SacCaliCruiser

2 hours ago, rhapsodybluezz said:

We sailed on the Bliss last year and I found the bar in the Buffet by accident. It's on the very end of the Buffet and can't be seen unless you walk all the way back past the food stations. 

 

We also learned that you can ask the buffet staff (the ones who are clearing tables and roaming) for a glass of wine, cocktail or soda from the bar. You give them your room keycard and they’ll bring it back with your drink.

On 12/1/2022 at 5:42 PM, SuzieQ521 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.! We board Bliss in mid-January for the 5 day Mexican Riviera. Sorry in advance for the following questions, LOL:

 

1) Priority Access: Per New2 Cruise2022's link above, it says it includes complimentary daily room service breakfast...is this beyond the continental breakfast that's free anyway? How long was embarkation for you with this priority access? We have a 4 year old and the shorter we stand in line, the better!

 

2) I know you said you have teens but did you see many preschool-age kids? We are going mid-January so I assume there would be less than Thanksgiving time but I am hoping our son could do the Splash Academy.

 

3) Was your ship close to capacity? I know you said it did not feel crowded. Debating about buying the unlimited Starbucks plan but wanted to avoid the super long lines that might come with it.

 

4) Did you do a NCL sponsored excursion in Cabo? I was looking at the independent companies for whale watching but it was hard to find something that fits the timeframe we are in port for, after accounting for tender time.

 

5) Did your kids go to the Arcade? Do you know about how much the games were?

Was it warm enough to use any of the water activities/pool?

 

Thanks so much!!!

Sorry I didn’t answer no. 1 fully - embarkation with priority was about 30 minutes from dropping our bags with a porter to stepping on board the ship. 

15 hours ago, MarkusToe said:

We are on the Bliss actually. Thought about prio Pass, but decided to go without.

Very good decision. 

From arrival at port, luggage drop of to the first drink on the ships bar was less than 30 min. (Arrival 11:50:am).

We are in Mini Club suite, ive to say: small...all other normal balkony stateroom on p.e. X are bigger.

 

Not one single drawer at the room....storage very limited for a 16day cruise.

No FAS+ wine offering at the buffet restaurant

 

More one a separate post.....

 

 

Question: if you are in a mini club suite did you get priority boarding or a separate line anyway? And what is FAS+? 
 

Thanks!

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Question on Priority Access and enhanced room service breakfast.  The hang tags only have two omelets and the brioche French toast…even though the menu in the binder has the options in your image.  Did anyone in your cabin order off the expanded menu? Did you just write it on the hang tag…or did you call it in?

I’m sorry we did not actually order breakfast room service so I don’t know. It’s the one perk we didn’t use  

2 hours ago, Rglad said:

Loved reading the review.  One question:

When you sign up for the show after you board...can you sign for people in rooms other than yours.. we are traveling with our kids in 3 rooms and want to sign for everyone.  

Yes, you can! Just give them all of the room numbers. We did that as well because we had two cabins.

Here is the breakfast room service menu and the ship-wide kids menu just for fun. 

14 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.! We board Bliss in mid-January for the 5 day Mexican Riviera. Sorry in advance for the following questions, LOL:

 

1) Priority Access: Per New2 Cruise2022's link above, it says it includes complimentary daily room service breakfast...is this beyond the continental breakfast that's free anyway? How long was embarkation for you with this priority access? We have a 4 year old and the shorter we stand in line, the better!

 

2) I know you said you have teens but did you see many preschool-age kids? We are going mid-January so I assume there would be less than Thanksgiving time but I am hoping our son could do the Splash Academy.

 

3) Was your ship close to capacity? I know you said it did not feel crowded. Debating about buying the unlimited Starbucks plan but wanted to avoid the super long lines that might come with it.

 

4) Did you do a NCL sponsored excursion in Cabo? I was looking at the independent companies for whale watching but it was hard to find something that fits the timeframe we are in port for, after accounting for tender time.

 

5) Did your kids go to the Arcade? Do you know about how much the games were?

Was it warm enough to use any of the water activities/pool?

 

Thanks so much!!!

