Norwegian Joy Cruise Review: Pre-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 first 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.
Cruise Dates: October 16-28, 2023
Our Itinerary Map
Pre-Cruise Thoughts
We spent months deliberating to find a cruise that would make our honeymoon special and different. We have been on over 20 cruises up to this point, so whatever we did for our honeymoon had to be especially memorable for us. Options we considered included a transatlantic from Rome, a Haven experience, Norway, and even Australia cruises. The Norwegian Joy repositioning stood out, partly because we reside in Florida and the cruise concluded in Miami. It offered an opportunity to enjoy a cruise longer than the usual 7 days, allowing us to explore new, exciting ports. Notably, the Norwegian Joy holds a special place in our hearts as the ship where we got engaged.
We anticipated that the cruise might not be fully booked due to its timing, length, and being a repositioning cruise. The initial port times were somewhat staggered, like being ported in Bonaire from 1-8pm and in Curacao from 6am-1:30pm - making us slightly apprehensive about finding suitable excursions.
Getting to New York City: October 15, 2023
Our travel kicked off the day before the cruise with an Uber ride to Orlando Airport, a practical choice to avoid the steep $22 daily parking fees. At the airport, we enjoyed the amenities of the Plaza Premium Lounge, courtesy of our Amex Platinum Priority Pass. The lounge was impressive, with spacious seating areas, hot food buffet with pastries, self serve beverage stations, and a well-stocked bar offering complimentary mimosas in the morning. This was definitely the nicest airport lounge that we have experienced.
For our flight, we chose JetBlue, upgrading to Even More Space seats, which proved to be a comfortable decision. Upon arriving at LaGuardia Airport in the afternoon, we took an Uber heading to our hotel in Times Square. We are both originally from New York, so it’s always easy for us to navigate. However, for those that are unfamiliar, the city can seem daunting! Hailing a cab or ride share from LaGuardia is easy - the pickup area is outside of the baggage claim on the lower level. The trip to our hotel was about 50 minutes and cost $87 for an Uber XL (Sunday at 2pm). Make sure to order an Uber XL if you have a few pieces of luggage with you.
Our Hotel - The Time New York
Our stay was at The Time New York Hotel on 49th Street, conveniently located close to Times Square and five blocks to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. Using our American Express points, we booked a Standard King Room with the possibility for a complimentary upgrade upon availability.
After a quick and easy check-in we navigated to our room on the fourth floor - Room 402. Upon entering, we were surprised by how small this room was, even for New York City hotel standards. The hotel’s modern design aesthetics were noticeable, though it seemed to prioritize style over space, making the room feel somewhat cramped. The tv was hidden inside the mirror to save space, which didn’t prove to be comfortable when watching from the bed. Our view was of the interior alley facing all the other hotel rooms, so we kept our blinds closed for the duration of our stay. The only positive thing about that is that it was relatively quiet at night and we didn’t hear much street noise. The bathroom was also very small - using the shower was a bit difficult due to the size of the stall. Although we would have loved to be in a larger room, the hotel itself was very nice and was in a perfect location close to Times Square, theaters, subway stations, and plenty of other things to do. If you were staying in New York for a few days before your cruise, the location is perfect for sightseeing.
Getting to the cruise port from the hotel was about a 30 minute walk, although opting for an Uber or taxi might be a convenient choice for those with multiple luggage pieces. We found out the next day that we should have paid the $15 Uber fare to arrive to the port easily.
A Delicious Dinner
Once we got settled in at the hotel, we went to dinner at Dos Caminos, a Mexican restaurant just two blocks away. We met up with some friends and were able to enjoy margaritas, enchiladas, and other delicious food. With tons of seating dispersed between two floors, we were able to stay as long as we wanted, and was a perfect casual choice to catch up with friends. For something slightly more upscale, we would recommend Becco, Lidia Bastianich’s restaurant. We love Becco because they offer a $29 unlimited pasta dinner, with three fresh rotating pastas every night.
After a few margaritas, lots of laughs, and a long day of traveling, we got ourselves together and ready for the next day: embarkation day!
