Norwegian Joy Lessons Learned

My Norwegian
Joy Cruise
Lessons Learned
3/26/22-4/2/22
Things to order from Amazon:

Cruise-approved extension cord – was handy to have more outlets

Rechargeable fan – I always sleep with a fan on, and a small rechargeable one was perfect.
Strong magnetic clips – great for hanging up the daily newsletter (although you can get the
same information in the app). I used them to decorate the cabin door for my son’s birthday
– all the doors and walls are magnetic.
Towel clips
Reusable stainless-steel cup with a lid and a straw (only paper straws onboard) for
cocktails. I got two that had metal straws and came with a cleaning wand for both the cup
and the straw. Write your room number on them – chances are you will leave one
somewhere.
Reusable water bottle (to use cups at the water station at the buffet to fill – this water is fine
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 and no need to pay for bottled water). Stay hydrated, people.
Lanyards for the ID cards - with one extra for the one that gets lost or left behind
somewhere. A new room key costs $1.
Someone had suggested buying a portable clothesline for INSIDE the room, so I bought
and brought one. Maybe people don't realize that there is a retractable clothesline in the
cabin. In the shower, pull thingy on the front of the metal piece that looks like a bell near
the showerhead in the shower and attach it to the other side using the slot provided. Voila.
Hamper that has hangers. Hung it up on the shower door to put the dirty clothes in.
Someone also suggested an over-the-door shoe rack. That is probably great if you have a
whole family in your cabin - there were just 2 of us and we had plenty of space for our
things.

Packing tips:

Pack 2 days’ worth of clothes (including swim suit and flip flops) in your carry-on and take it
with you when boarding. Then when you get to your cabin, you can put on your swimsuit and
start the fun. Your checked bag will arrive at your room, but it may take a few hours. A few
years ago, my daughter’s checked bag didn’t arrive at her cabin for 2 days and she was
unprepared for that.
Pack the rest of your clothes in your checked bag. Then, the day before you leave, open the
suitcase and take half of them out. Before you close it, take another look and take out around 5
more things. Trust me. Even after that, you’ll be lugging stuff you don’t use.
Take a few doses of whatever OTC meds you may need. I was prepared for anything – didn’t use
any of it, but it was there. Imodium, Pepto, cold medicine, ibuprofen, tiny first-aid kit. And
sunscreen – lots of it. I also got the Rx seasick patches and had Dramamine – even with rough
seas, we never needed it. I also brought aloe sunburn relief, and it WAS used.
Bring singles and 5's for tips (not required but much appreciated by the staff). You will get to
know your bartender, and they will get to know your habits. At the one bar I frequented, they
were very busy making drinks and I stood there for a while, and then went to sit down and look at
the water until they were done with the big orders they were doing. I noticed the bartender kept
looking at me, and as soon as the waiter guy came to the bar, he sent him over to me to see what I
wanted. I was just going to wait, but hey – even better. Yes, I had tipped him several times.

Other things to bring:

Binoculars (especially if you get a balcony room)
Sneakers or other close-toe shoes for excursions.
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 Sunglasses (and maybe a spare pair of Rx glasses)
Light jacket or sweater – air conditioning works great on the ship. They had sale items in the
shopping area, and I got a wide scarf that could be worn like a shawl (you could put your arms
through). That was perfect.
Small bar soap if you don't like showering with body wash. They have dispensers with body wash
and conditioning (2-in-1) shampoo. If you’re like me and don’t like 2-in-1, bring your own
shampoo and conditioner.
Since my original post, many have added suggestions: small sewing kit, extra plastic bags to put
wet clothes in when returning from excursions,

Things to ask for:

