leos037

you actually not supposed to tip them -  I was waiting for a massage on Seaside when a lady tried to get change by the spa desk and was told no   

you may get 50% off offers on board for the last day or port day but will pay service charges on it 

love those rooms   had one a year ago and about to have it again.   Aside from the tub its huge for a cruise cabin and has a walk it closet!

always wear a watch with ships time on it!

2 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

 

Keep in mind that's an oceanview stateroom. But it's great value for money.

 

Thank you i know -  with 2  sneaky small kids i prefer  not to have a balcony 🙂 

9 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Here's a little background for those of you who haven't followed my other posts

Dear Jamie   Thank You for the review. - We also missed good cookies on the Bliss and loved Indian food.

- Good choice on the Seaside  - sailed her twice and going back in September.  - Pizza  there is great, but not as many dining choices -  book the trio package online to for the sp restaurants.  Also dont miss the spa its awesome - and weekly pass for 2 with 30 min massage for 2 is  312   vs 500 on bliss without massages!   ( its also part of Auerea bookings) 

 

7 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

 

 

Thanks for the info.  Is it very expensive?

what about rock climbing, ropes or that plank that looks fearful.

You can reserve  go carts and laser tag from the screens near the elevators  - best do it early ( when you board the ship )   as slots fill up  -  $10 per person  

on the breakway plus ships several cabins that end on 700 are very large - 370 sq feet 

Its funny to book on ship that not even finished yet, but we enjoyed the Bliss so i booked one of the  "secret"  *700 Cabins.  Hope its the same as its sister ships 🙂 

7 hours ago, kkelle17 said:

I know that the height requirement for driving the go karts has been raised to 55". I am wondering if my 7 year old who is 50" tall will be able to ride tandem with her dad driving. Does anyone know? 

 

Thanks. 

Yes  he will be able to go as a passenger.  Were on Bliss last month with 6 year old and 8 year old - 6 year old is 45 inches tall. no problems just make sure all have closed toe and hill shoes 

So did anyone sail in those cabins?  Is there a pullman?

glad i found this - Booking a 700 cabin on the Encore hope its the same 🙂 

Jamie      Here is  someone who put it nicely in a post :    main difference - mainly European passengers and not as many places to eat 🙂    

 

"MSC is pretty unique.

It operates on a different model than the mainstream lines 

You pick you cabin, and Experience. Each Experience has different inclusions, and different price points, versus mainstream lines where everyone gets the same basic services and option, with suites possibly paying more for more options. Experiences include Bella, Fantastica, Wellness, Aurea or Yacht Club. 

Many people who have been unhappy wirh MSC seen to not understand the Experience differences and are expecting the same thing found on other lines.. 

It's also more European in focus - service standards and so forth are much more European than USA.. Many people complain about "unfriendly" or "impersonal" service - because the staff aboard is not in your face every five minutes asking how things are, nor making like you're best friends after one meeting. Rather, they're efficient, friendly, and to business, but not fawning, buddy buddy, new best friend type..... Much more like dining or bars in Europe... It suits some, and not others - especially those who are expecting things to be like other lines. 

Demographic aboard are much more diverse than your mainstream lines also. That is a plus to many, and a drawback to some. Announcements are in several languages. Menus are in several languages. Customs among the passengers are different, and so forth.

That's much of its appeal to many people - it's different, and stands out in a crowded field. But there's a fair amount who haven't done any research really, don't understand the more European focus, and just booked the lowest price, and then are upset about charges or dining options or demographics aboard or whatnot. 

15 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

We are considering our first MSC cruise only having ever sailed on NCL so far. We have sailed on the Escape twice and the Gem once. Will be sailing on the Bliss this Saturday!

 

Since you have sailed NCL before, have you sailed on any of the Breakaway/Breakaway Plus class ships and how did you feel the experience overall compared on the Seaside?

Just got off the Bliss - was good but very different vibe from Seaside   (book go carts and laser tag early)  dont miss Jersey boys and Cagneys steak house  

 

No personal experience  but was booking deck 8 for later sailing and my research indicates that its fine 🙂  

my .2 cents.   I am 40, ex New Yorker and cruise with my wife and  two kids 6 and 8. Cruised RCL, NCL and HAL 12 cruises 5 with kids  We look for the place to relax and for kids to have fun.   Msc provided both

Our first sailing on Seaside was its 4th sailing  (fantastica balcony)  Ship still had  new-ship problems; sewer smell gremlins, customer service issues.   Made the best of it, had  good time  and saw potential 

Cruised this November in SJ3 cabin with hottub and it was great! best cruise out of 12. Loved the spa!  

Booked again for next year.

