EganFire

Day 2 Recap - Dec 5 - At Sea Today started out with an amazing sunrise at sea. Honestly, I am sure 95% of sunrises at sea are amazing just strictly due to the fact it is 'at sea". I grabbed some breakfast at the Garden Cafe and made the mistake of leaving my key in the room. Since you have to insert your room card to activate the lights and AC, I simply forgot. After getting a new card, I then added a bright green post it note on the back of my room door: "TAKE KEY!" I attended the latitudes award behind the scenes tour. I have attended this before on different ships, and always learn something new. As we cruise on this floating city, it is sheer amazing to find that we have an entire town under the city keeping the city going 24 hours and 7 days a week. It is a quite impressive area. Today, I learned a few things. Today we spotted them creating the gingerbread houses and decorative items that will soon be on display when the ship decorates for Christmas. We also learned that all of the laundry, guest laundry, sheets, towels, and crew is all done by 25 employees. The process is amazing and it was quite warm. Laundry is located on decks 4 and 5 at the forward of the ship. Can you imagine trying to do that much laundry at home? The sheer amount of items waiting to be cleaned and folded was overwhelming. Some areas we were restricted in taking pictures, but there is a corridor that runs the entire length of the ship, like a major road. It is called "I-95" and many think it relates to Interstate 95 on the East coast. It is also the name of the immigration form that is mandatory for all cruise line employees: Form I95. We also learned just how important two items area. First, the "vacation Heroes" cards. These are available at guest services and you can identify when someone does something amazing for you. These cards are shared directly with the crew and many of them keep all of them. They advised us while working a 9 month (or more) contract they may run into a rough patch and they read these cards to help remind them of the good they do to help them. The second, is identifying them in the Survey you receive after the cruise. We learned the crew may not hear these remarks; however, having the company management team hearing how great someone is certainly is not bad for their career. We toured the backstage area of the main stage, and it is something to see how they fit everything in the wings behind the stage. Six, one of the two main shows on board, has a new cast starting on this cruise. This group will be the last of the cast for Six on Bliss. The show is being replaced by a game show afterwards. The game show: Wheel of Fortune. The Cruise Critic Meet & Greet was this morning. It was great to meet some of the head officers on board. They shared their direct cell phone numbers so that fi any of us from Cruise Critic have an issue while on board we can contact them directly. 52 Cruise Critic members were present for today's meeting. I spent some time in the Spa exploring all that is included with the spa pass. It was enjoyable; and surprisingly not as busy at I thought it would be. Then I spent some hours at the Vibe Beach Club enjoying the weather and fresh air. Today was beautiful. Smooth seas and not too warm either. The day ended with a sunset over the mountains of Cuba. I had dinner at Ocean Blue, and as expected it was excellent. Great service all around. I had the Surf and Turf and highly recommend it. I listened to the Beatles perform in the Cavern, and every seat plus some was full, to a standing room only audience. After dinner it was time for 'Jersey Boys' and it did not disappoint. Great performance to a packed house. Tomorrow is another day at Sea, and here is the daily for today:

I pre-ordered an Uber. It would have been 1.8 miles. I am not sure about the marathon route; however, it’s not the worst walk if needed. I just don’t know if the bridge has sidewalks as I honestly didn’t look at that. If you do Uber, Brightline has an Uber pick up area and they will include Uber in your ticket price if you do Premium seating.

Dining reservations was set up in Teppanyaki. Show reservations was setup just across the hall in the comedy club. Both on deck 6 midship.

