coastcat

Bliss from the quiet introvert perspective...

• The Waterfront on deck 8 is a terrific quiet spot most of the time. I particularly liked the seating area midship port side (Sugarcane on the Waterfront) for reading and chilling out with a refreshing adult beverage.
• The Observation Lounge can be crowded, but it can also be a good reading spot if you’re good at blocking out the noise. Be courteous and pick a spot further away from the windows if you’re going to read instead of gawk at scenery.
• Maltings Whiskey Bar felt less noisy than the other bars, and was my preferred indoor spot when I wasn’t in the OL.
• But... you must go to Sugarcane and try all the mojitos. If you have a beverage package, don’t bother with the mojito sampler because you’ll have to pay extra for it. Just order regular-sized mojitos! I feel so boring because I preferred the standard Bacardi mojito over the variations...
• Garden Cafe is a zoo during prime times. As noted, the OL offers light breakfast and lunch items. I went there for embarkation lunch and wound up returning there for almost every other lunch. Seating in the Garden Cafe is challenging. At busy times, don’t even bother searching through the indoor seating - take your food out of the indoor GC and through the door out to the seating by the pool deck on either side. There’s a beverage station on the port side next to the pool bar (not Waves, but the forward one closer to the GC area). Handy tip: the outdoor seating area is heated and covered so it’s usable on Alaska cruises too (with fantastic views!). 
• If you book dinner at Le Bistro, the profiteroles were sooooo good. I also loved the black cod skewers at Food Republic.
• Starbucks is a lot less crowded than you’d think. On my sailing, one of the baristas was skilled at latte art - he added an adorable bear to my flat white. If you have a Starbucks card or gift card, it works fine onboard as does the Starbucks app. You can’t redeem points but you will earn points.

Interesting... On the 16th I captured the prices for 4 cruises I’m considering for next autumn, all with multiple stops in Japan and all for solo occupancy. None of them had been marked as “Solo Cruiser discount” - in fact, nothing beyond February 2020 was except for some cruise/tour and cruise/hotel combos.

Checked again today. Three went up in price across all cabin categories. The fourth, which had a solo discount prior to the recent price shenanigans, has the discount back in place AND free/reduced air for OV or higher. While I’m not sure I’d want NCL to arrange my flights, based on what people have posted here, the Book button has me sorely tempted now...

(Solo Cruiser discounts are now listed well beyond February, thank goodness)

It wouldn't be a horrible walk, maybe a 1/2 mile each way to the Panera or iHOP (I've eaten a lot of pancakes at that particular iHOP). However, I agree that it's not the most convenient location.

A better option is the Courtyard By Marriott in Tukwila on Andover Park W. It's a short walk to a shopping center with fast food (Burger King, Jersey Mike's), a Corner Bakery, and for an adventurous meal, the Chinese hot pot restaurant Boiling Point. The Doubletree on Southcenter Blvd is right next to Outback Steakhouse and across the street from McDonald's.

Or from any of the three hotels, take an Uber/Lyft over to Southcenter Mall which has a lot food options from standard American (Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden) to interesting Asian choices (Jolibee, 85C Bakery Cafe, and the splendid Din Tai Fung for soup dumplings). I love eating in Tukwila!

3 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

 

My cruise is on NCL, with freestyle dining, and I want to resist the urge to eat every meal by myself in the buffet.  I understand NCL often makes a special effort for solos, such hosting a gathering before dinner for those who would like to eat in a group.  That sounds like a good idea for me.   As for entering the dining room alone, I wouldn't mind being seated with others, but my concern would be being seated with others who didn't necessarily want company.  I imagine I will meet people on board, but I don't want to invite myself along for any activities or meals.  My fear of feeling unwelcome is stronger than my fear of being lonely.   

One thing which really attracted me to NCL was having no assigned seating. I am perfectly content to dine solo but would feel less happy about being seated as the lone and unwelcome outsider at a table full of family members. That's like the worst Thanksgiving ever!

With Freestyle I don't know if you can even request to be seated at a group table, since it's not like a traditional dining room where everyone arrives and starts the meal at the same time.

If you'd like, attend the solo gathering before dinner. I've never seen any NCL daily that did not list such a thing every day. On Bliss there was a group dinner arranged every night (rotated between the three MDRs) plus arrangements for shows. You might meet other solos or friendly groups at the roll call meet & greet, if there is one for your sailing.

The servers and staff were perfectly gracious and I enjoyed proper 3-course meals while dining solo. Sure, there's no one to split a dessert with, but there's also no one to scold you if you order two desserts...

