Semi-live from the Bliss 12/19

[ronheg]

Are masks required in fitness area.

[KAYKAY121]

12 minutes ago, Niffernay said:

We found a similar area to this on our last Breakaway cruise - no hot tub though.  We spent hours sitting there at that bar as it seemed that barely anyone knew it was there. Had great bartenders there as well.

They are connected to the vibe and it isn't crowded so it is a great place to hang out. 

[Niffernay]

1 minute ago, KAYKAY121 said:

They are connected to the vibe and it isn't crowded so it is a great place to hang out. 

I know - the only time it seemed to be busy was when people just happened to "pass by" on their way somewhere else (which is how we found it 😆).  We LOVED it.

[KAYKAY121]

10 minutes ago, Niffernay said:

I know - the only time it seemed to be busy was when people just happened to "pass by" on their way somewhere else (which is how we found it 😆).  We LOVED it.

They don't have it on the Encore. We missed it. We spent the afternoons at "our local bar" and tried many shots and enjoyed the sunsets there on the Escape. We actually met with the same 8 people every afternoon so we had assigned stools. 

Edited December 21, 2021 by KAYKAY121

[bkrickles1]

14 minutes ago, Niffernay said:

Yay! We are on the Joy in 18 days.  We will definitely claim our spots at the bar again. Thanks!!

Well, me and mine are sailing Joy January 15th so please leave me something to drink. Lmao!!

On Escape, we hung out in that area on deck 19 and it took like 2 or 3 days for others to discover it.

Have a great cruise!!!

[3kidsncats]

11 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

After some quality spa time and nap time, we headed to Maltings to grab cocktails (Eastern Legacy is a favourite) to be enjoyed out on the Waterfront while watching the sun set.

 

 

Tonight was ‘dress up or not’ night, and we decided to go with ‘not’… but it was nice seeing ladies dressed up with fancy sparkling masks coordinated to their outfit. But for us, to the buffet for ‘grill extravaganza’ night… so naturally I had more Indian food 😉

 

After dinner, we grabbed more cocktails and then killed a little time watching casino action before heading to the theatre.

 

SIX! Absolutely loved it. Amazing costumes, choreography, etc. And the performers were so good. Loved that they had an all-woman backing band (“They have a GIRL DRUMMER?!?!” for the two of you who get that reference.)

 

 

Grabbed a little snack at the Local and then managed to catch Siglo’s set of New Wave / Alt Rock music at the Cavern before turning in for the night. (My husband wore his Joy Division mask for the occasion.)

 

Dean is a sweetheart (bass player) 

[Niffernay]

7 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

Well, me and mine are sailing Joy January 15th so please leave me something to drink. Lmao!!

On Escape, we hung out in that area on deck 19 and it took like 2 or 3 days for others to discover it.

Have a great cruise!!!

You're on the cruise right after ours so I make no promises 🙂.  Especially as I upgraded us to the fancy drink package.  So ready to go; enjoy your cruise as well! 🛳️ 

[KAYKAY121]

1 minute ago, Niffernay said:

You're on the cruise right after ours so I make no promises 🙂.  Especially as I upgraded us to the fancy drink package.  So ready to go; enjoy your cruise as well! 🛳️ 

We did too. Can't wait to use it. 

[GStuart]

Hello @OrcaGirl,

 

Fellow Canadian cruiser here.

 

Love the post, the updates and your choice in literature!

 

My wife and I are sailing this itinerary at the end of Feb. and are very much looking forward to it.

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation, and have a Merry Christmas.

 

Are pre-disembarkation PCR tests being offered on the ship for those who require them to travel? Would really appreciate it if you could share your experience with this once you're home :).

[danny6514]

At 5pm on the first day we were sitting right next to the hot tub that you took the photos! 

 

We had a good chat with the server working at Food Republic and she said there are about 2500 onboard this sailing, quite a bit more than previous sailings 

[OrcaGirl]

Good morning (afternoon?) from Cabo San Lucas. Just finished up an early lunch (elevensies) and waiting for our tender group to be called. 

 

The husband is going scuba diving, hoping to see some large marine life and hoping he doesn’t poop himself if he does. (He’s an experienced diver, but it’s his dream/fear to dive near whales or big rays.)

 

I’m booked on the ship’s “Famous Arch, Sea Lions and Whales” excursion. 

 

Hash browns made an appearance at Garden Cafe for first breakfast but they were the *wrong kind*… (I know, I know, I’m so hard to please.) But the Benny was delightful (really good hollandaise) and the fresh pineapple amazing.