1. Yes! Priority Access includes room service breakfast beyond the continental. I think you can Google to find the menu, I’ll see if I can find a link. 
2. There were a TON of pre-school age kids. There is a really fun looking splash/slide area for them by the pool and people seemed very happy with Splash Academy. If the teen club and its staff are any indication, Splash Academy should be great. And there were some fun-looking family crafts and games available.  
3. I don’t know the capacity but they said our cruise was the fullest one since pre-COVID so I’m guessing it was close. Once people got settled in we didn’t feel too crammed in at all. Just at the expected times - right after a show, etc. There definitely were long lines at Starbucks during peak hours but they honestly were very fast every time I waited. And when I went early in the AM there was no one there. 

4. We did the NCL sponsored resort escape in Cabo and it was nice to not have to worry about getting there and getting back. We went to a resort on the main beach - Medano Beach - which was itself a little crowded but the resort had a nice roped-off area with umbrellas and a terrific view of the ship. My husband and kids rented jet skis and others on our excursion got massages. They also had a really nice pool area. Pro tip: they provide a Mexican buffet lunch but you can order quesadillas for the kiddos for a small extra charge. We did not whale watch. We also liked having guaranteed return to the ship because the tender line was so long upon return. 

5. My 17-year-old said the arcade games were $1-$1.20 each and it was the best selection of games they’d seen in a ship arcade. There also is a super cute little bowling alley near the Local that costs extra but was never crowded. 
6. Yes the pool was packed most days and it definitely was warm enough in late November. The adult pool was freezing cold a few of the days but my daughter swam in the family pool and it was nice. People do chair hog unfortunately but we always managed to find seats by the pool. 
 

Have fun!!! It’s a great family cruise. 

24 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Is Prohibition still offered on the Bliss?

No I don’t believe so - it wasn’t on our sailing. 

14 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I decided not to be lazy and used this thing called google …

https://www.ncl.com/priority-access-faq
 

It is available for purchase when I do the 21-day checkin? 

Yes that is when it became available for us, when we did the 21-day check in it was offered as part of the check-in process. Have fun! You’ll love the Bliss!

36 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

@SacCaliCruiserthanks for your post.  We recently booked Bliss 7-day to Mexican Riviera in Nov. ‘23.  Did you see any whales?

No whales but we saw dolphins.

4 minutes ago, S&DMOM said:

Thank you for your report.  Did you have to make reservations for the shows?

Yes we did for the Broadway shows. You do not need to reserve the comedy shows or game shows. I couldn’t reserve the Broadway shows online before the cruise so we went straight to the Social club as soon as we got on board and reserved them. They do also have a standby line that lets in 10 minutes before the show and on our sailing the theater was never 100 percent full. 

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I've been a little shy about booking the Bliss because of it's size but we are looking at her for Alaska in the future...assuming she still goes to Alaska.

She’d be a great ship for Alaska because of the Observation Lounge, it has 2-story, floor to ceiling windows!

Bottom line: We are a family of four with teenagers on our third ever cruise and absolutely loved our Thanksgiving cruise! The ship is gorgeous and feels new, and once we got a lay of the land, we loved the layout. There was a ton to do aboard and the food was great with lots of choices. There was a good mix of families, couples of all ages and multi-generational travelers. The observation lounge and waterfront were fantastic places to relax and the atrium always had something fun to do. We recommend this cruise for cruisers of all ages and particularly for families like us with teens aged 13-17. 
 

The Cabin: We were in connecting balcony rooms on Deck 14 and they were great, had plenty of space to move around and adequate storage. The cabin attendant told us he could not open the balcony divider for safety reasons (we had had it opened on another cruise line before). Our cabin attendant was good and our cabin was always cleaned well, though he sometimes seemed annoyed that we were spending time in our cabin when he wanted to clean it. We were very close to the elevators/stairs but had no extra noise from them because they are partitioned by walls. We found it nice to be so close to them. 
 

The food: Food in general was great and a notch above another cruise line we’ve tried. The Garden Cafe (the buffet) and Ocean Blue were our favorites. Our meal and service at Ocean Blue was some of the best we’ve ever had anywhere (on land or on a cruise). Winston, our waiter, was fabulous. And the buffet has so much variety and everything we tried was delicious. The Indian food and many kid-friendly options stood out. We also ate at Le Bistro and loved it (especially dessert). Thanksgiving dinner in the Manhattan Room (the more “formal” of the three main dining rooms) was outstanding. 

Activities/Entertainment: We loved the cruise director staff! They were all energetic and funny and the sail away party is a must! They had a lot of fun activities for Thanksgiving and on other days. Don’t miss Deal or No Deal - even if you are just watching - it’s so fun! The Newlywed Game was a highlight too (but not for younger kids). Our 17-year-old spent much of every day and night (voluntarily) at the Entourage teen club and loved it. They had a full week of fun activities for the teens. We did not use the clubs for younger kids. The Broadway style shows Six and Jersey Boys were absolutely magnificent. 

