Norwegian Joy Cruise Review: Day 1 Boarding Day! - Daily Blog Highlights
For an unforgettable honeymoon, we sailed on a unique 12-night repositioning cruise on the Norwegian Joy, traveling from New York City to Miami. The adventure-filled itinerary included stops at Bermuda, St. Thomas, Bonaire, Aruba, Curacao, San Juan, and Amber Cove. This is the second blog post of many documenting and reviewing our cruise experience including dining, shore excursions, sea day activities, and even diverting from a hurricane! We have never done a detailed, day-by-day review of our cruise experiences - leave us a comment if you want to hear more about our other sailings.
Read our Pre-Boarding Day Highlight
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Getting To The Manhattan Cruise Terminal
As mentioned in the Pre-Boarding Day post, we stayed at The Time Hotel near Times Square in New York City. We opted to walk the few blocks to the cruise terminal, which was about 25 minutes from our hotel. Navigating uneven sidewalks with three suitcases during the morning rush hour was not an easy feat - we should have taken a taxi or Uber. As we arrived at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, we were excited to finally embark on our honeymoon - with our custom matching shirts and all! We are not typically people who don matching t-shirts, however, Nicole made us shirts that said: “On Island Time For Our Honeymoon”.
Manhattan Cruise Terminal Check-In Process
On arrival at Pier 88, the environment was buzzing with travelers disembarking from the Norwegian Joy's previous voyage. The terminal layout is quite straightforward, with elevators connecting the street, terminal, and parking areas. Moving from the bustling streets to the second floor ushered us into the embarkation process' systematic flow.
The check-in process is similar to airport procedures, marked by queues, security checks, and the meticulous verification of essential documents like passports and boarding papers. The terminal presented an organized categorization, allowing passengers to be streamlined based on their deck numbers and loyalty statuses. Our Platinum status with Norwegian Cruise Line smoothed our passage, ushering us swiftly through priority lines and simplifying our check-in process, sparing us lengthy waiting times.
During this process, an attendant scanned our passports, took our photos for their internal security system, and issued our keycards. Normally, this is the point where they would issue us a boarding group card, and we would be instructed to join the waiting area. However, one of the perks of having Platinum status with Norwegian is not being assigned a boarding group. When the ship's embarkation began, the loyalty levels were allowed to board first with the quick show of our keycard. If we did not have Platinum status, we would have received a boarding group card in the high 30s because of our 10am arrival. It would have taken about an hour or two to get through all those other boarding groups before being able to walk on the ship.
Getting on the Norwegian Joy!
Boarding the Norwegian Joy was a seamless experience. The timeline was well-coordinated, with boarding commencing around 11:10am, and within a brief span, we found ourselves walking up the gangway by 11:25am. Once on the ship, we went to the CruiseNext desk to sign up for the Behind-the-Scenes tour, compliments of our Platinum loyalty status.
The Norwegian Joy was built in 2017, and initially designed to cater to the Asian market. The Joy has undergone modifications to universalize its appeal and make it similar to her sister ship Norwegian Bliss. However, a remnant of its original design is the specialized ramen/noodle soup station located in the Garden Café, providing a unique, made-to-order dining experience. On our other sailings on the Joy, we loved getting soup from this station every day for lunch, so we knew exactly what our first stop would be in the Garden Café.
We took a table in the back, which is actually positioned at the front of the ship. We looked out over the expansive windows of the Observation Lounge to see the massive New York City skyline. The day was cool, clear, and sunny - we were so happy to start our honeymoon off on the right foot!
Our Balcony Stateroom - 10126
Our chosen cabin for the journey was stateroom 10126, an angled balcony room perched forward, picked for its desirable location and lovely views. On a previous sailing to Bermuda, we had a similarly angled balcony, but it faced the aft end of the ship, and had wished it looked forward. This cabin location offered easy access to various ship hotspots like The Waterfront, Observation Lounge, Garden Café, and Vibe Beach Club.
Due to the repositioning nature of the cruise, many new crew members were embarking on the ship. Because of this shift, stateroom availability was slightly delayed to 3pm.
Sailaway From the Vibe Beach Club
After settling into our stateroom, we made our way to the Vibe Beach Club. This exclusive area on deck 19 forward offers a tranquil escape from the livelier parts of the ship. Beyond the Haven sundeck, Vibe features two hot tubs, plenty of comfortable loungers, and not one, but two bars. The bartenders here are known for their dynamic personalities, contributing to an upbeat and friendly environment. We kicked off our relaxation with a couple of drinks in hand, lounging under the sun while taking in the stunning views of the New York City skyline.
As 4pm approached, the ship began its departure from the terminal. We witnessed a gorgeous day unfold, perfect for appreciating the intricacies of the skyline and the iconic Statue of Liberty. One of the highlights was passing under the Verrazzano Bridge; it's a remarkable sight to see the ship glide underneath with just a few feet of clearance. This close encounter feels almost surreal, as if you could reach out and touch the bridge.
After our journey down the Hudson River, we grabbed a quick dinner from the buffet. The rest of the evening was spent wandering around the ship. However, the excitement of the day caught up with us, and we decided to turn in early, eager for the days ahead on this extraordinary cruise.
