Bostonjetset

Yes I saw the towels on the pool deck but even that was made complicated with a system of "checking them out" with room numbers and returning them with a live person. There was only one station that I knew of and having to trek all the way up there just to get towels to take on a tour is not really a convenient or customer-friendly practice. I was saying to other passengers at the time how I wished we had booked an excursion in Cabo [we did in Ensenada] in order to get priority tender access and was informed that it only mattered for the very first tours of the day. After those first groups, they got so backed up that even people on NCL excursions were delayed from leaving the ship and had their tours delayed [I heard some were even cancelled due to the tardiness but that is hearsay and I don't have firsthand experience of it]. I've been to Cabo on a Princess cruise and the tender operation was MUCH smoother so I was not anticipating such a fiasco. It was likely a series of unfortunate events, some of which were out of NCL's control like tide levels/waves.etc, but the communication WAS in their control and it was completely lacking so they are not completely off the hook. Stuff happens. Life isn't perfect. However, how a business handles it makes the difference between disappointed customers and angry customers; NCL handled this poorly and there were many angry customers.

Day 5: [NCL Bliss Day 3 - Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico], 11/02/2023 9.30pm Today's tendering process was an absolute s***-show!! We were in Cabo from 11am - 7pm but we couldn't get a tender until 2pm. They were very slow and unorganized. We didn't actually get to shore until around 2.30pm. Also, there were no beach towels in the stateroom so I asked our steward who said they give them at the gangway but that never happened either. So much for a beach day!! Not that we really had much time after the tender fiasco anyway. Both HAL and Princess give passengers towels to use so this really surprised and annoyed me. We ended up getting a local water taxi for a tour of El Arco for $45 which wasn't too bad as it was basically a private tour for most of it. He picked up three people at the beach halfway though but still it was decent. Then we went for a drink in the marina area and I got a fish taco and a churro as one must. After that it it was another long line that snaked all around the marina for 40 minutes to get a tender back to the ship!! Dinner in the Manhattan Room was good as usual though. I will give them credit for the food and dinner service quality on this ship.

Day 4: [NCL Bliss Day 2 - Sea Day], 11/01/2023 10.00pm Today started a bit frustrating. We wanted to use the hot tubs but both of the ones in Spice H2O, the quieter adult-only area, were close "for maintenance" and no one could say when they would reopen. There are four more hot tubs by the main pool but with over 4,000 passengers that's clearly not enough and the were full. In addition to the large volume of people, they were playing VERY loud country music by the main pool at the time I went so that made it even worse. I retreated inside to find the library but of course they only allow checking out of books for 1 hour in the morning. Luckily there was one paperback on the passenger exchange shelf that looked okay so I grabbed that. It seems NCL makes anything included in the cruise very difficult or inconvenient to enjoy, thus pushing people to spend more money on uncharges. You can't even watch a movie on demand in your stateroom unless you pay extra! Not all is bad though. The food had to be the one thing I was expecting disappointment from yet it's actually been pretty good. The NY strip steak tonight was quite tasty. And the daily Indian food on the lunch buffet has been great!

I just checked the Freestyle Daily sheets and Jersey Boys was on the first night [embarkation night] and the second night of our cruise. SIX was on night 3 and night 4 but night 4 ended up getting cancelled and moved to night 5 [last night]. Honestly I don't have much use for the duck either and I would have re-hid it if it weren't for the fact that this was a Halloween-themed pumpkin duck. Due to that fact I kept it and it will live with my other Halloween decor. Thanks for reading. Yes Disneyland is expensive for sure but it's still the happiest place on earth! And when you break it down to an hourly price it's not that much different than other forms of entertainment if one stays in the park for the almost the entire day. Also, I don't care much for LA as a city so figured staying in Anaheim was the best option. On a past trip I stayed at the Queen Mary Hotel which was cool and right near the cruise port. Not sure if they have reopened yet though as I know they were having some repairs done.

Hey. I will check the dailies when I get home for the times but Jersey Boys was definitely offered. I did not go as I’ve seen it live on land but I did go to SIX and it was amazing.

Day 3: [NCL Bliss Day 1 - Boarding Day], 10/31/2023 10.30pm Boarding day! Check-in was pretty fast and we were on the ship by 12.15pm. The ship is absolutely massive! It's very pretty but it's just so huge and only has two elevator banks. There are so many people and after sailing with Holland America Line for a while it's truly noticeable. That said, the food in both the buffet and the main dining room has been good so far. I wonder if they focus resources on these newer mega-ships because the food on the Sky a few years back was just mediocre. MDR service tonight on the Manhattan Room was very good as well. Friendly and efficient with no wait for a table. Better than Koningsdam in August. There are some cute Halloween decorations throughout the ship as well. And I found a duck for the first time ever!! Took me over 20 cruises!