- Sailed NCL Bliss a month ago - GO carts and Lasertag was nice  but $$$  value was missing.    Booked MSC for march 2020 on Mera   

 

So yes MSC is ready for NA  just some NA is not ready for it  🙂

Anyone have trouble booking Specialty Restaurants? Getting this message for November on Seaside.  No problem for Meraviglia in March 

tried clearing cookies - did not help

Been on it Seaside twice,   the way they do it   1) can bring the drink from the bar just outside the restaurants.  2) On our sailings waiter asked if we wanted something from the bar.

 

Are you able to buy the Spa pass?  Whats the cost?

Did you ever book that room?

 

Anyone sailed on  Meraviglia on deck 8? any  noise problems form restaurants below? 

Post Cruise Review NCL Bliss 1/19/2019

This was our 12th cruise. Second on NCL. (RCL, MSC and HAL in the past)

Cruised with 2 kids 6 and 8. 5th cruise for them. Everyone had a great

time. We look at cruising as floating resort with babysitting. We live in Florida so beach access is not a priority.

Room (5746)

Booked a family ocean view. Great location midship near the elevators and kids club. Pretty quiet aside from gangway deployment woke us up once but was not a big deal. Lots of storage with 2 closets, shelves and a drawers. 2 tvs, pullman bed and curtain to divide the room. Bathroom has a tub and double sink. King size bed leaves very little space to pass by it. 9/10

Food

You will no go hungry on this ship! There are almost too many restaurants!

We used a booking bonus to try Q - BBQ place ( food was good - service slow, pecan pie divine) Cagney Steak House ( Great steak, good dessert, shrimp in the appetizer was not cleaned and was sent back - got grilled shrimp as an apology) French place ( Mushroom soup, escargo and peppercorn steak were amazing. Licked the plate clean!)

Buffet had great variety every night. An unexpected highlight was top notch Indian food. We had it almost every day. On the other hand Asian station was mediocre. Pizza was lousy. Fries were good. 8/10

Water Slides/ Kids Aqua park. /Pools

There are 3 slides on board. I will post rules for all in the photos. Drop Free one ( we ignored it) Aqua racer that we used and a tiny pink slide in the kids park. Aqua racer was fun but carrying tubes up the stairs get old after a while. Crowded during sea days. Kids aqua park is nice but is so close to main pool that it gets super loud. Main pool is small and was usually packed like a sardine can. The adult pool is close to a smoking area and was a no go for us because of it. To few hot tubs. The rule against drinking in the pools and tubs was not enforced 5/10

 

Spa

We thought that $250 weekly pass per person was too much. Bought $59 day passes for port days. Can be only bought the morning of. Spa was nice steam rooms, heated chairs, and a huge therapy pool. Not as serene as some i experienced in the past .

Laser Tag and Go Carts

Some of the main attractions of the ship are go carts and Laser tag. Cost is $10 per person. Despite advertising they do not have "Hero Blastglove " for smaller kids. Gun was a too heavy for my tiny 6 year old. My 8 year old was fine. After getting instructions you play 2 five minute games. Was fun but i thought that games should have been longer. 7/10

Go Carts are also $10 and if you doing doubles $20. Book early as they fill up (also true for laser-tag). You go 4 laps. Fun to do. Make sure you wear shoes with closed toes AND heel for both activities 9/10

Kids Club.

Kids liked it. I was annoyed that it was closed for lunch AND dinner on Sea days so i had to shuffle some reservations. They will feed kids dinner on port days if you sign up. There is a $6 charge for this service. (cheap enough but added the feeling of being nickeled and dimed by NCL) Lots of activities 7pm-10-30 so if you plan for later dinner without kids you are fine. 8/10

Arcade

Its on Deck 5 close the kids club. If you buy Ultimate arcade pass ($25 a day) you can play most of the games that don't have tickets or prizes. Those are that have green tag are included: A star-wars flying game, Pirate shooting game, Jurassic park shooting game, Air hockey, VR ride, and 5 racing games cars and bikes. Prices are around $2 bucks VR game is $10, SW game is $3. Skee ball and basketball as well as claw machines are not included in the pass.

6/10

Overall NCL Bliss is nice ship family friendly ship with lots of activities and lots of food options. We had a good time but not in a hurry to go back because there are other ships that fit our needs better.

I got a the 5% off after our final payment date

they refunded the difference to the card i used

Sthrncrusr- the height requirement is the same for as it is for the double racing slide. My tiny 5 year old was able to do both of them, but not the one with the boogie boards. My giant 7 year old was allowed on the big one, but we all preferred the brown slide.

Anyone got any info on this ?