On Bliss now. Any questions?

[luckybecky]

On the Bliss now. We have a limited amount of internet access but I will try to check in a time or two. I'm working on a very detailed trip report which I will post with photos later, but in the meantime, if anyone has specific questions I can try to answer them while onboard. So far we are having a great cruise!

[Goldenknight]

Questions, we have lots of questions!  We are on the Bliss sailing Mar. 12.  

Please reply at your leisure, thank you.

 

**  How many people approximately on your sailing?  Lots of kiddos?

 

**  Is the buffet closing early (930 pm) rather than staying open till 1130pm as in the past

 

**  Who is the cruise director?  Previous Bliss sailings, I think we had Dan Dan

 

**  Where did you dine for lunch on embarkation day?  Previous Bliss sailings, we went to the buffet, but if the ship is totally full, probably not a good idea, so we are thinking of going straight to Savor or Taste for lunch.

 

**  Did you make dinner reservations on day one for the MDR?  Where did you do that?

We never do speciality dining but often choose the MDR; on full ships, sometimes that involves a wait without a reservation.

 

**  Will you be using the thermal spa? We bought spa passes for the week, hoping for some respite from huge crowds.  Wondered if the spa is busy on your sailing.

 

Thanks for helping out. enjoy your cruise

[Guyc]

What is the current cost for a shave in the Barbershop?

[www3traveler]

Could you please post a list of the current Officers both Bridge and Hotel?

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[KatHaven]

Who are the musicians?  Particularly in the District Brewhouse.  Do you have a favorite?

[YVRteacher]

Hi!  I hope you continue to have a great time.  I board the Bliss on March for 2 weeks and both weeks the ship is near capacity.  Is there a sign outside Food Republic with the hours it is open each day?

 

I believe the cruise director is Paquito.

[luckybecky]

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

Questions, we have lots of questions!  We are on the Bliss sailing Mar. 12.  

Please reply at your leisure, thank you.

 

**  How many people approximately on your sailing?  Lots of kiddos?

 

3,919 on board. Approximately 60 children. Not sure if that number is exact but it's what our cruise director said. The average age on this cruise is over 60, in my estimation. Lots of retirees. I think that is because it is a long itinerary (15 days), and kids are in school at this time.

 

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

**  Is the buffet closing early (930 pm) rather than staying open till 1130pm as in the past

 

Yes, closes at 9:30pm. The only thing after that is the Local which is open all night (slightly limited menu after 10pm)

 

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

**  Who is the cruise director?  Previous Bliss sailings, I think we had Dan Dan

 

Paquito. I'm going to say he's just OK. I've cruised with directors who seemed much more active, all over the ship, with lots of energy. I haven't seen quite that amount of energy from Paquito.

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

 

**  Where did you dine for lunch on embarkation day?  Previous Bliss sailings, we went to the buffet, but if the ship is totally full, probably not a good idea, so we are thinking of going straight to Savor or Taste for lunch.

 

Observation Lounge. It was great! Light fare, limited choices, but the lounge is beautiful and was very uncrowded at noon. They had quiche, sandwiches, fruit, a few desserts, etc.

 

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

 

**  Did you make dinner reservations on day one for the MDR?  Where did you do that?

We never do speciality dining but often choose the MDR; on full ships, sometimes that involves a wait without a reservation.

 

I think they were doing dinner reservations at Teppayaki. We had made our reservations for our 3 specialty dinners a few months ago, and even then times were relatively full. Someone told me that only 25% of reservations are opened for booking prior to boarding so you have to do that early. 

 

We made show reservations for the entire cruise on day one at the Social. Do this early because they fill up early. 

 

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

 

**  Will you be using the thermal spa? We bought spa passes for the week, hoping for some respite from huge crowds.  Wondered if the spa is busy on your sailing.

 

We aren't using the spa. We didn't want to pay the extra for access to that so I can't really say how crowded. We toured it on day 1 just after boarding and it looked amazing!

 

14 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

 

Thanks for helping out. enjoy your cruise

 

You're welcome! 🙂

 

[luckybecky]

14 hours ago, Guyc said:

What is the current cost for a shave in the Barbershop?

 

We spoke to the barber himself (Kip, I think) who was very proud to sell his $129 shave! But it's not just a shave, he said, it's a full facial and head massage and I don't know what all!

 

However the price list shows an express shave for $79

[luckybecky]

8 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Could you please post a list of the current Officers both Bridge and Hotel?