The famous race cars: The racetrack is fun but if you are an inexperienced or nervous driver (like our daughter) you might get lapped and bumped around a bit. It is $15/person each time and takes a little getting used to if you don’t have experience with go karts. It also sells out so book early.

The drink package: We got the “free at sea package.” Note that the included soda package for kids does not include mocktails but my husband and I just ordered them on our cards - which the bartenders allowed - or the bartenders often just made them virgin daiquiris at no charge. The included  drink package did not include premium coffee. If you like fruity drinks try the Rebellious Fish and the Peach Bellini.

Crowds: We never felt overly crowded  on the ship except on embarkation day, at the pool on sea days, and at peak times in the buffet - all of which we expected. The one day we encountered an extremely long line was to get on a tender boat in Cabo at the end of the day. 
 

Priority: Full disclosure, we paid the extra  for Priority Access because this was our first Norwegian cruise and we didn’t have any status perks. This is offered when you check in online 21 days prior to your cruise. We felt it was totally worth it. Just be sure to ask where to go at all times because there aren’t signs for priority anywhere (your room key will note on it that you have priority). At embarkation we asked and were taken to the much-shorter Haven line, we were in an early, priority disembarkation group and had priority to get on the tenders in Cabo (again we had to let them know we were priority and they took us to the front of the line).

Some Tips: Book excursions early and if you don’t get the one you want go to the excursion desk ASAP and get on a waiting list. Book dining and activities in person right after you board. The App was finicky for us on embarkation day, so I recommend going in person to the Social to book shows and the race cars, and the Tepanyaki restaurant to book dining as soon as you are on board. If possible, book dining online before you board. These fill up. 
 

Our extremely small nitpicks: the service in the main dining room was slow a couple nights (but it was wonderful on Thanksgiving night in the Manhattan Room), at times the staff in general seemed a little less than enthusiastic and not as super-duper friendly with personal service as on another cruise line, and the adult pool was sometimes freezing cold. But these were such small issues compared to our fabulous experience overall!

Have fun and happy to answer any questions!

On 10/22/2022 at 2:48 PM, SuzieQ521 said:

Hello,

 

since my husband and I don’t drink alcohol so much to justify the drink packages, we were thinking about the unlimited Starbucks plan.
 

I read that you need to really have three drinks a day to get your money’s  worth…But what is everyone’s experience with it?
 

Is the Starbucks on the Bliss normally very crowded ? Is it convenient to order? I know we both need to purchase the package, but would they let me order multiple drinks at once?

 

thanks

 

 

 

We just got off the Bliss and went to Starbucks twice a day. The lines do get long during peak hours but they move through it very fast. Go very early in the morning for no line. The drinks are about $1 more than in our hometown but were made exactly like Starbucks at home. 

Overall impressions: This was our second cruise and we had a great experience overall, with only minor complaints. First and foremost, we were happy to be cruising! Every crew member was enthusiastic and outstanding, and the ship had a lot to offer. The ship was very clean, although she showed her age even after her amplification, and our stateroom had a few frustrating mechanical issues. The food was relatively good, though not outstanding, but it was the Navigator’s first cruise back post-shutdown so that may improve. We spent Thanksgiving aboard and it was fun, with lots of activities and a wonderful dinner in the main dining room - our best of the cruise. One note, our first cruise was on Ovation of the Seas and we were spoiled forever by her newness, beauty and amazing artwork so Navigator felt a little older, smaller and a little lackluster to us despite her recent updates.

Embarkation and disembarkation: Embarkation and disembarkation at the Port of LA were a breeze, even with new protocols in place. Lines all moved very quickly. We had no trouble parking in the main parking lot at the port, which is right next to the pier.

Health protocols: The health protocols were enforced and were not an issue. Wearing a mask while inside didn’t bother us, and almost everyone followed the rules, even the limitations on the number of people allowed in the elevator at one time. There wasn’t always social distancing, for example people bunched up while lining up various places, but we never felt unsafe. The crew all wore masks 100 percent of the time. Everybody was nearly always very courteous and conscientious. 

