Introduction
Sailing through the Panama Canal has been high on my bucket list for years, and in early 2024, the opportunity finally came to book this fantastic trip. After researching various cruise itineraries, we found the perfect one aboard Norwegian Joy with Norwegian Cruise Line. The itinerary looked ideal, the price fit our budget, and even the flights aligned nicely with our plans. With our annual leave approved, we quickly booked the trip—and the countdown began!
In this first part of our detailed trip report, we’ll cover Days 1-5: our journey to Miami, boarding the stunning Norwegian Joy, our first impressions, relaxing days at sea, and our memorable day in Cartagena, Colombia. For detailed stories from specific ports, click the links provided; otherwise, enjoy this comprehensive summary!
Here’s the executive summary of the trip itinerary.
Day 1: Flying to Miami
We bounced out of bed at 3.30am, which is not typical of us… but today was different and we were super excited to get over to the airport. We were booked onto BA1321, the 6.15 am from Newcastle to London Heathrow. It’s a short-hop and connected us to our long-haul sky-bird.
Newcastle International
Newcastle International is our regional airport. It’s nothing special to look at but it’s rarely ever a chore to be here, but maybe that’s my holiday vibe bias. We parked on site, walked into the terminal and queued for check-in. BA open the counters exactly 2 hours before departure for their first flight of the day, so we knew that we would be hanging around for 10 mins. There was already a queue forming, but we were lucky enough to be traveling in Business Class today- no queue for us.
Check-in was painless, just some questions about ESTA’s, which we had printed. We headed for the lounge. The BA lounge closed a few years back, and the Aspire Lounge was renovated and expanded into the area. The Aspire Lounge was previously a no-go, but the new lounge is great. I think it’s now 3 lounges, we headed into the left area (previously the BA lounge space). We were greeted by a staff member who recognised us from our last visit, a nice touch. We had some breakfast and a glass of Prosecco. The breakfast was good, but I can’t drink at 4 am, so Ben took over.
The 45-minute flight down to London was uneventful. There may have been a few more glasses of champagne involved and a cup of tea.
London Heathrow
Arriving into London Heathrow, our next flight was at 9.50 am. With a little time to burn we decided to pick up some fragrance at the duty-free and then head to the BA lounge in T5 B. The T5 A lounges are always super busy, while B is pretty chill and halfway to C, which is where we would depart from. The underground walkway seems to be one of the best-kept secrets in Heathrow – always quiet and essential if you want to avoid the crowds on the inter-Terminal 5 train. A short while later, we were in the T5 B lounge having breakfast #2, Prosecco, and tea.
BA207 would then take us to Miami, but not before we noticed an SSSS on Ben’s boarding pass. This isn’t unusual for Ben, he’s no stranger to the Super Sexy Strip Search or Secondary Security Screening Selection. Shortly afterwards, we boarded the upper deck of an enormous Airbus A380.
In-flight experience on BA207
The business class seat configuration is the old yin yang design. It’s pretty shocking to be honest, you quite literally have to step over people to get out of half the seats. The inflight service was great from the BA team – they’re consistently great in the air. The meal was good, it was the same menu as our New York flight in Feb so we sorta knew what was up.
The starter. Super tasty.
Trying to catch some Zzz.
After my meal, I decided to make the bed up and try for some sleep. I was able to get 2, maybe 3 hours of shut eye, which was great – it’s like teleporting to your destination.
Arriving at Miami International
In 2024 we flew into Miami with American Airlines (BA rebooked us, that’s another story) and walked into an absolute horror show on arrival. We queued for almost 3 hours for immigration, airline staff were telling us that they had never seen it so bad. So naturally, we were expecting the same again. We hurried off the aircraft as soon as we could and joined what was already a big crowd at the tram stop. Coming off the tram, we went up an escalator, around a few corners, and into an empty room. We were straight through, unbelievable. The bags came off shortly after, and we were off.
We decided to get an Uber to the hotel so we followed the signs for ride-share pickup. I had mobile data pre-arranged so we were set. What we hadn’t anticipated was the demand. There was an Electronic Dance Music festival in town. We waited 20 minutes for a driver, then another 15 minutes for them to pick us up. $43 later, we had arrived.
We have been using Airalo for overseas mobile data recently. For this trip, we opted for a global esim package: ‘Discover Global – eSIM – 10 GB – 180 Days’ It cost us £48 each but would work in every country on the itinerary. We have used them before in SE Asia and they were great there too. Highly recommended if you’re looking for no-fuss overseas data to avoid those overpriced roaming fees. If you use KEITH8987 at sign-up or checkout, we both get a £2.50 credit!
Dua Miami hotel stay
Hotel prices for this weekend were wild, owing to the Ultra music festival. We were able to find a points stay at a decent Marriott hotel, so we opted for this. The Dua Miami is located just south of Brickell City Centre and not too far from the port, so it was ideal really given the circumstances. We were only there for one night. The hotel was lovely, and the staff warm and welcoming. The room was a little odd and impractical; mirror on the ceiling above the bed, bathroom taps that were initially confusing and the heaviest barn door on the bathroom. The bed was comfy and the balcony was a nice touch. I’d stay here again if passing through town.