Fill out the forms ahead of time for any food allergies or other needs. My son can’t have gluten,
and I have a CPAP that I needed to be sure I would be set with. I had to fill out two forms, one
for each of us. I don’t know if it was attached to our room or if they always ask, but every time
we sat down to eat somewhere, they asked if there were any allergies.
They will provide an extension cord and a gallon of distilled water for your CPAP. Just make sure
you bring all the parts (I was missing a connector so I couldn’t use it and didn't sleep well the
entire trip). Just go to guest services. You need to return the cord to them at the end of the trip
(they will remind you).
If you have a special occasion happening, let them know when you book. My son’s birthday
happened on the cruise, and he got a birthday cake.
If you need to iron something, they will bring you an ironing board and an iron you can use for a
couple of hours. Just call housekeeping.
I heard you can ask for mattress toppers – you should. The beds are pretty hard. I have been
advised there is no extra charge, and I am requesting them on my next cruise.

Other tips:
Look for a Facebook group for your particular ship and dates. It is a great way to meet people
who will be on your cruise before sailing. Someone set up a group for our trip, and we had a
meet-and-greet and a shot glass exchange our first day at sea, which was really a lot of fun.
Everyone who wanted to participate brought a shot glass from their home state, and we drew
names to see whose we got. See my note about "ship time" though, since when scheduling things
ahead of time you need to take the time changes into account (be sure to specify ship time).
While you are in ports, you are charged taxes on your drinks. Just have one or two while still in
Miami or the departure port - once you set sail, that stops.
The way the internet works – I purchased the Unlimited Streaming package in case I had to do
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 The way the internet works – I purchased the Unlimited Streaming package in case I had to do
some work. A few days in, my son signed up for the social media package. While we could both
use the unlimited, I would have to log off for him to log on - only one at a time. Since my
original post, I found out I did NOT need to return to the cabin to log off the computer and log on
to the phone - I could have done that right from the phone. Probably got like 10,000 steps in
going back to log off. The social media package allowed for viewing and posting on Facebook,
Instagram, Snapchat – but did not allow for things like Wi-Fi calling over messenger or googling
anything. Text messages over messenger did work with that package. The unlimited/streaming
plan allowed me to do all that as well as watch Netflix and Hulu. The TV in the cabin pretty
much only has movies to rent. I know, I know, we're on vacation-who needs TV. But sometimes
you just want to chill for an hour. I am not sure, but you may be able to use the NCL app
onboard without purchasing internet. Even when I wasn't connected, I think I was able to pull up
the daily activities on my phone.
If you get an offer to bid on an upgrade, try it. I had a balcony room reserved and bid the
minimum ($25/pp) to upgrade to Club Balcony. I got it. The Club Balcony room had a great
shower, a free bottle of sparkling wine, nightly goodies, and a free bag of laundry during the
cruise. Well worth the $50 that I paid to upgrade. You don't find out if it is accepted until a few
days to a week before the sailing, but it is a nice surprise if you get it.
While I originally was advised to keep my phone in airplane mode, I have since learned that you
can simply turn off cellular data. The reason you would do this vs airplane mode is that your
phone can still be tracked if it is lost or stolen if you just turn off data. It cannot be tracked if in
airplane mode. For making calls, there is ship cell service, but even if you have an international
plan with your carrier, you will get charged extra from your carrier to use that network. When
you pull into a port, you can then use your international plan.
Rooms have blow dryers. Curling irons are allowed.
Have them remove everything from the refrigerator that you will get charged for.
Put suitcases under the bed to save room in the closet. If you get a room with a sofa bed, there
are 2 drawers underneath that I didn't find until the last day. I probably would have had my son
put his clothes in there, so we weren’t trying to get into the closet at the same time.
Listen to the announcements - sometimes you can hear them being made, but can't make it out in
the cabin. Especially when you arrive at port - they announce important information about the
stop (when you have to be back, whether you need masks). While I stood there with the cabin
door open so I could hear, other smart people turned on their TV's since the announcements come
