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Bliss late departure tomorrow from NYC?

princess_mom

By princess_mom,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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princess_mom

princess_mom

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Hi - I'm sailing on the Bliss out of NYC tomorrow and just got a text and 2 phone calls telling me not to arrive at the pier until 1pm. Not a big deal, I live on Long Island so will take my time getting into the city. But wondering if the experts on this board can shed some light on this. I know there is a way to see where the ship is now - is it arriving late tomorrow? Or maybe needs a deep cleaning due to Norovirus? Or something going on in the city? 

Thanks in advance!

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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A quick check, she's tracked on AIS live, off the coast of VA at a leisurely 14 knots. ETA given as 9:30 am. They missed their GSC stop and has plenty of time to get in early.

 

On previous sailings, others had reported - not re.confirmed - issues at Pier 88 with no heat and issues with 2 broken gangways, prompting all ships to dock on the other berth closest to the Intrepid.  

 

Anything is possible, including a scheduled USCG or public health inspection, etc.   I know when we sailed on the Gem on the 13th earlier this month, ship was late by about 1 hour & didn't reach a zero count until close to 11 am.  Then, crew members were all out on the open deck doing/conducting muster/safety drills ... required on a regular basis & sometimes, with inspectors onboard to observe/score & grade their performance.  We had priority boarding & managed to get onboard earlier than others ... it was a mess even for a smaller ship; and, using Pier 90 - it exceeded legal occupancy/capacity, lines & folks spilling outside to the curbside dropoff area for those arriving late.  Safety drill for pax were delayed by 1 hour and late check-in for pax that gone past the originally "given" 2 pm cutoff time ... we watch folks getting processed from our window - around 4 pm, still inside the terminal. 

 

If there is anything out of the ordinary, I would think - with so many on the unlimited ship WiFi plans ... that, someone would be live streaming and reporting it as it happened already.  

 

The other gossip, is that, the ship's captain is new to the Bliss being in NYC and docking these monster ships on the Hudson with strong tide & current, isn't as easy as it should be.  Thinking of the 2 Carnival ships last week in Mexico ... I would be more concerned about whether your sailing is going to make its way to Port Canaveral on time/as scheduled, etc. 

 

Take it easy, relax & happy cruising.  



Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

Screenshot_20191227-145010.png

Edited by mking8288
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davencl

davencl

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20 minutes ago, princess_mom said:

Hi - I'm sailing on the Bliss out of NYC tomorrow and just got a text and 2 phone calls telling me not to arrive at the pier until 1pm. Not a big deal, I live on Long Island so will take my time getting into the city. But wondering if the experts on this board can shed some light on this. I know there is a way to see where the ship is now - is it arriving late tomorrow? Or maybe needs a deep cleaning due to Norovirus? Or something going on in the city? 

Thanks in advance!

Someone posted on another thread they got a similar notice for a different sailing(not sure what).  They got the same email and arrived at 1PM to find loading had begun at the normal 11AM time.  For them it was a real mess.   They said they'd ignore the request next time.   Not sure if this applies in your case but just a heads up.  May be a different story for this departure.

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rjm11 Great Review Rare

rjm11

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I just got the same message about the Dawn in Tampa boarding this Sunday- saying " boarding will be from 12:00 until 2:30, any guests who arrive prior to 12pm will be asked to leave and return later".  I've never gotten that text before.

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All-ready2cruise Holiday Sharing Rare

All-ready2cruise

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I wonder if it has something to do with the higher than usual volume of pax/embarking and disembarking.  Immigration seems to have a bit of problem when there are large numbers of pax. Just another spin... 

Hope everyone has a wonderful NYE cruise, they are so much fun. 

 

Cheers and Happy New Year. 

Edited by All-ready2cruise
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NYcruzzer

NYcruzzer

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I got same VM and text. I think the message was that boarding would be delayed until 1:00 PM. Due to anticipated crowds, I suspect they are trying to stagger arrivals hoping a decent percentage of pax will adhear to the new boarding time. I'll be there my usual time and patiently wait to board.

