Live from the Bliss March 12-26, 2023: Letters Home to Dad

[dcipjr]

I'm really interested in what I'll observe when I board the Jewel in just over two weeks.

 

We have always been treated really well by the crew, and each vacation felt special. I only ever recall one instance of a crewmember telling us that he was exhausted and felt like he needed a break, and that was back in 2017. 

 

Hopefully NCL realizes that their best asset is their crew, and does whatever's necessary to keep the crew happy. Happy crew, happy passengers. 

[fstuff1]

19 hours ago, dcipjr said:

I'm really interested in what I'll observe when I board the Jewel in just over two weeks.

 

We have always been treated really well by the crew, and each vacation felt special. I only ever recall one instance of a crewmember telling us that he was exhausted and felt like he needed a break, and that was back in 2017. 

 

Hopefully NCL realizes that their best asset is their crew, and does whatever's necessary to keep the crew happy. Happy crew, happy passengers. 

 

Bliss normal max capacity is 4k. crew is normally 2:1 ratio so 2k.

but on our cruise, it's only 1700 crew. to make matters worse, we're over capacity at 4700 pax.

so i bet the restaurant staff is overworked. 🤕

[ceilidh1]

Loving your review, but also in the "missing dad" camp. Hope he is enjoying your letters home! We will be on Bliss on April 9th doing our "traditional" short trip from LA home to Vancouver. Are Siglo onboard? Love that group!

[Oakman58]

I'm hoping when YVRteacher gets back to Los Angeles she can finish this report.  I was bummed when I read she ran out of WiFi minutes.  I'm really enjoying her report.

[www3traveler]

I wonder how YVRTeacher's back to back boarding process will go today.

[mearsfansinboise]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:57 PM, YVRteacher said:

Day 4

 

Puerto Vallarta

 

I woke up this morning SAAH*

and it took awhile before I could stand up and get going.  It’s not rough or rocky.  

 

SAAH= seasick as all heck

 

Something I love about the studio cabins is the espresso machine in the studio lounge.  I’m savouring my mornings with a latte, cappuccino or cafe mocha (I just add hot chocolate to a latte.) This morning a woman came in, barged in front of me, shoved her own mug onto the milk spouts and was poised to push the button when I said “oh no no no…”  I explained how one is supposed to use a mug then transfer the hot beverage to one’s own drink vessel.

 

I always wonder if the people I write about are also on Cruise Critic and what their perspective would be.  Maybe I’ll log on tomorrow and read something a little like this:

So there I was.  Minding my own business in the Studio Lounge.  I just brought my extra large coffee carafe to fill with three lattes and an extra helping of steamed milk.  I did catch a glimpse of this phenomenal-looking teacher librarian but it didn’t occur to me that she was about to get herself a hot beverage from the espresso machine even though she was holding a coffee mug and was one step away from reaching said machine.  Luckily she stopped me from contaminating all the solo travellers with my germs and I am so grateful for her advice and guidance.  I’m also so thrilled to have teachers on board telling me what to do as it makes me feel youthful.

#blessed

 

If I get sick on this cruise I’m blaming budging mug lady.

 

I need to find a different option for breakfast. The Garden Cafe has the same food at each station and the line ups are massive and there are no seats.  I guess I could wake up earlier and go to the dining room but I’m on vacation.

 

NCL is making money off of my beverage package this cruise.  It is day 4 and the only drinks I’ve had are:

-one margarita at Los Lobos

-one mudslide that the bartender threw away

-one margarita on deck 19

-one Mai Tai in the show last night

-one purple margarita in the casino yesterday 

-one Bahama Mama this morning during sail in

I have been so busy I haven’t had time to drink.  Or read.  I thought I would spent a lot of time reading but I haven’t read at all.  There is a plethora of activities on the ship and one could cruise for many weeks and always have something new to do.  I get why there are so many cruisers on the Bliss doing B2B.

 

For today’s excursion we met in the theatre at 11:00 and the process of getting to the meeting point and on the bus took 52 minutes.  It was quick getting off the ship but the wait in a line up once on shore was what took up so much time.  The fruit-sniffing dogs were out in full force today, catching people trying to take food from the buffet ashore.

 

I tend to experience life as either wonderful or terrible.  Today’s excursion was terrible.  Truly terrible.  It was supposed to be Tequila, Tiles and Shopping.  In reality it was get on the bus, drive to the town centre, walk two blocks, try not to die while walking in traffic, get on the bus, drive one block to look at a church, get on the bus, drive two blocks, get off the bus, go to a jewelry shop, get on the bus, get off the bus in the middle of traffic, try not to get killed, walk through traffic and go to a tile store (not the factory as they are no longer allowed to use fire within the centre of town.)

Here are some tiles I didn’t buy.  Notice anything odd about the alphabet?  

