Just off Bliss - A Few Thoughts

[Mac4YYZ]

Picked the right week for a Mexican Riviera given the events of this week. 

 

Embark/Disembark - Arrived into LAX and used a shuttle to the pier. Walked off the flight at 12:45 pm and was onboard and into my cabin by 2 pm. Embarkation seemed a little disorganized and there was no real welcome aboard festivities going on when we walked on to the ship which was a little strange. Disembark was quick and was through customs quickly and shuttled back to LAX.

 

Dining - First night prime rib in the Local Pub was good. Service there was disorganized and slow. Events in the Atrium can make it quite loud there. Feels like beer selection was less than last cruise. Garden Café was fine. Very busy at times. Went to Margaritaville sometimes to avoid the crowds. And also went to the new Observation Lounge a few times for a quick snack before the gym. Good alternative to the packed buffet. Food quality was good. Selection seems to be reduced. They didn't do the variety of panini that I enjoyed on the Escape.

 

I didn't dine in any of the regular dining rooms on the cruise so I can't comment on food or service. Cagney's was a bit of a disappointment on this cruise both times I ate there. They seem to be cutting back on the menu. The sides were quite small. The 7 layer cake for dessert looked like something from a grocery store. The $20 limit for the platinum dinner didn't leave a whole lot of choice for steak. Los Lobos, Q and La Cucina were quite good. Especially La Cucina as it has been an under appreciated venue on most ships. The décor is very nice and both the food and service were excellent. The osso bucco and tiramisu were delicious. They were also very accommodating to allow me to have mushroom risotto with my main.

 

Entertainment - This is where this ship shines. The theatre shows were very good. Both Havana and Jersey Boys are top notch. All the live music on board was also very, very good. The Beatles show was amazing. Another band onboard, 4 Blue was also a lot of fun. The guy in the craft beer pub was also very good. Didn't like the disco and found it odd there was no white party. They also did away with the dueling pianos on this ship which is a strange decision.

 

Bliss is a beautiful ship and it seems like Norwegian have added more public spaces to the decks to ease congestion. The Observation Lounge is a stunning space. It never seemed to difficult to get some space on sea days. Deck 8 never seemed too crowded. 

 

One thing that was an irritant to me as a cigar smoker was that the tiny cigar room was always packed with cigarette smokers. And many of these people were obnoxiously drunk most of the time. Norwegian have really cut back on the areas where people could smoke cigarettes.  

 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[cruisestan2]

Thanks for your review. Sorry to hear about Cagney's, we will give La Cucina a shot on our February cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

On 10/22/2018 at 6:35 PM, Mac4YYZ said:

Picked the right week for a Mexican Riviera given the events of this week. 

 

Embark/Disembark - Arrived into LAX and used a shuttle to the pier. Walked off the flight at 12:45 pm and was onboard and into my cabin by 2 pm. Embarkation seemed a little disorganized and there was no real welcome aboard festivities going on when we walked on to the ship which was a little strange. Disembark was quick and was through customs quickly and shuttled back to LAX.

 

Dining - First night prime rib in the Local Pub was good. Service there was disorganized and slow. Events in the Atrium can make it quite loud there. Feels like beer selection was less than last cruise. Garden Café was fine. Very busy at times. Went to Margaritaville sometimes to avoid the crowds. And also went to the new Observation Lounge a few times for a quick snack before the gym. Good alternative to the packed buffet. Food quality was good. Selection seems to be reduced. They didn't do the variety of panini that I enjoyed on the Escape.

 

I didn't dine in any of the regular dining rooms on the cruise so I can't comment on food or service. Cagney's was a bit of a disappointment on this cruise both times I ate there. They seem to be cutting back on the menu. The sides were quite small. The 7 layer cake for dessert looked like something from a grocery store. The $20 limit for the platinum dinner didn't leave a whole lot of choice for steak. Los Lobos, Q and La Cucina were quite good. Especially La Cucina as it has been an under appreciated venue on most ships. The décor is very nice and both the food and service were excellent. The osso bucco and tiramisu were delicious. They were also very accommodating to allow me to have mushroom risotto with my main.

 

Entertainment - This is where this ship shines. The theatre shows were very good. Both Havana and Jersey Boys are top notch. All the live music on board was also very, very good. The Beatles show was amazing. Another band onboard, 4 Blue was also a lot of fun. The guy in the craft beer pub was also very good. Didn't like the disco and found it odd there was no white party. They also did away with the dueling pianos on this ship which is a strange decision.

 

Bliss is a beautiful ship and it seems like Norwegian have added more public spaces to the decks to ease congestion. The Observation Lounge is a stunning space. It never seemed to difficult to get some space on sea days. Deck 8 never seemed too crowded. 

 

One thing that was an irritant to me as a cigar smoker was that the tiny cigar room was always packed with cigarette smokers. And many of these people were obnoxiously drunk most of the time. Norwegian have really cut back on the areas where people could smoke cigarettes.  

 

 

 

thanks for sharing your opinion. We have never been overly impressed with CAgney's but that is simply a personal thing. We all know food is subjective, like most things in life. We too, have been impressed with La Cucina the last few cruises we have been on. 

Our daughter and son in law are on the Bliss right now. I will be glad to hear their impression of the ship.