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jcc_math_prof

jcc_math_prof

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 I am currently on the Bliss.  I have no confirmed reason for your late departure but would guess it is sickness related.  We have been eating without communal condiments for the last couple of days.  When getting coffee you are handed sugar and a spoon.  Pens are not passed from staff member to anyone else.  Our cabin is located near the medical center and it has been a very busy place with people obviously sick.  Towels in the spa are being handed out.  There are likely multiple factors but I would be dollars to donuts that the ship will get a deep clean is one big one......

Edited by jcc_math_prof
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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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4 hours ago, df5250 said:

Someone on our bliss roll call and on the FB group has stated there is an influenza outbreak on the ship which is causing a later boarding tomorrow due to deep cleansing before we board.

 

Yup. They are going to do a deep sanitization of the ship. And you need to hope that NY health department doesn’t do something stupid.

 

Better stop for a box of  N95 masks before boarding. 

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bob brown

bob brown

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36 minutes ago, Project-College said:

they don't deny entry to the Pier before 1pm do they?

Not usually, but if the pier is overcrowded at some point they might...or even send some to the next pier to wait in that case, if a long delay is anticipated...

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mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

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Latest "gossip" from the current, active roll call members - there was/is a flu outbreak onboard during the week (not norovirus ... fingers crossed) thus, prompting for escalated measures.  Updated sailing time delayed to 19:30 this evening and depending on variety of factors, resulting in late arrival into PC on Monday for their overnight stay in Florida.

 

Ship arrived this morning & docked at the south side of Pier 88 again, closest to the Intrepid instead - suggesting that previous report of broken gangways, yet to be fixed, is correct.  HVAC or heating has been restored/corrected - good !   Folks that just disembarked can/will probably tell or share more on what was happening ... I hope their travel plans in getting home today aren't disrupted, especially when flying (when 5 colors hasn't been called yet at 11 am)   The Bliss has not "adjusted" well to its winter home port in NYC well and been smacked with a variety of issues and missed GSC at least twice this season already (that's partially, mother nature's fault.)  Let's just give them a little slack to get things done right, properly deep clean the ship and take care of matters first. 

 

Pier 88 cannot handle 4,000+ pax inside the terminal and like before, with the Escape, Breakaway and even the Gem - some will be told/asked to come back later while others will be send across to sit & wait at Pier 90 ... going to be a mess.  Not going to sound pretty nor made for happy campers, large # of children & teens among them, restless & nowhere to go.  Things could be worst, however - think positive & be patience.  

 

Relax & wishing those sailing today a safe and happy cruise, do come back in 2020. 👌 

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bob brown

bob brown

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4 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Pier 88 cannot handle 4,000+ pax inside the terminal and like before, with the Escape, Breakaway and even the Gem - some will be told/asked to come back later while others will be send across to sit & wait at Pier 90 ... going to be a mess. 

I noticed on the PortNYwebcam, the Saga Spirit of Discovery is over at Pier 90, on her maiden call to NY...arrived yesterday, and sailing away tonight at 2300.   Not sure if she is turning around here, or just on a port-of-call stop...

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njhorseman

njhorseman

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1 hour ago, bob brown said:

I noticed on the PortNYwebcam, the Saga Spirit of Discovery is over at Pier 90, on her maiden call to NY...arrived yesterday, and sailing away tonight at 2300.   Not sure if she is turning around here, or just on a port-of-call stop...

It's a port of call. The ship is headed to Bermuda next. 

 

 

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njhorseman

njhorseman

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, MLA said:

Curious. Is it only NCL having all these outbreaks of illness or are other lines having the same issues?

No it's not only NCL. 

 

All cruise ships are great breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses. Lots of people in close quarters. A friend just got home from a Royal Caribbean cruise with a bad case of bronchitis.

 

There are no readily available stats on outbreaks of  respiratory illness on cruise ships, but of the ten outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness reported to the CDC in 2019, only one was on NCL. Aida had 3, Viking Ocean 2, and Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival and Oceania one each.Of the 11 outbreaks in 2018, none were on NCL.  In 2017, again 11 outbreaks and again none on NCL. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm#2019

 

Edited by njhorseman
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