After the tile store we got on the bus and sat in traffic.  This tour included lunch and by 3:00pm we still hadn’t eaten or consumed any tequila.  I was grumpy and dizzy and dripping hot because the air con above my seat didn’t work.  We got stuck in a traffic jam.  At this point I was done so I asked the tour guide if I could get off the bus and go back to the ship and surprisingly he said yes so out I hopped onto the Mexican highway.  (If I ever write a book I’m using that line!)  I walked to Wal Mart and enjoyed seeing all the products we don’t get in Canada.  

There is more hot sauce in this one aisle than in all the grocery stores in 

Vancouver.  We are not spicy people.  

Returning to the Bliss, I had lunch in the Observation Lounge, a cookie in the studio lounge and took a little nap (in the cabin, not the studio lounge.  I am not a public napper) then came up to the sundeck to relax.  I think I will cancel my excursion in PV for next week and just stay on the Bliss. 

As I was doing my part to hold down a lounge chair a massive bird was circling overhead.  I was the only person up on deck 19 and big-winged-bird looked like it was scoping out a target on which to make a deposit.  This felt precarious so I left.  I have a new favourite activity: walking laps around the Waterfront on a lovely warm evening and looking at people’s food.  It’s a perfect night for outdoor dining.

 

While I was waiting for the magician, Rob Rasner, to begin I overheard the man behind me complaining that the bartender put an orange in his drink instead of a pineapple.  Good to meet a kindred spirit.  The magician is having an off night.  At one point he said, “why am I so off tonight?” If I hadn’t seen him before I probably would have enjoyed the show but it’s the same (with the addition of some flubs) as on previous cruises.

 

Craving music, I spent a little bit of time listening to Neilly Rich Band in Q and Archie in both the atrium and the Observation Lounge.  Great music!  I moved to a seat behind Archie so I could watch him play the piano.  He is one talented guy!

 

Because the ship is so crowded I take stairs instead of the elevators.  My calves are burning.  I’m going to go home with toned legs and a flabby tummy from all the soft serve.

 

I realized today I have not shared the Saga of the Crepes in the Buffet.  It goes like this:

Day One: no crepes

Day Two: no crepes

Day Three: no crepes but the sign at the station reads CREPES

Day Four: no crepes but the sign reads CREPES and there is a big tub of raw red, green and yellow bell peppers.  Do you think we are getting closer to having crepes??

I spent the evening in the Observation Lounge listening to (and greatly appreciating) Archie while drinking Old Fashioneds.   I feel happy and grown up.  Whiskey does that.

 

PS-I put laundry in this morning.  15 items and no bag tearing.  No need to pack heavy duty tape, garbage bags or bungee cords.  I did not roll or origami my clothes; rather, I just put them in the bag like a sensible person would do.

 

My husband books our excursions - (usually the sight-seeing type) - but this time he and my daughter are doing some whale-watching, and a dolphin encounter.  But truly, my favorite thing is going to Walmart.  Anytime we travel I love going to stores we don't have in our state, and going to Walmart in Mexico is so fun! - I stock up on all sorts of neat things .... last time I was able to get some Abuelita chocolate churro cereal, and some boxes of feminine products that had free Hello Kitty hats in them - I wanted the hats for some friends, and donated the surplus of feminine products.  

 

Love your report - thank you! - we board the Bliss a week from today!

[fstuff1]

3 hours ago, www3traveler said:

I wonder how YVRTeacher's back to back boarding process will go today.

I'm doing b2b and heard from someone who was on the Panama cruise last week and did a b2b with our cruise.

 

It was a cluster. It took hrs for everyone to get through customs.

The b2b group had to stand in line for 2hrs+ along with everyone else. 

 

This cruise it was smooth.

Went through customs in minutes at 9am.

But no idea about those b2b who were waiting to be escorted of the ship by the ncl b2b coordinator.

That's at 10:30am

Edited March 19, 2023 by fstuff1

[YVRteacher]

Day 6

Sea Day

 

The phone rang while I was asleep this morning and it was Carmela apologizing profusely.  Apparently I have a meeting at 11:00am today with the General Manager, Zdravko Kojakovic.

 

Did I get a free cruise?  More internet minutes? A massage for all 4 limbs?

Nope.  I did receive an apology and a dinner for one in Los Lobos.  It was a short meeting and I felt brushed off.  I told him no one liked sitting at a long table with the officers at the end and that round tables with name tags were more conducive to group dinners.  He said no, they do market research and people prefer the long tables.  I call BS.

 

People are decked out in green clothes, shamrock deely boppers, flashing green light earrings and general holiday tackiness. It’s a fun atmosphere and a few cruisers organized pub crawls that turned into parades by the early afternoon.

I have a green shirt but it only goes with my shorts, not pants, and it’s too cold for shorts today. 