Oddly enough, I think the buffet was the most difficult place to dine as a solo. It got really busy there, and there was no one to grab/retain a table. If you wanted a second plate of food, you might return to find the table cleared and someone else sitting there!

6 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

One final question. Since I’ve only cruised on the NCL Getaway (twice), I want to know what the equivalent to O’Sheehan’s Irish Pub is on the Encore? I kept seeing you talk about Food Republic, and was not sure if that was it, or that was the name of the buffet?  

On Encore and other ships, it’s The Local. The decor is lighter but otherwise it’s the same 24/7 bar food favorites. Food Republic is an Asian fusion specialty restaurant and I highly recommend the miso black cod skewers, so tasty...

15 hours ago, jmd97 said:

Sailing on my first solo cruise onboard the Norwegian Bliss (Jan. 5-19). Both nervous and super excited!

Bliss was my first cruise, solo. It's a great ship! NCL is super solo-friendly and you'll have your own activities director to set up group dinners. If you're like me and are content to be completely solo, don't hesitate to book specialty dining on your own. You won't be the only one luxuriating in your own company.

I highly recommend Sugarcane for people-watching while sipping a mojito.

Sid, it's been a joy to travel "with" you on this cruise. Thank you for all the details, photos, and fun!

In your honor I shall make sure to wear socks and stay awake in the OL.

2 hours ago, meatball_nyc said:

Ok. I just googled cheeseburger shots....Definitely not for me.

I just googled it and will happily take your cheeseburger shots if you don't want them. Vitamin C + electrolytes + tequila = breakfast of champions.

20 hours ago, smplybcause said:

 

My last two studios on the Bliss and Breakaway didn't have the dish. Just the circle. No idea why.

My Bliss studio had the dish holder but no dish. I had no clue what the hell it was until someone in the Lounge complained about the lack of drainage in their shower's soap dish. I had been using it to hold my mesh loofah, for which it was perfect.

17 hours ago, smplybcause said:

The studios aren't too small.

Agreed. Mind you, our master bedroom is only 10'x13' so I'm not conditioned to expect a ton of space around the bed.  

Quiet introverts can be perfectly happy on a massive floating amusement park.

On 12/5/2019 at 11:46 AM, Sail & Rail Fan said:

Has anyone sailed in September to Alaska?  Any pros and cons would be greatly appreciated.  

Be prepared for the weather - don't pack until as late as possible so you can check the forecast. Always assume drizzle in the Pacific Northwest, although it's usually just drizzle/mist (aka "Seattle sunshine") rather than real rain.

I sailed out of Seattle on September 22 (NCL Bliss), hit very rough seas on day 1, and then little bad weather of note afterward. It was beautiful in Ketchikan when we arrived, but if I recall correctly, the prior week's sailing had to skip the port due to high winds. Morning in Skagway was pleasant and sunny (I wore a light hoodie), but I had to head back to the ship for a heavier coat for the afternoon. So yes, it's a crap shoot every single day. You'll need the big suitcase.

If you're booking excursions which may be weather dependent (like helicopter sightseeing), keep alternatives in mind if the weather causes cancellations.

The pro is the price, of course, plus there smaller crowds at the ports. Less competition for the outdoor pools and hot tubs, too! If you're lucky, higher elevations may already have snow and that makes the scenery just a bit more gorgeous.

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

So I've been thinking about the foot problem and I think it mostly comes down to unrealistic expectations given the circumstances. Encore is a ship that's currently sailing around the Caribbean, where even though it's winter days are usually in the 80s (mayyyybe high 70s) and everyone is escaping the cold. The vast majority of the passengers are walking around in flip flops or sandals - ie shoes that you do not wear socks with - yet the expectation is that they wear socks on the furniture. So you're expecting them to have socks even though the majority aren't wearing footwear that requires socks. Expectations =/= reality. And expecting people to carry around socks with them is also unrealistic. 

 

If they actually want people to wear something covering their feet then it would be much more likely to happen if there were foot coverings to be had in the location - removing the need for passengers to not only carry around something that's only needed in one specific area but also removing the need to remember that.

I was on Bliss in Alaska, in late September, and spent many hours in the OL.

Bare feet everywhere.

Medical emergency confirmed:

I don’t travel without at least one flavor of Mio drops packed. Heck, I keep one in my car as well.

21 minutes ago, jimdee3636 said:

The fact that a wine is a blend is not, per se, a sign of lower quality. Virtually all the great Bordeaux wines, for example, are blends, including Chateau Lafite, Chateau Latour, Petrus, and Mouton Rothschild. You'll pay upwards of $1,000 a bottle in wine stores for some of these. And "real" French Champagnes are almost always blends. I'm not suggesting that the NCL East-West blends are high-quality wines, but it's wrong to say that all blends are inferior to single-grape wines.