 

 

Had fun watching birds dive for their own breakfast while enjoying mine. Maybe they were looking for the good hash browns too 😉

 

After first breakfast, I was enjoying my iced Americano on our balcony, waiting for the husband to wake up, when I heard a splash. A pod of dolphins was doing some energetic swimming right by the shop, with a few aerobatic jumps and flips thrown in! I didn’t get any decent photos because my DSLR was charging inside, but it was exciting nonetheless. Once he woke up (to my shouts of “Whales! No, wait, dolphins?! Pinnipeds!!”) he did also see one whale spout further out.

 

Second breakfast was a chocolate croissant and a frose… and I’m sipping my frose on the pool deck when I see movement in the water out of the corner of my eye and there’s a dolphin AND A TURTLE! Maybe I am easy to please, because I shrieked with joy. 

 

 

And then up to deck 19 for the approach into Cabo and more whales! And more large fish-like things that may have been pinnipeds but may have also been big-ass jumping/flipping fish. 

 

[Niffernay]

45 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

AND A TURTLE! Maybe I am easy to please, because I shrieked with joy. 

I would have shrieked right along with you.  {See my avatar 🐢}.  Loving your review.

[quillwercruisers]

54 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

The husband is going scuba diving, hoping to see some large marine life and hoping he doesn’t poop himself if he does. (He’s an experienced diver, but it’s his dream/fear to dive near whales or big rays.)

 

 

OMG!!!  😃🤣  Good thing I was at home working instead of at the office.  I actually laughed out loud....🤣

[Rob_H]

6 hours ago, KAYKAY121 said:

Thanks for spending your time reporting. It is a great review.

 

One more question, what is the weather? It looks like we will be about 10 degrees colder next week than it is now. My bag is 75% packed. Just waiting on updated weather to add some more long sleeves. 

 

Agreed, thanks OrcaGirl for the great reporting!  We'll be on the Jan 21 (Panama) Bliss sailing, our first cruise for nearly two years (we earlier did the same cruise in November 2018).

 

For clothes, we always pack something warm, even if just for the theatre.  Maybe it's to keep the performers cool, but the theatre is always the freezing coldest spot on any ship, have to wear a jacket (and jersey!) sometimes there! Is it still really cold in the theatre?

 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Rob_H

[OrcaGirl]

Did not like the tendering situation in Cabo one bit. Too chaotic for my anxiety. Everyone crowded into the stairwells, different lines merging, no distancing, lots of masks-under-chins, and one unmasked couple right behind us claimed ‘they didn’t have masks’… 18 months into a pandemic, when travelling on a cruise ship, which provided masks in staterooms, and they didn’t have a mask? [imagine the ‘sure Jan’ gif here] They also told my husband to ‘back off’ when he asked them to give us some space. Like, we were literally and politely asking them to keep THEIR distance from us, so… [shrug]

 

We cut it close due to tender delays, but the husband made it to the dive shop just five minutes late. Only to find out there were seven other divers coming from the ship who were probably still stuck in line…

 

After making sure the husband was going to be able to make his excursion, I backtracked to the pier and found my meeting place. We had a great group on the boat. Was it a RIB? A Zodiac? I don’t know but it was fast and bumpy and a totally fun ride.

 

Highlights:

Randomly seeing one of the famous sea lions perched on the back of a moving fishing boat, begging for scraps or just hitching a ride.

A quick pass of the famous arch and sea lion colony.

A good long time just blasting across the water; super fun, but folx with bad backs/necks may wish to avoid…

Spotting a marlin doing some backflips in the middle of the ocean.

So. Many. Whales. Well, probably only three, but we spent a lot of time just drifting along with them. (Other private boats got closer but our tour was very respectful of international guidelines for whale protection.)

 

The guide mentioned that their morning tour saw a pod of orcas, which would have been cool, but we just saw the beautiful humpbacks.

 

Post excursion, wanted to do a tiny bit of shopping but again so many people not wearing masks indoors (and store staff wiping their noses with their hands before ringing up merchandise?!?!) killed my shopping buzz, so back onto the tender I went.

 

Will post photos from the excursion later tonight.

[KAYKAY121]

2 hours ago, Rob_H said:

 

Agreed, thanks OrcaGirl for the great reporting!  We'll be on the Jan 21 (Panama) Bliss sailing, our first cruise for nearly two years (we earlier did the same cruise in November 2018).

 

For clothes, we always pack something warm, even if just for the theatre.  Maybe it's to keep the performers cool, but the theatre is always the freezing coldest spot on any ship, have to wear a jacket (and jersey!) sometimes there! Is it still really cold in the theatre?