 

Before lunch I walked around the ship, checked out the gift shop and had an espresso in the Studio Lounge.  I will really miss the espresso machine next week when I am in an inside cabin and not a studio.  The How to Run a Floating Hotel session was today.  It was so so.  I’m not a fan fan of Dan Dan and really miss Paquito’s friendliness and sense of humour as well as his professionalism.  The hotel management team selectively dodged (twisted) the hard questions and I left part way through.  That seems to be the theme of this cruise.

 

For lunch I met up with a solo cruiser from Cruise Critic. We met last year on this cruise at the Cruise Critic meet and greet.  We are sharing our dining vouchers.  There is a thread on here where people say the vouchers for solo cruisers are only for a meal for one but they are WRONG.  We went to Food Republic which is open for lunch on sea days and dinner each evening. Between the two of us we had 8 items from one dining voucher.  I gave him my bottle of wine that comes with the meal. I was able to customize the items I ordered to be vegetarian and we both enjoyed the food and the experience.  I usually can’t eat pad Thai because it is made with fish sauce so it was a huge treat to have vegetarian pad Thai.  I ordered a half portion. My shiitake dumplings came frozen and were not edible and it took over an hour for all the items to be served.  Since the dumplings were a bust they gave us an extra item and my friend had matcha green tea dessert in a jar.  I had the rum cake and loved it.  At 2:00pm today we both had the Sail and Sustain Mixology experience.  The head bartender (Marco) who presented had a great sense of humour and made the event a lot of fun.  I’ve done it before but I was the only person who showed up.  Much better with 7 people even though it was super cold outside.

  My disgruntled self will say that NCL needs to value Diamond members and hold Sail and Sustain indoors when it is chilly and windy.  Surely they can designate 10 feet of indoor space for an hour.  The Wines Around the World event took place right after Sail and Sustain but I opted out.  This afternoon I watched a movie (not Top Gun!😂) then went to dinner at Los Lobos.  The GM’s secretary was supposed to contact the maître d but of course this didn’t happen.  I had to explain twice that I would not be using a dining credit and that this was a courtesy meal.   There is a family sitting across from me and the teenage children look about as thrilled to be dining with their parents as the “officers” looked last night.

 

My meal was excellent and I tried the tres leches cake for dessert.  Yum.

 

There’s a lot of entertainment options tonight! I start out in the Social for the early show with Armando then do the GUESSing game in the atrium before going to see Kristin in the Social.  People are talking about her today!  “Did you see Kristin? Wasn’t she amazing? I can’t wait to see her on Saturday!”

 

Both comedians slayed their shows tonight so kudos to NCL for getting these two on board.

 

Do you think I attended the Future Cruises event today? Reader, I did not.

 

PS- Did you know you could go to Guest Services to request a print out of the monthly movie schedule?  Here’s what’s playing in March.

[YVRteacher]

Sorry-I can’t adjust the font size on this post.
Day 7

Ensenada 

We arrived early and slowly crawled toward the port.  The pilot hopped on board about 11:00am.  I’m staying on the ship today.

 

I grab my key card to get a piña colada but when I get to the bar I realize I have the comedian’s business card instead.  You can’t get booze with a business card!  (I’m sure there’s a joke in there but someone else will need to write it.)

 

Every other time I’ve been to Ensenada it has been cold and grey.  Today it is hot and sunny.  Sail in is beautiful with a layer of fog hovering over the shore, separating sea from land.  The sea lions are barking and clambering all over each other.  Mating season?

Speaking of mating season an older couple sits near me on the sun deck.  They settle into their chairs and the wife unwraps one fork from a cotton napkin and folds another napkin off their shared plate.  Peaches.  An entire plate of canned peaches. (This reminds me of Vola in Pax.  Has anyone read Sara Pennypacker’s novel where we have the intertwined stories of Peter and Pax?)

The woman takes a forkful for herself then gently feeds her husband peaches using the same fork.  I have a little moment where I think I want love like that.  Then they start speaking and they are rude to each other and he is misunderstanding what she is trying to say and the peaches and the one fork are forgotten.

 

I had a late breakfast of espresso followed by mango yogurt with pecans and in lieu of lunch I had the drink package.  Tonight’s dinner is Ocean Blue. My cauliflower steak with Ras al Hanout, grapes and almonds awaits!

 

I’m doing a little reflecting on this week.  Next week will be better because I do not have any expectations.  I’m here for the sunshine, Six and to enjoy being on a cruise ship.  This week was an overcrowded ship and next week will be too. I thought it may be hard to find a deck chair and it never was.  I anticipated elevators being full so I challenged myself to take the stairs.  The places and times where I felt the crowds the most were in the Garden Cafe and the Observation lounge, in the two ports where I opted to do shore excursions and in the atrium where people staked their claims on chairs early and stayed for the games all day and all evening.  The crew had a hard time keeping up with the need for utensils in the buffet and there were very few bar waiters or deck waiters. 