Day 1 Recap - Dec 4 - Miami Today started out with the technology issue I spoke about previously. All working as of now. Brightline train from Orlando to Miami worked great for me. I would repeat, especially on a one-way cruise like this one. I may or may not upgrade to premium if I use it again, as when I saw the coach cars; they were just as nice, only the seats were a little smaller. Here is a look into the Premium car: I do have to find the humor in a few things. When I was getting the phone fixed I saw this song playing on the Uber driver's radio: For sure, this morning I was a mess with all the glitches with my phone. Even better, is once it was fixed and I was arriving to the port seeing the NCL terminal, this song was on it: Now, tell the need of this vacation to my heart. It was a little crowded at the Terminal to get into the building and some confusion among multiple others was overheard. I heard many people confusing check in time to boarding time. For anyone who has not cruised before with NCL, those two terms are not the same. Considering how long the line was to get in, it actually moved smoothly. Just because you selected a 10 am check in time does not mean you walk on the ship at that time. Arriving early when you do not have status helps to earn you an earlier boarding group number. The order of the groups on the ship: Haven, those needing assistance, platinum and above, group 1, group 2, etc... Once inside the terminal, Miami seems to always be a little bit of a cluster of people at the door to get in. No matter how many times NCL announced asking to keep the door way clear until you heard your boarding number, many people just waited there, blocking the area. Several I saw standing in the way had double digit boarding numbers and we had not even started boarding yet. This made it difficult for those with their boarding zone called to make their way to the door. Finally I made my way across the gangway bridge onto the ship and went to my muster station to check in, then it was off to a few on-board errands. 1 - update a couple of dining reservations. 2 - Add my name to the behind the scene tour for those with platinum or above. This line was quite long but nothing a drink in line wouldn't hurt. 3 - Check on what the entertainment options are: 4 - Check in to the Spa and pick up my pass. I took a tour and I look forward to exploring this area out. Thank you @cruiseny4life for the suggestions. 5- Then off to grab some food. and finally 6 - check in to the Vibe. While in the Vibe they made the announcement that rooms are ready. I eventually made it to my room, I was in no rush, around 4 PM - and I still had no luggage. This is not the normal for past cruises. So I went to eat an early light dinner at the main dining room, and afterwards everything had arrived to my room. As I unpacked we departed Miami later scheduled. The Captain announced they were delayed due to still loading supplies. I did learn that some of those supplies being loaded are the Christmas decorations for the next cruise. They will start installing them throughout the ship sometime on our cruise. After unpacking, I headed to the Theatre to see the Beatles show, and this was EXCELLENT. The band is from Argentina, not Liverpool for anyone thinking this may have been the actual Beatles. 🙂 Some information learned at the show: This cruise as quite an international representation of the customers. UK and Germany were the largest groups. 30 from Australia, and several other countries. I did not write down the exact numbers for Americans, but remember it was only about 55% of the cruise when they announced them. It was also announced that we have nearly 1700 crew and a little over 3700 guests. Continued to explore the ship and re-acclimate myself where everything is and hit about 12,000 steps: so not bad for the first day. Tomorrow is a day at sea - on my agenda includes: rest, behind the scene tour, the CC M&G, drinks, more food and dinner at Ocean Blue. I also have a reservation for Jersey Boys. Here is the daily for today for anyone who would like to see it.

UPDATE: thanks to Osvaldo my Uber driver and 9th grade Spanish as Osvaldo spoke as much English as I speak Spanish; I made it to the phone store and then to the port. Cash bribes not needed but awarded non the less. I will give a full day 1 summary later. Now off to complete my “once I get onboard list”

Well, today started early, and travel is going well; however, technology has failed me. My phone SIM went corrupt and I can't access some apps and cell service. I have an Uber reservation waiting to pick me up at the train station and I hope I can talk the driver into changing the destination to the phone store, that is if I can even find my driver. That is one of the apps failing me. This vacation WILL be awesome, just get me to the store, then to the ship. The Vibe is calling my name loudly.

What was the warning about Starbucks?

Car to Train – Train to Car – Car to Ship – ........ and then to the Bar and the Buffett Well, that’s the plan anyway… I have an Uber planned for ‘way too early in the day’, before the sun wakes up, to take me from my house to the train station - the train station happens to be in the middle of the airport. When cruising out of Miami, I usually drive down the day before and use a hotel with the ‘stay and park’ option. This package includes a room, parking for the length of the cruise, and a shuttle to the port. This package is great for many reasons. First, the vacation starts a day early. Second, there is no rush to get through Florida traffic when trying to get on a ship. You are still on your own to get back to the hotel after the cruise, but that Uber ride is usually cheap. However, for this trip I will be taking the brand new Brightline train into Miami and then using their car service to the Port. I want to try this experience as this is a one-way cruise and I do not want my car to be 4.5 hours from home when I get back. It is also a brand-new service that I want to try out. The port is 1.8 miles from the train station in Miami. Doing some quick math, in Miami driving time it should take roughly 43-48 minutes to get to the port. Give or take a minute or two depending on the lights. Seriously, Miami traffic is ugly, but hopefully it will not be too bad. This Uber trip is also free with the type of ticket I purchased on Brightline. In case others are considering using Brightline, check back here later, I will certainly provide some insight into the use of Brightline for this trip when I am on board, as it has high speed Wi-Fi included.

