by (several times a day), it is inevitably empty or 20% populated. You can easily get seated and be fed.
We cruised on the joy in November 2023 and no complaints about the food or entertainment so we definitely will be cruising on this ship again. We had the drink package and spent not a dime out of our pocket. Cruising in November November was less crowded
That’s awesome!
There is nothing bad about the food on NCL Joy, it meets all of my expectations compared to all the other (30+) cruises I have been on. I do not go on vacation for food, I go on vacation for experiences. Food is just fuel and I found everything to be great.
Food is super subjective and these are just opinions. It can be different in every sailing. This was just our experience. Yours could have been very different. I also love food so it is not just fuel but is an experience. All different types of opinions hence the subjectivity. Thanks for your feedback and thanks for watching.
while I respect your travel preferences, I think it is pretty damning for a non-foodie to be like "food met expectations"
that makes it seem like the food isn't particularly good for the average person, and probably bad if you're a foodie.
I'm going on my first NCL cruise in 35 days and I'll find out if they can keep up with my foodie self. I go in with Celebrity and DCL being my #1 and #2, though Princess and Carnival had their moments. I would eat any chicken dish from Princess any day of the week, especially those chicken bites with the Szechuan sauce.
Love Taste/Savor. I dont get why its even there honestly. But its nice to go for breakfast when you dont want to deal with buffet crowds. Its nice and quiet and not rushed. I normally go here first on embarkation day while everyone makes a b-line for the buffet. Its a nice relaxing start to the week.
I've do the same! Years ago we went to the Garden Cafe on boarding day and everyone seems to be in a frenzy with food excitement! No thanks! lol Ever since then it's always been Taste or Savor for a nice seated lunch and glass of bubbles. It is the ONLY way to begin a cruise properly if you ask Me. LOL
Royal Caribbean doesn't charge for room service at all from the hr of 6am to 1130am. Many people don't know that.
Good to know.
Great, thanks John! We’ve got five cruises booked for the next 12 months so I figured it makes sense to get an annual rate. I will check out Allianz.
Absolutely. My pleasure and yes indeed. Any more than 2 and the yearly makes more sense
For the Specialty Dining, if you want another basket of bread will they charge you? I know the first helping is complementary.
They will absolutely give you more bread
You are so funny.Lol. I learned from you that NCL is the king on the nickel and dining passengers, The ship is over crowded and the lines for food is extremely long. The excitement that use to be in places like the Manhattan room has been changed. The video you showed looks like there are no private tables like there would be on Royal. The other complimentary restaurant which also is a long wait to get in has no place to sit and looks like a hospital cafeteria. lol. You are hilarious but I get it.
:)
O’sheehans is the sht. I dont like that they changed it to an uppity restaurant. Im glad the food is the same. The wings are everything. Youre exactly right its very cafeteria feeling.
I went on Norwegian spirit and the food was great and very tasty. The I took a trip on pride of America and the food was mediocre, somewhat tasteless. It sounds like it was somewhat deliberate, since a chef said some people don't like things "spicy" and the have to make everyone happy, I felt they made no one happy.. anyway id like to hear how others feel and if other ships like joy or epic compare and if they're more like spirit or more like pride. I did think having nice tasty meals, contribute to my overall enjoyment
Totally agreed. Maybe because it’s an older crowd on pride. Hmm
I agree with the nickel and diming on NCL, we definitely noticed that on back to back cruises compared to Princess. On another subject, can you recommend any good, reasonable annual travel insurance for couples?
Thanks for watching. I use allianz insurance for
My yearly and they have been great and reasonable
Most cultures wipe their bottom with their left hand and use their right hand for eating😮 the last buffet I went to they put out a fresh Tray of Mexican food, and a man stepped in front of me and scooped the whole tray onto his plate, left me there with nothing, and thought nothing of it😂
People are awesome
The last time I ate at a buffet was 20 years ago. Stopped right after I saw a kid take a tomato and lick it before putting it back in the salad.
That is amazing. So gross
I couldve sworn I saw outdoor seating.
The Joy has the " Waterfront" which has some outdoor space
Just came off the NCL Joy two weeks ago. I was very disappointed in everything about this Cruise ship and found the food to be on a level of a fast food restaurant.
That sucks. Sorry you had a rough time
Sept 2023:
Just came from NCL Joy, Canada ports, 7 days. We did complimentary dinings through-out.
Garden Buffet - Breakfast
Good for breakfast, standard (what you would expect) for breakfast common items
Floor is Very busy for breakfast
Bring your own coffee mug, their cups are very small, pour from cup directly to your mug (cleaniless, NCL team members watch for this too)
Coffee taste like cheap coffee, on a lighter side, good for the Folder tyoes, not for coffee enthusiasts (me)
I am really big on Cleanliness. Plate cleanliness is a solid A. I check every time, cos I am anal. Not once did it disappoint me.
Garden Buffet - Dinner
For dinner, it is a hit or miss affair. Some is good, some is not. Sad to say but i would rate them at C. Some items are hard, too salty, tasteless, or not genuine to ethnicity.
If you dine here, get a little of whatever you want, try it first. If it tastes good and texture is what it should be (ex: tortilla isnt hard as a rock), then come back and load up your plate.
Each night, restaurant have a theme (ex: BBQ, Steak, Asian,…). Creativity for specialty nights is A+.
Desserts are good.
Salad bar is good!
Ethnic food is not genuine (Chinese, Mexican, India, …). If you are a casual consumer, you might delight in it. Otherwise, you might be disappointed with it.
PS: there is NO spicy food here. There are peppers and spice in couple areas (literally).
A common complaint i heard from others is that the food is cold or tasteless.
Savor/Taste
For dining, highly recommend over Garden buffet’s dining. They taste better and is generally warmer than buffet. Presentation is A+.
Atmosphere of the restaurant and customer service (waiters, servers, and area manager) are significantly better than Garden buffet.
Coffee! While not Starbucks, coffee in main dining areas is better than Garden Buffet.
Food is reliably tastier and more edible (if you know what I mean) than GB.
Local:
Terrible here foodwise. Dont go (except they are open when others are not (Ex: 3am))
Conveniently located next to Atrium (central entertainment area), Casino, 7th floor.
PS: to be fair, i am not a fan of diner, grease food. Hence a harsher grade. You might like this place. Every time I walk by (several times a day), it is inevitably empty or 20% populated. You can easily get seated and be fed.
Thx for all the feedback.