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

I'm sorry, I don't know who they are and not sure if this info is posted anywhere. Do you know where I might find it?

 

1 hour ago, KatHaven said:

Who are the musicians?  Particularly in the District Brewhouse.  Do you have a favorite?

 

I don;t think they are doing a lot of music in the Brewhouse. On today's schedule, a sea day, I see only one thing listed: Piano and Vocals with Anthony.

 

The Nashville Tenors have performed in main theater. They are outstanding! The Beatles are in the Cavern club often and a couple of shows in theater. Donni Troy will be in the theater later in the cruise. There's Archie on the Piano in Atrium. The Temperature Band performs often and they are very good. Duo Estrella also performing often.

 

Sorry, I have to run for now but will check back again later.

[www3traveler]

At the bottom of the forward staircase Deck 6 to the right before you get to the restrooms should be a large photo gallery of all the Senior and Mid Management Officers.

[Giveitatry2023]

If you’re near the arcade could you not the approx cost of games, probably the redemption kind that give you tickets? Want to know what kid of fortune I should bank on my kids spending. 

[luckybecky]

2 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Hi!  I hope you continue to have a great time.  I board the Bliss on March for 2 weeks and both weeks the ship is near capacity.  Is there a sign outside Food Republic with the hours it is open each day?

 

I believe the cruise director is Paquito.

 

No sign, but opening times are always listed in the Freestyle Daily schedule. Looks like Food Republic is only open for dinner every night 5:30-9:30pm

 

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

At the bottom of the forward staircase Deck 6 to the right before you get to the restrooms should be a large photo gallery of all the Senior and Mid Management Officers.

 

I'll look for it! Also will check on the arcade.

[luckybecky]

7 hours ago, Giveitatry2023 said:

If you’re near the arcade could you not the approx cost of games, probably the redemption kind that give you tickets? Want to know what kid of fortune I should bank on my kids spending. 

 

Arcade prices: most games were $1.99. A few were a little less, $1.66 I think, and a few were more, up to $2.66. The arcade is a pretty good size, and there are a few games near The Local. There are also a couple of mini bowling lanes near the Local, they were $6.99

 

7 hours ago, www3traveler said:

At the bottom of the forward staircase Deck 6 to the right before you get to the restrooms should be a large photo gallery of all the Senior and Mid Management Officers.

 

You are right, there is a screen showing all the officers. I had seen that before but forgot about it. Here ya go:

Captain Robert Lundberg

Chief Engineer Rolf Isaksson

Staff Captain Robert Hammerin

General Manager Zdravko Kojakovic

Chief Executive Engineer Ivica Bresan

Staff Chief Engineer Claudio Skalamera

Assistant General Manager Marites Sonza

Cruise Directo Paquito Fuchs

Food and Beverage Manager Sreekanth Sundaram

Senior Doctor Adrian La Rosa

Chief Officer Heriela Castillo

Chief Refrigeration Engineer Kjell Ake Erissson

Chief Financial Accountant Windel Tormis

Executive Housekeeper Jojo Orofino

Guest Service Manager Manuel Japson

Executive Chef Jacob Sarkar

Beverage manager Haide Balon

Restaurant Manager Ana Maria Malata

Casino Manager Norman Punzala

 

There were a few more like shops manager or whatever but I didn’t get them all.

[luckybecky]

21 hours ago, Goldenknight said:

 

 

**  Did you make dinner reservations on day one for the MDR?  Where did you do that?

We never do speciality dining but often choose the MDR; on full ships, sometimes that involves a wait without a reservation.

 

 

 

Sorry, I just realized you were asking about MDR reservations. In my previous answer I was talking about specialty dining.  I didn’t know you could reserve MDR. I was just talking to a lady tonight who told me she made reservations on day 1 for one of the dining rooms at a specific time for the entire cruise. As I mentioned before, they were taking reservations for dining at I believe Teppanyaki. I thought it was only for specialty dining but apparently you can reserve dining for the entire cruise at MDR also, according to the woman I was speaking to.

