Bliss 1/5/2020 sailing from NYC

[cementhands]

On 1/5/2020 at 12:47 PM, PistolPete13 said:

On board the Bliss now and waiting for lunch in The Local. 

 

Boarding was a bit of a zoo it seems.  They had to pause check in.  A lot of folks got there early. I was there around 10:30AM and the waiting room was packed already. 

 

The Local is completely full right now at 12:45pm.  Quite a contrast from my last trip on the Escape last Memorial Day week. 

 

Love the name Pistol Pete.
Is there a Zumba type class.

Line dancing activities?

Latin dancing? 

Many thanks for your wonderful information. Enjoy your cruise you can always post later.

[PistolPete13]

Hi everyone.  Just pulled into Port Canaveral.  Sunny 68 degrees. I’m such an Internet addict and it’s terrible watching my minutes go down. 

 

Happy with a cell signal now!

 

The race track and water slides have not been turned on at all since leaving NYC on Sunday.  Weather has been clear but chilly. 

 

The laser tag venue was on last night. 

[PistolPete13]

Doing multiple posts since phone interface isn’t the most stable. 

 

Saw Siglo again last night at The Cavern.  Those guys are talented!

 

The Beatles experience is the new show and it was standing room only for both shows last night at the main theater.  It was a short set of about 50 minutes but they played all the favorites and had the crowd standing and cheering at the end. 

Edited January 7, 2020 by PistolPete13

[PistolPete13]

Food.  No issues so far.  Service took about 90 minutes start to finish in the main dining room. Guess I’m still not in vacation mode yet and was antsy at the length of service. 

 

The service folks are amazing however handing all those orders and carrying those loaded trays. I wouldn’t last 30 mins doing that work.  It blows my mind to see rude behavior towards them by fellow passengers.  

 

Indian food at the buffet was excellent.  I’m no expert but I know good food when I taste it and this was much better than what was on the Escape last May.  A lot less salt. 

[PistolPete13]

1 hour ago, cementhands said:

Love the name Pistol Pete.
Is there a Zumba type class.

Line dancing activities?

Latin dancing? 

Many thanks for your wonderful information. Enjoy your cruise you can always post later.

 

Thank you

 

The only class I’ve seen in the gym is Spin.

 

Once I’m back I’ll scan and post all the daily activity sheets so you can see all the events. 

Edited January 7, 2020 by PistolPete13

[tokidoki]

39 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

Thank you

 

The only class I’ve seen in the gym is Spin.

 

Once I’m back I’ll scan and post all the daily activity sheets so you can see all the events. 

Can’t wait for any daily’s! U r my hero😻

[cementhands]

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

Thank you

 

The only class I’ve seen in the gym is Spin.

 

Once I’m back I’ll scan and post all the daily activity sheets so you can see all the events. 

Many thanks to the Pistol!

Fond memories of Pistol Pete Maravich. Played briefly for my Boston Celtics.
 

I used to be a Chucker like that. Back in the day.

Now an old pistol. First name Peter also.

[mamashamiller]

2 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Hi everyone.  Just pulled into Port Canaveral.  Sunny 68 degrees. 

How did getting off the ship go today?

thinking about a disney excursion and wondering how early we’ll be able to get off the ship.

enjoy your cruise!!!!!

[shenetic]

On 1/5/2020 at 12:47 PM, PistolPete13 said:

On board the Bliss now and waiting for lunch in The Local. 

 

Boarding was a bit of a zoo it seems.  They had to pause check in.  A lot of folks got there early. I was there around 10:30AM and the waiting room was packed already. 

 

The Local is completely full right now at 12:45pm.  Quite a contrast from my last trip on the Escape last Memorial Day week. 

We sail on the Bliss Feb 2...

we always go to whatever the main dining room is at the back of any NCL ship for lunch on embarkation rather rhan the Buffett....so is the Local the only sit down choice at that time?

 

[PistolPete13]

51 minutes ago, mamashamiller said:

How did getting off the ship go today?

thinking about a disney excursion and wondering how early we’ll be able to get off the ship.

enjoy your cruise!!!!!

 

I couldn’t find any interesting excursions so I stayed on board.  We arrived precisely at 1PM as scheduled and the announcement for disembarking announcement was made 30 min later. 

 

I was was hoping to get a few photos of the ship in port but there doesn’t appear to be any good vantage points up close due to security 

[mamashamiller]

36 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

I couldn’t find any interesting excursions so I stayed on board.  We arrived precisely at 1PM as scheduled and the announcement for disembarking announcement was made 30 min later. 

