Just back…BLISS. November 5-12

[HBCcruiser]

6 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

Lol. It was the worst tender operation I’ve ever experienced. 

😱

[laudergayle]

We loved the cabin…it was 12192.  This was our first Platinum cruise, too.  We had no issue changing dining reservations. However, for our cruise, on day 2, they totally rearranged entertainment days/times, so even the best laid plans don’t always work.  Stop by the Cruise Next desk after you do your dining and entertainment.  Same deck 6 atrium.  We didn’t do any of them, but we had the option if we wanted.  We did love the other benefits, especially the 2 dinners.

[Candy Apple 12]

49 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

The BLISS.  Hands down our favorite NCL ship.  While we like them all for different reasons, the Bliss encompasses the best of the others we’ve sailed (Bliss, Prima, Epic, Breakaway, Jade).

 

I’ve been on the POA twice and the Bliss twice. I love the Bliss so much I’ll be on it again next month. Then I’m branching out and trying the Escape. 

 

This was a warm weather cruise for many (not me 😁) and the pool deck and water slides were in full swing.  

 

What were the temperatures like? 
 

There is the Vibe, but we didn’t purchase passes.  Here is something I found interesting.  The Vibe is on Deck 19, starboard side.  As I understand, in theVibe you get padded loungers, hot tub, water feature, bar service and rest rooms.  On Deck 19, port side, there is a public deck with padded loungers, hot tub, shower, bar and rest rooms…for FREE.  You can access by walking up from Deck 16, but few people do this.  Or, FWD elevator bank, port side one elevator goes to Deck 19.  It’s a hidden gem…thank you ☺️.

 
This past April I wandered up there on our LA to Vancouver repo cruise. It was very blustery, and the poor guy at that bar was all bundled up with nary a customer in sight. I wonder what he did to deserve such an assignment. I think he was bored to death as he tried to strike up a conversation with us. We did talk to him for a few minutes, but we were cold and wanted to head back inside after our short stroll on deck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Candy Apple 12

[Eggs2Go]

The Bliss is my number one favorite ship too. I'll be onboard for the very last Mexican Riviera cruise in March. I know, spring break so lots of kiddos but I'm tucked away in a studio cabin, and I'll remember your tip about Deck 19. Plus I'm booking an NCL excursion in Cabo so hopefully will avoid tendering snafus.  I'll then be staying on the Bliss for the Pacific Coastal trip up to Vancouver where I'll disembark. No way do I desire to continue on to Alaska in April. I took the Bliss cruise in Alaska a few years ago during July the heart of summer and thought it was so frightfully cold. The ship's beautiful observation lounge saved me from frost bite I think. Looking forward to all of the details you post and am glad you had a wonderful time.

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, Eggs2Go said:

and I'll remember your tip about Deck 19. Plus I'm booking an NCL excursion in Cabo so hopefully will avoid tendering snafus

Yes…19 port side for sure. As @cruiseny4life said…shhhh!!  Hopefully it will remain an uncut gem.  I have to believe by March, NCL staff and Port of Cabo San Lucas tenders will have it figured out…time will tell.

 

Random fact (or here say)…Cabo, as in Cabo San Lucas, is a rank in the Mexican military, similar to Private in the US Army.

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

This past April I wandered up there on our LA to Vancouver repo cruise. It was very blustery, and the poor guy at that bar was all bundled up with nary a customer in sight. I wonder what he did to deserve such an assignment. I think he was bored to death as he tried to strike up a conversation with us. We did talk to him for a few minutes, but we were cold and wanted to head back inside after our short stroll on deck. 

Lol…we were on the Bliss mid May 2022 in AK.  I had read about the Hot Tub on 19, but like you…it was cold and a ghost town. We had asked our room steward for robes, totally planning on using this “exclusive” hot tub.  The robes appeared…the Hot Tub never happened.  That cruise or this cruise.  Stay tuned to find out why!

[marne-c]

A question for recent Bliss pax:  At a docked port, how long does it normally take to get off the ship once the gateways are open?

 

My wife and I have never sailed on a ship of this size, but we're on Bliss soon for an LAX-MIA Panama Canal transit cruise.  We will meet some friends living near our port-stop of Puerta Vallarta.  We want to tell them when to expect us to appear.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

--Marne

Edited November 14, 2023 by marne-c

[laudergayle]

10 minutes ago, marne-c said:

A question for recent Bliss pax:  At a docked port, how long does it normally take to get off the ship once the gateways are open?