 

Having the cabin cleaned once a day did not impact me at all.  I was also able to get into every comedy show and production of Six as standby when I didn’t have a reservation.  Food service in Food Republic was slow but it was not busy so this was not a result of crowds.  Pizza in the buffet was a coveted item on this cruise and to secure a piece one needed to go into full-on vulture mode.  I watched one family divide and conquer: one person took 16 pieces of pizza, another filled a plate with watermelon, a brother loaded up on communal French fries and the mom piled her plate with pastrami sandwiches.  Then they all met out on deck to share the food.  

Did the crowdedness impact my vacation?  No.  I thought it would but it didn’t.

 

Tonight’s dinner in Ocean Blue was lovely.  Excellent service, excellent Bellini and excellent food.  It was calm and quiet which I like (the restaurant got busier as the night drew longer but it was a pleasant atmosphere.) This was my favourite dinner of the week because the couple that I sat with on deck 19 on day 2 invited me to join their table and I really enjoyed them and the conversation.

After dinner Archie played a set in the Observation Lounge. I just love watching him play.   Maybe he’ll be on board next week too.  That would make my week!  My mom wanted me to be a pianist, an ice skater and a secretary. Instead she got a nature-loving, clarinet playing , watercolour painting teacher.  Oh well.  I hope Archie’s parents are proud of him!

 

Levity Comedy in the theatre tonight features both Armando and Kristin.  I just overheard someone in the Observation Lounge say with enthusiasm, “45 minutes until comedy!” I’m looking forward to the show as much as they are. 

Why does the Bliss Theatre have numbers on the rows and numbers on individual seats when it is open seating? Someone spent a long time stitching these numbers when they could have been installing shelves and hooks in the studio cabins.

 

It’s almost showtime and I have the whole row to myself.  I don’t know why; I showered before dinner.

Kristin was fabulous and Armando tanked. He repeated a lot of his material and made inappropriate jokes about women and gay people that weren’t funny.  Not cool, buddy.  He was filming himself.  

 

It is 11:00pm now so the freestyle Daily has switched to tomorrow (Day 1 again) and there are two different comedians next week.  Archie is still on board.  Yay!

 

If you’re on this cruise and you lost a white sock it is by the forward staircase on deck 9.  If you lost your piece of French Toast it is on deck 11.  How you lose your French Toast is beyond me, but I did lose a sock in the laundromat in London once.  It’s black.

 

Seeing all the bags in the hall always makes me feel sad.  I have to pack my bags tonight as well as I am changing cabins for next week.  I go to an inside cabin.

[YVRteacher]

Studio 

I booked a studio cabin to give it a try.  I wanted to experience the studio lounge, the solo cruisers meet up and an economical way to cruise solo.  Yes I know there are some cruises with solo discounts or that don’t have solo supplements; this cruise wasn’t one of them.

 

The pros

-no agonizing over whether to book on the port side or starboard.  Did not matter.

-super dark and conducive to sleep

-the cookies in the studio lounge are not kept prisoner like they are in the buffet.  In the studio lounge the cookies are in full exhibitionist mode/on display for solos to see and enjoy.

-the espresso machine! Finally good coffee on an NCL ship that didn’t come from someone in a green apron who spells my name E-V-A-N.

-the bed is comfortable

-I am very much an out and about on the cruise person, not a hang out in the cabin person.  The majority of hours spent in the cabin were with my eyes closed so it didn’t matter that the view is of the shower.  

 

The cons

-I like air.  Fresh air.  There is no fresh air in a studio cabin.  You’re inhaling your own breath so maybe go easy on the fish, broccoli and smoked meat.

-The USB ports next to the bed don’t work. (Update-the USB ports next to the bed have little flappy covers on them that you have to slide up.  They work just fine 🤦🏻‍♀️)

-there is no room to twirl. I’m not much of a twirler but when you can’t twirl it makes you want twirl.

-there is no fridge and I have medication that needs to be refrigerated.  More importantly, you can’t bring back cheese from the buffet when you see them put out a fresh wheel of Brie so you can’t even pretend you’re having a luxury experience.  If there’s no Brie it’s just not fancy. Update: there was never any Brie to smuggle so worrying about it wasn’t necessary.

-All the You Tubers who make videos with tips on staying in a studio advise sleeping with the tv on so you wake up being able to see a glimpse of daylight.  Reader, the tv and the real thing ARE NOT THE SAME.  I love waking up and heading out to the balcony in my pyjamas to breathe.  I love seeing where we are, especially as we arrive early to a new-to-me port.  I love all kinds of weather (it may be a Canadian thing or it may be  that I taught grade 4 for years and weather was in the curriculum) but seeing weather on tv is blah.