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

Arcade prices: most games were $1.99. A few were a little less, $1.66 I think, and a few were more, up to $2.66. The arcade is a pretty good size, and there are a few games near The Local. There are also a couple of mini bowling lanes near the Local, they were $6.99

 

 

You are right, there is a screen showing all the officers. I had seen that before but forgot about it. Here ya go:

Captain Robert Lundberg

Chief Engineer Rolf Isaksson

Staff Captain Robert Hammerin

General Manager Zdravko Kojakovic

Chief Executive Engineer Ivica Bresan

Staff Chief Engineer Claudio Skalamera

Assistant General Manager Marites Sonza

Cruise Directo Paquito Fuchs

Food and Beverage Manager Sreekanth Sundaram

Senior Doctor Adrian La Rosa

Chief Officer Heriela Castillo

Chief Refrigeration Engineer Kjell Ake Erissson

Chief Financial Accountant Windel Tormis

Executive Housekeeper Jojo Orofino

Guest Service Manager Manuel Japson

Executive Chef Jacob Sarkar

Beverage manager Haide Balon

Restaurant Manager Ana Maria Malata

Casino Manager Norman Punzala

 

There were a few more like shops manager or whatever but I didn’t get them all.

Thank you   This is what I needed.

[www3traveler]

4 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

Arcade prices: most games were $1.99. A few were a little less, $1.66 I think, and a few were more, up to $2.66. The arcade is a pretty good size, and there are a few games near The Local. There are also a couple of mini bowling lanes near the Local, they were $6.99

 

 

You are right, there is a screen showing all the officers. I had seen that before but forgot about it. Here ya go:

Captain Robert Lundberg

Chief Engineer Rolf Isaksson

Staff Captain Robert Hammerin

General Manager Zdravko Kojakovic

Chief Executive Engineer Ivica Bresan

Staff Chief Engineer Claudio Skalamera

Assistant General Manager Marites Sonza

Cruise Directo Paquito Fuchs

Food and Beverage Manager Sreekanth Sundaram

Senior Doctor Adrian La Rosa

Chief Officer Heriela Castillo

Chief Refrigeration Engineer Kjell Ake Erissson

Chief Financial Accountant Windel Tormis

Executive Housekeeper Jojo Orofino

Guest Service Manager Manuel Japson

Executive Chef Jacob Sarkar

Beverage manager Haide Balon

Restaurant Manager Ana Maria Malata

Casino Manager Norman Punzala

 

There were a few more like shops manager or whatever but I didn’t get them all.

Thank You

[Giveitatry2023]

49 minutes ago, luckybecky said:

 

Arcade prices: most games were $1.99. A few were a little less, $1.66 I think, and a few were more, up to $2.66. The arcade is a pretty good size, and there are a few games near The Local. There are also a couple of mini bowling lanes near the Local, they were $6.99

 

 

Thank you so much! 

[lovinger]

23 hours ago, luckybecky said:

On the Bliss now. We have a limited amount of internet access but I will try to check in a time or two. I'm working on a very detailed trip report which I will post with photos later, but in the meantime, if anyone has specific questions I can try to answer them while onboard. So far we are having a great cruise!

Were you able to book reservations to Jersey Boys and Six on day 1? 

 

How crowded do the MDRs and the buffet get, and is there a peak time for the crowds?

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope you have an amazing cruise!

 

[luckybecky]

9 hours ago, lovinger said:

Were you able to book reservations to Jersey Boys and Six on day 1? 

 

Yes, we booked all the shows that require reservations on day 1 including all the comedians.

 

9 hours ago, lovinger said:

How crowded do the MDRs and the buffet get, and is there a peak time for the crowds?

 

The buffet has been quite crowded every time we have gone, usually at normal lunchtime.  Noonish. I don't eat breakfast but I'm sure it's very busy before or just around docking time on port days. 

9 hours ago, lovinger said:

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I hope you have an amazing cruise!

 

 

You're welcome.  We just docked in Guatemala.  It's been a great cruise so far

[HeyBigCarl]

How is the beer availability at District Brewhouse?  I’ve heard stories about lots of draft beers not in stock, specifically IPAs. 
 

Have a great trip!

[behan]

1 hour ago, HeyBigCarl said:

How is the beer availability at District Brewhouse?  I’ve heard stories about lots of draft beers not in stock, specifically IPAs. 
 

Have a great trip!

I'm on board right now too.  No issue with beer availability.  Last time I checked IPAs on draft were Stone, Lagunitas snd Cigar City Jai Lai.  I'm headed that way and will take a picture of the menu.

Edited March 5, 2023 by behan

[behan]

[HeyBigCarl]

Thank you!

[Giveitatry2023]

Could you possibly verify if food republic is no reservations? Online it’s showing reservations are not offered? 

[Smartipantz]

Can you tell me what food is available at the Local?  Thanks sooo much