Bliss - July 7th sailing - Travelogue

[MsSoCalCruiser]

 

 

 

Happy to provide a little color...

 

Q is quite casual. I think Q and Los Lobos are a bit more casual-accepted. However, as I’ve seen, the wardrobe is quite eclectic overall. You’ll see on the clip below that they’ve given up on expecting everyone to dress up on a formal night as well.

 

I haven’t been to the main dining room yet but I’d be surprised if there aren’t some folks wearing shorts. Our Alaska cruise, though, seems to be a bit cooler than last couple of weeks so I haven’t seen an overwhelming number of shorts in the evening. Not sure that helps but I’ll see what ease I can observe in the coming days.

 

Reservations - Right when you get on the ship, go straight to the interactive screens. They are at almost every elevator area (on the end-caps). On these screens, you can book comedy, go-carts, laser tag, dinners, shows, etc. Trying to find a body to help you might put you in a position where there’s not much left.

 

I’ll have to snap a pic of the internet prices. We don’t have the “streaming” package so it hasn’t been great. However, my father (who cruises much more than he) says the internet on the Bliss is well above average compared to other ships.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

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[MsSoCalCruiser]

 

 

 

Happy to provide a little color...

 

Q is quite casual. I think Q and Los Lobos are a bit more casual-accepted. However, as I’ve seen, the wardrobe is quite eclectic overall. You’ll see on the clip below that they’ve given up on expecting everyone to dress up on a formal night as well.

 

I haven’t been to the main dining room yet but I’d be surprised if there aren’t some folks wearing shorts. Our Alaska cruise, though, seems to be a bit cooler than last couple of weeks so I haven’t seen an overwhelming number of shorts in the evening. Not sure that helps but I’ll see what ease I can observe in the coming days. I forgot that you were in Alaska. I was there in May and it was quite chilly but gorgeous.

 

Reservations - Right when you get on the ship, go straight to the interactive screens. They are at almost every elevator area (on the end-caps). On these screens, you can book comedy, go-carts, laser tag, dinners, shows, etc. Trying to find a body to help you might put you in a position where there’s not much left. thank you for this information. We are flying in the day of so we probably will not be able to board until 3 o'clock or so. I hope there is something left by the time I find the interactive screens.

 

I’ll have to snap a pic of the internet prices. We don’t have the “streaming” package so it hasn’t been great. However, my father (who cruises much more than he) says the internet on the Bliss is well above average compared to other ships. Please tell your father thank you for me. Is he traveling solo? If so, does he have a solo cabin? I have some questions about the solo cabins and the area with the lounge if that is where he is at.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

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I like the dress up or not night :)

[Lulubelle45]

Loving the review!! I just have a few questions regarding the dining restaurants. Which are complimentary and what fees are charged for the others. Also how much was the go cart and Laser tag. Additional fee is not enough info!! Ill be seeing the ship on a Friday, I walk my dogs on the Breakwater.

 

 

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[pmb0602]

Following along with you - we will be boarding as you are coming off :):) You mentioned the comedian you saw was Greg Warren - who is the second one? Also, I have read lots of good things about the band Siglo that plays around the ship; are they still on board?

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us!!

[$hip$hape]

Ok... Dinner at Q. Decided to just shoot my food,

as would have taken too long otherwise and some folks couldn’t wait to start eating away.

 

Loving the review!!

I just have a few questions regarding the dining restaurants.

Which are complimentary and what fees are charged for the others.

Oh my!

I my days, "Shooting your food" meant puking, just to eat more.:eek:

[CruizinCutieJulia]

Following along with you - we will be boarding as you are coming off :):) You mentioned the comedian you saw was Greg Warren - who is the second one? Also, I have read lots of good things about the band Siglo that plays around the ship; are they still on board?

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us!!

 

 

 

Siglo was awesome on our sailing (6/23) I hope they are still on board. They were a ton of fun as were all of the bartenders and servers at the cavern club. Hope you get see siglo on your sailing too!!

 

 

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[fabnfortysomething]

 

 

 

Happy to provide a little color...

 

Q is quite casual. I think Q and Los Lobos are a bit more casual-accepted. However, as I’ve seen, the wardrobe is quite eclectic overall. You’ll see on the clip below that they’ve given up on expecting everyone to dress up on a formal night as well.