-no birds land on your balcony since you don’t have a balcony

-if you are even mildly claustrophobic this is not the cabin for you.  One night I contemplated taking the blankets and a pillow to the observation lounge and sleeping on one of those comfy loungers but I am already at risk of having my Diamond status taken away since I “borrowed” a book from the Encore’s library that I have not yet returned and I didn’t want to further put myself in jeopardy of returning to Sapphire.  You know, because the Diamond upgrade for next week was so successful…

-there is nowhere for your bathing suit to dry.  I always tie my bathing suit to the back of a balcony chair and it usually dries rapidly in the sun.  No, I don’t hang it haphazardly over the balcony railing.  What do you think I am? Some kind of vagrant risk taker??  (Don’t @ me with NCL rules.  I don’t leave my bathing suit unattended.  I treat it like a small child and it stays inside when we are sailing.) After an evening in the hot tubs the first night I washed my bathing suit and hung it to dry on the mini clothesline in the shower stall.  The next morning it was soaking wet so I cranked the cabin heat up while I was out to see if that would help.  That was plan A.  Plan B was to take my bathing suit up to deck 19, find an unoccupied lounger and lay it out in the sun.  This plan was thwarted by cloud and it took 3 days for my bathing suit top to dry.

-Wet towels.  The towels don’t dry.  If you stockpile towels you have no room for all the Flow water or for the cookies you hoarded from the studio lounge.  You really have to know yourself and prioritize dry towels OR a stash of emergency cookies.  The Girl Guide in me likes to be prepared for emergencies so that made my decision easier.

 

Advice for staying in a studio

-use the public bathroom for any and all bodily emissions

-pack lightly as there are few hooks, tiny closets and minimal counter space.  I’m finding this a challenge and I barely have any stuff (I wrote a note asking the cabin attendant to please remove the silver tray with water for sale and 4 glasses.  Why does one person need 4 glasses in addition to the two glasses next to the sink?)

-take advantage of the studio lounge

-if you are human and you value breathing fresh air, book a cabin with a balcony!

-the sink is tiny.  Aim well.

-the toilet is regular-sized.  Aim however you want.

[YVRteacher]

Day 1 Week 2

The time to vacate all cabins is 8:30am.  I slap on my In Transit sticker and go to Guest Services to get my new key card.  When I ask the guy where I can have breakfast he says everything closed at 8:30.  I’m asking this at 8:35. He tells me to go to Starbucks.  Why would I pay for breakfast??  They didn’t put a last day procedure brochure in my cabin so I had no idea what was open and when. He tells me to go to Taste but when I get there they won’t let me in.  The hostess tells me to go to The Local.  I say “are you sure?” She says yes.  I go to The Local and it is full of people waiting for their luggage tag colour to be called.  There is no breakfast in sight.  The Garden Cafe stays open longer than the advertised time of 8:30 so I have a delicious custom made omelette and some Indian food.  There is no watermelon today.

 

Now I wait.  I’m supposed to meet in Maltings at 10:30 to be escorted through customs along with the other B2B cruisers.  Apparently last week they were not allowed back on the ship until after 12:00.  I have my book so I’m prepared for a wait.

There’s a comfy seat in the Observation Lounge but they are fixing a pole so it smells like epoxy. Hopefully this isn’t a crucial hold up the ceiling kind of a pole.  

Either it’s raining lightly or they are washing the windows in the Haven lounge.

 

Update 

The process of disembarking and re-embarking as Back to Back (In Transit) guests was incredibly smooth and easy.  We met in Maltings, were guided off the ship, had a face scan at USCBP then were guided back on board.  I was the first person on the ship today.

While waiting for show reservations to open at 11am I waited in the Atrium.  I sat on a chair to the side and officers, managers and crew walked by.  Not one NCL person said hi.  I really believe the tone of a ship is set by management and “walk by the guests and avoid all eye contact” seems to be the model.

[bluesea777]

Loving your review, as always. I thought you might like a teaser …

 

Here is a close-up photo I took on the Bliss - can you find the big art picture?

 

 

Enjoy!!!!

 

 

[www3traveler]

Sounds llike you could use a BIG BIG BIG HUG

I hope this goes goes a little better.

[GALSews]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Day 1 Week 2

" I have my book so I’m prepared for a wait." My sister and I agree, it's not American Express but, "A book. Never travel without it."

"There’s a comfy seat in the Observation Lounge but they are fixing a pole so it smells like epoxy. Hopefully this isn’t a crucial hold up the ceiling kind of a pole."  I guess you'll find out.