True. So let me amend that to “I’m not paying an upcharge on what is likely a $8 bottle of red blend with a NCL label stuck on it.” 🍷

I noticed the price change when BirdTravels posted the menus from the Encore cruise. In comparing those menus to ones posted last July, it looks like only the two NCL-branded wines leapt up in price.

There's a Chilean Sauvignon blanc listed along with the NCL East & West; I'm betting that the latter is not worth $9 more per glass than the former. I didn't even try the red East & West - it's a blend, for crying out loud, why would I pay extra for that over an actual cab or merlot?

East & West Sauvignon blanc was okay but I'm not paying an upcharge for just okay.

• Train: Alaska Railroad's Glacier Discovery line has daily service between Anchorage to Whittier
• Bus: Park Connection
• Another bus: Whittier Bus
• And a third: Alaska Cruise Transfer

Considering your group size, though, look into one-way car rentals. It might be cheaper to rent two vehicles than buy 10 bus fares?

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

BRB, I feel the sudden need to go book a cruise NOW... beautiful photos!

3 hours ago, Greek Boss said:

I will say that while it is bearable, the hour or so leading up to noon was pretty packed in the terminal waiting to board the ship. Everyone was just walking all the way and waiting by the escalator even before they started calling guests to board. This was at the beginning of this month on the Breakaway in Miami. We always opt to arrive at 10:30 - 11 just to have seats up by the gangway. You should be fine but just know around noon at least from my experience everyone is just eager to embark on the ship.

My plan is to drop my bag, leave to have a leisurely breakfast, then return for boarding after the initial rush. My show and dining reservations are already booked, I'm not going after a Vibe pass, and it's cheaper to race go-karts at the track near my house. So no rush to board... as long as the bars are open and the soft serve machine has chocolate-vanilla swirl ready to go, life is good. 😎

On 11/24/2019 at 5:02 PM, KeithJenner said:

What is your latitudes level? Above a certain level you don't get allocated a time. It's possible that this is why you didn't have one, but others may have.

I was puzzled about a lack of boarding time, too. I’m on the Joy next month and was never prompted to pick a time. The eDocs just state that boarding starts at noon. Let’s see if it’s a madhouse or not...  (I’m merely Bronze level with no suite/Haven priority on this trip)

On 11/24/2019 at 3:17 PM, Jim The Lizard said:

it was 300.  The scale is red for over, green for their acceptable weight for riding.   They only weigh if you appear to be close to the limit.  Bliss was 300, Encore is 265.  They have the same scale set up for the drop slide.  Not sure if Bliss and Joy went to different weight limit, and I'm not sure what the limit on Encore is for drop slide.   Oh, and I lied.... It's$15 for go carts on Encore.   Initially it was $9.99 on Bliss. But I'm reading that was increased also!

Do they have height measurements as well? If it's now a 55" minimum, the attendant is going to flag me for a double-check! I'll make it but not by that much...

24 minutes ago, dporter said:

That is terrible, you would think their proprietary would be at the $15 cap. 

It was in September! I had a glass of the East & West SB at Le Bistro for no upcharge. The July menus I've got bookmarked show both East & West wines at $9.95/glass. That's a 70% price hike. I doubt the wine is 70% better.

To be fair, the per-glass prices on the other selections is on par with July's price. It's just the NCL wine that got priced into nickel & dime territory. Well, $2.40 upcharge territory.

TBH, if I sail on the Encore, I might need an entire bottle of something to make that 678 Ocean Place lighting fixture bearable. (does it look better in person?)

2 hours ago, dporter said:

Their wine by the glass choice is quite limited if you have just the Premium Beverage Package.

Only 3 of the 8 Chardonnays by the glass are covered by PBP. Neither of the NCL proprietary East and West blends are.

I counted 53 wines available by the glass; only 18 were under the $15 limit. Wow.

My tracked prices are still up after the “sale.” The June 1 Alaska southbound cruise is slightly higher (+$100 for an IB solo occupancy) but hey, I’ve still got my original booking in place so no worries. However, I had planned to book a 15-day Japan/China sailing in September that - until today - had a solo cruiser discount. Now it’s a 100% single supplement which boosts the fare +$500 for Sail Away inside over yesterday’s price. That’s annoying but we’ll see where fares go next. 

Interesting... ALL the solo discounts are gone except for December & January sailings plus Hawai’i and Alaska cruisetours.

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

 

 

 

Oops, somebody did a copy/paste without checking. The description for American Diner is actually for Moderno...