 

My wife and I have never sailed on a ship of this size, but we're on Bliss soon for an LAX-MIA Panama Canal transit cruise.  We will meet some friends living near our port-stop of Puerta Vallarta.  We want to tell them when to expect us to appear.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

--Marne

Good news…PV is not a tender port.  I would allow at least 45 mins from what the ship says they will dock.  Interesting fact.  PV is on Central Standard Time, which is one hour ahead of ship time.  The ship stays on MST.  

[marne-c]

@laudergayle  Thanks for that quick and useful response!  MUCH appreciated!

 

--Marne

[Seas2mountains]

Thank you for your review. We also love the Bliss for all the reasons you mentioned and the Mexican port itinerary. Wow on all the time changes. We love going on cruises from Mountain time to Pacific time or Alaskan time or even Hawaiian time but going from Mountain time to Eastern time and island time always kicks our butts trying to adjust. 
 

That veggie pizza did look amazing and that corner room in the hotel looks awesome. I know what you mean about not wanting to eat on the bed. When we cruise out of LA, we love to stay in the Redondo Beach area. It’s a short drive to the cruise port but we love walking around that area as there is no need for a car with easy walking access to Whole Foods and many restaurants.  Our favorites are Captain Kidds for lunch and Bluewater Grill for dinner. 
 

Standing by to learn what happens next. 😁. We would go back on the Bliss any day and are eyeing it for an Alaskan cruise to bring family in May. So glad to hear you had a wonderful cruise. 

[HBCcruiser]

13 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

Our favorites are Captain Kidds for lunch and Bluewater Grill for dinner.

I am a 5 minute walk from BW Grill - in Hermosa Beach. Great area, I agree. 

[Seas2mountains]

26 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

I am a 5 minute walk from BW Grill - in Hermosa Beach. Great area, I agree. 

Lucky!!! We are so jealous. Trying to figure out a weekend getaway soon to Redondo Beach and we walk past Hermosa Beach as we love taking a long walk along the beach past the pier and going North of that area. It’s fun to see all the volleyball players as we dodge the bikes.  If you are considering the Bliss for this itinerary, do consider staying in this area as highly recommended by two of us on this thread. 😁

[laudergayle]

43 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

We would go back on the Bliss any day and are eyeing it for an Alaskan cruise to bring family in May.

As much as we love the Bliss, make sure any AK cruise you select includes Glacier Bay ( which the Bliss typically doesn’t ).   Out of Seattle, look at the Encore and the Sun itineraries to make sure you’re going to Glacier Bay.

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

Lucky!!! We are so jealous. Trying to figure out a weekend getaway soon to Redondo Beach and we walk past Hermosa Beach as we love taking a long walk along the beach past the pier and going North of that area. It’s fun to see all the volleyball players as we dodge the bikes.  If you are considering the Bliss for this itinerary, do consider staying in this area as highly recommended by two of us on this thread. 😁

You probably walked past our house…😎

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

Lucky!!! We are so jealous. Trying to figure out a weekend getaway soon to Redondo Beach and we walk past Hermosa Beach as we love taking a long walk along the beach past the pier and going North of that area. It’s fun to see all the volleyball players as we dodge the bikes.  If you are considering the Bliss for this itinerary, do consider staying in this area as highly recommended by two of us on this thread. 😁

You are correct. We honestly only want to the Vancouver to Seward and back routes but have to consider our family limited vacation time to offer the shortened Bliss or Encore options. Would choose @laudergayle 's suggestion of Encore with Glacier Bay over the Bliss options. We were deeply disappointed when our B2B Spirit skipped Hubbard Glacier the entire Alaskian cruise session.

[destar]

11 hours ago, laudergayle said:

As much as we love the Bliss, make sure any AK cruise you select includes Glacier Bay ( which the Bliss typically doesn’t ).   Out of Seattle, look at the Encore and the Sun itineraries to make sure you’re going to Glacier Bay.

We are booked on the Bliss for an  Alaska cruise next May, looking to swap it to Encore which includes Glacier Bay.

[destar]

And the change is done, Thanks for the recommendation.

[schmoopie17]

16 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Oh, the memories of the water scandal of 2022!   

Oh...so THAT'S where our six cartons of water ended up (the ones we were guaranteed for booking during the infamous "water scandal" of 2022...but never received)

 

Hope you enjoyed our water...😁

[Panhandle Couple]

13 hours ago, marne-c said:

A question for recent Bliss pax:  At a docked port, how long does it normally take to get off the ship once the gateways are open?