Update M

"The process of disembarking and re-embarking as Back to Back (In Transit) guests was incredibly smooth and easy.  We met in Maltings, were guided off the ship, had a face scan at USCBP then were guided back on board." Glad to hear, 

" I sat on a chair to the side and officers, managers and crew walked by.  Not one NCL person said hi.  I really believe the tone of a ship is set by management and “walk by the guests and avoid all eye contact” seems to be the model." Not so glad to hear. Hopefully someone will see your comments at NCL HQ. Remind them why they are sailing,

My comments are enbedded above.

Edited March 19, 2023 by GALSews
fixed typo

[mearsfansinboise]

I am LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVING this thread.

 

PEACHES!! 🤣🤣🤣

[YVRteacher]

Day 1 Week 2 Part 2

 

I tried to have lunch in the dining room but it was the same day 1 menu as last week and there isn’t anything I love so back to the buffet it was. They had different Indian food that I haven’t tried before and it was delicious.  I  made a leafy green salad to counteract the piece of welcome aboard cake I also enjoyed.  That’s how calories work, right??  There are no seats and officers and staff are eating at the tables.  This is at noon on embarkation day.  I took my food outside and sat under a heater.  It is definitely lightly raining.   

 

I had to leave my suitcase in last week’s cabin and the room attendant said he would move it at lunch time.  I am trusting him; my underwear is in that suitcase.  So is my jewelry but I care more about the undies.

 

I tried to cancel my shore excursions for this week but the man said he needed my tickets.  I said the tickets are in the cabin and we can’t get in to cabins yet. He said to come back with the tickets.  I said “but I’m in line now.”  He said he couldn’t do anything without the tickets.  I understand rules but I also understand sensible procedures and on this ship they aren’t always aligned.

 

After lunch I had coffee in the Observation Lounge then went to the Atrium because Archie was playing for 45 minutes.  45 minutes of Archie? Yes please!

 

While I was enjoying Archie I also had the opportunity to chat with a couple from Michigan.  They use sign language and they taught me the signs for ocean, cruise, happy and Canada.  Through the course of the conversation, they also taught me “long lines” “big crowds” and “frustrated people.”  I can finger spell and sign a little so it was good to practice and learn a little more.  I use my phone to type in the notes section when I don’t know how to sign a word.  They are lovely and I look forward to spending more time with them.

 

Muster drill is in person again.  We have heard that next month they will be going back to the watch a video and check in method.  My theory is they are doing these long, drawn out drills to give the cabin attendants longer to prepare the rooms.  It is now 3:27pm and rooms still aren’t ready so people are dragging their carry on luggage to their muster stations.

 

I’m debating whether or not to book a hot stone massage this week.  I know I would enjoy it, but I don’t want to give NCL/the Bliss any more of my money.  I still have a bit of a grudge from last week even though I’m trying hard to let it go.

 

There are loads of people with wheelchairs and scooters this week.  It’s like a scooter convention!  Plus there’s loads of kids.  This should be interesting.  

 

So my luggage was supposed to be moved from cabin A to cabin B.  I assumed this meant my luggage would be put INSIDE the new cabin like it has every other time I’ve changed cabins on the second week of a B2B but nope.  Fortunately no one stole my underwear.  

 

The new cabin smells like grandpa.

 

The sailaway music on the pool deck is so loud it hurts my teeth.  I am going to do such a good job of being an old lady when my time comes!  It’s really raining and grey so for the first time I wear jeans.   

 

There was trivia tonight and I knew exactly 2 answers.  The winning team (of 4 people) scored 5/20 and my team (myself and another woman) scored 3 all guesses. Woo hoo.  Things I learned: Manu National Park in Peru has over 1300 species of butterflies, Snoopy has a sister named Belle, Charles De Gaulle’s last words were “it hurts,” Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics in 1941, some man I’ve never heard of invented the bubble gun, cabbage has 18 chromosomes, Aquaman rides a horse named storm, the Māori word kaka means parrot and a Kangaroo rat is the animal that can go the longest without water.  I guessed cockroach.  

 

For dinner I went to Taste.  They tried to seat me right next to another table that was already full.  The two tables were so close together I could have shared their bread basket and nuzzled up against one of them.  I said no to that table.  My waiter has a cough and keeps coughing without covering his mouth.  Then he comes and touches my cutlery. I am one step away from having a minor freak out but I keep it inside. The food was alright in that it tasted like something I could make at home but keep in mind I’m not a good cook.  

 

Believe it or not this is the first time I’ve ever ordered the chocolate lava cake.  The cake part was good but the ice cream had bits in it and I like my ice cream bitless.

 

The 7:00 comedy show in the social was mostly funny.  I liked the guy.  His name is Keon. 

 

The late show in the theatre was the two comics.  There was hardly anyone there.  Both comics crossed the line from funny to inappropriate.  So much vulgarity and swearing.  I was genuinely disgusted.  The cruise director has not come into the theatre once to welcome guests and the acts are introducing themselves.  To have a cruise director with no presence on an NCL ship is bizarre to me.

