I'm going to be honest with you: when we booked the Norwegian Joy for February, I had a very specific vision. Sun-drenched decks, kids entertained by the ship's activity team, anniversary drinks at sunset, maybe a tasteful snorkeling excursion. A normal Caribbean cruise.
What I did not have in my vision: squirrel monkeys using my family as a jungle gym somewhere in the Dominican Republic. And yet. Here we are.
Port 1 — Dominican Republic: the monkey situation
Instead of booking through Norwegian's excursion desk like a sensible person, I found a local monkey encounter experience independently and booked it myself. I will not say I fully understood what I was signing up for. "Encounter" turned out to mean: sit on a bench in the jungle while approximately 20 tiny primates treat you and your children as a combination climbing wall, snack bar, and nap spot.
A. with a monkey on his head. L. trying to hold it together. T. has fully given up and is face-down in her dad's chest. Perfectly normal family photo.
A. (10) had a monkey sitting directly on top of his head for a solid two minutes and wore the expression of a person who has achieved everything they ever wanted in life. L. (7) was giggling so hard she could barely sit still, which the monkeys appreciated because it made her easier to climb. T. (2), who eyes most animals with deep personal suspicion, decided that if she just buried her face completely and refused to make eye contact, the monkeys weren't technically real.
The full chaos of the situation, documented.
It was loud, chaotic, slightly feral, and completely unforgettable. Exactly what a family trip should be.
Skip the ship's excursion list for the DR and do your own research — local independent experiences are often smaller, more personal, and considerably more memorable. Just maybe Google the word "encounter" before you commit.
Port 2 — St. Thomas: the anniversary we actually got
Romance with three kids has to be engineered. It does not happen organically. So for our St. Thomas day — which also happened to fall on our anniversary — we booked the Gypsea Pearl, a private luxury charter, just for our family. I had done my homework. I knew prosecco would be waiting when we boarded. What I hadn't accounted for: the Norwegian Joy taking her sweet time clearing customs while we watched our carefully planned departure window slowly evaporate from the deck.
We made it. The prosecco was indeed chilled. And the Gypsea Pearl had arranged mac and cheese and hot dogs for the kids — because I mentioned it in my booking notes and they actually listened.
H. taking in the view from the Gypsea Pearl. That water color is not a filter.
Left: the view leaving the harbor. Right: A. and H. on the floating dock, living their best lives.
The kids spent most of the afternoon on inflatable floating docks in water so blue it looks fake in photos. (It's not fake. It's actually that blue. I checked.) We swam, we floated, we toasted to another year. Nobody cried. The kids were fed. Ten out of ten.
The Gypsea Pearl is worth every penny for a St. Thomas port day, especially with kids. Email ahead with your family situation — they went genuinely above and beyond without being asked twice.
Port 3 — British Virgin Islands: a lesson in backup plans
I had big plans for Tortola. A full-day charter, booked weeks in advance. The operator cancelled the morning of. This is the real risk of booking independent excursions from cruise ports — your scramble window is exactly as long as your time in port, and the ship doesn't wait. We pivoted, found a beach, and made it work.
Left: A. on a BVI beach we found entirely by accident. Right: leaving St. Thomas as the sun went down.
The BVI is genuinely stunning even when your original itinerary evaporates. Always have a mental backup option queued up for independently booked port excursions — just in case.
The ship itself: honest thoughts
The Norwegian Joy is big, busy, and excellent for families. There is genuinely always something for kids to do, which creates windows of time where you are not personally responsible for their entertainment — a gift I cannot overstate. The food is solidly good. The pools are crowded at peak times but fine if you get there early. The Freestyle dining model — no fixed times, no assigned seating — is a genuine game-changer when you're traveling with a toddler who eats on her own schedule and nobody else's.
The real magic of cruising with young kids isn't any single amenity. It's the logistics: one suitcase unpacked, multiple destinations, built-in meals and activities, a floating hotel that moves while you sleep. For our season of life, it works beautifully.
Yes — and we already are. Puerto Rico is next. Book specialty restaurants as soon as you board; they fill up on day one.