Pre-Booked Entertainment - well ... some if it anyway This is my first NCL cruise where I pre-booked entertainment for the cruise. I was told for the Bliss this feature opened 26 days pre-cruise for me; however, it did not open until 19 days out. I found out on the CC Roll Call that it was open, and by the time I logged in the options were limited. I do not recall this option of pre-booking entertainment being available on other cruises, I may have missed that. Two Broadway styles shows are currently on the Bliss. ‘Six’ and ‘Jersey Boys’. I booked a 9:30 PM show for both and I am looking forward to seeing both: ‘Six’ - the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales. I am sure they have some stories to share. I understand that NCL has decided to end this show on the Bliss February 24, 2024. ‘Jersey Boys’ - goes behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and follows four blue-collar kids working their way from the streets of Newark to the heights of stardom. I think I saw part of Jersey Boys before on a previous Bliss cruise, and I know I have not seen Six - so I look forward to experiencing this before it comes to an end on NCL. Other entertainment will be available to choose from once I am on board. I always enjoy seeing the other acts throughout the ship. (Bands, comedians, magicians, ventriloquists, jugglers, etc..) On the Bliss, I also really like going to listen to the piano player in the District Brewhouse. He or She usually has the place singing along to songs and will throw in some dry comedy occasionally as well. If you are looking for a quiet night cap, this is not the best place for you. Off topic for this cruise; however, totally worth the shout out. For anyone who plans to cruise on Encore or Escape - go see ‘Choir of Man’. Let me say it again… GO SEE ‘CHOIR OF MAN’. In my opinion, it is the best show at sea. Arrive 30 minutes before the show - sit towards the front, and you are welcome, as you will for sure say “we should thank that random guy who suggested this to us” after the show. Cheers!

I do bring ziploc bags, but I never thought of the magnetic clips... that is great and will be added to my bag (if I can find room) for this cruise. Thank you. Excellent idea.

Items to pack…. I won’t provide my ‘entire’ packing list, as everyone does not need to know how many sets of socks I am bringing, but instead I will list some of the items that I have found a need or a use for on past cruises - and these are items that I have learned on here or from others who cruise. Magnetic Hooks - These are so handy for many things. For those that do not already know, nearly every wall and the ceiling in the rooms are metal. Even the ones that look like wood are often metal. Hooks can help hang a shirt, hat, belt, etc… The magnetic hooks can be found online and have different weight capacities. I have used the larger capacity hooks to hang a toiletry bag as well. Dry Bag - This bag helps to keep the iPhone and wallet dry while in port, especially when at the beach or on a boat. I will be on a canoe, and fishing boat and will want to have the phone along to take pictures. The bag I found is clear and I can operate the phone from inside it. Highlighter / Post It Notes - These come in handy for a few things. First, I use the highlighter when I review the printed copy of ‘FreeStyle Daily’ - so I can refer to what I may want to do. I can use the Post It notes to leave a message for a friend or a reminder for myself Chair Clips (or chair towel bands)- These are great to keep your towel, or shirt, from blowing away from your chair, especially while at sea. I am not a fan of those who “reserve” seats all day and are never to be found, but these are great to keep things from blowing away while you step to the bar for a refill, of water, yeah, I mean water - must stay hydrated. 😄 Luggage Tags - You can find online plastic tags designed to insert the “printed from home” luggage tags. Each cruise line’s tag size is different, so I have a set just for NCL that allows the folded version to be protected and secured by screw on wire. I print and prepare these and can quickly attach them just before handing them off at the check-in area. I purchased this set from Cruise Critic. Motion Sensor Night Light - The cabin lighting can be all or nothing, or areas of light that are still too bright for a quick trip to the bathroom at night. I find having a low watt night light in the room and bathroom that turns on with motion for the room is just the right amount of light to get me there and back. Preventing me from hitting my knee on something painful. For those that have stepped on a Lego at night with your bare feet at home; the cruise ship version is hitting your knee on the furniture in a dark stateroom. Portable Power Bank - I bring two. I have one that is light and easy to bring into port that can quickly get some power to the phone after taking many pictures. I for sure do not want the phone/camera/map holder/thing-of-all-things to die while I am in a port. The other one I bring, is heavier and in Tim Allen's voice “has more charge” and can help charge devices in the room where I want them to charge. Where I ‘want’ them to charge is not always near an outlet, but with the power bank I can charge wherever I want to. Some suggested bringing extension cords for this; however, I find those to be additional trip hazards for nighttime walking and sometimes they are not ship approved. Some notes for those who have not been on a cruise before: if you are bringing electrical items like extension cords, they must be cruise approved. Often that approval is on the annoying tag on the cord that many tear off. You can find options online that show they are ‘cruise approved’, just make sure you do not tear off that tag attached to the cord, or it could be confiscated and returned to you after the cruise. What unique item have you learned to bring with you on every cruise that is not already mentioned? I am always open to learning and I am still making my list for this trip.