 

I was was hoping to get a few photos of the ship in port but there doesn’t appear to be any good vantage points up close due to security 

What time is all aboard?

i wouldn’t bother you But I thought I’d ask while you have cell service 😜

[PistolPete13]

3 hours ago, mamashamiller said:

What time is all aboard?

i wouldn’t bother you But I thought I’d ask while you have cell service 😜

 

Better get back here by 8PM!  LOL

 

I did manage to get off the ship for about 30 min at Port Canaveral but unless you hop in a taxi, there is nothing to see around here that is reachable by foot.  I was hoping to get some photos of the Bliss parked from the Disney terminal that has a great view but everything was locked down tight.

 

The Bliss is the largest "building" by far around the port area.

 

If you do get off at Port Canaveral be prepared for a LOT of walking just to get out of the terminal.

 

One thing I've noticed is that I've had to do a lot of walking around the ship the last 3 days.

 

I have a little watch that counts my steps daily and I've found it to be fairly accurate at home. 

 

So far my step count:

 

Day 1: 15,800 (6.9 miles)

Day 2: 19,500 (8.63 miles)

Today: 17.300 (7.67 miles) so far, and the day isn't over. 

 

I'm thinking of how I can steal one of those scooters to get around!

 

The problem is, I'm in the aft section of the ship, 12th floor.  Any time I want to get to the buffet or observation lounge, it's a trek across the entire ship.

 

Oh well, 9PM departure tonight for GSC tomorrow.  Hopefully the seas are calm enough for tendering to work.

 

Today was warm enough in the afternoon for the sun deck to be used for the first time.  Still no go Karts or the big water slide.  I'm not sure if there is something wrong with the Go Kart track, no announcements were made.  I'm sure folks who made reservations for the first few days are not happy right now.

 

Dinner at Taste tonight and the service was faster than the Manhattan Room.  Seems like a lot of folks are having dinner near the port.

 

That's all for now.  Back to rationing my minutes tomorrow!

[Gershep]

Enjoy your cruise. Thanks for posting.

[mking8288]

7 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

... terrible watching my minutes go ... Happy with a cell signal now!

... race track and water slides have not been turned on at all since leaving NYC  

 

Each & every time we sail - we carefully "metered" our minutes, not easy but doable.  For the western Caribbean itinerary, you will find good to excellent 4G/HSPA+ LTE signals - even if you are on T-Mo. 

 

If you are saving some of that free 250 minutes, meter it carefully for the return run ... long sea days ahead, or else you will run out.  

 

Poor souls ... aren't they selling an unlimited ride package for the bumper car racing, LOL.  It seemed, like the Escape/BA, water slides remained closed until they deem safe and even then, lines weren't very long.  Ready with your Go-Pro action shots ?  Just seeing your update - no explanation or excuses for the "lockdown" ...

 

7 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

... The service folks are amazing however handing all those orders and carrying those loaded trays ...  

 

Servers/assistants have to go up/down the escalators to reach the main gallery area, depending on which MDR they are working out of - with those trays.  Not easy.  

 

4 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

I couldn’t find any interesting excursions so I stayed on board.  

 

The midday arrival & evening departure time not helping, not even to the theme parks.  We've stayed onboard (about 1/2 the ship pax ... doing the same) - the "main" road leading to/out of the cruise terminals are supposed to be off-limit to pedestrians attempt to do the 2 to 3 miles walk to the nearest stores.  There is a crew min-mart in between the terminals, but sell to anyone.  

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by mking8288

[mking8288]

28 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Better get back here by 8PM!  ... 9PM departure tonight for GSC tomorrow.  Hopefully the seas are calm enough for tendering to work ...

 

Isn't all abroad, officially set at 8:30 p.m.  Anyway, by 8:35 p.m. - listen for PA announcement, asking the "following guest(s) to contact or proceed to Guest Services .... Jane Joe, John Doe, etc. etc." & repeated up to 3 times within that 10 to 15 minutes window - those guests aren't back yet, according to ship security's card scan (mistakes happened ...)  Looks like ship is docked portside, go to the Waterfront or Promenade deck & watch for "pier runners" with bags & totes - we're held up once by over an hour, until they unloade the belongings & luggage, etc. & the port agent signed for them to take custody.  

 

Good luck making it to GSC ... I don't want to jinx it on this Bliss run for our CC friends onboard, RJ & Arzeena, etc. as our "Escape" attempted & missed it last January - became another sea day & went straight to the next port - slowly, instead.  Got a small OBC refunded (port taxes/fees).  Looked at forecast data/charts - it's the wind direction, coming from the north & speed, although seas aren't bad ... I hope that what one NCL ship captain told us isn't true.  Will be watching tomorrow morning & find out, maybe a choppy tender ride is still worth it.  Tips - once on the boat, head for the lower deck if there is still room to sit, stay out of the UV & sun.  