An evening at Bayside Marketplace
We walked from the hotel up to Bayside Marketplace for some drinks and dinner. It should take about 30 minutes normally, but not today. Because of the music festival, there were multiple road closures and crowds like we rarely ever see back home. Once there, we had food at Kuba Cabana, which was ok. I don’t think it was great, but it was certainly not bad. Next time we ought to try this place! We then headed to the central bar area for a cocktail or two. While we were there, Tiesto took the stage at the music festival, which was literally just over the road. We listened to the Tiesto set and watched it unfold on the TV’s and projectors – incredible!
Bayside Marketplace.
We called it a night at around 9 pm and started the walk back to the hotel. Even if we wanted a taxi, it wasn’t happening. Miami was wild, and we were worn out. Plus, we had a ship to catch the next morning!
Day 2: Embarking the Norwegian Joy
It’s cruise day! The day that we had been looking forward to for so long was finally here. We woke up around 8 am, refreshed, excited and ready to go. A quick shower later, we were checking out at 9 am and ordering another Uber to the port. I expect the festival goers were all in bed; our Uber was with us in less than 5 minutes, and we were off. As a reminder, this was our cruise itinerary:
Arrival
Arriving into the port is easy breezy. A porter helped us with our large bags, which would later be delivered to our stateroom. We sought out the Haven Desk for our 9.30 am arrival slot. The desk was positioned just outside of the main arrival doors. The team confirmed who we were and whisked us into a private elevator and up to a private security and check-in space. Some paperwork later (passports and ESTA’s), we were seated in a lounge with some light snacks and beverages. We had skipped breakfast so we took full advantage. The NCL terminal is really nice, it’s a pretty slick operation so long as your fellow passengers arrive at their allocated time slot.
View of security for non-Haven guests from the Haven balcony.
Checked into the Haven
Boarding
At 10:45 am, we were collected and escorted onto the ship by the concierge. The turnaround day on a cruise blows my mind. Disembarking the previous passengers, cleaning every room, handling all that luggage… Anyhow, we sought out our muster station (A venue called ‘The Local’) for a quick scan of our sea pass, confirming that in an emergency, we knew where to go. We then headed back to the main bank of elevators for an escort up to the Haven.
The Haven is stunning. It’s all behind a door that only Haven passengers can access, a ship-within-a-ship. Here is a quick rundown of the main Haven spaces:
- Haven Bar: Headed up by Irene, who runs the best bar at sea.
- Haven Restaurant: Worked by a small army of folks who really look after you and personalise the service.
- Horizon Lounge: A quiet indoor space with loungers and daily snacks.
- Haven sun-deck: The perfect sun trap, with loungers, cabanas, and two jacuzzis.
- Haven Courtyard: An indoor space with a pool and jacuzzi over two levels, with a retractable roof.
We were taken to the bar and quickly found ourselves exploring the Haven with a drink in hand. At 12:00pm the restaurant opened for lunch. We headed in and chose to eat outside – they have a covered area that overlooks the jogging track and lido, and it quickly became a favourite place of ours to dine. We both had the French Dip sandwich, which was excellent, although their gravy game (or sauce-game) could use some improvement. Satisfied, we were told that the rooms were now ready.
17102, the Haven Courtyard Penthouse
We headed directly to our stateroom after lunch to take a peek at where we would be living for the next 15 nights. The room was spacious, the bathroom was great. The Balcony was also large and had two chairs, a table, and two sun loungers. We were happy, this was going to be excellent! The doorbell rang a few moments later, our Butler had dropped in to introduce himself. The butler service sounds great on paper but we’re both pretty self-sufficient and don’t really need to ask for much.
Once the butler left, the door went again; this time it was a porter with our luggage. Sometimes, you can wait an age, but not today. Ben started Operation Unpack with a glass of Prosecco in hand. I’m only allowed to observe this process; he has a system, and I’m not about to endanger my life by interfering. The storage in the room was plentiful, although the wardrobe shelves were really shallow and impractical. We brought an impossible amount of toiletries, but the bathroom could easily accommodate them – lots of sensible storage options.
The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were not great. I understand that there are alternative pillows available, but we persevered – such hardship. We removed all of the paid items from the mini-fridge and filled it with bottled water.
We headed out for an explore. For this trip, we decided that we would avoid the elevators as much as possible for health and fitness reasons. The Haven escorts were the only exception. What I hadn’t quite grasped was that we were on floor 17, and the main interior of the ship could be found on 6, 7, and 8. Ouch. We ventured down the stairs and saw the main speciality restaurants, the Sugarcane and Cavern club bar, the atrium, the casino, and the duty-free shopping. Ben and I agreed to be on the Sun-deck for sailaway, which was soon. We ended up taking a pitstop at the District Brewhouse, which served over 40 types of lager/beer. Eventually, we made it up to deck 19.
Sail away
We sheltered from the crowds on the Haven sun-deck, watching as we carefully maneuvered into the main channel and past Icon of the Seas. There was a band playing on the lido, and folks were having a great time. We were soon out to sea and on our way to Cartagena, Colombia, we would arrive in 2 days time.
