travel joy itinerary

Itineraries by TravelJoy 4+

Designed for iphone.

• 4.6 • 20 Ratings

iPhone Screenshots

Description.

Excited for your next trip? Your travel advisor invites you to download this free app to view your upcoming journey. With the Itineraries app, you can: • Stay up-to-date on your trip, including live flight details • Get one-tap directions to your next hotel or activity • View all your trip details and documents while offline — great for when you’re on a plane or don’t have data overseas • Get in touch with your travel advisor • Share your itinerary easily with your fellow travelers — no signup required! To get started: download the app, then open the itinerary link provided by your travel advisor. — Are you a travel advisor? Create beautiful itineraries for your clients with TravelJoy. Sign up at traveljoy.com

Version 1.0.4

Chart a steadier course! In version 1.0.4 of Itineraries by TravelJoy, we've enhanced app stability to ensure your travel plans remain as solid as the ground beneath your feet. Update now for a smoother journey ahead.

Ratings and Reviews

Utterly useless and poorly supported.

Got a fabulous PDF of our itinerary from our travel agent. But it’s missing some details, and the reported that it could be updated using the associated app. This app. But unfortunately the app only offers one method for finding and opening your itineraries… a specially crafted URL that’s supposed to “just work”’and open their app with your itinerary in it. But for me this doesn’t work. I’ve tried Safari. I’ve tried Firefox. Despite having installed the app, these URLs don’t seem to do the trick. There isn’t any other apparent method for finding one’s itinerary in the app itself. I can’t paste the URL. I can’t enter a code. I can’t search. I emailed support and their only advice was contact my travel agent. I did that, and requested they use software that actually works. And they quite agreed.

App Privacy

The developer, TravelJoy , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• User Content

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Browsing History
• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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TravelJoy Expert Series: "Itineraries by TravelJoy" Client App

About this event

By popular demand, TravelJoy has introduced a powerful new itinerary app for clients!

With a quick installation on their Android or Apple device, your clients will be able to:

• Access their itinerary and travel documents with or without a connection
• Communicate directly with you via the trip message feed
• Check the live status of their flights

During this hour-long live session, we'll take a deep dive into these new features and answer your questions. All registrants will receive a recording for later viewing.

From first reply to final payment, TravelJoy makes it easy for you to book your ideal client faster, with less legwork.

Share this event

Traveljoy: Understanding our Customer Relationship Management software (CRM)

Your journey with Jess.Travel as an independent, personal travel planner begins with using our preferred Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Traveljoy . CRMs are just databases where you input all your customer and trip info. There are many different kinds used in the industry. Most look like a clunky mess from the 90s. Traveljoy is not one of those. A Traveljoy agency subscription costs $10/month.

Traveljoy allows you to:

Input client info and create trips

Create reports and track commissions/payments

Create tasks

Create custom proposals/itineraries

Create custom forms to be signed by the client

Bill for your service fees & collect their credit card info

Manage large group bookings

Below, I'll post some videos that I think you should watch before getting started. These will show the ins and outs of the system including logging your commissions. They're also available on the left sidebar of TravelJoy to watch at any time.

The main TravelJoy help forum is here. If we don't know the answer, they are very quick to respond to facebook messages.

Setup Wizard

At first you will go through a Setup process. There, you'll upload your logo, and answer questions about your business. You will also link your bank to Traveljoy so that clients can pay you for your service fees, but you don't actually need to use it. Feel free to use square, venmo, paypal or accept checks. If you have any issue with adding your bank automatically, they will ask you send in bank statements. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly, and you won't need to do this step.

Every month, we will log into your account and view your expected commissions. Usually, within 30 days of your client's trip we will receive a check from the suppliers and distribute your portion to you via check or direct bank transfer.

Types of TravelJoy invoices

There are two types of invoices you'll be dealing with when using TJ. Direct Invoices and Supplier Invoices . Direct invoices are straightforward. If you want to use Traveljoy to charge for your travel planning fee, you'll send a direct invoice to your client, they'll pay it, and it'll show up in your bank account. You don't have to use TJ. You can use Venmo, Paypal, or accounting software like Quickbooks. But it's a nice option, and the fees are pretty much the same.

Logging a commission with a Supplier invoice

A Supplier Invoice is what you'll send to clients to collect their credit card authorization to make charges on their behalf for certain items you'll be booking for them like tours, hotels, rental cars etc. These are those commissionable items on the portals we speak about. You will need to itemize those out on this supplier invoice so your client can see what they're paying for. This invoice is also where you'll log your commission info (provided by the portal), so that we can mark it paid when we get your commission check from the supplier e.g. Expedia. Here's a step by step guide on how to make a supplier invoice and log your commission , but also watch the video below. You only need one supplier invoice per trip , technically. You can add/subtract/modify the invoice as you go. Having fewer invoices, as opposed to having an invoice per item, helps us to find the item and mark it paid.

Delivering an Itinerary - Client Application

Traveljoy has an iOs and Android app that your client should install before they leave on their trip. It's called "Itineraries by Traveljoy." This is the way you will deliver your Traveljoy itinerary to them if you choose to do the itinerary creation on Traveljoy. You and your client can also directly communicate via the app.

Long Webinars (Deep dives)

Intro to Traveljoy

Itinerary and Smart Proposal Creation - Advanced Class

Group Booking

Quick Explainers

Intro and Dashboard

Setting up Traveljoy - add your logo and your own branding.

Trip Basics

Templates - add your own verbiage and branding to your forms.

Communicating with a group.

Create and share group booking pages to help your clients book and learn about group trip excursion options.

• Business Development
• Marketing & Proposals
• Booking-Portals

• Host Agencies
• Accelerator Course
• Travel Jobs
• Travel Agent Chatter
• Etiquette & Rules
• Privacy Policy

Best Travel Itinerary Builders for Advisors [+Comparison Chart]

You’re probably here because you have a sneaking suspicion that you’ve outgrown your travel itinerary template. Maybe you’ve come to peace with the fact that using a template is a time-suck, or you’ve realized they look like Frankenstein itineraries, or it saddens you that clients can’t interact with it on a mobile app. Maybe all of the above.