Day 2: [Disneyland], 10/30/2023 11.36pm Wow, what an amazing day! It's crazy how much you can get done here when you rope drop and buy Genie+!! We got there right in time for the 8am rope drop and walked right on the Matterhorn and Space Mtn. was down. Then it was over to Big Thunder Mtn. We used Genie+ for Indiana Jones after walking on Jungle Cruise and having a Dole Whip float. Since the park is physically smaller and more densely packed than Magic Kingdom in FL, it's easy to criss-cross back and forth without exhaustion. There are also SO many rides here that they don't have in Orlando!! Favorites like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland but also unique ones like Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin and Storybook Land Canal Boats. And Matterhorn of course!! For lunch we met up with my cousin and her husband and daughter at River Belle Terrace as they happened to be at Disney for the weekend and we leaving that afternoon. They live in Northern CA so come down several times a year. It was nice to have a quick catch-up. We then took a break back at the hotel for a couple hours and headed back to the park around 5pm for our lightning lane at the Haunted Mansion with the cool Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay. Dinner was amazing at Care Orleans; the Monte Cristo sandwich is so huge that even I couldn't finish it and I'm not a small guy. The fireworks were cancelled due to wind so this is the 3rd time I've missed Disney fireworks in a row! Last year at Epcot due to thunderstorms; last year at Magic Kingdom on a different trip due to Be Our Guest messing up our dinner reservations and seating us late; and now here!

Day 1: [Boston to LA/Anaheim], 10/29/2023 6.49pm Our flight was scheduled to at at 7.35am this morning so it was an early day for us. Of course it ended up being about 45 minutes last due to two passengers deciding to deplane AFTER the cabin doors had been closed. It was also a very turbulent ride but at least we got a [cold] meal since we flew on American Airline's flagship A321 Transcon route. Once at LAX we got an Uber to our hotel in Anaheim but of course it's Cali so it has to be complicated. You can no longer get an Uber from the terminal but now have to take a shuttle bus to some central location to call your ride. What a waste of time! Our hotel, Holiday Inn Express and Suites is close [10 min walk] to Disneyland though so it's super convenient and we have a nice junior suite was ample space. For dinner we ate at Ballast Point Brewery at Downtown Disney and my fish & chips were excellent. DH got a poke bowl that he enjoyed and we both had some seasonal pumpkin beers.

Hi fellow cruisers. I just returned from the Bliss's 5-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera and wanted to share my thoughts. The trip left from Los Angeles and visited Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. We also spent two nights in Anaheim pre-cruise in order to visit Disneyland so I will include that in the review for those who are interested in perhaps doing something similar when sailing from San Pedro. I usually post reviews in a diary style format so you can read my thoughts as I wrote them during the trip. BACKGROUND: I sailed on this trip with my husband. I am 40 and he is 55. I'd been to Cabo before on a Princess cruise with my mom several years ago but it was his first time; neither of us have been to Ensenada. We've both been on many cruises but have not been on NCL in several years; my last time was on the Sky to Cuba back in 2018 and his last time was on the Breakaway in 2013. We tend to sail with Holland America Line the most as we like the mid-size ships but are not married to any line and usually pick based on itinerary, cost, and dates.

I just read your review and really enjoyed it! Glad you had fun and enjoyed the Vista Suite. That extra space is def needed for four people as the standard balcony cabins are quite small on this class of ship. I had been to the Lumberjack Show on a past cruise in 2016 and agree it’s really fun. I too thought it would be cheesy and was pleasantly surprised haha. Air Canada was the only nonstop airline from Boston so that’s why we chose them. I wouldn’t pick them again unless it was a similar situation. Luckily I have lounge access at the airport so can eat there before flights.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy your cruise on Rotterdam!!

Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoy.

Yes I would be inclined to agree. At least until they get their act together. Or eat in all specialty restaurants.

Yes we loved it. It was a highlight of Vancouver! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed reading 🙂

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you enjoyed it. You live in a beautiful part of the country for sure!! Lucky. I don’t like powered creamers. For me those would be a step below even milk haha.

I just had the crepes Suzette on Koningsdam last week and love them. They were really delicious. I had the escargot appetizer as they were out of foie gras. It was good but I saw the smoked salmon at another table and wished I got that just for the really cool presentation. I don’t eat lobster so can’t comment but there was some lobster appetizer served hanging from a string on a sort of gallows-like contraption and it looked kind of like a cat toy being carried out to the table haha.

I’m not a big drinker so never get the HIA but if you are on a free casino cruise you’ll likely get free drinks whilst gambling anyway. That is what my mum got with her casino cruise on Koningsdam. It was only good at the casino bar but it’s food for thought.