 

I haven’t been to the main dining room yet but I’d be surprised if there aren’t some folks wearing shorts. Our Alaska cruise, though, seems to be a bit cooler than last couple of weeks so I haven’t seen an overwhelming number of shorts in the evening. Not sure that helps but I’ll see what ease I can observe in the coming days.

 

Reservations - Right when you get on the ship, go straight to the interactive screens. They are at almost every elevator area (on the end-caps). On these screens, you can book comedy, go-carts, laser tag, dinners, shows, etc. Trying to find a body to help you might put you in a position where there’s not much left.

 

I’ll have to snap a pic of the internet prices. We don’t have the “streaming” package so it hasn’t been great. However, my father (who cruises much more than he) says the internet on the Bliss is well above average compared to other ships.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

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its not that NCL have given up on expecting people to dress up on formal night

NCL have never had formal nights it's freestyle but opportunity to dress up if you want to especially on dress up or not night when photographers are out in force if you want a nice pic

 

shorts allowed in dining rooms

EXCEPT main dining room Manhattan or equivalent on all ships

 

you were unlucky with the meet and greet as NCL usually have a good turnout of heads of departments who introduce themselves and hand out contact cards with their direct dial numbers in case of issues

they leave after about 15 mins and rest of hour is to socialise

they also provide refreshments and snacks

disappointing that was not your experience

 

enjoying your review-carry on!

[gatorchinsky]

Dear Dad...

 

 

 

Thanks so much for sharing. Another poster had said that the Haven concierge was telling them that unlimited go karts were $99 pp. But I have not seen any

 

follow up posts. 4,700 passengers on board some sailings. (ie: upper bunks and sofa beds), and the fact it takes about an hour for the carts each time, we are concerned that if we board at 2 pm we may not be able to get reservations.

 

 

 

Jersey Boys is two nights during the cruise, and the smaller theater with under

 

1k seats for 4 shows means that perhaps 20% of guests may not be able to see the show.

 

 

 

We are excited about our sailing on the Bliss, but concerned that the concept

 

of FreeStyle is now feeling like FeeStyle as they are raising fees and charges

 

very often...

 

 

 

Have fun you guys! The morning omelletes at the local are great!

 

 

 

May your Seas be Flat,

 

And your tummies be fat. :cool:

 

 

 

I haven’t seen any follow up either so I was curious if the $99 unlimited were for Haven guests only or if it was open to everyone. Hopefully we can hear about that and see how the lines have dealt with it.

 

 

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[Mikial]

Day 2...

Nice Meet and Greet in DIstrict Brewhouse. I must say, though, that I was a bit disappointed in NCL. I’ve only been to one other M&G and it was RCL Harmony last year. During that event, every senior officer (including the Captain) joined us for about 30 minutes to share with our small group. No one from NCL at this one. Maybe the Harmony experience was the exception and not the rule???

 

The slot pull afterwards was a lot of fun and I’m not just saying that because I took down the side pot.

 

Next - racetrack time. I know there have been mixed reviews but I must say that we really enjoyed these. I was lucky enough to get starting position and took off from there. However, after lapping a few folks, the next car in front of me would never let me pass for the final four laps. It was frustrating and I would have bumped the car into a corner had there not been a rule against it and had the car not been my wife’s (who could make me pay dearly if I attempted said passing maneuver).

 

Relaxed in the afternoon and then grabbed dinner at La Cucina. We had a 530 reservation so we could easily catch the 800 comedy show - we thought. While the food was pretty good and the waiter very nice, it was one of the slowest dinners I’ve ever experienced. We barely made the show before the standby line was let in. Greg Warren was hilarious!

 

We gain an hour of sleep tonight with the time change which is good news for a 730 excursion meetup time.

 

 

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Is that a separate go-kart line for Haven guests?

 

 

 

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[gmurray658]

What day/night of the week is the Captain's night/ Ball? Can you send a list of activities that was provided in your cabin? If its too voluminous don't worry about just provide info about Captain's nite

 

Thanks

[erdoran]

Is that a separate go-kart line for Haven guests?

 

 

 

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I'm interested in knowing whether it's a "reasonable" wait so someone buying an unlimited pass can get at least 10 rides, or if the "fast pass" line ends up involving such a long wait that it's a waste of $.