So, what’s the best alternative to travel itinerary templates? Travel itinerary builders. But before I dive into the differences between the two, here’s a choose your own adventure:

• I want to better understand the pros & cons of travel itinerary templates vs. itinerary builders
• I want a few tips on how to choose an itinerary builder before I check out the comparison chart
• I’m just here for your Itinerary Builder Comparison Chart. Take me there.

Differences Between Itinerary Templates & Itinerary Builders

Both travel itinerary templates and itinerary builders can be used to create custom quotes and trip itineraries for your travel agency. What are the difference between them? Here's a short answer:

Travel Itinerary Templates:

• Freely available: You can find template on any Word/Google Doc./Mac Pages as a template option.
• Designed for general use: Templates are a "catchall" for travelers, so unless you modify or create your own template, the itinerary will be pretty barebones.
• DIY and typically take longer to create: There's a lot of copy and paste going on, so you can abandon your dreams of drag-and-drop images automatically formatted to the itinerary design.
• They're static documents: What you see is what you get. They're not dynamic and won't integrate with suppliers/ consortia/ CRMs/ flights/ destinations/ maps etc.

Travel Itinerary Builders

• Tailored toward travel agencies, tour operators and DMCs
• Faster to create than templates: With itinerary builders, it's faster and easier to get a more professional looking product in a shorter amount of time. Most itinerary builders advertise they take 10-20min. to create opposed to 2-3 hours to use a travel itinerary template.
• An investment: Travel itinerary builders cost money (with few exceptions)
• Dynamic: They integrate with different travel agent apps and programs (GDS, CRM, consortia content, suppliers etc.) and clients can interact with the app, using it as a platform to book excursions, research restaurants and points of interest (etc.)

It's kind of like using a spreadsheet for your accounting (template) vs. using a program like Quickbooks (builder). A spreadsheet will get the job done, but it's not usually the most efficient Want more details to help you decide? Keep reading.

Is a Travel Itinerary Template Good Enough for Me?

If you’re just doing a one-off itinerary here or there, and you don’t care about looks or branding or functionality, a travel itinerary template might be just fine. Maybe you’re booking primarily as occasional favors for your friends, or booking for your mom who still thinks the bear Christmas ornament you made out of cotton balls and hot glue in 2nd grade belongs in the Louvre (I’m looking at YOU, mom!). Mom doesn't care what your itinerary looks like.

Another bonus of travel itinerary templates is that they’re free. It’s hard to argue with that. So if you’re just starting an agency and the thought of shelling out one more dime makes you want to cry, a travel itinerary templates can work fine until the day comes that you want to invest in a different tool (if that day ever comes).

You can easily find travel itinerary templates as Google Docs, Mac, and/or Microsoft template options. But before you go the travel itinerary template route, consider three things:

• A travel itinerary template takes a lot longer to create, brand, and customize: If you're creating in depth itineraries for clients, an itinerary builder will save you a good chunk time. Possibly even 1-2+ hours per quote/ itinerary. So even if you are making just a few per week, you stand to save a good chunk of time that you could use to hang out with your dog or focus on building up your client base so you can make more itineraries :)
• You can try an itinerary builder for free to see if you like it: In fact, you can try multiple programs for free! I suggest testing out a few so you can determine which builder you like best.
• There’s a few free itinerary builders: . . . and while they’re intended more for travelers than advisors, they get the job done. ( You can find some options for that in this article ).

Curious about itinerary builders? Read on.

A Few Things to Consider When Choosing an Itinerary Builder:

Okay, so you're already sold on using (or at least trying out) an itinerary builder. If that's the case, here are a few things you can consider before you launch into our comparison chart below to help you decide:

• Budget: Simple enough, but it’s a big one. What can you afford? Does the pricing align with the volume of itineraries you anticipate making?
• Consortia Discounts & Integration: Is your consortium (or your host’s consortium) chummy with a particular itinerary builder? If so, that might make your discounts higher and your itinerary-building process even easier. Do they have products that can automatically populate into itineraries from your consortium?
• Host Discounts: Is your host one of their preferred partners? That may bode well in terms of volume discounts. Check the chart (and you can double-check with your host and/or the itinerary builder apps).
• Supplier Integration: Who are your favorite suppliers to book? Do those suppliers populate into the itinerary builder’s program? If so, this will make your itinerary building even faster.
• Style: Okay, so sometimes looks matter. I said it. Your itineraries should be beautiful and reflect your brand. It's subjective, but some builders will align more closely with your personal design and style preferences. On the comparison chart below, there are links to what the quotes and itineraries look like. Open each sample in a different tab so you can compare the style them, side by side.
• Function: Does it have all the functions you want? Not sure what all those functions may be? Check out the very long list of features on our chart and see what’s possible!
• User Friendliness: This is subjective, but if you’ve watched demos and you’re still stumbling through the program a week or two after using it, maybe it’s not a match made in heaven for you. (Spoiler alert: All the programs listed have a free trial, so you will be able to judge for yourself which ones are the "user-friendliest" for you!)
• How Long Have They Been in Business? How deep are their industry roots? This isn't to say that you should poo-foo startups. Do they have a track record of product development? Do they keep up with their program? Do they have their fingers on the pulse of what travel advisors really need?
• How often do they update their product? Are they active? Do they update their YouTube tutorials? Do they post on their FB page? Do you see them hanging out at conferences you attend?

Okay, you’re totally ready. Beyond ready. Here’s where your comparison shopping begins and ends:

Travel Agent Itinerary Builder Comparison Chart

Finally here it is. How did we decide which itinerary-building apps to profile? These are companies that focus on itinerary-building apps for travel agents (but they work for tour operators and DMCs, too!). So if you’re looking for larger programs like TESS and Mtrip that bundle it with other services (like CRM and invoicing etc), you’ll have to wait on that another day.

For this article, we consider these companies the main players in the travel agent itinerary builder space:

• Axus Travel App
• Safari Portal

If you feel we missed a main player, please let us know in the comments!

