softl

Grab a beer at the first opportunity and head to the pool area. We usually sail with others and they know where to find me after they've settled. 

Ask the bartenders about that bottle of booze (cognac I think) in the red box on the bottom shelf center behind the bar!

I don't know either of the two bartenders in your picture. I'm curious if a whole dining/cocktail crew takes vacations at the same time.

In the Haven restaurant,  there was a very pretty young lady that served us. She spoke very quietly and had the appearance of a geisha girl. If she's there, please show her our picture and say hello. TIA 

2 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

I have not seen Will. Monica and Guerrmo (spelling?) only so far. I will keep an eye out for him. 

He had plans to go home may still be in China. Hope he isn't stuck there. Is there a female named Alex on the haven  bar there?

Sorry to hear about all the kids there. School vacation week. We sailed Thanksgiving week and there were a ton of kids.

Stop and visit Will the Haven bartender. He will not forget your name.

Just my opinion,  the entire bar area reeked of tobacco smoke. My Bride smokes and spends considerable time in the casino smoking area. By virtue of marriage, I too spent time there. Non-smoker and non-gambler too. The service was good when there wasn't a crowd or when the shows and dinners closed! A dollar bill with my key card for a drink improved the service.

The bar is in the smoking area of the casino and it smells. It can get pretty busy there as well. A dollar attached to your cabin card will get you better service.

Try the airboat ride for the adventure and a different view of Florida.

I did the Thanksgiving sail on the Bliss and all the bar TVs had the NYFL games on but they didn't have any audio, nor could the bartender control it. The only bar that had audio was in the District Brew House. 

Go Patriots.....

5 hours ago, DonnaK said:

We were also on this sailing, and had a very similar experience as you.  We were terribly disappointed with food, menus, the buffet, poor overall service, long waiting times and long lines.  Although the entertainment was outstanding, it was very difficult to get reservations so we weren't able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was our first NCL cruise, and definitely our last.

Don't let that cruise keep you from trying another NCL ship. The Bliss was full that week because of the long holiday weekend. Many folks took advantage of that so it was sold out. Navigating a cruise ship is easier when there are fewer passengers. 

Also, there were only three days of sun basking poolside so the lower decks were getting all the traffic. 

Been on RCCL's Freedom and Brilliance,  NCL's Sky (2X), Sun, Epic and just recently,  the Bliss over Thanksgiving week. Way too big for me. Give me the 5 day Sky and Sun cruises anytime. Destinations are not important to me. Floating in the tropics poolside with a cold drink is all I need. 

12 hours ago, buckeyefrank said:

The cruise line employees are absolutely NOT paid according to US wage and labor standards.  I may be incorrect, but I believe they are paid under the laws of the ships flagged country.  I know for a fact, they are not paid according to US laws.

The wage information I posted was shared with me by an Asian bartender on the Bliss over the Thanksgiving week cruise.

On 12/10/2019 at 4:07 AM, don't-use-real-name said:

Your post was well informed - however NCL ships are not American ships they are of Bahamas registry I

believe but the American culture rules apply in most cruises except those in Asia Australia New Zealand

Such is the heavy influence of sailings from Florida/USA. If from Europe the UK and sailing from Europe the

Mediterranean Baltic etc. you don't have to change your tipping regimen.

I believe that the NCL cruise contracts in the UK are worded applied and the fine print is different than the

USA version - Member Keith Jenner may have some comments about this. 

Just want to make a point here. The vessel is registered in the Bahamas but NCL is a Miami FL based business. The employees are paid according to US wage standards and are subject to US Tax Law. 

Just off the Bliss Haven. I tipped my butler, steward and concierge on the last day and my bartenders and wait staff for every transaction.  The day before disembarkation I went to the service desk and requested the DSC to be removed.  I signed a form, no questions asked and it was immediately removed from my invoice. The only charges on it were US port taxes for alcohol. 

I tip very generously, and receive excellent service because of it. Your mileage may vary. 

Bon voyage. 

I posted this last wee but will repost again.

Boarding the Bliss on 11/24 they scanned our passports and used that picture for the key card as well. When I was disembarking I went through the facial recognition but was stopped.  I passed with the green light but the official in charge asked me for a retake. When I did he asked me to remove my eye glasses, which I did. He then allowed me to pass. I did not wear glasses in my passport photo. 

Otherwise,  it's a very simple system.

I highly recommend doing the Jersey Boys show. Great entertainers.  Adult content. 

I hope they are not cruising on a Northeast school vacation week. I just sailed the Bliss last week, Thanksgiving week, and it was booked solid. Lots of children aboard.

On 12/3/2019 at 12:41 PM, luckyinpa said:

im very interested in the haven disembark comment above. been 3 years since i did it so my memory is fuzzy. is the delay waiting on the long sidewalk to get back in the terminal?  why would you be outside 25 min?

