Trip Report: Bliss March 30 Panama Canal

[schmoopie17]

We were on the Bliss March 30 (15 day) sailing from Miami to LA, through the Panama Canal.

Our group of six consisted of one couple (Platinum on NCL, with numerous cruises under their belts), another couple with a few cruises, and another couple with a couple of cruises (first time on NCL...that would be us).

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

The food in the specialty restaurants was, for the most part, excellent. We all had our favorites, but my favorite (since I'm writing this report, my opinions count the most :)...was the French restaurant, Le Bistro. I had, without a doubt, the best filet I've ever had. And the Creme Brule for dessert was outstanding, as well. Other favorites of the group were the Carne Asada in Los Lobos, steaks in Cagney's and the overall experience in Tepanyaki. Honorable mention goes to the Tres Leches cake in Los Lobos and the Lobster Ravioli in Savor.

 

Margaritas in Sugarcane were the best we had...and we tried them in just about every bar and restaurant. Can't remember the bartender's name, but he was a Margarita magician.

 

Service was for the most part, outstanding. Never had to wait very long for a drink. Since we all had the UBP, there was a lot of drink ordering going on. A special shout out to Carlo, superstar waiter in the District Brewhouse, as well as daytime at the pool. Carlo almost became the seventh member of our group, as he regularly engaged in banter with all of us, knew us by name, related stories of his soon-to-be-born daughter, and even made special drinks for the women in the group. If you're going on the Bliss in the near future, do not miss the opportunity to engage with Carlo. Speaking of service, our room steward Carlos was tremendous. If you book a midship balcony (we were in 10850) and you have Carlos for your steward, you're lucky, indeed. Always pleasant, calling us by name, making great towel animals and responding to all requests in a timely manner.

 

Production shows were for the most part excellent. We have seen "Jersey Boys" several times, and this show was one of the best. We may have seen better "Frankie Valli" characters, but the four guys' harmony and moves blended perfectly. Very, very good show. We also enjoyed "Uptown", three young guys who have only been together for two years. But their singing and dance moves of Motown hits were spot on. The "Fab Fourever" Beatles tribute band was also very good...we saw them twice. We are big Beatles fans and have seen many tribute bands and while not the best we have seen, these guys were still very good. The comedy magician was also excellent. Still trying to figure out how he made the bent card appear on the top of the deck right before our eyes. I guess it was magic. "Havana" was just okay...if you're a woman you may enjoy seeing all the topless young guys, even though my wife wasn't all that impressed.

The hypnotist seemed totally staged. Most of the participants on the stage were completely unbelievable (not in a good way)...as if they were all prompted to play along beforehand. Call me a skeptic when it comes to hypnosis...

 

All of our excursions were scheduled with independent tour operators, not through NCL. The highlight was the Segway tour of Cartagena. None of our group had ever ridden a segway before and we were all a bit wary/skeptical as to whether we would topple over, crash into each other (or innocent bystanders, cars, stray dogs, etc.) and just generally survive. But proud to say that after a three minute lesson we quickly adapted and became comfortable in no time. In fact, many people on walking tours would stop, point and take pictures as we whizzed by them like the segway-riding pros we were. We also did a six hour tour in Costa Rica, including a crocodile riverboat tour, followed by a lunch at a mountaintop restaurant. In Mazatlan, we did a city tour of old and new Mazatlan, with a stop at a restaurant which featured some of the best shrimp we ever had. We were disappointed when NCL substituted Acapulco for Puerto Vallarta and we basically jumped ship there for a couple minutes to take a few pictures and then returned. Cabo was basically walking around town on our own, with a stop in a bar to (finally) get some decent WIFI reception.

 

We spent a lot of time in the Observation Lounge. Very large and beautiful space...although they could raise the temperature a degree or two. It was always very chilly/cold...sometimes expecting to see slabs of meat hanging. Well, maybe not THAT cold...but close. Pool chairs were always readily available, even with the inevitable chair-hogging going on.

 

LOWLIGHTS:

As good as the Specialty restaurants were (with the possible exception of Q...of the ones we tried, my personal least favorite), our dinners in Savor were pretty much just okay. Not bad, not great. Service was hit and miss. The Local was also just okay...some of us liked it better than others...but a special shoutout to the waiter from Mauritius (can't recall his name) who was tremendous. And the buffet was pretty much horrendous. The food was repetitive, not very good and consistently cold. I understand that buffets food is always an adventure, but this was consistently not good. And people coughing into their hands, sneezing into their hands, licking food off their hands and then grabbing tongs...well, you get the picture. No wonder people get sick on cruise ships.

 

Speaking of getting sick, an announcement was made that said people may have become sick from eating food onshore, and that if you were experiencing symptoms you could dial 00 for free medical care. Really?? Eating onshore made people sick after what I just described in the Buffet? In any case, my wife and I both dialed 00 several times, with no answer. But immediately afterward, hand sanitizer dispensers magically appeared in all the elevators and all public restroom doors were propped open to avoid people touching door handles. Doesn't sound like a case of people getting food poisoning onshore...but I guess that's just the skeptic in me. And what cruise line will offer free medical care to someone who may have gotten sick from eating onshore? Okay, enough about that...