 

[Oakman58]

On my last few cruises with NCL the cruise director was very low profile.  On Carnival, and even my Princess cruise this January, the cruise director seemed to be everywhere and always had time to talk to passengers.

[mearsfansinboise]

50 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

There are no seats and officers and staff are eating at the tables.  This is at noon on embarkation day.

 

Wow .... 😶

[luckybecky]

Really have enjoyed reading your trip report! You have a wonderful writing style and great sense of humor. 

 

We got off the Bliss on the day you embarked. Interesting that you heard an officer blame our slow debark process on the fact that passengers had lots of luggage. Well, it was a 15 day cruise. So I don't think it is surprising that some people had larger luggage. Is  NCL shocked at this? They never experienced this before? It was a truly awful debarkation process that I posted about elsewhere. 

 

Like you, we had muster in the District Brewhouse and I fully agree with your assessment. Packed in like sardines, most passengers are not going to be able to see the demo. I'm glad that they are reportedly going back to E muster.

 

On our cruise, the one immediately before yours, we had only 3919 passengers with just 60 children!! I would estimate our average age was at least 60+. A huge difference from your 1000+ kids and 4000++ passengers. It is amazing how just a few days  can make such a difference in the entire vibe of a cruise. 

 

Our favorite bartenders in the casino were bracing themselves for the upcoming cruise (yours). They knew full well that it was going to be a spring break cruise with a very dramatically different clientele. In fact they said they had been required to undergo extra training regarding serving drinks to underage guests. They told us that they were anticipating 1000 more passengers on the spring break cruise compared to ours. I imagine it was a madhouse.

 

One other thing I think you commented on were the officers  to your CC meet and greet. We had a very large, active CC group. Not one single officer or any NCL representative showed up. This was very disappointing.  

 

Looking forward to reading more from you. 🙂

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Day 2 Week 2

 

I did something this morning I’ve never done before: I had breakfast in a dining room (Taste.) 31 cruises and I’ve never had breakfast in a main dining room.  I would rate the experience 3/10.  I think that what has happened on this ship is there has been a significant change in staff and people are working positions for which they have not been trained.  The Maître D’s have no presence, the head waiters are watching/telling but not doing and the junior waiters have no idea what they are doing.   This must be happening in the galleys as well because food service is so slow.  I requested pastries and never received them.  Not a big deal. My food was not presented or made with care. Not a big deal.  The food was so-so.  With Diamond status one of the benefits is priority seating near the windows.  On this cruise that has only happened in specialty restaurants.  Big deal? No.  The thing is, all these little “not a big deals” are adding up to an experience that is not what NCL advertises or for what they are known.

 

After breakfast I booked the airport transfer for Sunday then did the Behind the Scenes tour.  Last week I loved the Behind the Scenes tour.  This week the Cruise Next employee, Jack Bytton, was rude and condescending.  It is fine and expected that rules about staying together as a group, walking on the right and not taking photos of I-95 will be stated.  This doesn’t need to be done by talking to us like we are naughty little kids. I stood back a little because we are a large group and several people are coughing.  I prefer not to stand next to coughing lady and Jack tells me to move closer.  I say no.  Another passenger on the tour just commented to me on  Jack’s language and behaviour and we are both immediately put off.  They have overbooked this tour and at the galley and the laundry I can’t hear the presentation.  I know there were Behind the Scenes tours at 8:30, 9:00 and 9:30 today so they are running multiple tours.  I told Jack I was too far away to hear anything.  He told me it was a small space.  Not helpful and another example of someone not caring about the passenger experience.

When we get to I-95 we learn about crew enrichment which includes bikes on board they can use for free in any port, basketball tournaments, soccer, Latin nights and PlayStation.  We pass the crew enrichment bulletin board and see there is an upcoming crew Drag Show, time for crew to use the water slides while we are in ports this week and special dinners.  There are also spa nights.  Jack explained that while they have a regular menu rotation they also have theme dinners. When we got to the galley I asked the security guard accompanying our tour if I could take a photo.  He said yes.  Jack saw me and publicly berated  me for taking a photo.  I said I asked and that we have always been allowed to take photos in the galley.  At the end of his presentation the chef came up to me and apologized for Jack’s behaviour toward me.  I told him it wasn’t his fault.  

 I did really enjoy the theatre part of the tour where we visited the dressing rooms for Six and The Jersey Boys as well as the costume maintenance room.  The cast members of Six wear three pairs of tights: one is skin colour, one is fish net and the top layer is rhinestones.  They go through 40 pairs of rhinestone stockings every two weeks.  The costume for Catherine of Aragon (the gold queen) cost $6000 to make.  We learned that when a cast rotates off the ship their costumes are sent back to Miami.  When one of the cast members of Six was leaving at the time of Covid shutdown, she took her custom-made boots with her.  She has now been permanently blacklisted from NCL and the company got their boots back.