I’m just going to set this riiiiiight here! (Make sure you go all the way to the end so you can find links to the samples!)

Beautiful isn't it? If you love it, you have our Think Tank Group to thank! They really delivered in offering feedback for this resource!

Go Forth and Create Itineraries!

Whether you decided to go old school and use a travel itinerary template, or take a test drive on some of the builders, I'd like to hear what works for YOU! Did I miss features in the infographic that are important to you? Is there a program you love that you don't see?

Leave a comment or drop me a line at [email protected]! Chat soon!

About the Author

Mary Stein has been working as a writer and editor for Host Agency Reviews since 2016. She loves supporting travel advisors on their entrepreneurial journey and is inspired by their passion, tenacity, and creativity. Mary is also a mom, dog lover, fiction writer, hiker, and a Great British Bake Off superfan.

• Agent Tools
• Business Development
• Infographics

Backed by $10M Series A, TravelJoy is riding the post-COVID demand for expert travel planning

A travel-focused startup that the COVID pandemic could have killed has instead thrived. TravelJoy , a company providing a suite of tools for travel entrepreneurs and travel business operators, is now facilitating over $1 billion in annual spend for its customers, as interest in travel rebounded in the U.S. in the post-pandemic months. Now, the company is looking to AI to fuel the next growth stage of its business.

For co-founder and CEO Dayo Esho, the idea for TravelJoy emerged from his experiences growing up in the travel industry, supporting his mom’s travel agency business.

“We knew there was something there, so we decided to go lean into it,” he says. “We actually interviewed 50 travel agents before we even started writing any software. The stories were very similar to what I saw with my mom — it was 5 million spreadsheets, people working until midnight every night, totally underserved — faxing forms, emailing credit card info — just trying to scrape by.”

Esho teamed up with longtime co-founder CTO Chris Kline to work on the project in the years following the wind-down of their earlier product discovery startup Shelf. Before that, the two had worked together for a good part of a decade at LiveRamp , which spun out of Rapleaf , and later exited for $310 million in 2014 when it was acquired by Acxiom.

“I like to joke that Chris is my longest relationship because we’ve been working together for 17 years now,” Esho said with a laugh.

The co-founders began working on TravelJoy in 2018, while participating in NFX’s accelerator. The software is designed to help travel entrepreneurs compete with DIY travel planning tools like Expedia and Booking.com, with or without having to pay to join a host travel agency with all its accompanying overhead and use of dated software. Instead, TravelJoy’s online dashboard allows its customers to keep an eye on all the trips they’re planning in one place and includes built-in CRM and messaging tools, as well as support for payments, and soon, more booking integrations.

The company also recently added integrations with travel insurance provider Faye and Viator, a marketplace for travel experiences.

The idea is to centralize the travel entrepreneur’s workflow, with CRM, messaging, invoicing, payments, proposals, itineraries and group trip management in one digital solution. The software-as-a-service offering is priced at $30 per month , or $25 per month if paying annually. The company also monetizes on the payments side, where it partners with Stripe, and will monetize the booking process, as well.

The company was just getting off the ground in 2019, raising its seed round and growing its customer base.

But then 2020 came along and basically blew things up for the new company.

Despite the pandemic’s massive and immediate impact on global travel, TravelJoy surprisingly didn’t shut down. Instead, the founders focused on serving their existing customers whose clients were now no longer booking trips, but canceling them.

“We ended up giving a two-month credit right when COVID hit because of the sheer amount of pain that we saw — GMV dropping over 90%…it was one of those things where we just put our head down and didn’t lay anyone off and kept working on the business. You just take the long view; it’s a long journey,” remarks Esho.

The team ended up building new tools to help its customers reschedule trips for their clients as well as gift card pages that would allow people to support their local businesses. Eventually, the height of COVID was over, and travel began to pick back up in 2022.

A little over a year ago, TravelJoy raised a $10 million Series A, which had not yet been announced. Theresia Gouw , founding partner of Acrew Capital and former board member of Hotel Tonight and Trulia, led the round, which also saw participation from NFX, Founder Collective, Forerunner and Concrete Rose.

The software today is used by thousands of travel entrepreneurs and aims to capture more of the market in the U.S. where there are roughly 200,000 full-time and part-time travel advisors. The remotely distributed team now includes 30 full-time employees and TravelJoy is hiring in engineering, product design, marketing and customer support.

With the additional funds, the service plans to add AI features to support its members’ planning workflows. It plans to announce more details about how these tools will work soon.

Hints Esho, “We’re going to help level up humans to be able to not only compete but excel by differentiating with that extra level curation, that white glove service, that support when things go wrong,” he explains. “You marry that expert-level curation and support with modern technology and AI. Time will tell, but those are the two versions of the world that are forming — the Terminator versus the Iron Man suit. We’re all in on that Iron Man suit,” he says.

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Save time. Impress clients.

The simple way to manage client details and create trips that sell..

Create beautiful itineraries and quotes.

Add tours, accommodations, flights, transportation, and cruises. Set times, add notes, upload documents... fill out details to your heart's content.

“Hi Beth, here are all the details for your river cruise. You're going to love it!”

Beautiful on screen and paper.

Present the trip via a mobile-friendly link or our unbranded Trip Plans App for iPhone and Android. Export a gorgeous PDF for those clients that love seeing the trip on paper.

Stay organized.

Simplify your day to day with all of your client details in one PCI-compliant system. Schedule automated tasks and securely collect client info.

Your clients will think you spent countless hours planning their trip.

(we won't tell them you spent minutes.).

Automatically add places from our database.

Just type the name of restaurants, POIs or hotels and we'll add all the details—including Virtuoso amenities.

Customize everything before presenting.

Don't want to give the client all the details quite yet? Just remove what you don't want to share.

Sell the client with stunning imagery and video.

Create beautiful image and video galleries for a stunning trip that sells.

“I started the trial, did one proposal, and five hours later paid for a full year. AMAZING!! I love it!” — Elaine Bylos, Luxury Travel Consultant Jet Sail Explore

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Take care of your clients on the go..

Even if you are away from your desk, view any of your client itineraries and chat with clients on the go.