 

My wife and I have never sailed on a ship of this size, but we're on Bliss soon for an LAX-MIA Panama Canal transit cruise.  We will meet some friends living near our port-stop of Puerta Vallarta.  We want to tell them when to expect us to appear.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

--Marne

As stated, the ship needs to clear all the port paperwork before anyone can get off, anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour.  PV typically has their act together, so maybe 30 minutes.  Then leaving, they typically use two gangways, so the line off moves quickly.  

I doubt your friends can use the immediate parking area which will have busses and taxis lined up.

The best free local parking is probably the Walmart-Sams across the street.  5-10 minute walk once you get off.  Easy to see where to go from deck 8 before you get off.  

If you are taxing to them, very easy.  Line of taxis waiting for you in the port area.

And most US cell phone plans work in Mexico.

[laudergayle]

The Food

 

Overall, the food was good in both complimentary and specialty dining.  The portion sizes of mostly everything have definitely shrunk in the past two years.  There were a few standout dishes, but mostly just good, not great. Our specialty dining included LeBistro, Ocean Blue, Cagney’s and Teppanyaki.

 

The Local was actually our favorite this cruise.  The food was delicious, the portion sizes were huge and the service was fast and efficient.  We took the advice of a CC member and requested our wings extra crispy with sauce on the side.  Excellent suggestion.  The Reuben and Chicken Salad sandwiches were delish and, IMO the fries rival Mickey D’s.

 

 

LeBistro was our best specialty dining experience.  Hubby ordered the filet with foie gras  (which, IMO is disgusting in every way). While he didn’t eat the foie gras, he raved about his filet.  I ordered the Black Sea bass which was okay.  The big disappointment was my all time favorite dessert…the Ile Flotante.  Unfortunately the custard was not set☹️. Hubby loved his Fraser.

 

 

Ocean Blue was our second favorite specialty dining meal.  The Ciopinno was everything I remembered.  I just love that broth…yummmm.

 

Teppanyaki.  This was the first time we have tried Teppanyaki, and probably the last.  It just wasn’t our thing.  The “show” was fun and the Teppanyaki chef was talented but I was really turned off seeing my food prepared.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss…lol.  The amount of Soy Sauce and Garlic fat/lard used in the food prep blew my mind. 
 

Cagney’s was absolutely the worst, not because of the food but rather the experience.  Which was unfortunate as this was my Birthday dinner. We used our Platinum coupon for dinner with wine, and had a nice Ferrari Carano Merlot.  I ordered the French onion soup, salad and petite filet with A-1 (yes I ruin my filet with bottled sauce).  DH had the lamb chops, and he ruins his with mint jelly. 😂

And, I couldn’t wait for the OMG Butterscotch Cheesecake.  
 

So, why was this dinner the worst? For multiple reasons…the biggest you’ll have to wait for.   Once we were seated, there was a very pungent smell of room deodorizer, we switched tables and it was a little better, but still present.  I had to pull up the tablecloth over my lap to trap out the scent.  Our server told us they had cleaned the carport earlier that day.  Neither of us finished our entrees, and I never did get my OMG Butterscotch Cheesecake. 

 

 

 

 

 

[graphicguy]

Big 'Ole....

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

Edited November 14, 2023 by graphicguy

[marne-c]

@Panhandle Couple  MANY thanks for your detailed post about PV, especially about your hint re meeting up in the Walmart parking lot (plan A for us) and the line of taxis (plan B).

 

—Marne 

[schmoopie17]

I want to get the filet in Le Bistro on our upcoming cruise but will not eat disgust smashed liver (or unsmashed liver, for that matter). I was hoping your husband would have tried to remove the liver (and the accompanying upcharge) to see if it actually can be done (as some have said).

[laudergayle]

14 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

I want to get the filet in Le Bistro on our upcoming cruise but will not eat disgust smashed liver (or unsmashed liver, for that matter). I was hoping your husband would have tried to remove the liver (and the accompanying upcharge) to see if it actually can be done (as some have said).

I know right!  I tried to get him to do that as I knew he wouldn’t eat the liver.

[Bostonjetset]

3 hours ago, laudergayle said:

I know right!  I tried to get him to do that as I knew he wouldn’t eat the liver.

Send your foie gras to me please. I love it. It’s so delicious!!