After booking a cruise with Norwegian Joy on her new itinerary to Alaska, I obsessively read the reviews on this site and others. Yes, the beginning reviews were not so great, but then got better, so I worried less. However, my husband and I personally had nothing to worry about since the incredible staff in the Haven enclave took such great care of us. If you can, book a Haven suite...post-pone your cruise, save your money and book a Haven suite! The enclave included an indoor pool, hot tub, outdoor sun deck with two additional hot tubs, two lounges, a bar, an observatory, a library, concierge, and of course the wonderful Haven restaurant. Within this peaceful place we experienced the awe of Alaska.

I was simply overwhelmed by the personal service the staff gave us. They all, always greeted us by name, knew our drink preferences, went out of the way to indulge us in any way they could, think...bowlfuls of gummy bears and peanut M&M's in our room, not once but four times. The head concierge came to each specialty restaurant and searched out his Haven people to inquire about our experience and to make sure it lived up to his standards for each of us. These wonderful people smiled, laughed, conversed and even sang. They were fun, interesting and incredibly professional. They work so very hard to give each person an ideal cruise experience.

Having just gushed about our experience, I will have to say that I can very much understand people's comments concerning the rest of the ship, and unfortunately the staff. When we emerged from our fantasy Haven-land the crowds were very apparent. Several times I walked the ship and looked around the shops, restaurants, bars, deck 15 Observatory, and buffet. All were very crowded and very loud. It's understandable since the approximately 3600 other passengers were left with very little inside space. The layout of the ship felt cramped and dark with the exception of the Observatory and some bars. The two "atriums" were small and felt closed in by the floors above and/or below. It was so apparent that this ship, with the exception of the Observatories, was not planned with Alaska in mind. When you have that many people crowding in an inside space because of the cold outside, you are bound to have stress and tension. That, in my humble opinion, is not the way anyone should experience the incredible awe and wonder that is Alaska. Read more