[DadofKAD]

Looking forward to your next post.

 

 

 

Slot Pull. Everyone put in $20. We had 24 participants. $5 goes in a side pot and rest went into a Wheel of Fortune machine - everyone had 3 $5 spins. I was the only one lucky enough to actually get to spin the wheel and hit $75. Therefore, because I had the highest win out of anyone’s three spins - I won half the side pot = $60. The other half of the side pot was a random draw 1-24. After all of our spins, everyone on the group received $11 of their $20 back. Hope that makes sense...

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

Loving the review!! I just have a few questions regarding the dining restaurants. Which are complimentary and what fees are charged for the others. Also how much was the go cart and Laser tag. Additional fee is not enough info!! Ill be seeing the ship on a Friday, I walk my dogs on the Breakwater.

 

 

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Thanks for following. We’re on the dining plan (5 night) so I haven’t kept track of individual restaurant pricing. I just know Ocean Blue has an upcharge on top of using a dining plan credit (we didn’t book this one). Plenty of free options as well but I recommend the NCL site for all of the details. I’ll just say The Local seems like it would be a small fee restaurant but it’s actually free. I’ve enjoyed a breakfast and a lunch there and really enjoyed the food and central location.

 

I need to do a little more research on margaritaville. The dailies only list the hours at lunch. I can’t imagine they’d have a restaurant not open for dinner but, then again, don’t see many there for lunch. We haven’t tried this one as of yet...

 

Carts are $10 and Laser Tag is $5. As we’ve quickly leaders in this ship’s first couple of months - those prices are subject to change.

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

Oh my!

I my days, "Shooting your food" meant puking, just to eat more.:eek:

 

 

 

Yikes. Never heard that term. It seems each cruise I intend to take photos of all the food but just get so distracted when those dishes arrive...

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

I haven’t seen any follow up either so I was curious if the $99 unlimited were for Haven guests only or if it was open to everyone. Hopefully we can hear about that and see how the lines have dealt with it.

 

 

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Sorry. Definitely never saw anything available to regular guests on that pass. I will say we had no issue with the cars. They recommend 15 minutes ahead of time arrival and we were usher right in at our reserved time. Biggest issue, as discussed, is actually getting the reservation. I’m also not sure anyone would want to do these more than 10 times on a cruise so the real benefit would be no reservation I suppose which, I’m guessing, Haven guests might be able to do through concierge anyway??? One of those nice folks who have stayed in the Haven might be able to better answer this one.

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

Siglo was awesome on our sailing (6/23) I hope they are still on board. They were a ton of fun as were all of the bartenders and servers at the cavern club. Hope you get see siglo on your sailing too!!

 

 

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Siglo is definitely still onboard this week. In regards to comedians, there’s a show with both of them tonight so I’ll get the second name then.

 

 

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[$hip$hape]

It seems each cruise I intend to take photos of all the food but

just get so distracted when those dishes arrive...

I understand.

Nothing better than, going to dinner hungry.:p

[DadofKAD]

Ok... day three and still posting...

 

We had a 730 call time for a zip line excursion in Ketchikan. The extra hour from the time change helped. We booked Alaska Canopy Adventures excursion through NCL - I believe it was called a rainforest zip line of something to that effect. We had a great time. Probably 8 or so ziplines, a few suspension bridges and a final rappelling back down. They also had a few totem poles and rehabilitation center for a few birds including a bald eagle. Luke and Andrew were great guides.

 

We then explored this city for an hour or so before heading back to the ship. We did get great weather which was very nice as the earlier forecasts didn’t look good.

 

We enjoyed a few drinks in the observation lounge as we left the port. I did it see a lot of folks wondering for seats but also didn’t see many empty seats. Did notice a few folks taking naps as had been mentioned elsewhere. Sorry if that’s you - but I don’t think I could do that sleeping in public thing. Pretty sure no one would let me do that easier as I hear I’m much louder asleep [emoji6]

 

Dinner at Teppanyaki. We simply love these kinds of restaurants. This was no different the chef was hilarious and incorporated a lot of singing in his cooking skills. Not necessarily good singing, but fun nonetheless. I know not everyone likes these experiences but we really enjoyed. My son even helped cook the meal.

 

We then took in Havana. It was much better than I had expected. But, based on initial feedback, those expectations were rather low. My wife was not a fan of some of the costumes which I understand as I didn’t care for those chiseled bare-chested guys either...