Finally, an app your clients will love.

Your clients get a free, simple app to view their itinerary and receive updates from you. Offline-mode included!

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• CruiseMapper
• Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Joy

Former name: norwegian bliss.

Cruise line Norwegian Cruise Line

• New York (NYC Manhattan-Brooklyn)
• Miami (Florida)
• Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida)
• Seattle (Washington)
• Los Angeles (Long Beach-San Pedro, California)

Norwegian Joy current position

Norwegian Joy current location is at US East Coast (coordinates 38.60613 N / -71.60307 W) cruising at speed of 11.6 kn (21 km/h | 13 mph) en route to BERMUDA. The AIS position was reported 1 hour ago.

Current itinerary of Norwegian Joy

Norwegian Joy current cruise is 7 days, round-trip Bermuda . Prices start from USD 919 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 19 May, 2024 and ends on 26 May, 2024 .

Specifications of Norwegian Joy

•   Itineraries
•   Review
•   Wiki

Norwegian Joy Itineraries

Norwegian joy review, review of norwegian joy.

The 2017-built Norwegian Joy cruise ship (ordered as "Norwegian Bliss") is the 2nd of all four Breakaway Plus-class NCL liners - with sisterships Norwegian Escape (2015), Norwegian Bliss (2018), Norwegian Encore (2019). This class is approx 7000 GT-tons larger in comparison to the company's second-biggest vessel - Norwegian Epic .

The vessel (IMO number 9703796) is currently Bahamas- flagged (MMSI 311000599) and registered in Nassau .

In 2019, NCL Joy was drydock refurbished to become virtually identical to sistership Norwegian Bliss - NCL's most successful liner ever. Then the liner was repositioned from China to the USA. The refurb project was managed by MJM Marine (part of MJM Group (Northern Ireland UK). The company specializes in cruise ship refurbishment and interior design services. The works involved ~1400 people and 40+ onboard venues and areas were revamped. Following the refit, NCL Joy started Alaskan cruises from homeport Seattle WA , then was repositioned for Mexican Riviera roundtrips from homeport Los Angeles CA .

NCL Joy ship is currently scheduled for a drydock refurbishment in 2024 (January 6 thru February 16), to be conducted at Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport .

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE ( NYC ). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had a worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL , Oceania and RSSC-Regent .

The 4000-passenger ship Norwegian Joy was built by Meyer Werft ( Papenburg Germany ) and entered service for NCL in 2017. The first name of the ship (Bliss) was selected in a USA TODAY online contest. Breakaway Plus ships are NCL's largest (163,000 GT each) and boast the innovative features found on Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway , as well as a number of new interactive experiences.

The NCL Joy ship was ordered in 2014. The construction (under the name "Norwegian Bliss") began on September 16, 2015. On October 12, 2015, it was announced that Bliss would be renamed and designed specifically for the Chinese market. On February 29, 2016 (leap year) the new name "Norwegian Joy" was officially announced. The name translates into "Xi Yue Hao" (Chinese glyphs 喜悦号).

The Breakaway Plus-class NCL ship Joy featured food and onboard experiences catering for the preferences of Chinese holidaymakers. NCL also had a different name in China - "Nuo Wei Zhen", meaning "Promising, Exclusive and Authentic". The translation of "Bliss" into Chinese doesn't have positive connotations, hence the name change.

Decks and Cabins

Norwegian Joy staterooms (1926 total, in 42 grades) include 1563 outside, 363 Inside (including 33x Interior Family Suites), no Studios (single cabins). Most staterooms are sized 170-215 ft2 (16-20 m2). Balcony cabins are 1024, Oceanviews 111, Standard Inside 330. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 47. The largest accommodations are The Haven Deluxe Owners Suites (1460 ft2 / 136 m2, with wraparound terrace sized 490 ft2 / 46 m2).

The boat has 20 decks , of which 16 are passenger-accessible and 11 with cabins.

Compared to the Breakaway-class NCL ships (Getaway and Breakaway), the total number of Joy' Haven suites is almost doubled. There are a total of 95 Suite accommodations, including two Owner’s Suites (featuring two balconies each).

The "Studio" area (cabins and lounge area for solo travelers exclusively) on NCL Joy is occupied by Interior Family Suites (a total of 33 accommodations).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Norwegian Cruise Line provides passengers with the freedom to savor gourmet dishes, various tastes and the flexibility to choose the number of courses to enjoy during the meal. On Norwegian Joy, guests can choose between 11 complimentary dining options. They can also experience new flavors at signature specialty restaurants, such as Le Bistro, La Cucina, Cagney’s Steakhouse and Bayamo by James Beard Award-winning chef Jose Garces.

NCL’s signature specialty restaurants feature enhanced menus including favorite dishes and new tastes. Whether passengers prefer a light meal of a favorite soup or appetizer, or indulge in a dinner featuring Maine lobster, with the new à la carte options, they have the opportunity to create their own, desired dining experience.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Joy restaurants and food bars.