 

At the Cruise Critic gathering the General Manager told us there are 4792 guests and 1666 crew on board this week.  Like last week, the majority of people at the Cruise Critic gathering are from Facebook.  People I spoke with have no idea what I’m talking about when I speak of Cruise Critic boards.

 

Having missed the Officer’s Q and A last week I went this week.  There were 36 people there.  The man across the table from me pulls out his nail clippers and starts cutting his nails during the presentation. We are in Q.  Ew, ew, ew. 

The majority of provisions for all NCL ships get sent by cargo boat from Miami to the different ports.  For this week there were 26 trucks of pallets and there is extra ice cream.  They loaded all the pallets in 5 hours on Sunday. 

We have 2000 metric tons of heavy fuel which we use when we are in Mexico and 1000 metric tons of natural gas which is used when we are sailing in US waters along the coast of California.

In terms of weight, 100000 metric tons will sink the ship 1cm.

There is only one place in the world where the pilot takes over and that is through the old locks in the Panama Canal; the ship is signed over to the pilot.

 

NCL ships go into dry dock for refurbishment every 5 years.  The pandemic impacted the Bliss’ schedule and she went into dry dock in Marseilles for 3 days during Covid and will not have her major dry dock until 2025.  The Bliss turns 5 on April 16 and the Chief Engineer is already looking forward to the celebratory cake.  I really enjoyed the Q and A, especially hearing the three officers describe their maritime and job history. 

 

I now have a trivia partner and we won Cinemoji Trivia.  No, I didn’t do this last week.  It was fun.  Luis does a great job hosting trivia.  

 

After a grey morning we are treated to sunshine and blue skies in the afternoon.  The Neilly Rich Band played an awesome set on the pool deck and the pool chairs and towels are being put to great use.  It’s a fun atmosphere! I finished my book and left it in the “take a book, leave a book” part of the Bliss library.

 

So our team name for trivia is the Ya Yas and we won Tri Bond trivia. We scream pretty loudly and some guy tells us we are having too much fun.

 

Yesterday I missed the solo get together so I went tonight.  I’m not in a studio cabin this week so I banged on the door for a long time before a cabin attendant let me in.  Nice gathering with nice people. Samantha is the solo cruiser host this week.  She is fabulous.  She learned everyone’s names and makes people feel so welcome.

 

The Latitudes party was tonight. Full crowd in the Observation Lounge.  Holly is the new Cruise Next Manager as Shannon was transferred to the Sky on Sunday (suddenly!) Holly did a great job hosting and I loved the story she told about how the captain welcomes new staff members on board. He has a baby on the way at home and has promised his wife he will be home for the birth of this baby.  There are 9 Diamond members on board and one person who will become ambassador in May.  People keep asking me why I go to the Latitudes gathering.  It’s just a deep love of cruising.

 

Six is tonight!! Twice!

[www3traveler]

Love this--made  me laugh!! 

Three questions: (1) Who is the Chief Engineer?

                            (2) Who is the Captain?

                            (3) How is Dad doing?

 

I hope the rest of your week goes well.

[ceilidh1]

If dad was on this sailing, I'm betting there would be some classic comments!!!!!

[gmbhardy]

On 3/11/2023 at 4:08 PM, bluesea777 said:

 

Ever tried Bloody Caesars? They are made with Clamato as we prefer these to Marys.

 

 

The drink is called a Caesar not a Bloody Caesar and I don’t care what they call them in your home town, state or province or what the bartenders call them on the ship, they are called CAESARS.

[mlgb]

Pre-pandemic nearly all of my MDR wait staff experiences on Bliss were bad. After I complained to the head of that department about an especially awful service at lunch,  they must have put an asterisk by my name. From then on I was seated at a table with an experienced waiter. It seemed that the better waiters were assigned to the specialty restaurants. We didn't have a great experience in the steak restaurant the first time we went and had to gulp down the desserts so as not to miss the show that night.  The second time we told them we had a show and the pacing  was better but we still had some cold side dishes. Cold truffle fries! Yum! I had a solo 5 day cruise early in 2022 that was nearly empty and I still wouldn't eat in the MDR! Indian buffet please.

Edited March 21, 2023 by mlgb

[YVRteacher]

6 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Love this--made  me laugh!! 

Three questions: (1) Who is the Chief Engineer?

                            (2) Who is the Captain?

                            (3) How is Dad doing?

 

I hope the rest of your week goes well.

Hi! The captain is Robert Lundberg, the chief engineer is Rolf Isaksson (he has a great sense of humour) and my dad would have jumped overboard by now.