Our Norwegian Joy Cruise left from Long Beach, which allowed us to take a swan boat ride and explore the Venice canals.
The cruise left from Long Beach, California, and took us to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
ARRIVAL DAY
After we landed at Los Angeles International Airport, we took an Uber to Long Beach and stayed overnight. This gave us some time to relax before our cruise the next day.
We spent the night at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, which is close to the marina.
Swan Boats
The resort fee includes free rides on the Swan Boats and discounts at some restaurants—though not the one we visited. The hotel also has a large pool and hot tub.
You can paddle the Swan Boats around a pond in front of the hotel.
Hours: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Address: 150 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
NEXT DAY
The next morning, I walked along the pier and down to the beach. Shoreline Village has restaurants, gift shops, and a coffeehouse. The night before, I found a small place there selling churros just before closing.
The beach was peaceful in the morning, with only a few people feeding the seagulls.
You can also take photos of the Queen Mary, a ship similar to the Titanic, now docked in Long Beach harbor. You can even spend the night on board, though it stays in the harbor.
After our walk, we took a short Uber ride to begin our cruise on the Norwegian Joy. We arrived just after the initial rush, so everything went smoothly.
OUR TIME ON THE SHIP
On the first day, we played a round of mini-golf with our son. He also enjoyed playing ping pong. During days at sea, he spent a lot of time at Splash Academy, where he could hang out with other kids and play games.
ENTERTAINMENT
Beatles Theme
The ship features a Beatles cover band. On the first night, they played in the main theater and performed songs from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.
We also saw them perform in the smaller Cavern Club venue. One night, they played songs from the early 1960s, and on another, they performed the Abbey Road album.
I liked the club atmosphere because you could get close to the band, but it can get crowded, so arrive early if you want a seat. During the Abbey Road show, we sat outside and watched on a TV screen. It was just us and the bartender, so it felt like a private concert.
Elements
One night, we watched the visual feast of acrobats flying and dancing to exciting music. The show will revel in the four elements of Earth, Air, Water & Fire.
For us, the best part was watching the acrobatic dance team.
Broadway Series: 80s Edition
The Joy Production Vocalists put on a great show with some of the best Broadway tunes from the 1980s.
They performed songs from a variety of musicals, including Chess, La Cage aux Folles, and Annie. It was fun and entertaining to hear these classics from the past.
FOOD SERVICE
Norwegian offers two free specialty dining options, so we chose Food Republic and La Cucina.
Elegant interiors, crisp white linens, and attentive servers make this an intimate dining experience at La Cucina. This was a nice night out without the kid.
We went to Food Republic with our son because it has a wide variety of options. The Asian-Latin fusion dishes are served tapas-style, perfect for sharing.
Most of the time, we ate at the Garden Café buffet. We thought the Indian section was the best.
Another perk on the Norwegian Joy is that breakfast and snacks are available in the Observation Deck. Snack time is handy when the Garden Café is closed between lunch and dinner. Since our room was nearby, we often stopped in for a quick continental breakfast before heading out on shore excursions.
My son wanted steak one night, so we went to the Manhattan Room or the Main Dining Room for something a bit better than the buffet.
On the first day, we ate at The Local Bar and Grill and had fish and chips, nachos, and a burger. It was a good choice while everyone else was heading to the buffet.
Other options include the American Diner for classic diner food, Taste and Savor as part of the Main Dining Room, Ocean Blue for seafood, Teppanyaki for Japanese cuisine, Cagney’s Steakhouse for steak, La Cucina for Italian, Q Texas Smokehouse for Texas BBQ, room service, and The Haven Restaurant, which is private dining for Haven guests only.
SWIMMING
The Pacific was cooler than the Atlantic, so we did not spend much time at the pool. My son and I rode the water slides, and he played in the Kids’ Aqua Park. The hot tubs stayed busy with kids. The Vibe H20 has a 30-person hot tub, and this area is reserved for adults.
MORE ACTIVITIES
Joy Speedway
The ship has a go-kart track that you can race along on the ship with hairpin turns.
Social Comedy and Night Club
We enjoyed the comedy club, and the comedians on this ship were better than usual.
Other activities
The ship also has a large casino, an arcade, a spa and salon, and a fitness center.
RETURN DAY
On our return day, we stayed at the Jamaica Bay Inn Marina Del Rey, part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton. We took an Uber there, and it’s not far from LAX. The hotel has a heated pool and a hot tub. It’s close to Venice Beach, so we visited the beach, canals, restaurants, and shops.
Mother’s Beach
Behind the hotel is Mother’s Beach, where mothers can take their kids to swim in shallow water.
Address: 4101 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Venice Ramen
We ate at a nearby Ramen restaurant and had homemade noodle dishes.
Hours: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., Daily
Address: 515 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
NEXT MORNING: Venice Beach Exploring
Breakfast: Fratelli Café
We had pancakes and omelets with friends at Fratelli Café.
Hours: 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday- Friday; 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday
Address: 552 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Venice Beach Canals
The canals in Venice, California, were built by developer Abbot Kinney, who wanted to recreate Venice, Italy, in California. By the 1920s, cars became the main way to get around, so many canals were filled in and the rest fell into disrepair.
In 1992, the canals were drained and repaired, and now they are a sought-after area to live in.
We explored the canals, which have a few road bridges crossing them. The best way to see the area is to walk along the sidewalks that follow the canals.
Along Dell Avenue, in the middle of the canal area, is the Venice Canals Duck Habitat. There’s also a small playground where my son and I played hide and seek.
During the holiday season, the pedestrian canals are decorated with Christmas lights. The canal area is bounded by Venice Boulevard on the north, Ocean Avenue on the east, Court A on the south, and Strongs Drive on the west side.
You can enter from Venice Beach on 25th Avenue, which is mostly a pedestrian way that becomes the Venice Beach Access Path.
We left the canal area using this path to get to the beach.
Venice Beach Walk
Next, we walked down to Venice Beach. It was too cold to swim, but we found a large sand dune to climb and walk along. My son even came across a hand-dug beach hole.
We stopped at the famed Muscle Beach, where Arnold Schwarzenegger once worked out.
Not too far away was Venice Beach Skatepark, where we watched skateboarders do tricks and fly into the sky and back down again. Then we did a lot of shopping.
Dinner: Cabo Cantine
We had Mexican food at Cabo Cantina and were lucky to arrive during happy hour for a discount. This was our last activity before heading back to the airport to head home.
Hours: 11: 30 a.m. – 12 a.m., Sunday- Thursday; 11:30 a.m. – 1 a.m., Friday; 10 a.m. – 1 a.m., Saturday
Address: 30 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
MORE NORWEGIAN CRUISING
Taking a Norwegian Breakaway Cruise
We took a cruise on Norwegian Breakaway with plenty of activities for kids from water slides to games and sports competitions in Splash Academy.
Taking a Norwegian Escape Cruise
Cruise out of Port Canaveral on the Norwegian Escape and visit Caribbean Islands and onboard activities like a ropes course, mini-golf, and water park.