• Savor Restaurant (Main Dining Room, 260 seats) features traditional Chinese cuisine offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• The Manhattan Room (Main Dining Room, aft location, 586 seats) with a dance floor for the evening dance show, featuring traditional Chinese cuisine and Western dishes.
• Taste Restaurant (Main Dining Room, 258 seats) serves contemporary Chinese cuisine.
• “Private Room at Taste” (group private dining, 100 seats capacity, own lounge area)
• The Local Bar and Grill (195 seats) a complimentary venue which is an updated take on the popular O’Sheehan’s Pub. The menu showcases similar offerings, such as Fish and Chips, Chicago Style Hot Dog, and some new additions like Tortilla Bowl. The grill is open 24 hours per day serving up different menus depending on the time of day guests choose to dine).
• Q Texas Smokehouse (218 seats) is a BBQ restaurant featuring live country music. It serves authentic Texas-style barbecue including smoked meats, pulled pork, brisket, beef and pork ribs, and side items.
• Teppanyaki Restaurant (112 seats) is the Japanese Hibachi specialty restaurant (reservations-only, at surcharge US$29 pp, kids charged a full cover). The Teppanyaki restaurant is open for Lunch (12-1:30 pm) and Dinner (5:30-10 pm). It features live cooking demonstrations and traditionally prepared (a la carte priced) specialties, including sushi, fruit sashimi, Yakitori grill, a sake menu.
• Food Republic (78 seats) is a new and exclusive dining concept (via a partnership with the Pubbelly Restaurant Group). This specialty restaurant is open lunch through dinner, offers international cuisine with a la carte menu and iPad ordering system.
• La Cucina Italian Restaurant (116 indoor seats, 66 Waterfront/outdoor seats) is reservations-only, and with cover charge US$15 PP (kids charged a full cover). The Cucina restaurant is open between 5:30-9:30 pm and has large tables. The NCL Joy’s Italian dining experience is marked by a casual atmosphere and large portions (perfect for family dinners) and traditional Italian fine wines and gourmet cuisine specialties – pizzas, pasta, seafood, classic salads, freshly baked bread, desserts (including ice cream). La Cucina additionally has a separate outdoor seating terrace (waterfront) area.
• Ocean Blue (86 indoor seats, 36 Waterfront/outdoor seats) is a specialty restaurant that serves fresh fish dishes.
• Los Lobos (Mexican restaurant)

Cagney’s Steakhouse (174 indoor seats, 24 Waterfront/outdoor seats) is a specialty dinner restaurant (open 5:30-10:30 pm) for prime steaks (Certified Angus Beef) and gourmet seafood specialties. The Cagney’s restaurant is reservations-only, with cover charge US$30 per person and a free Kids Menu. At Cagney’s, kids are charged a full cover. Additionally, the steakhouse is open for suite guests-only serving Breakfast (7:30-9:30 am) and Lunch (12-1:30 pm).

Le Bistro French Restaurant (130 seats) is reservations-only, with cover charge US$20 per person, kids are charged a full cover. The intimate and romantic Bistro restaurant is dinner-only (open between 5:30-10:30 pm) and offers some of the NCL Joy ship’s best luxury dining experiences with its upscale amenities, superior white-glove service, sophisticated cuisine with a vintage wines selection and classic French gourmet specialties in the menu. During the day, Le Bistro hosts food and wine tasting events.

American Diner (157 seats) is a specialty American Bar & Grill restaurant (outdoor seating, at a surcharge of US$9 pp) that offers complimentary fast food choices and live music performances during the day.

Coco's is a chocolate-themed dessert outlet/patisserie serving handmade pralines, crepes, truffles and other treats paired with brand teas and coffees.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The 4200-passenger NCL Joy features an expanded Haven – the line’s concept “ship within a ship”. This space (accessible only by keycard) boasts an outdoor terrace, private restaurant, courtyard area with retractable roof pool, whirlpools, spa treatment rooms, separate sauna, private sundeck.

Among the other features are the “678 Ocean Place” (spanning 3 decks, with amazing live entertainment in the evenings, several bars and alternative dining places), big-capacity water slides and a ropes course (both facilities catering to families). On NCL Joy, guests can see Tony Award-nominated musical Footloose and the classic aerial acrobatics show, Elements, as well as the wine-tasting comedy, Wine Lovers: The Musical. Entertainment options also include the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each voyage), "Rock of Ages", "Cirque Dreams", "Illusionarium" (magicians show).

NCL Joy is the world's first-ever cruise ship with a Ferrari racetrack (deck 19). The facility is built by RiMO Supply (RiMO Germany Group) and operated via a partnership with Scuderia Ferrari Watches. This is also the first-ever branded Formula 1 race car track.

The 2-level track spans on 2 decks and offers incredible sea views at height of 60 m (200 ft). It has a capacity up to 10 racers at a time on electric go-karts (Ferrari branded).

The GoCars can reach speeds up to 40 mph (65 kph). In comparison to the sister-ship Norwegian Bliss, Joy's racetrack is 20% smaller and has 8 turns. Bliss has 10, two of which are cantilevered over the ship's side.

Unlimited go-kart rides (weekly pass) costs USD 100 pp (offered on all 7-day-cruise itineraries). Day passes cost USD 30 pp. A single run costs USD 10 pp. Unlimited pass passengers access the race track via separate (shorter) queue line.

Passengers booked in Concierge and The Haven staterooms enjoy complimentary rides with bookings. The used by RiMO technology ensures optimal usage under intensified UV conditions and saltwater exposure.