Edited January 8, 2020 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Looks like a beautiful day ashore at GSC, tell us later and fill in the details ... island pictures, etc.

[Arzeena]

Very happy that we made it to GSC this time!

Was quite rough on the return tender: circled around due to high waves, wind and waiting for previous tenders to unload and move, since they were unloading slowly due to lot of movement. The few minute tender ride took much longer.  

Enjoyed GSC a lot.

 

Pete what did you think of SIX? I liked it, but will not see it again. Perhaps after a few years, yes but not in the near future.

 

[PistolPete13]

I’m back with some updates!

 

Keep in mind this is my first time in GSC and only my second time cruising so I’m just going to tell it as I see it.

 

We arrived at GSC yesterday morning and was able to tender to the island thanks to the relatively calm conditions.  However, once getting on the boat, I can completely see how this can be a serious issue in anything other than ideal conditions.

 

Got some great photos of the RCCL Navigator of the Seas docked in their own island (and pier) within spitting distance of GSC.  Again the crew did an excellent job of helping those with mobility issues get on and off the tender.  It was not an easy thing to stay upright even trying to walk to my seat.

 

Thank you for the great advice not to take the top deck for the morning runs.  They wait until the boat is full and it was a very long wait to get everyone on board.  I would’ve been miserable in the sun and rocking deck first thing in the morning.

 

I had signed up for the stingray swim excursion and when I got to the island I heard that the swimming with pigs (not swimming with the fishes?) excursion had been cancelled due to rough water.  A few disappointed people but there was room enough on the stingray boats to accommodate most of them as a backup excursion for those folks.

 

I have some video of the stingrays and will do my best to post them quickly after I get back on 1/19.  We had about 25 people all told.  I didn’t stay too long with the main group but wandered around the enclosure by myself and was able to get close to a few rays that too were avoiding the huddle of people.  Just an FYI, I was told we went out during low tide and the water never got above waist deep for me (I’m 5’7”).  They do provide snorkel masks and vests for those that wanted to stick their head into the water.

 

You’ll get to hold a stingray for a photo and also get to feed it some squid if you’re OK with grabbing some raw slimy squid.  The suction generated by the rays mouth is very strong and you have to hold your thumb tucked in your fingers around the squid if you don’t want a hickey.

 

I had a great time with the excursion and now it was time to get back to the island.  The stingray pen is about 10 mins away from the main beach so you’ll be in a small speedboat.  The walk to the speedboat dock is quite a distance so those with mobility issues please keep this in mind.

 

Once back in the main area I was greeted with a large crescent shaped beach and what seemed like half the ship.  There was a BBQ style lunch being served.  The beach is very rocky so swim shoes are a must.  I’m not a beach person but I found everything really packed and not that relaxing.  Sort of like Coney Island during the summer.

 

Tip of the day, on deck 19 on the port side there are a bunch of deck chairs that are set up with cushions and is never too crowded.  Walking up those flights of stairs will deter a lot of people!  You have to walk around a fake wall that was made for one of the laser tag entrances so at first glance you won’t think there is anything further down the deck but it is there.

 

I’ve finally lost track of what day of the week it is today.

 

We’ve had clear skies so far until today.  Right now it is overcast with a strong wind.  The boat was moving overnight and this morning but I haven’t seen any motion sickness bags put out yet.

 

Entertainment last night was Siglo in the Atrium and the Beatles Experience in the Cavern club.  The Beatles experience was even better in the small venue where there was more back and forth interaction possible with the players.  Again they put on a kick ass show.

 

OK, back to my book (Apollo 😎 and the gym afterwards.

 

Not fun watching my Internet minutes dwindle.  I’m in the tech field and have been working with Internet connectivity since before anyone knew what it was.  I’m NOT used to being metered like this but the unlimited plan cost is robbery.  It would pay for over 6 months of fiber access from home!

[PistolPete13]

33 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

 

Pete what did you think of SIX? I liked it, but will not see it again. Perhaps after a few years, yes but not in the near future.

 

 

Have not seen this yet.  The huge crowds have been a turnoff for me.  Will try at some point to sneak into the middle of a showing I guess. 🙂 

[luckyinpa]

On 1/7/2020 at 7:41 PM, PistolPete13 said:

 

 

 

If you do get off at Port Canaveral be prepared for a LOT of walking just to get out of the terminal.