 

The lounge bands were pretty bad. Siglo did a rendition of Eric Clapton's "Change the World" (one of my all-time favorite songs) that was physically painful to listen to. The new guy in the Brewhouse wasn't much better (we're sorry we missed his predecessor, Jim Badger, who consistently got rave reviews).

 

SUMMARY:

All-in-all, I would give this cruise an 8 out of 10. The good outweighed the bad and it was nice to experience the Panama Canal. 

 

[marktwothousand]

@schmoopie17 OMG, puerto Vallarta was cut? That would be a serious disappointment if I go next week. Does anyone know why? Did they give you lots of notice and any reasons?

 

i hope it’s not an general cut for all the western Mexico cruises!

[tallnthensome]

8 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

@schmoopie17 OMG, puerto Vallarta was cut? That would be a serious disappointment if I go next week. Does anyone know why? Did they give you lots of notice and any reasons?

 

i hope it’s not an general cut for all the western Mexico cruises!

It was because of a berthing issue, no where to moored due to the amount of ships in port that day..... that’s the explanation given by NCL. We were notified a couple months in advance. 

[snowcones]

Hello,  we are planning a Panama cruise on the Bliss.  On our cruise this year, we tried a Segway tour in St. Lucia.  What a great way to get around.  Would you please tell me the name of the Segway tour company that you used in Cartagena?  Would love to try this again.  Thank you

Brenda

[marktwothousand]

16 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

It was because of a berthing issue, no where to moored due to the amount of ships in port that day..... that’s the explanation given by NCL. We were notified a couple months in advance. 

Thank you so much for the response. That’s set my mind atease.

 

would you be able to please comment on how they handled the time changes on the Mexican coast? As many time zones fall in there, so they change them every single time there’s a local time change, or, do they sometimes say “we are staying on ship’s Time for today’s port, please note the difference in local time, it is your responsibility to make it back on time”?

 

thanx!

[bambione]

I was also on this cruise, and I'm sure every person on board will say something different about the food. I plan to post a more detailed synopsis in a few days, but just want to say we ate at Savor a lot. Almost every breakfast and  most dinners. We loved it there, and the staff as well.  Did a few specialty restaurants which were delicious.  We were also a big fan of the Observation lounge, in particular two young women bartenders from the Philippines who were excellent. Jersey Boys was wonderful, Havana was fun but not the best. The Beatles played three times in the Bliss theater, and more in the Cavern. Get to all the shows early, they get filled quickly. 

 

Time Zones: Most of the time we did switch time zones, except for one port, I believe it was Acapulco, that we stayed on ships time.  

Karen

[Zellchat]

We were also on this cruise, and I agree with Bambione, everyone will have their own opinion on food quality.  But, we absolutely loved the buffet.  We are both platinum, so we received two free speciality dinners.  Both of these were very good (Le Bistro and La Cucina).  We only had one dinner in Manhattan room, and it was also fine.  Because of our opinion of the buffet, we ate most meals there.  Our food was always fresh, hot, and we felt the menus changed daily.  Each station has a grill and a cook behind it.  They are constantly cooking the food, and keep a small quantity available so it doesn't get soggy, etc.  We actually didn't want to eat anywhere else because we didn't want to miss a new item at the buffet!  This cruise topped all other cruises we have been on.  Loved everything about the ship - the observation lounge, the spa, the bars, etc.  We were happy with our NCL excursions, and our spa mini-suite cabin.  We had placed an upgrade bid for the Haven, but so happy it was not accepted.  We have sailed in the Haven on other ships, but see no need for the Haven on the Bliss and hopefully, the new ships going forward.  

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, snowcones said:

Hello,  we are planning a Panama cruise on the Bliss.  On our cruise this year, we tried a Segway tour in St. Lucia.  What a great way to get around.  Would you please tell me the name of the Segway tour company that you used in Cartagena?  Would love to try this again.  Thank you

Brenda

 

We did the 90 minute tour. I will be submitting a review on Trip Advisor shortly. Cesar, the owner and tour guide is the best!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297476-d2431848-Reviews-Segway_Cartagena-Cartagena_Cartagena_District_Bolivar_Department.html

Edited April 16, 2019 by schmoopie17

[bambione]

36 minutes ago, Zellchat said:

We were also on this cruise, and I agree with Bambione, everyone will have their own opinion on food quality.  But, we absolutely loved the buffet.  We are both platinum, so we received two free speciality dinners.  Both of these were very good (Le Bistro and La Cucina).  We only had one dinner in Manhattan room, and it was also fine.  Because of our opinion of the buffet, we ate most meals there.  Our food was always fresh, hot, and we felt the menus changed daily.  Each station has a grill and a cook behind it.  They are constantly cooking the food, and keep a small quantity available so it doesn't get soggy, etc.  We actually didn't want to eat anywhere else because we didn't want to miss a new item at the buffet!  This cruise topped all other cruises we have been on.  Loved everything about the ship - the observation lounge, the spa, the bars, etc.  We were happy with our NCL excursions, and our spa mini-suite cabin.  We had placed an upgrade bid for the Haven, but so happy it was not accepted.  We have sailed in the Haven on other ships, but see no need for the Haven on the Bliss and hopefully, the new ships going forward.  