The rooms: We had adjoining balcony staterooms 7262 and 7264 near the forward elevators. The rooms were very clean and the layout was standard. The decor was very “early 90s” but almost everything was in good condition. The balcony door of 7262 was broken and was nearly impossible to open and close. Maintenance came twice and tried mightily to fix it but (not for lack of them trying) it never really worked right. The divider between our room and the neighbors’ blew open one night and flapped in the wind but maintenance fixed that. Beds were firm but comfortable and we had no issues with noise. 

The ship: She’s a nice ship. Again, our first experience was on a new ship so parts of the Navigator felt dated to us. Some of the areas that had been updated including the main pool deck were new and nice of course and everything was in good condition, just not sparkling new. The Cosmopolitan Room on Deck 14 is fabulous, with 180-degree views.

Dining: The food was a bit of a disappointment for us. Windjammer was not open for dinner on our sailing. Some yummy standouts were: El Loco Fresh, Pizza at Cafe Promenade, Indian Food in the Windjammer and Thanksgiving night dinner in the MDR. Desserts were always good. We had a terrible meal in Jamie’s Italian, which bummed us out because it was an added cost. Bottom line, nothing completely blew us away with amazement. Somehow we still managed to stuff ourselves silly every day!

Activities/Entertainment: Our cruise was at about half capacity so there weren’t really any long lines, except for the one day ice skating was offered. Get in line early to get a spot. Otherwise the water slides, shows, game shows, arcade and casino were never too crowded. The escape room was not open on our sailing. I was surprised at how crowded the pools and hot tubs were for being at lower capacity and think full capacity would feel really packed. One fun thing, my daughter and I had our hair done on Thanksgiving at To Dry For and we LOVED it! May seem gimmicky but I think it’s a great addition to the fleet. 

Crew: The crew were what honestly made the vacation feel special. Every single crew member we encountered, from the maintenance people and guest services to our servers in the MDR and the ice skating cast were so friendly, professional and enthusiastic. Our stateroom attendants were just outstanding. I had an injury right before the cruise and Jairo brought me ice every single day. Every day! And Xavier arranged my daughter’s stuffed animals in a special way for her every day. The rooms were spotless and these men couldn’t have been nicer - truly.

Ports of Call: Again, it’s hard to beat our first cruise, which was to Alaska. So we were a bit underwhelmed by the Mexican Riviera and a lot disappointed at the variety of shore excursions offered by Royal Caribbean. In Cabo, we took a water taxi to Medano Beach and were exhausted after an afternoon of politely declining the many, many vendors on the beach offering bracelets, hats, braiding and henna tattoos. In Mazatlan, we took a nice Pulmonia (open-air taxi) ride along the Malecon to the Golden Zone and enjoyed shopping and lunch. Puerto Vallarta was our favorite. We had a great time there zip-lining on an excursion not sponsored by the cruise line. And if you need anything at all, there is a huge Walmart and shopping mall across the street from the pier. In all three ports, the people were very friendly, we felt safe, and the sunsets were some of the most beautiful we’d seen.

1 hour ago, long4acruise said:

Family, Food, Fun and Football!

 

Seriously, the several Thanksgiving cruises we've sailed have been fully booked and many families. The traditional turkey & trimmings dinner was offered as a choice among other selections. All three NFL football games (noon, 4 and 8pm) were available via satellite and many fans dressed in their team jerseys. Great cruise, but we boarded from ports in short driving distance from our home so no flights, under no time constraints for early departure, etc.

 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving cruise!

Thanks! Watching games should be great with Playmakers on board now, too. We are driving so avoiding airports, and we have teens so the “lots of kids” doesn’t bother us. We are really looking forward to it. Hopefully creating a new tradition.

We are (hopefully!) cruising on Navigator out of LA for Thanksgiving. Wondering what Thanksgiving Day is like aboard? Thanks!!

On 8/13/2020 at 4:09 AM, sunshine81039 said:

I see you stayed on deck 10. Were you port or starboard and would you recommend the opposite side than what you had originally? We just booked for Sept 2021 port side out of seattle an am torn to stay on port or move to starboard. TIA

We were on the Starboard side but found both sides had great views in the Inside Passage, and if you get to the glacier the captain will spin the ship 360 degrees so everybody gets great views. I truly believe both sides are great for this cruise. Plus there are plenty of areas on deck to see the views. 

58 minutes ago, Laugh-N-Loudly said:

 

Your family will have so much fun on the Ovation! Although some of the trivia and game shows are adult-oriented and later in the evening, they also have activities such as family scavenger hunts, game shows such as "name that tune," family bingo (for an additional cost) and dance lessons. They also have a library and cardroom with board games with some dedicated board game times.