Thank you for the update. I predict ours will be as well; however, we probably won't know until we board in Miami. Have an amazing cruise.

Ohhh, I did forget to mention that one, especially since I am doing an "Almost Live" and will for sure need it to do so. 🙂 Although, do not tell my co-workers or managers at work, as far as they know I am off the grid for the cruise.

Ship upgrades and add-ons I decided I wanted to check a few things out for this cruise. With a 'few days at sea', I wanted to ensure I had some exploring to do, after all I have been on the Bliss twice before. I love the Bliss, but I have not yet experienced the Spa Pass. This cruise I purchased one and I plan to find out hopefully how amazing that can be. Now I have no idea what to do with the spa pass, do I go to the steam room first, or the sauna? How long do I stay in each? How long should I plan to be in the Spa on this pass each visit? Should I do this every day? Multiple times a day? Do I go in the pool after and repeat? So many questions and all I know is, I am sure I will figure it out and I am sure I will be more relaxed for having the Spa Pass…, maybe my skin will be glowing and radiant afterwards…. Do miracles still happen? So, does anyone have any Spa advice? I am all eyes for suggestions on how to use it for the ultimate spa experience. I also upgraded and added a few more dinners, after all this is a 15 day cruise, 🙂 and I upgraded my drink package, after all this is a 15 day cruise. 🙂 🙂 I did the upgrade for the bottled waters, at least that is how I justified it in my mind. One final upgrade, and one I personally love. The Vibe. On my first Bliss cruise I learned of the Vibe and took advantage of it on my second Bliss cruise and loved it. I look forward to the Vibe especially since this is a 15 day cruise. 🙂 🙂 🙂 These pictures (above and below) are from my first Vibe experience on the Bliss. For those who are regular in the Vibe, you may recognize this amazing bartender. What upgrades are your “must haves” when you cruise?

First, and most important, I look forward to seeing you on the ship. I am sure Les and I can swap a story or two if you look at my avatar. I am sure we will find each other in the Vibe. 🙂 Second, I do remember that episode. The show also had a few actors well ahead of their stardom.

Julie McCoy and the gang of the Love Boat? As I planned what excursions I would like to do in each port, I kept hearing the name of some of the ports in Julie’s voice from the TV show ‘The Love Boat’. I can hear Julie saying “Acapulco” or “Puerto Vallarta” every time I read them. For those who have not seen the show, it ran 1977-1986. I may have dated myself some…. For those interested - Pluto TV has a 24 hour 7 day a week 'Love Boat' channel. Note: for those who choose to watch - some of the episodes have not aged well at all. The planned excursions are currently: Cartagena – Mangrove Canoe Panama City – Ancon Hill Walking Tour (not NCL) Puerto Quetzal – Antigua’s Charm and Craft Beer Acapulco – Bay Cruise & Cliff Divers (not sure how this port will be post hurricane - if we even go at all) Manzanillo – Nothing yet planned Puerto Vallarta – Mexican Fiesta Mazatlán – Fishing Cabo San Lucas – Whale Watching Have you done any of these excursions in these ports before? If you have, what did you think? Have you been to these ports, and if so, any good restaurants or bars that I "must see"?