 

 

 

i was just there over christmas and amazed why they just dont open that one door so we can 'cut thru' and not literally walk aaallllll the way down to the end of terminal then alllllll the way literally back to where you started. separated by not that much in feet. they can certainly relocate the offices to the other end! i admit i do love that they post a old time retired guard at the corner and he has a sign pointing the way as well. impossible to get lost there

[luckyinpa]

58 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

Have not seen this yet.  The huge crowds have been a turnoff for me.  Will try at some point to sneak into the middle of a showing I guess. 🙂 

 

have you sailed princess. i did canada 2x on regal and i sometimes thought i was the only one on the ship. i had to look up her capacity and i was shocked. much much less crowded and better designed ship

[mamashamiller]

I was on the regal last February From Fort Lauderdale and yes never felt crowded.  This February I’m going on the bliss.  Do you think it more crowded because it’s cold outside 4 of the sea days because it’s coming from New York?

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

Very happy that we made it to GSC this time!

Was quite rough on the return tender: circled around due to high waves, wind and waiting for previous tenders to unload and move, since they were unloading slowly due to lot of movement. The few minute tender ride took much longer.  Enjoyed GSC a lot ... 

 

Goooood morning, hello & there you are.  Success in getting ashore yesterday and I mostly kept my mouth sealed but from that "Windy" App, it did suggested the returning tenders from GSC might be rocking & rolling a little bit.  From the ship's live webcam feed, it looked calm but not as nice in the afternoon.  Enjoy your sea day ... go find a nice lunch somewhere - is it still the Vietnamese chicken Pho soup or just plain chicken noodles soup in the MDR? 

 

In other news, locally, temp's in NY area going to hit 61and 67 deg F this weeken with a bit of shower & rain, not a typo in early/mid January ... forecast, nothing really below freezing thru end of month & no snow (yay !)  But, not quite Bermuda shorts weather.  

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, PistolPete13 said:

... was not an easy thing to stay upright even trying to walk to my seat.

... I would’ve been miserable in the sun and rocking deck first thing in the morning ... We’ve had clear skies so far until today.  Right now it is overcast with a strong wind.  The boat was moving overnight and this morning but I haven’t seen any motion sickness bags put out yet ... Not fun watching my Internet minutes dwindle ... 

 

Great job for calling it like it is and happy to hear we "old-timers" can share a tip or two to take best advantage.  If the outdoors are closed & warning signs are posted, the motion bags are typically out as well - expecting sea states to worsen (if not already) for the mega/+ ships ... usually, it will to in excess of 15' to 18' for the ride/motion to be uncomfortable, depending on your whereabout - don't forget to checkout the limited navigational stats on Channel 21.

 

We did this itinerary last January and had to really "work" hard with our 350+ minutes; with the multiple port days ahead - you should be good once in range with roaming cellular towers ... I did most uploading of pictures then, not using ship's satellite signal.  I compressed many of the images & merged photos with mobile app & that also helped with quicker uploading ... make use of the CC Member Gallery (post-cruise) online to share some of the best/better pictures in high resolution afterward.  

 

NCL's WiFi plan charges are plain maritime piracy for the captive passengers, slowest among the mass lines and yet the most expensive, now upping the gaming with multi-users "discount" - are they offering the "deals" onboard the Bliss?  I only did the unlimited non-premium upgrade for 6 days because our net cost was almost zero (using $55 worth of onboard credit last month).  Worst, others currently onboard the GEM confirming that NCL is blocking WiFi calling except for those on the premium Unlimited Plan ... if you are also a Skype user, might want to check to see if audio calls will go thru.  Google Voice & Hangouts no longer worked onboard for me.  

 

To catchup on CC news while onboard, use the iCafe's PC terminal to access & read the forums to catch up, it was slow but usable, images blocked on the Gem (sluggish connection with 600 ms latency and 1% packet loss, 1.75 to 3.8 Mb d/l and u/l speed averages) and cannot sign-in one's CC account.  But, better than using up one's own precious WiFi minutes; and, possibly even asking or suggesting that pax should write & post reviews on CC (mentioned in the Freestyle Dailies - interesting if they are doing that on the Bliss.)  

[MrsKC08]

On 1/6/2020 at 11:25 AM, April42749 said:

I don't want to go off on a tangent...but how do people even know about the observation lounge?  I only know because of CC.

Might be time for me to bid on the spa cabin.

 

Thanks for this review....I'll be following it diligently.

Anyone who checks out the ships on the Norwegian website can know about the observation lounge. It isn't a secret or anything.