 

We then checked out live music at the District Brewhouse and Q. I really enjoyed the music at Q but felt rather bad for the band as there were only about 20 food watching in the large venue. Hoping the crowd got larger as the night went on.

 

A few pics from Day 3.

 

 

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[PATRLR]

Also, I have read lots of good things about the band Siglo that plays around the ship; are they still on board?

Interesting that you've heard good things. I thought they were awful - like one of the worst cruise bands and I've heard some awful ones on Carnival, trust me. Listened to a few songs, none were in the right key, so we left. Walked by a few times when they were playing and stopped to listen and each time I thought their musicianship was awful. Maybe their audience interaction skills are good?

 

But, as we all know, everyone's taste is different. Those guys obviously impressed someone because they got the gig.

[DadofKAD]

did you feel the excursion in Ketchikan was worth it?

 

 

 

Worth it is different for everyone. Did I think it was overpriced - yes. But, we toned down or Skagway excursion to splurge on this one and didn’t regret it. But, of course, haven’t gone to Skagway yet so that could change...

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

Following along with you - we will be boarding as you are coming off :):) You mentioned the comedian you saw was Greg Warren - who is the second one? Also, I have read lots of good things about the band Siglo that plays around the ship; are they still on board?

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us!!

 

 

 

Getting back to this question, the second comedian is Flip Shultz (sp?). Personally, I enjoyed Greg a little bit more but both were quite funny. Not disappointed.

 

 

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[DadofKAD]

Have an awesome trip! I'll be taking it at the end of August. If you could get plenty of pictures of what's offered at Alaskan Salmon night at the buffet, including sides and desserts, I'd love to live vicariously through them.

 

 

 

Back to this early question - salmon night was tonight (Juneau). Most of the sides/desserts were similar each night. However, on salmon night, the carving station was a pecan crusted salmon and I also saw some salmon crab cakes. I didn’t eat in the buffet tonight but ran up for some photos as requested. Here you go...

 

 

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[MsSoCalCruiser]

Slot Pull. Everyone put in $20. We had 24 participants. $5 goes in a side pot and rest went into a Wheel of Fortune machine - everyone had 3 $5 spins. I was the only one lucky enough to actually get to spin the wheel and hit $75. Therefore, because I had the highest win out of anyone’s three spins - I won half the side pot = $60. The other half of the side pot was a random draw 1-24. After all of our spins, everyone on the group received $11 of their $20 back. Hope that makes sense...

 

 

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Thank you. It makes perfect sense. Sounds like a really fun time. I've never participated in a slot pull... someday.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to post this. Enjoy your cruise!

Edited July 11, 2018 by MsSoCalCruiser

[pmb0602]

Getting back to this question, the second comedian is Flip Shultz (sp?). Personally, I enjoyed Greg a little bit more but both were quite funny. Not disappointed.

 

 

Thanks! Hoping to see them both. Will see if either of them are on You Tube.

[DadofKAD]

Ok - gambles don’t always pay off. After reading incredible reviews of the Glacier Explorer excursion (where you basically get in a boat off of the ship about the same time the ship sets sail for the glaciers but you get an up close visit to the glacier), we canceled or Mendenhall excursion and rebooked to this.

 

Therefore, we spent the morning exploring the Juneau port and shops. Then, at 1:00, we headed to our excursion. Boy was it freezing. Las Vegas has really thinned my blood...

 

Tour started off well. In fact, we ran very near a whale on the way out. However, as we got closer and closer to the glacier area, they shared that a large part of the glacier fell off the day before. Therefore, we should be excited about all the extra ice we’re going to find in the water. Everyone was very excited - taking picture after picture of icebergs. However, at one point, there was ice surrounding the entire boat. I half expected to see Jack and Rose floating in the water nearby. Then came the announcement - we can’t get to the glacier due to all the ice around us. Therefore - if I had not switched tours, the kids could have experienced how overwhelming a glacier can be. But, instead, we froze in a sea of ice. Don’t get me wrong - we saw a whale, lots of icebergs and waterfalls and still got much closer than the Bliss could get - just would have preferred to see a glacier...

 

Like I said, can’t win at every gamble and lucky to have seen what we saw...

 

 

 

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