I have to agree with you about the buffet. I ate lunch there most days, and loved it.  Delicious fresh carved meats, and a good selection of Thai and Asian foods for those that like that cuisine.  I always had to check it out every day because I didn't want to miss anything. 

[schmoopie17]

6 hours ago, Zellchat said:

We were also on this cruise, and I agree with Bambione, everyone will have their own opinion on food quality.  But, we absolutely loved the buffet.  We are both platinum, so we received two free speciality dinners.  Both of these were very good (Le Bistro and La Cucina).  We only had one dinner in Manhattan room, and it was also fine.  Because of our opinion of the buffet, we ate most meals there.  Our food was always fresh, hot, and we felt the menus changed daily.  Each station has a grill and a cook behind it.  They are constantly cooking the food, and keep a small quantity available so it doesn't get soggy, etc.  We actually didn't want to eat anywhere else because we didn't want to miss a new item at the buffet!  This cruise topped all other cruises we have been on.  Loved everything about the ship - the observation lounge, the spa, the bars, etc.  We were happy with our NCL excursions, and our spa mini-suite cabin.  We had placed an upgrade bid for the Haven, but so happy it was not accepted.  We have sailed in the Haven on other ships, but see no need for the Haven on the Bliss and hopefully, the new ships going forward.  

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the buffet. But I'm speaking from our experience...and our experience was pretty bad. We ate (or tried to eat) breakfast in the Buffet approximately seven times...and dinner one time. At breakfast, if you could find the waffles shaped like flowers, they were sometimes okay. The waffles shaped like triangles were consistently hard, tough and cold. I don't eat eggs, so maybe the omelets were better. But my wife generally orders Eggs Benedict, and they were ALWAYS cold. I will say that the chocolate croissants were very good...about the only edible item. The night we ate dinner in the Buffet, there were approximately 20 people in there at 6:00pm...bussing staff was standing around looking for tables to clear, as there were virtually none as the place was empty. It was our impression that people avoided the Buffet at dinner time like the plague (maybe a bad choice of words). People we talked to (and overheard) unanimously said the Buffet was horrible. Never heard a positive comment from anyone. However, your opinion is different and that's fine.

[marktwothousand]

I think if you go into the buffet with the expectation that you’re not gonna get MDR-quality food, you’ll generally find at least something you like. That’s the good part about the buffets, for all the food you dislike, there’s almost always something edible.

 

I thought the Bliss Buffet was great, especially the Indian and middle eastern foods. 

[Marciaab]

Avoided the buffet after the first breakfast. It just was not to my liking. A lot of the dishes were not as warm as I like and holding food for long time periods dries them out. If I needed a pre or post lunch snack, the salads were nice, the desserts very good and the hard ice cream a nice bonus. We chose the venues where we would be served. The wait staff was attentive, and checked for food allergies at every meal if they didn't recognize us. The singing pastry girls were a bright spot every morning. The food arrived at the correct temperature and plated nicely. The wait staff did everything they could to accommodate us (extra anchovies on the ceasar salad, please). Nothing is perfect, but why complain on minor issues? When trying to please 4000 guests, you have to expect a glitch or two. 

[DCP]

We were on this cruise too! We enjoyed it all. We ate at most of the specialty restaurants, MDR once, Taste and Savor a couple of times. We ate at the buffet about everyday. I had the eggs benedict every time we ate there, and had no issues with the temperature, there were never more than 6 of them out a time when we were there, I added my own sauce and a little cheese too! We LOVED this cruise, we were in an aft balcony and are now in love with that type of cabin. Kudos to Ricky and Jolena in Maltings, they took amazing care of us! Room steward Mark was awesome. There are absolutely NO complaints about anything on this cruise from our point of view. (well, Havana - that was the only thing that wasn't that great!)  We loved those singing pastry girls too, I even took video of them so we could have that memory saved!  The Bliss is now my favorite ship!

[Defhermit]

On 4/16/2019 at 11:18 AM, bambione said:

I have to agree with you about the buffet. I ate lunch there most days, and loved it.  Delicious fresh carved meats, and a good selection of Thai and Asian foods for those that like that cuisine.  I always had to check it out every day because I didn't want to miss anything. 

 

I could not agree more. I went on my first cruise ever on the Bliss last year and was very happy with the food at the buffet. Reading a lot of cruisecritic reviews before I went, I was prepared for cafeteria style food. Even sports stadium-type food. This is not that. Every food station had a cook-looking person behind it eyeing the goods.  I’m really looking forward to my next trip!