Day 9 & Recap: [9/3/2023, 12.00pm] *Yes I skipped 9/2 due to travel lol* Now that I'm home and have rested for a few hours I can reflect on yesterday and the trip as a whole. Disembarking the ship was MUCH smoother than embarkation; after breakfast we took our bags and basically walked right off and through customs. Not a line to be seen! There is an easy luggage storage service at the port that we took advantage of since our flight was at 8.20pm that evening. At $10/bag it was reasonable. We then headed to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and spent a couple hours. What a great place! It was really cool to walk up high between the trees on the systems of bridges and platforms. It's a great place to spend half a day. After Capilano we headed back downtown for dimsum at Victoria's Chinese Restaurant. The food was really good though it seemed more expensive than dimsum in Boston. The airport was surprisingly breezy without many lines either so that was a nice surprise. Now for some takeaways from the trip! THE GOOD: Vancouver is a wonderful city to cruise from and is worth some time pre- and post-cruise. The Inside Passage itinerary is great as there is more scenery to view and the waters are calmer than when leaving from Seattle. Port times were good and the Koningsdam is a beautiful ship and well kept. Room service breakfast was surprisingly excellent! For was always on time and arrived hot. The cabin stewards were efficient and friendly as per the usual HAL standard. Stateroom #5126 has a fabulous balcony and is sold a a standard verandah [V category]. **Side Note: The actual interiors of the balcony staterooms are on the small side but comfortable. There was some debate about Vista Suites not being much bigger but having now sailed in both on a Pinnacle-class ship I can say with certainty that they are noticeably bigger! 30 or so square feet actually makes a huge difference on a ship.** THE BAD: The service in the dining room just wasn't good. The waiters were friendly as usual but they are clearly understaffed. Breakfast was the worst, taking 2 hours one day and with items missing on several days. Dinners were really slow as well with water glasses often empty and coffee forgotten with dessert one night. The lines at the Lido buffet were long because they serve everything; they should return to self service if they can't staff to keep up! THE AVERAGE: The food overall was good with a few things [the croissants at breakfast] being great. Boarding in Vancouver was chaotic but HAL isn't to blame for that. Drinks were well made and reasonably priced. Lincoln Center is missed though Step One is still good.

Another good tip. Though it honestly should NOT be this difficult. Cream [or half & half] is a standard thing for coffee; I don't understand why the ship makes it so difficult. Maybe it's more expensive than milk so they try to cut costs? It DOES keep longer though so one would think it would balance out.

Thanks for the tip!! I’ll try that next time.

Day 8: Sea Day [9/1/2023, 3.08pm] It's mid-day but I thought I'd write an entry now as it's a lazy sea day. I wanted to capture my thoughts on the service this week. Unfortunately it's been mostly mediocre. Nothing has been horrible or anything but there has definitely been a negative change, especially in the dining venues, from pre-Covid. The Lido buffet has been a madhouse with long waits, particularly for drink refills. We HAVE been able to find seats at least. There is sugar on each table but never Sweet N Low [or other similar substitutes] and it take ages for someone to bring it. The cream debacle is almost laughable! They always bring milk even when asking for cream, both in the Lido and the MDR. The Lido coffee stations have a pot of 2% milk and a pot of what's labeled as half & half but definitely is not. It MAY be whole milk but it surely isn't cream or half & half. In the MDR, breakfasts easily take an hour and a half with multiple items having been forgot along the way. No breadbasket at breakfast; juice and coffee are slow and rarely refilled. Dinner has taken over 2 hours on some nights though one night was only an hour and 15 min. This is the department with the most noticeable cutbacks. Room-service breakfast on the other hand has been WONDERFUL! All three days we ordered it, it arrived right on time, correct, and hot. They are still getting this right! Also, the cabin stewards and bartenders have all been wonderful, courteous, and friendly. It's mostly just the waitstaff that seems to be struggling.

That would be a fun puzzle to work on!

Thanks for reading. Yes she enjoyed it. 🙂

Day 7 continued: Rudi's Sel de Mer

Day 7: Ketchikan, Alaska [8/31/2023, 11.16pm] Ketchikan was beautiful today considering it's usually one of t60she rainiest cities int he Alaska. It was sunny and in the 60s which was perfect walking weather for our hike in the temperate rainforest. The excursion also included a visit to the Alaska Raptor Center which was nice even though they only had three birds; an owl, a bald eagle, and a hawk. Their main facility in Sitka that DH and I visited back in 2016 was much larger. During the rainforest walk we DID see a mother black bear with her three cubs just strolling along!! That was really special to see bears in the wild. Overall the excursion was good but a bit overpriced at $125pp. It would have been worth it for around $80-$90pp though. After the 3.5 hour tour we grabbed cod "burgers" at New York Cafe in downtown Ketchikan [delicious!] and then walked Creek Street and explored the shops. This is one of my favorite Alaska ports, especially when it's a nice day out. Tonight for dinner we ate at Rudi's Sel de Mer as I had pre-booked as a 70th birthday gift for mom. The food and presentation was wonderful but they didn't have the foie gras which is what I was most looking forward to. I did get the caviar though which is always delicious and a steal for the $50 upcharge. However, after this voyage the supplement is supposed to increase to $80. 😞. The Dover sole, deboned table-side was truly fantastic as were the crepes Suzette for dessert. A great meal overall!