through there - I didn't know. So you do you.
Try the VR games in the Galaxy Pavilion. At the recommendation of another couple, we did it
and it was well worth the $29 an hour cost. I'm 56 and had a blast with my 22-year-old son in
there! Never got around to the go-carts, although it was a thought a number of times.
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 there! Never got around to the go-carts, although it was a thought a number of times.
The pool area gets very crowded while at sea. On deck 17, by Spice H20, there is a huge shaded
hot tub.
If you find your room is at one end of the ship and you need to get to the other side, go to deck 6,
7 or 8 to walk across. Unless you need the handrails or enjoy a "Shining"-type walk, using the
main decks is much easier. The stateroom hallways often have obstacles like housekeeping carts.
The Garden Cafe closes between 3 and 5. If you are like me and never knew what time it was,
you will probably try to go there during that time. Thus, much time may be spent at The Local
instead (we liked the food there).
Everything that costs extra gets charged to your room. The only cards they take anywhere
onboard is your room key. Debit and credit cards for individual purchases onboard don't happen.
As you see your onboard account balance increase, you can go to guest services and pay partial
balances to keep the number lower. For example, I put a credit card on file, but wanted to pay
with some cash and my debit card, but didn't want to give them the debit card for room charges
because they place holds. Credit card holds are quickly removed, but I have heard sometimes it
takes a while with a debit card. You can also give a cash deposit, and just replenish as it gets
used.
Take cash to the ports. Many of the businesses won’t charge tax if you pay cash but will even if
you use a debit card.
Check the NCL app for ship time. Western Caribbean cruises change time twice, and with your
phone in airplane mode, you may not realize it. Or just don’t worry about it. I never knew what
the real time was and I made it through just fine.
Smoking is allowed next to the bar on deck 17 and in the enclosed room in the casino, when the
casino is open. The casino is only open while at sea.
ATM charges $5.99 to withdraw cash
Slot tournament = sore arm
If you are a regular bingo player as I am, don’t bother with the onboard bingo. Very expensive
for the limited number of boards you get, and the jackpot is only if you fill the card in 47
numbers. Stick your $69 in a slot machine instead.
Say hello to everyone you see.
Dance for the washy-washy guy. He gets happy and plays the tambourine louder.
BE FLEXIBLE! It is a very common occurrence for a planned stop to be canceled. If the seas
are too rough, it is not safe to dock and move people on and off the ship. Our stop in Costa Maya
was canceled – after the captain tried for over an hour to dock. They know what they are doing,
and if something gets canceled it is for good reason. Any booked excursions will be refunded.
Look for (or participate in) the rubber duck hide and seek
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 Look for (or participate in) the rubber duck hide and seek
Don't say no to the bread at Ocean Blue
Sometime on Day 6 or so, you will arrive at the elevator and know ahead of time a) whether you
need to go up or down; and b) which floor you need to go to. Any time prior to that will require
an extra 60 seconds or so to study the floorplan conveniently located by the elevators.
On the last night of your cruise, you will be instructed to put your checked bag outside your room
door, and they will pick it up and you will retrieve it in the port once you are off the ship. This
caused a lot of anxiety for me - what if I need something I put in that bag? Yes it's only one night
and I was fine, but someone else commented that they forgot to leave their shoes to wear the next
day. Just make sure you have everything.
Another great idea someone commented on my original post is to bring a hammock for your
balcony. Wish I had thought of that. But I may have never left the balcony.
Lastly, I didn't have this issue because I am a control freak and booked my own flights, but if you
let Norwegian book your flights, it is a crapshoot. You disembark in the morning, and some
people didn't have flights until the evening. Glass half full - do an excursion in Miami. Glass
half empty - hang around the airport for hours. I booked my flight out for 2:30 PM and there was
plenty of time. Be patient during the whole process through the port and boarding the bus for the
trip to the airport. There was a lot of standing in line, and people's tempers were getting short
(that was the first time I saw that). If you book your flight for early afternoon, there is plenty of
time. Remember at that point you are actually still on vacation, so continue to be happy.
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