The rollerskating is in the indoor "Seaplex," which is the same venue as bumper cars, basketball and dodge ball and even a circus school - all at different times.

If you haven't already, look in the cruise planner on the RC website (log in and click on "plan my cruise" to get there). You need to reserve times for Northstar and iFly and can only do that on the Cruise Planner (if they are available) or once you are onboard. I recommend going to the iFly desk as soon as you board to reserve time slots for that. The other activities - Flow Rider, Bumper Cars, Rockwall, etc. - have dedicated times that they are open that will be listed in your Cruise Compass once you board. If you can see it, I posted a PDF with photos of our Cruise Compasses in a previous post, which should give you an idea of what it will look like. My main advice would be to expect crowds and lines at some venues and to try to be zen about it and you'll meet some really great people and have a fantastic time.

On 12/2/2019 at 11:25 AM, Laugh-N-Loudly said:

Did your children take part in the kids clubs? We have an 8yr, 11yr, 14yr old that I'm asking for, lol.  One is an introvert (14yr old), but the other ones will most likely enjoy being social butterflies.  I'm super excited about venturing to Alaska and we are on the same ship as well! Thanks so much for the details. Not sure about the wristband, is this included in the fare or extra cost to do the IFly, Bumper cars, etc?  Also did you buy arcade cards? Not sure if I need to buy beforehand or just not visit the Arcade at all. The RCI website is less user friendly, that's why I'm here on cruise critic. TIA!

Our kids did not do the kids club. My older daughter did join a teen meetup on the first night (information about this will be in your cruise compass in your room) but she also is shy and didn't go to other teen activities. One thing to know, the 8-yo and 11-yo will be grouped together and 12 and up are in a separate group in the kids club.

The Wow band is an extra cost, I can't remember how much but I think it is around $7/band. The only advantage to having the band is it's easier to wear around the ship and not risk losing your key card. We just brought lanyards for our key cards.

I'm not sure I understand if you are asking if iFly, bumper cars, etc. are an extra cost. They do not cost extra but some activities require you to reserve them ahead of time or on the ship. I can get more specific if you can let me know what you'd like to know. I agree if you are a first-time cruiser like we were the process is not straight forward at all. For instance you had to go get special wrist bands at the iFly desk to do the Flowrider and rollerskating. Once you have the wrist bands, you still have to wait in line for the activity. We waited in a long roller skating line only to find out when we got to the front that we needed the wristbands.

The advantage to buying the arcade cards ahead of time is they are slightly discounted. Our kids liked the arcade - and don't get me wrong they spent a fair amount of time in there - but they thought it was a little small.

Hope this helps! The good news is once you are on board there are lots of places to get the information you need. It's just the planning part that gets confusing.

On 9/6/2019 at 2:12 PM, COCKYMARK said:

Any good ideas appreciated! thanks hopefully with shuttles.

This site has some good tips:

https://cruisefever.net/cape-liberty-cruise-port/

24 minutes ago, debbie4414 said:

Did they open the solarium pool up for kids to use?  I believe this is the only indoor pool correct?

 

There are three total pools. One family pool outdoors, one indoor family pool, and the Solarium pool. Each has hot tubs as well. They do not open the Solarium up to kids under 16 but you have that other indoor option. 

6 minutes ago, seapad said:

Hello SacCaliCruiser, do you recall which night is the lobster night? Trying to get organized for the specialty dining. Thanks!

I believe it was night 6 - the second formal night - in the MDR. 

20 hours ago, cft8 said:

Thank you for posting the daily schedules! They are a little cut off on the edges, so if you have a chance, could you tell me what time the evening North Star rides were on Day 3 (Juneau)? We hope to do it when we return from our excursion while the ship is still in port. 

Yes it is 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and of course it will stay light that entire time. I’m sorry for cutting off the edges, I didn’t have a scanner available to me. Happy to answer any other questions about times. The Flowrider (just above the Northstar) is 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

OK I'm giving this a try. Here are (I hope) the daily planners - except Day 5 seems to have disappeared for some reason - and a couple examples of the Kids Planner, Teen Planner, and the show and theme night/dance party schedule. Fingers crossed you can see them. Please let me know if it doesn't work and I'll try something else.

Ovation Daily Planners 7.26.2019.pdf