The weather was a little overcast and grey, we had brought the British weather with us – so here is a sunnier sail away from the same port in 2024! We returned to the room after sail away to freshen up, ready for our first evening aboard.
Sail away from the NCL Miami terminal – but not taken on this trip (2024 Prima)
Evening
We retreated to our stateroom to freshen up and then headed to the Haven Bar for a drink. We met Irene here who heads up the bar, she is an absolute machine and was able to make drinks for us based on the descriptions of what we liked. I’ve never experienced this before, but honestly, it was fantastic! Ben made friends with her immediately and was treated to all sorts of Prosecco-based cocktails over the two weeks.
At 7.30 pm we headed up to dinner at the Haven restaurant. I recall having the Rotisary Chicken while Ben opted for the Surf and Turf, it was all great and the service was world class.
Later, we headed down to the main theatre to catch the adult-only comedy show (9.30 pm). The first comedian was really funny but the second performer cracked alot of jokes that we just didn’t find amusing. He was very well received by the crowd, so maybe it was just us. The show kicked out around 10:30 pm. Time for one more drink, then bed. What a great start to his vacation!
Day 3: At sea
Day 3 was windy. We were up around 6.30 am and decided to go to the gym. The facilities are pretty good but wow, it was packed. Ben went to do some resistance training while I did 30 minutes on the cross-trainer. Back to the room, showered and off for breakfast.
The sun was out, but the wind was whipping up the Caribbean sea. The sun-deck was open though, the drinks were flowing and we were having a great time exploring and enjoying the ship’s facilities.
Rose & Jack were enjoying themselves.
I attended a port talk in the main theatre at 11 am, which was really just an hour of the excursion team trying to upsell. Still, there was some insight, and I’d recommend it. Ben skipped out by conveniently forgetting something in the room and ultimately opted for some sun. We went for lunch shortly after 12 pm, by which time the wind had calmed somewhat, and we were able to enjoy the open decks a little more.
At some point in the late afternoon, we sent a few items for pressing. There was initially some confusion as our butler informed us that Laundry would not do just pressing, despite it being available on the laundry slip and us having used the service in the last year. He did offer to deliver us an ironing board for the hour. I later clarified with the concierge that this was an offered service, so we sent the items as planned. Ben was visibly upset at the thought of ironing, so this was to everyone’s benefit.
Later that evening, we enjoyed live music on the ship in The Cavern Club, a refreshing Mojito in Sugarcane, and went to dinner in the Haven Restaurant. It was a great day overall, even if it was relatively uneventful. We had planned to use these days to relax: mission accomplished.
Day 4: At sea
More of the same, settling into a routine. For some reason, we just couldn’t sleep in, and this carried through the entire cruise. The wind had died down, and the seas were much calmer now which was welcome. After breakfast and some initial sunning, I dragged Ben along to a talk on how to run a floating hotel. Fascinating really, here are a few facts (although not all were from that talk).
- The Norwegian Joy is comprised of approximately 1,794 team members.
- There are essentially 3 departments:
- Deck, which includes all bridge officers, deck, medical, security, safety, finance, IT, and surveillance
- Engine, which looks after all mechanical and electrical aspects of the ship
- Hotel, which includes all stewards, cruise director and staff, galley, and most importantly, the bar staff
- They make freshwater from sea water, using a process of evaporation and reverse osmosis; they can make 41,210 gallons per hour!
- The fuel capacity of the ship is 985,626 gallons.
- They incinerate the dry garbage that isn’t offloaded for recycling, the system is designed specifically for marine use.
- A weekly shopping list of provisions includes:
- 3,500 lbs of butter
- 38,400 lbs of fresh fruit
- 72,200 fresh eggs
- 30,000 lbs of poultry
- 35,000lbs of beef
- 54,500 lbs of vegetables
- The Food and Beverage team has 865 crew alone.
After the talk, we ascended the staircase (10 floors again) and went for lunch at the Haven Restaurant (outside of course). Once done, we went out for some sun, ducking in and out of the Courtyard as needed to cool off. There is an at-seat bar service offered, which added to the relaxation. We met a super-star waiter called Jepri, from Bali who really looked after us and took Ben’s hydration very seriously. He loved Ben’s Bintang vest, which was his local beer back home. I wish that Ben was as happy to see me as he was to see Jepri!
Later that evening, we dined at Cagney’s, the onboard steakhouse. I had the thick-cut bacon and the beef fillet, which were both outstanding! Both pictured below, I don’t think that I’ll be winning any food photography prizes soon, sorry! We were stuffed and couldn’t manage the chocolate cake dessert. The team offered to call our butler and send it up to the room, but we declined. A drink or two in the Haven Bar followed, then it was time for bed… we had an early start.
Thick-cut bacon
Beef fillet
Day 5: Cartagena, Colombia
We had an amazing time in Cartagena, so much so that I have written a post specifically about the day
(Read more about our day in Cartagena here).
Read more…
If you’re still reading and want to see more, then stay tuned for Part II, where we’ll pick up from our incredible Panama Canal transit and adventures in Central America!
Part II is now available. Continue reading here.