Trying my upload skills...

Thank you for sharing. I will be on the Bliss ending in LA and will be spending a few days in DL and CA before heading home. Your pictures have me excited for a change of scenery and a great getaway from work.

A little bit of planning goes a long way…. I am a planner. I make lists. I make more lists, then I make a list with a reminder to clean up my lists… you get the point…. I find this process helpful first and foremost to be prepared. I also in some sort of way, feel like I am on the vacation in my mind anyway, or at least when I day-dream at work. Shhh…. don’t tell my supervisor or co-workers. Several cruises ago, I started using excel to create a day by day list of items for the cruise. I also have it for any pre or post cruise travel plans. This helps keep all confirmation numbers, details, times, and reservations in one place for quick reference. I have added rows to see what average temperatures to expect, day of the week, date, port times, excursion times, dinner plans, and shows. I have many more rows, this example above is just a snapshot of what it looks like. Talking with others, some put the sunrise and sunset times as well. Do you have something similar, and what do you track on it? This process has certainly helped me on previous cruises. I print a few copies - one in my stateroom, one in my backpack when I am getting on the ship, and one in my backpack when in port. I also found taking a picture of it that I had it on my phone for quick reference if needed. This cruise I am trying something new for me. It was someone on here that recommended it. I will try ‘TripIt’ and will see how this goes. I will have both printed copies from Excel and the app side by side and see if I can move into this new thing called technology. 🙂

Excellent, hope to see you on board. It is going to be an amazing cruise.

Hello to anyone interested in following along on this cruise. I am starting the live "early" so I can share some preparation and planning items, as well as hopefully hear from you and learn what you are interested in me sharing when I am on board. This cruise will be departing Miami heading to LA through the Panama Canal. This will be my third time on the Bliss and my first time through the Canal. As a matter of fact, first time to every port (other than Miami). I am a Platinum latitudes reward member so I will share some of the items that includes as well. The projected itinerary is as follows: Dec 4 - say goodbye to Miami, FL Dec 7 – Cartagena, Columbia Dec 8 – Enter the Panama Canal to Panama City overnight Dec 9 – Panama City Dec 11 – Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala Dec 13 – Acapulco, Mexico (as of now it still is on the itinerary Dec 14 – Manzanillo, Mexico Dec 15 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Dec 16 – Mazatlán, Mexico Dec 17 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Dec 19 – LA - when asked “you just completed a 15 day Panama Canal cruise, what are you going to do now?” – I will say “I’m going to Disneyland!” (For those interested, I may post some of the Disney adventures as well) I hope my “almost live” updates are found to have humor, fun, information, inspiration, and of course entertainment. I will post what I do on the ship, where I eat, what excursions I go on, anything I do in port, and offer the occasional tip or review of all the above and more. I will also post pictures when possible along the way. For those who follow along, or stumble on this posting, I hope you enjoy it and if you have questions that I can assist with please feel free to ask. As I am now 21 days away from cruising, I have already started detailed planning, developed a day-by-day schedule of where I will be, what reservations I have made, what excursions I have planned, gathered notes, and made a check list. Okay, I may be a little “extra” on this, but I was raised to always be prepared, have a plan, and be open to changing everything at the last minute. Check in was easier than I remember - the picture upload used to jam me up. Well, this time it still did; however, this time after the 5th failed attempt, it allowed me to complete the check-in process anyway. Also, I had my cruise docs ready in hours instead of days - already printed my luggage tags. Can you say I am ready for this cruise now! I will start to share when I can on here as we move forward. My next post will either be about my planning process and or what some of my excursions and on-board activities will include. So …. let the adventures begin ….

I am looking at this excursion also and wondering if anyone has taken it and would they recommend it?