NCL Joy also features an open-air laser tag course (top deck), Aqua Park with Double Aqua Loop (two multi-deck waterslides - one hull-extending loop, one with transparent loop section stretching down to the below deck) and 2 racing slides (high-speed inner tubes with length over 110 m / 360 ft) both with a transparent section.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Joy lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Joy Theater (907 seats) is the ship’s main show lounge served by its own bar (on deck 7). The theatre offers grand-style music and evening show productions. The evening program features Broadway-style shows, musicals, cabaret performances, magicians and comedy acts.
• Atrium “678 Ocean Place” is 3-decks high, open-floor midship area with live entertainment and a big-size LED screen for movies. The Lobby level's Atrium Bar (44 seats) serves coffees, beers, wine by the glass, other drinks.
• Chess & Card Room, Library, Internet Cafe (open 24 hours, Meeting Rooms; Photo Studio & Shop; Art Gallery
• Reception (Guest Services Desk- assistance, reservations, information); Shore Excursions Desk (information, planning, booking)
• Social Comedy and Night Club (103 seats) has a large dance floor and offers live entertainment by stand-up comedians and DJs.
• Maltings Whiskey Bar (56 seats)
• Horizon Lounge (90 seats) is a 2-deck bar lounge exclusive for The Haven passengers.
• Mixx Bar (29 seats) is a piano bar located between Taste and Savor restaurants, making it a popular pre- and after-dinner venue for enjoying cocktails.
• Joy Casino is a premium gaming lounge with both smoking and non-smoking areas, large-size LED screens, a separate Joy Casino VIP Room (high-stakes gambling room) and is served by Skyline Bar.
• Skyline Bar offers cocktails before dinner. Guests can meet friends after a show or press their luck with the bar-top poker screens.
• Promenade Deck’s best feature is the Waterfront Promenade (1320 ft/402 m long, open-air area with multiple alfresco dining and entertainment venues). It offers a unique open-air deck experience by several seaside venues with outdoor seating. The list of the venues features shops, bars, restaurants, a 1/4-mi-long boardwalk (outdoor area with shaded seating) located 8 stories above the water.
• Starbucks Coffee Bar (44 seats) offers items from the full Starbucks menu.
• Dolce Gelato (Italian ice cream bar, a la carte)
• District Brew House (94 seats) has a keg room and offers a selection of 50 bottled beers and 24 draft beers on tap (including the new Wynwood brew). The venue is operated via the NCL partnership with Miami’s Wynwood Brewing Company.
• The Humidor Cigar Lounge (16 seats) is the ship’s smoking-allowed bar lounge.
• The Cellars Wine Bar (49 seats) is operated via NCL partnership with Mondavi and offers premium wines and tapas-style a la carte menu. The Wine Bar has a separate room for wine tastings (with sommelier service) and an outdoor seating area on The Waterfront.
• Carlo's Bake Shop is a premium patisserie/bakery by ‘the “cake boss” Buddy Valastro.
• Sugarcane Mojito Bar (52 seats/indoor and Waterfront/outdoor) features live Latin music performances.
• Tradewinds Tax & Duty-Free Shops are duty-free retails selling alcohol, tobaccos, NCL-logoed merchandise, jewelry, watches, perfumes and cosmetics, brand fashion and accessories, special occasion gifts. The shopping complex includes Tides Boutique, Cartier, Omega, Bvlgari, Fine Watches, The Time Zone, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Bally, Godiva (gourmet sweets, including truffles, premium chocolates, soft-serve ice cream), also Beauty Shop.
• The Cavern Club Lounge (45 indoor seats, 45 Waterfront/outdoor seats) is a replica of Liverpool's music club and offers Beatles music, tribute bands performances and "The Choir of Man” crew show (dynamic performances with live percussions, high-energy music, dancing and foot-stomping by 9 crew performers).
• Photo Gallery & Shop (photo-video services by professional onboard photographers)
• The A-List Bar (44 seats) serves handcrafted cocktails, premium spirits and wines. The Bar is named after Andy Stuart (NCL's President and CEO).
• The Haven Lounge & Bar (90 seats) is a VIP lounge exclusive for Concierge Level passengers with a delicious buffet available for light breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks.
• Garden Cafe (708 indoor seats, 280 outdoor seats) is a complimentary, buffet-style casual restaurant, plus an Open-Air Garden Cafe (outdoor seating area). It offers traditional Asian cuisine as well as specialty dishes from all around the world.
• Waves Pool Bar (15 seats) is a casual outdoor bar serving beverages, including popular cocktails.
• Aqua Park (3-decks high, with 2 pools, 5 multi-level waterslides / Ocean Loop; 2 racing-slides, “Free Fall” drop-slides; 4 Whirlpools, poolside bar, Sun Deck area); Kids'Aqua Park
• Splash Academy (kids 3-12 yo, is 2-story high, offers themed activities, with a light-up floor (for interactive dancing), circus school (with a resident clown), Nintendo and PS3 console games, kids-only cinema, crafts-arts, pirate parades. The area hosts also the Guppies Nursery (toddlers 6 months to 2 yo) and the Kid’s Aqua Park (splash pool, Nickelodeon characters entertainment).
• NCL Joy ship’s Mandara Spa & Fitness /wellness complex consists of Thermal Suite (heated loungers, sauna, steam rooms, solarium), Salt Room (halotherapy room), Beauty Salon, Foot Clinic, Barber Shop, Medi Spa (teens), Aerobics Studio (classes).
• Entourage Teen Centre is a teens-only club lounge for kids 13-17 yo (complimentary, supervised by certified counselors). The teen lounge has Video Games Arcade, large TVs for movies, PlayStation 3 gaming consoles, game tables (pinball, foosball, air hockey). Here are hosted themed parties (dance, pool, pizza) and teen discos in the evenings.
• Galaxy Pavilion is an indoor complex for virtual-world and multi-player gaming, equipped with interactive video walls and virtual reality technology. 
• “The Haven” complex is for Villa- and Suite passengers only, and consists of "The Haven Courtyard" (has a retractable roof, adults-only pool area, 2 Whirlpools), spa, steam room, gym room), "The Haven Restaurant" (92 indoor seats, 38 outdoor seats) and "The Haven Lounge Bar" (capacity 90 seats, offering a delicious limited buffet for breakfast and lunch with delicious traditional Chinese and Western cuisine).
• Spice H2O (124 seats, lower level 1 of 2) is an adult-only relaxation area, with 1 pool, 2 Whirlpools, huge outdoor LED screen, Poolside Bar, Grill.
• Pulse Fitness Centre features Technogym equipment and a separate Aerobics Studio for classes, among which Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, boxing, TRX).
• Sports Complex has a Bungee Trampoline, Spider Web (climbing wall with spiral slide), Mini Golf and Ropes Courses, Zip Line, The Plank (walking platform); combined sports court (basketball/volleyball), Race Track (Ferrari TM go-karts), Rock Climbing Wall, Jogging Track.
• Race Track is operated with 10 electric carts and 5-6 min race sessions. Go-Karts are decorated with different companies' logos.
• Laser Battle is an open-air laser tag course with obstacles and a large touchscreen for kids.
• Vibe Beach Club (99 seats, deck 19) is an adults-only relaxation area (surcharges per day apply) with cantilevered whirlpools, sunbathing area with sun loungers and luxury chaise lounge chairs, outdoor bar, private cabanas.
• Forward on decks 17-18 are located two 2-level bar lounges - Horizon Lounge and The Haven Lounge.
• Forward on deck 17 are located The Haven Courtyard Sundeck, Jacuzzies, waterslides (Aqua Racer, Ocean Loops), Speedway Jogging Tracks.
• On deck 16 are located swimming pools, Sundeck, Kids' Aqua Park, wellness facilities (Fitness Center, Mandara Spa, Beauty Salon, Barber Shop).
• Forward on deck 15 is the Observation Lounge & Bar (444 seats, size 2723 ft2 / 253 m2). This is a VIP lounge (exclusive for Concierge Level passengers) with a delicious buffet (available for light breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks) and offers 270-degree ocean views (from floor-ceiling windows) and full Bar service.
• On deck 13 is the Infirmary/Medical Center.
• On deck 8 are Cellars Wine Bar, Maltings Whiskey Bar, Cavern Club, Humidor Lounge, Sugarcane Mojito Bar, The A-List Bar, Tradewinds Tax & Duty-Free Shops.
• On deck 7 is the Box Office.
• On deck 6 are located Shore Excursions, Internet Cafe-Library-Card Room, Perspective/Photo Studio, Meeting Rooms, Reception/Guest Services, Art Gallery, The Atrium.
• On deck 5 are the children's venues (Splash Academy, Guppies, Video Arcade, Entourage).

