JOY or No JOY
Welcome aboard!! Let's begin with my 'Booking to Boarding' experience. I chose to enhance my website with a premiere blog post of my recent cruise experience. A four night cruise onboard the Norwegian JOY seemed like a good choice. The Joy is one of several ships of Norwegian Cruise Line. The JOY would be considered a large' ship having a passenger capacity (double occupancy) of 3,776 with crew members of about 1,821. Built in 2017, the ship underwent a Refurbishment in 2024. Choosing the JOY was also a good choice as I live within a 25 minute drive to Port Canaveral, Florida. The Port continues to expand with additional cruise lines recognizing the efficiency of the port from aggressive infrastructure upgrades as well as numerous hotels and restaurants. Since I live in proximity to the port, there was no need for an overnight stay prior to the cruise.
I contacted the cruise line directly on September 16, 2025 for the four night cruise to the Bahamas from November 11-15, 2025 leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida. I was almost immediately connected with an agent in the State of Arizona. Being an experienced cruiser, was easily able to get the information I needed. As a solo traveler, I requested a 'solo stateroom with balcony'. However, it should be noted that NCL has plans to reduce if not eliminate the solo staterooms. The NCL app is your guide for the cruise. So, downloading it is easy as well and easy to use. Information provided includes when your Docs (Boarding Documents) will be available as well as your luggage tags. I like how NCL provides updates and news regarding the upcoming cruise.
If you are already an NCL Latitudes Rewards member, much of the process is 'self-fill'. If you are not as yet a member, why not sign-up? You may be sailing again and you may just be eligible for perks! NCL uses a Freestyle dining option allowing passengers to choose their own dining time.
My Docs were ready as indicated available on October 21, 2025. I was required to watch the safety video online. The cruise line also requests that you provide a time on which you would like to board. The concept is very good so as to reduce bottle neck of people boarding at the same time. However, the reality is, missing your assigned boarding time is nothing to be stressed about (and the cruise lines are aware of this). Whether a hotel shuttle or parking lot shuttle, they do not adhere to your schedule and just are in constant motion. It is, however, a good idea to try to achieve your scheduled boarding time.
For parking at the port, I chose 'PortParkingSpace', 8945 Columbia Rd., Cape Canaveral, FL 32920 (321-353-8353). You can reserve your space online (recommended). I have been here before. Friendly, efficient and the staff takes a personal interest in every guest.
The boarding time I chose was 12:30-1:00 PM (ship departure at 4:00 PM). I arrived to Port Parking Space at Noon where they scanned my reservation code and directed me to my parking area. I made my way back to the shuttle area, and helpful staff assisted with guidance and luggage handling. The transfer to the ship was a short fifteen minutes and the offloading of luggage to the dock efficient. THEN, the queue! I thought that I had planned well with scheduling my arrival time. But, at the pier, the queue outside was a quarter mile long. moved, albeit slowly.
The bottleneck as I saw it was the careful review of each passenger's passport/identification. The passing of carry on luggage through the x-ray conveyor was easy and efficient as well. There were plenty of staff on hand for the actual check-in with a review of the cruise documents, passport and then receiving your stateroom key. Upon crossing the threshold onto the ship to a chorus of Welcome Aboard', we were informed that our staterooms were ready to be occupied. About 1 PM is usually the time staterooms are ready. People who arrive earlier generally make their way to the buffet or one of the bars for a relaxing moment until the rooms are ready.
When I arrived at my stateroom, my luggage was already there. My stateroom is a solo cabin with a king bed and balcony. I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the stateroom. I admit that I was expecting a very small area as one might expect being for a 'solo' traveler. I am on the stern end of the ship which I actually prefer as mid-ship to aft seem to be a bit more stable when the ship is underway. On this ship, there was no 'Freestyle Daily' events of the day sheet in the stateroom. I went to the Reception area and requested one and also a map of the ships deck layout with location of the numerous restaurants, bars and gift shops. I was informed that the Freestyle Daily form is not automatically delivered to your stateroom the night before. You have to request at Reception for this to take place. Having said that, the 'Freestyle Daily' can be found on your NCL app. The Freestyle Daily may be best viewed using a tablet device. You may be asked to enable the app is settings. This NCL 'in-house' app so to speak, is separate from your WIFl minutes. I will also point out that the Connect internet staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
I am a fan of the Specialty Dining options aboard ship. As this is a short cruise, I had purchased a pre-cruise dining package for two meals. I was not successful in getting the dining venues I wanted on the dates and times I preferred prior to the cruise. I have, in the past, found that you can select your choices once onboard. Mv choices were Le Bistro (French) and CAGNEY'S (Steakhouse). Ask a crew member of the location onboard as to where reservations can be made. On the JOY, this location was the Tappanyaki Restaurant. There were several crew members very helpful in getting me the restaurants I wanted at the times and dates I preferred.
Our departure on this date is at 4 PM which was timely and efficient. As my website and blog are presently set up for 'Booking to Boarding', my entry ends here. My itinerary is:
- Port Canaveral
- Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (private island), Tender/boat, ship to shore.
- Nassau
- At Sea
- Port Canaveral
For details or queries regarding my trip while onboard, please feel free to drop me a line at: tomseastheday@qmail.com
I hope that you will find my blog of interest and visit my website: https://seasthedayandcruise.com
From there you will find social media including my YouTube channel connection. Also, for first time cruisers and as a refresher for experienced cruisers, my 'Guide' can be found for purchase. A great gift and contains interesting information regarding the construction, inspection and certification processes before a cruise ship enters service.
My thoughts are to provide the new or veteran passenger with greater confidence in their vessel, the Captain and crew who serve onboard.
I will touch briefly on the disembarkation process. I think best described as well organized. For those with late travel arrangements, its' not much of an issue. There is always a queue for the early morning walk-off passengers. For example, walk-off time today was scheduled for 7:15 AM. However, based on prior experience, I found myself in a walk-off queue of about 100 at 6:45 AM. Color coded luggage tags and designated times to exit the vessel are of course helpful. As you can imagine getting over three thousand passengers off in about three hours before the new passengers arrive can be a bit of a challenge. I am a walk-off passenger meaning that I do not need assistance in handling the offloading of my luggage. I will follow-up at my journey's end.
Observations:
The importance of a carry-on bag. Prior to the third night of this four night cruise, a paper notice was placed in each stateroom. A piece of luggage had not been delivered to a passenger's stateroom. It is of course unfortunate. It also demonstrates the importance of having a carry-on with you as it contains items of great importance such as medication, other health related equipment and information. Perhaps, even a tracking device of some kind placed inside the luggage would have been effective in locating the luggage. From my onboard chats:
Pam, from the Orlando area of Florida who used a travel agent. No issues with Booking to Boarding. Pam's issue was with the lack of appropriate signage by Port Canaveral with directing vehicles to the appropriate terminal.
John, from Wichita, Texas. No issues with Booking to Boarding.
Observation of this cruise: JOY