 

 

I have clothes for that. Wondering about sea days

[kpjb]

@OrcaGirl loving this review.

 

That Joy Division mask is great!

 

Can't believe they have a new wave show. I was very excited when I heard Bizarre Love Triangle and Just Can't Get Enough one time at the 80s party on the Getaway instead of the standard fare they usually play.

 

If you have a chance can you post a pic of the beer list from District Brewhouse? Save the internet minutes and post when you're home if you want... I don't sail until 1/9.

 

Learning a few phrases to talk to the staff in their native language is a great idea. I'm going to see how much I can learn in 2 weeks, even if it's just hello and thank you.

 

Edited to add: and as others have mentioned, you definitely shouldn't be charged for Pepsi if you have the beverage plan.

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by kpjb

[mlgb]

Just want to chime in with a Thank You.

 

Glad you liked the Indian Food (they had it for breakfasts, too) and Le Bistro. Both my favorites.

 

Love "Second breakfasts".

 

[nhtravels]

Loving your review Orcagirl!  We are on the Bliss for the 1st time in early February and can't wait! I've heard amazing things about Singlo and expect that we'll spend lots of time listening to them (hoping they are still onboard when we sail!)

[ShelleyQT]

Thanks for the review!  What is in an Eastern Legacy?

 

[dobiemom]

20 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

… and hung our stockings with care.

 

Love this! ❤️😄

Edited December 22, 2021 by dobiemom

[OrcaGirl]

Random thoughts/observations of the day plus answers to assorted questions: 

 

The thermal spa has two saunas, but we aren’t in a Haven cabin so I don’t know what facilities they have.

 

We loved the A-List Bar on the Encore, but haven’t been there on the Bliss yet. Probably going there on Thursday and Friday ahead of our dinner reservations at Cagneys and Los Lobos, respectively.

 

I’m a bad judge of weather temps… I’m always warm, the husband is always cold. He was grabbing his hoodie whenever we walked out on deck in the evening the first two nights. The freestyle daily said 23C today in Cabo. To me, it feels way warmer.

 

For the bug bite watchers, none yet, but I did have one little bug fly up and briefly land on my arm while sitting out on the balcony this evening. The husband also saw a butterfly visit the ship today!

 

I haven’t been to the gym myself (taking the stairs in lieu of the elevator is my workout) but the husband reports that most people weren’t wearing masks while working out.

 

We got PCR tests provided onboard when we were on the Encore in October to accommodate our return to Canada; expecting it to be the same this cruise but will of course provide an update.

 

I don’t think we have the toasted white chocolate mocha at Canadian Starbucks… might have to get one as a Christmas Day treat.

 

 

We keep seeing plates left in hallways, glasses left on staircases, water bottles left in elevators. Is it so hard to find a more suitable place to leave items for the crew to clear them?

 

The husband had a good time diving today with Manta Scuba… no whales for him, but he got to scuba with sea lions!!! I haven’t seen his GoPro footage yet but I’ll post a link later if I can.

 

Had dinner in the buffet again (might this be the cruise that we skip the MDR entirely?).

 

 

My husband is a man of simple tastes. He’s so happy to have easy access to Jello for dessert, and so sad that there hasn’t been a cookie to be found on our last two NCL cruises. But he swears he saw someone with a cookie tonight, so now he’s on a mission to solve the cookie conspiracy…

 

Didn’t have any shows booked tonight and we both got tuckered out from the heat and sun (Canadian problems?) so we’re having a quiet night in the thermal spa.

 

Whale pics to come tomorrow if/when I figure out why my camera isn’t syncing to my phone; for a couple of videos in the meantime, look for my IG stories (erin_braincandy).

 

[Sugar0802]

38 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

My husband is a man of simple tastes. He’s so happy to have easy access to Jello for dessert, and so sad that there hasn’t been a cookie to be found on our last two NCL cruises. But he swears he saw someone with a cookie tonight, so now he’s on a mission to solve the cookie conspiracy…

 

Cookies are out after dinner (usually after 9:30) in the buffet.  We were on the Bliss over Thanksgiving and that's when they magically appear (also found this to be true on other sailings).

[julie3fan]

18 minutes ago, Sugar0802 said:

Cookies are out after dinner (usually after 9:30) in the buffet.  We were on the Bliss over Thanksgiving and that's when they magically appear (also found this to be true on other sailings).

 

Good to know!  We'll be on the Bliss Jan 9th, and this will be a nice treat to bring to the cabin for a midnight snack.

[OrcaGirl]

Photos from the Famous Arch, Sea Lions and Whales excursion.