Signature activity facilities include 2-level electric go-cart track (Scuderia Ferrari, on top-deck), Galaxy Pavilion (interactive gaming center), outdoor laser tag course, a water park with 2 multi-story waterslides, an outdoor park for tai-chi practicing, luxury-brand shopping district.

Galaxy Pavilion (gaming center) is equipped with interactive video walls and Oculus virtual reality technology. The equipment includes three XD Dark Ride Motion simulators (with 3D real-time graphics, 3D Virtual Surround Sound, multi-sensory effects), six Xbox stations, Star Wars Battle Pod (arcade game), hovercraft bumper cars.

Itineraries

Norwegian Joy itinerary program was initially based on Asian cruises with roundtrip departures from homeports in China ( Shanghai and Tianjin ). The Inaugural Cruise (roundtrip from Shanghai) was on June 27, 2017.

NCL Joy's 2018 Asian schedule also included one 3-night Cruise to Nowhere (on Feb 19) and short-break itineraries (4- and 5-night) visiting exclusively ports in Japan ( Hakata-Fukuoka City , Nagasaki , Yatsushiro-Kumamoto City , Hiroshima , Kochi ). Most 4-night itineraries include only one port of call. In 2018, the ship had scheduled a total of 87 roundtrips leaving from China.

In 2019, NCL Joy operated seasonal cruises in Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal . In April 2019, the ship was repositioned from Shanghai China to Seattle WA for a 7-day Alaskan program. NCL Joy replaced in Alaska NCL Pearl and joined there the fleetmates NCL Bliss and NCL Jewel . After Alaska 2019 season, Joy was repositioned to homeport Los Angeles for Panama Canal and Mexican Riviera itineraries (winter 2019-2020).

Before the inaugural USA (Alaskan) season, Norwegian Joy underwent a USD 50 million drydock upgrade to become virtually identical to NCL Bliss.

Following the Coronavirus crisis, in early-April 2021 NCL announced new schedules for the ships JADE (7-day Mediterranean-Greek Islands from Piraeus-Athens /starting July 25), JOY (7-day Caribbean from Montego Bay Jamaica /starting August 15) and GEM (7-day Caribbean from La Romana Dominican Republic /starting August 7).

• Previously, the boats were planned to restart as follows - Joy (October 19, 2021/Caribbean from Miami ), Gem (Oct 29, 2021/Bermuda from NYC ), Jade (January 2, 2022/South Africa from Cape Town ).
• In late-May NCL canceled JOY's ex-Jamaica schedule (Aug 7 thru Oct 9) and planned an Alaskan deployment (with Seattle homeporting) but this program was canceled in June.
• In early-June NCL canceled GEM's ex-Dominicana schedule (Aug 15 thru Oct 10).

For 2021-2022-2023 were scheduled roundtrips from homeports Miami (to Caribbean), NYC New York (to Bermuda),  Los Angeles (to Mexican Riviera), Seattle (to Alaska).

Norwegian Joy - user reviews and comments

Photos of norwegian joy.

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Other Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ships

• Norwegian Aqua
• Norwegian Bliss
• Norwegian Breakaway
• Norwegian Dawn
• Norwegian Encore
• Norwegian Epic
• Norwegian Escape
• Norwegian Gem
• Norwegian Getaway
• Norwegian Jade
• Norwegian Jewel
• Norwegian Pearl
• Norwegian Prima
• Norwegian Sky
• Norwegian Spirit
• Norwegian Star
• Norwegian Sun
• Norwegian Viva
• Pride of America

Norwegian Joy Wiki

Norwegian Joy is one of NCL's Breakaway Plus-class/new series vessels. Joy and the sistership Norwegian Escape (October 2015) both had their names selected through contests hosted online.

The vessel was initially named "Norwegian Bliss" (selected via an NCL-hosted online contest) The vessel's construction started with the steel-cutting on September 16, 2015. On October 12, 2015, was officially announced that the new ship would be redesigned for the Chinese market. The new "Joy" name was announced on March 30, 2016, along with the homeports in China - Shanghai and Tianjin.

The ship's name "Norwegian Joy" (in Chinese "Xǐ Yue Hao") was announced on Feb 29th (2016).

The liner was built with new "scrubbers" (exhaust gas cleaning systems). The new technology reduces the equivalent of approx 1500 tons of the poisonous gas Sulfur Oxide. These in-line scrubbers (5 units) are lightweight and able to operate in a dry mode, as well as in open and closed loops.

The vessel's construction officially started on September 16, 2015, with the steel-cutting ceremony at Meyer Werft shipyard ( Papenburg Germany ). Instead of the traditional water method (injecting the metal with heat), for NCL Joy was used the dry plasma method - for more precise cuts and creating less mess).

On April 5, 2016, started the vessel's physical construction/assembly with the keel-laying ceremony. During the event, the first keel block (weighing 680 tons, one of all 80 blocks comprising the vessel) was lifted by a huge crane and placed into the shipyard's covered building hall. With this event was officially started the ship's assembly. Previously, a special commemorative coin was created and during the keel laying was traditionally placed under the first building block. The coin was blessed on March 31, 2016, at XingTian Temple (Shanghai) during a pledge ceremony to the Chinese goddess of the sea "Mazu".

