Live · sailing at 7 kn · GLACIER BAY, AK
Guests
3,804 – 4,622
Crew
1,821
Cabins
1,926
Length
333 m
Space ratio
36
Homeport pattern
Los Angeles
Where she is right now
En route · GLACIER BAY, AK· 8/2/2026, 1:44:52 PM· Course 4°
Position
58.37°N, 135.96°W
Heading
4° · COG 359°
Speed
7 kn
Destination
GLACIER BAY, AK
Our take · opinion
China-built, Bliss-tuned
We experience Norwegian Joy as the Breakaway Plus sister that started life for the China market, then got rebuilt toward Bliss. She’s Freestyle megaship energy with go-karts and an oversized Haven—best when you want that formula from West Coast or seasonal hubs and understand her identity is a conversion story.
Onboard, Joy now reads like Bliss’s twin, with Speedway racing, laser tag, Aqua Park slides, and a busy Galaxy-style night for teens. The difference we still brief is history: she was purpose-shaped for Chinese holidays, then heavily reworked in 2019 so US guests get familiar Freestyle venues. That conversion mostly worked for American deployments, yet it still shows in a few cabin and lounge choices.
Cabin inventory skews family and suite rather than solo traveler. There are no Studio cabins here, because that complex became Interior Family Suites for multi-gen groups who want connecting space without a full suite outlay. The Haven is larger than on older Breakaways, with Owner’s Suites as the top end and a private courtyard rhythm we like for celebrations and quieter pool hours.
We’d avoid banks under the racetrack and late-night decks, and we’d ask solo travelers whether Escape or Bliss Studios fit better than Joy’s insides. Dining follows the post-refit US specialty set of steakhouses, teppanyaki, and Freestyle mains rather than the China-only original mix. Ask us which homeport sailing on this page matches your group before you pick a category, because West Coast and Caribbean weeks feel different even on the same ship.
She's for
- Families who want Bliss-style thrills on Joy’s sailings
- Groups booking The Haven for a quieter bubble
- West Coast shoppers on Mexican Riviera or Alaska patterns
- Multi-gen trips using Interior Family Suites
She's not for
- Solo travelers who need Studio cabins
- Quiet-cruise guests avoiding megaship crowds
- Shoppers who want a ship designed for the U.S. from day one
Honest caveat
She’s a China-market Breakaway Plus later rebuilt toward Bliss—great product now, but not identical to a U.S.-first design, and she still lacks Studios. We’ll walk Haven vs family-interior tradeoffs before you book—ask us.
The record · ship backgroundBreakaway Plus, reinvented
Show ship backgroundHide ship background
The record · ship background
Breakaway Plus, reinvented
Show ship backgroundHide ship backgroundNorwegian Joy was delivered in 2017 by Meyer Werft as the second Breakaway Plus ship, ordered under the working name Bliss and redesigned mid-build for year-round Chinese deployment from Shanghai and Tianjin. Godfather Wang Leehom christened her in Shanghai with phoenix hull art intended for that market, and early dining and lounge mixes followed the China brief.
A major 2019 drydock converted venues and hotel product toward the Norwegian Bliss template, after which she repositioned to U.S. programs including Seattle Alaska and Los Angeles Mexican Riviera sailings. A further Grand Bahama drydock in early 2024 continued U.S.-market updates, including suite and spa-balcony adjustments and entertainment refreshes across multiple decks.
Confirm current homeport rotation for the voyage you want on this page—West Coast, Caribbean, and canal patterns have all appeared in recent seasons. Specs and live sailings sit in the fact sheet and table below; treat the China origin as history, and verify the post-refit product for your dates.
Build record
- Keel to delivery
- 2015 – 2017
- Inaugural
- Jun 2017, Shanghai
- Fuel
- Marine diesel + scrubbers
- Sisters
- Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Escape
Commerce
Upcoming sailings
40 itineraries · 84 sail dates on Norwegian Joy. Fares are live and change daily.
| Sailing | Date | Depart | Nights | $/n | Inside | Balcony | Suite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska - SeattleSeattle, Wa | Sitka, Ak | Juneau, Ak | Cruise Glacier Bay, Ak | Icy Strait Point, Ak | Ketchikan (Ward Cove), Ak | Victoria Bc Canada | Seattle, Wa | Aug 5, 2026 | Seattle | 9 | $174 | $1,568 | $2,228 | — |
| Alaska - SeattleSeattle, Wa | Ketchikan (Ward Cove), Ak | Icy Strait Point, Ak | Juneau, Ak | Skagway, Ak | Cruise Glacier Bay, Ak | Victoria Bc Canada | Seattle, Wa | Aug 24, 2026 | Seattle | 9 | $190 | $1,745 | $1,998 | — |
| Alaska - SeattleSeattle, Wa | Ketchikan (Ward Cove), Ak | Juneau, Ak | Skagway, Ak | Icy Strait Point, Ak | Cruise Glacier Bay, Ak | Victoria Bc Canada | Seattle, Wa · 2 dates | Sep 2, 2026 | Seattle | 9 | $144 | $1,298 | $1,768 | $2,183 |
| Alaska - SeattleSeattle, Wa | Ketchikan (Ward Cove), Ak | Cruise Glacier Bay, Ak | Juneau, Ak | Icy Strait Point, Ak | Sitka, Ak | Skagway, Ak | Victoria Bc Canada | Seattle, Wa | Sep 11, 2026 | Seattle | 10 | $136 | $1,360 | $1,650 | $2,167 |
| Repo - Pacific CoastalVancouver, Canada | Vancouver, Canada | Seattle, Wa | Astoria, Or | San Francisco, Ca | Los Angeles, Ca | Oct 1, 2026 | Vancouver | 6 | $87 | $524 | $674 | $897 |
| Repo - Panama CanalLos Angeles, Ca | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico | Acapulco, Mexico | Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala | Puerto Caldera Puntarenas, Costa Rica | Panama City (Pct), Panama | Cartagena Colombia | Ocho Rios, Jamaica | Miami, Fl | Oct 7, 2026 | Los Angeles | 16 | $111 | $1,769 | $2,289 | $2,769 |
Showing 6 of 40 itinerary groups
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