 

also will the wait be affected if you do walkoff with luggage , which is what we are doing.

 

i know the porter tip to get thru customs quickly 

We had an early flight from Laguaurdia so we requested the first disembarkation, with luggage. We got on the service elevators to deck 7 I think.  There we stood in a hallway near the entrance to the theater in our winter gear waiting with other passengers in a non-moving line for what seemed forever, and no explanation.  Then they started moving us through the passkey check and then the facial recognition passport check. Each had two lines. The other one had a lady who wasn't prepared, she didn't have her key card and dug through her purse for her id. This didn't go well with the folks behind her. As for the facial recognition,  I had trouble but I did get a green light, only to be stopped by an official for a retry. Had to remove my glasses as my passport photo does not include glasses.  BTW, they do not take your photo anymore on check in.  They take a photo of your passport photo.

After that it was the long ramp and walk through the terminal to the street.  There were taxi, limo and uber drivers hustling fares on the traffic median. Warning,  the Uber drivers are fake. All Uber transactions are pre-booked. We chose a stretch limo for the 6 of us. We had to walk the block to W48 and 11th Ave, but we all fit with luggage. Cost a hundred bucks. My Uber to the ship was only $60. I was able to book that while retrieving luggage.

My disappointment was only due to fear of missing the flight on a stormy day. 

On 12/3/2019 at 12:14 PM, Grandmafreddie said:

Which airboat ride did you take and thanks for a great review

I took the regular air boat trip. There were two, the second included something like a jungle adventure.  Our bus wasn't ready as they needed room for all the KSC tour buses. Unfortunately this cut our excursion a bit as the sun was setting, cooling the air which causes the gators to return to the water. It was educational though.

Departed in the cold rain. Was cool until Tuesday off the Florida coast.

Far too crowded. And I too heard the 1,200 children rumor. Elevators were a major disappointment. Never going the right direction and when they were they were fully loaded or had passengers going the wrong way.  Do people know how enter an elevator anymore, or how to walk on the right?

Haven was full of kids, mostly toddlers, some teens. Bride and I went to the Haven breakfast one morning. Sat us next to the only other diners there, two couples, talking rather loudly. Within 5 minutes their two pre-teens joined them. Got louder!

The port stop in Canaveral was nice but the disembarkation was far too lengthy. Really long walk, especially in the terminal. Did the airboat ride. It met  my approval.

GSC was beautiful but again, too crowded. I felt bad for people walking the isles looking for beach lounges.

Stayed on in Nassau. Watched football on the pool big screen. Turkey dinner was another disappointment. No mashed potatoes???

Very windy but sunny on Friday. Saturday was cold and overcast.

Disembarkation from the Haven was a line moving nowhere for 25 minutes, everyone dressed for the cold. But i went smoothly .

Personally, I'll never do another cruise on that big of a ship nor out of NY in the winter and on a holiday week. My favorite cruises were on the Sky and Sun. Even the Epic was okay.

Sorry if anyone sees this post as a piss and moan reply. I had a lot of fun, but wanted to relay some of the major negatives I experienced. Maybe I'll post some good ones on another post.

Wow, 15 bucks to steam?

I was on the Sun in April. No charge for steam and sauna. Used it daily.  The showers are bigger than the cabin showers.

4 hours ago, Firepath said:

Thank you for your report - it makes me want to go to the Bahama!. It's funny to me that your MDR menus are exactly what we had on POA in Hawaii two weeks prior. Makes me wonder if they have a standard menu fleet wide at a particular time.

And think about the logistics involved in that! The pallets of food being loaded onto the ships must be coordinated and stored in such a way as they are being consumed.

Me being a "how they do it" guy, I'd like to hear from someone that has firsthand knowledge of these things. Could make some interesting reading.

Hmmmmm? Coming up stop in Port Canaveral, not embarkation.  I know I paid sales tax on RCCL for a beer before sailing. Don't remember if I paid it on NCL in PC before sailing though. And it was this Irishmans best holiday too!

4 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

If you are off of the ship but are within range, yes.

 

You can call your butler as you are walking towards the ship after your excursion and have him/her deliver something that will be in your stateroom when you arrive.

Talk about convenience!

Will be doing the  Bliss haven soon. Two couples, us in Deck 12 Haven suite, them near the haven pool. 

We'll both have phones to connect. That is cool. Dem Cadillac people think of everything!

I'm 2 for 3, the missed one was due to a hurricane that forced us to Key West instead.

Has anyone seen the RCCL commercial on TV for their Coco Cay stop? It looks like a mini Disney park. Kind of gives me ideas.....

I'll be sailing the Bliss out of NYC in a few weeks. Staying in the Haven so we get the enclosed pool! I'm not a winter person, but I'm sure I'll find things to do until we hit warm air. My Bride likes the casino, I like the bars! Win, win.