In March 2016, at Mazu Temple (Shanghai) was held a traditional ceremony to obtain a blessing for the coins used in NCL Joy's keel-laying ceremony. During the event, temple representatives gifted a Mazu ceramic statue to the NCL company. The statue was then brought to Germany for the vessel's official delivery. The statue was given a place of honor on the ship to carry Mazu's blessings on the repositioning cruise from Europe to China.

The name of the ship's godmother (godfather in this case) was officially announced by NCL in late November 2016 - Wang Leehom (born 1976), Chinese-American singer, actor, producer and movie director. The NCL Joy's godfather also serves as the NCLH company's brand ambassador for the Chinese market, promoting NCL through various media (including social media) platforms.

On March 4, 2017, was the launch (float-out from drydock/shipyard's covered dock 2). The vessel was then berthed at a pier for the remaining works. The conveyance (via Ems River towards the North Sea) was scheduled for late March. In the North Sea were held sea trials before the official delivery (April 28, 2017). NCL Joy arrived in Shanghai China in late June for year-round operations.

On March 26, 2017, the vessel was conveyed on Ems River from Papenburg to Eemshaven Holland . In the following days, the ship completed sea trials on the North Sea and was handed over to NCL on April 27.

NCL Joy ship was delivered on April 28, 2017. The onboard ceremony was held in Bremerhaven . The ceremony was attended by Andy Stuart (NCL's CEO and President) and David Herrera (NCLH China's President).

The ship was christened in Shanghai China on June 27, 2017. The onboard naming ceremony featured a live performance by the vessel's godfather Wang Leehom. He is a Chinese-American songwriter, singer, music producer, actor and film director. In homage to the hull art (by Chinese artist Tan Ping, who also attended the event), the christening ceremony started with a dance performance by Yabin Wang. The Phoenix was selected as the hull artwork's focal point, as for the Chinese the mythological bird represents beauty and good luck. Naming ceremony's pinnacle moment was when the godfather Wang Leehom and NCL executives simultaneously smashed champagne bottles against a replica ship's hull, which released an oversized Veuve Clicquot (Yellow Label Champagne) bottle that shattered against the real ship's hull.

For season 2019 (April through September), NCL offered 1-day only promo deals with free flights and reduced roundtrip airfare for new bookings on Norwegian Joy's 7-day Alaskan itineraries (roundtrips from Seattle). NCL's Alaskan promo was available for one day only (September 14, 2018). Instead of the airfare promo, customers had the option for up to USD 1000 per stateroom discount.

Following the relocation from Asia, NCL's Joy had planned a USD 50-million refurbishment for upgrades and design changes, to become identical to the sistership Norwegian Bliss .

Following the COVID-related suspension, NCL Joy was scheduled to restart operations in 2021 with a mini-season of 7-day Caribbean roundtrips from Jamaica (August 15 thru October 9).

Prices were in the range USD 500-800 per person with double occupancy. However, the Jamaica homeporting schedule was canceled in late May, and the liner restarted services on October 19, out of PortMiami .

Norwegian Joy refurbishment 2024 review

The ship's 3-week drydock refurbishment in 2024 (January 22nd through February 12th, at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam ) resulted in new venues, redesign and renovations to many public areas, an expanded Mandara Spa (a Thermal Suite was added), The Heaven complex renovations and expansions, 24x new balcony staterooms (taking space from the Observation Lounge), redesigned Premier Owner's Suites (to become 3-Bedroom Haven Suites), 40x new spa balcony cabins added (with direct access to the wellness/spa complex).

The 24 new balcony staterooms occupy a space that was part of the Observation Lounge. The category of 40x other staterooms was changed to "spa balcony", allowing their occupants free and direct access to Mandara Spa & Salon ( deck 16 ) which was fitted with a Thermal Suite. The new Thermal Suite (the largest among the Breakaway-Plus sisterships) took the space of the VR gaming complex Galaxy Pavilion. Norwegian Joy's Thermal Suite groups a Sauna Room, an Ice Room, an Aroma Steam Room, as well as a separate Spa Lounge (relaxation area with tiled heated loungers and 4-senses loungers), a Biostation (for intravenous therapy/body treatment), new foot hydrotherapy (using products by Kneipp GmbH).

The two redesigned Owner Suites are (each) with 3x bedrooms, 3x full bathrooms, 1x half bath, a separate dining room (bow-facing/overlooking the Haven Horizon Lounge), their living rooms and master bedrooms are redesigned and their terraces received new outdoor furniture.

Vibe Beach Club ( deck 20 ) was enlarged by taking the space of the Laser Tag Arena. Like on the sisterships Bliss and Encore, Joy's expanded Vibe Beach Club has private cabanas.

Drydock 2024 also included general maintenance works, technical overhauls, hull cleaning/repainting.

Inaugural itineraries 2017

Norwegian Joy was deployed for year-round operations in Asia. The NCL Joy ship is specifically designed to target the Chinese market. The vessel features a higher cruising speed allowing it to operate on longer itineraries to more distant ports of call.

Following the April 2017 delivery, NCL Joy started its repositioning to China. The relocation cruise itinerary included showcasing events as part of grand inaugural port tours. These 1-day events were held at each of the itinerary's ports of call - Singapore , Qingdao , Shenzhen and Hong Kong . VIP partner cruises were also operated from the ship's Chinese homeports Shanghai and Tianjin-Beijing .

The ship's ever first Chinese cruise (preview voyage from Shanghai to Kochi Japan ) was on June 10, 2017. The 4-night long roundtrip voyage (June 10-15) was attended by over 1700 VIP guests from Alibaba Group (the world's largest online commerce company).

The ship's christening ceremony was on June 27, 2017, led by godfather Wang Leehom.

NCL Joy's Inaugural Cruise from Shanghai was on June 28. Roundtrip itineraries out of Tianjin were scheduled for the period August 26 through September 15, 2017.