Luigi007

4 hours ago, Petoonya said:

 

You haven't read the complete thread as several times already and early in the thread I said I planned on keeping the inside cabin and that more input was not required. Thanks all the same.

Yes, I have read the entire thread, and my surprise is that, after saying you'd stick with the inside, you said you had no clue if you'd be able to see Glacier Bay well, when I had already told you that yes, you will, and others said the same. I quote: "I have no clue if I'll see enough." By now, I thought you already had a clue, since most of us said you will. It's precisely because I read the whole thread that I know what most people told you.

I wasn't questioning your decision about keeping the inside. I was questioning the fact that you still seem uncertain if you'll see enough of the view. Again: yes, you will.

2 hours ago, Petoonya said:

 

Nope. I have no clue if I'll see enough. I've done the inside passage every time previously. I'd know the answer if it were the inside passage again, but doing Glacier Bay not sure at all.

 

 

 

 

But we've mentioned it to you already, the Norwegian Bliss has the huge, nice, and comfortable Observation Desk, and also the Waterfront like the other poster has just mentioned (it's a long corridor along the entire ship on all sides, which features outside tables for all their main restaurants). So, Glacier Bay is hugely visible from these venues, making it unnecessary to have a veranda in order to see it. Again, like everybody said, having one is nice, but in my opinion and that of most others here, not required. Don't worry, you'll see Glacier Bay very well even without one.

1 hour ago, elwood_98034 said:

Thank you for your spelling input. Like I said, I don't drink sparkling wine.

And it was straight Prosecco. I did taste that. Too sweet for me.

Oh, and something else. One of the things I liked about the Norwegian Bliss, was that the wine director (with whom I had a lecture, so I can confirm his advanced knowledge) was pretty competent. He selected very good bottles at affordable prices, so that the basic drink package did have compelling wines. Bottles like the Gérard Bertrand Cuvée Spéciale Cabernet Sauvignon and the Essence Riesling from Mosel did fulfill most needs in terms of a good red and a good white to go with the food, so that I didn't feel compelled to go out of the basic package to order the higher options. Same is to be said about that prosecco. 

1 hour ago, elwood_98034 said:

Thank you for your spelling input. Like I said, I don't drink sparkling wine.

And it was straight Prosecco. I did taste that. Too sweet for me.

You're welcome.

That was my point. You don't drink sparkling wine (or else you'd be likely to know how to spell Veuve Clicquot). Sorry, but that makes you rather unqualified to comment on it. Yes, I got a bit irritated, sorry, because I do know sparkling wine quite well, especially prosecco, which like I said is made in my region in Italy, so when you called it dire, it tickled me the wrong way

But OK, you didn't like that prosecco (although it was pretty good, actually). Fine, don't drink it (de gustibus non est disputandum). And sure, Veuve Clicquot is better so your wife was right about preferring it. It is not a top champagne, though. It's merely one of the most popular ones, a far cry from the really good ones like Louis Roederer Cristal, or Krug Grande Cuvée (both, better than Dom Pérignon). 

Outside of the most prestigious labels, I'm very fond of Taittinger. Try it. It's truly delicious. When I lived in Paris for five years, Taittinger was my wife's favorite. If your lady likes Veuve Clicquot, buy her a bottle of Taittinger (it's similarly priced), she is likely to love it. I was never too fond of Veuve Clicquot, always felt that Taittinger was better, at that price range.

My favorite one is the Cristal. It is not only outstanding, but the bottle is very elegant. Unfortunately, it is very expensive so I only buy it from time to time, otherwise it would be my go-to champagne every time. So, Taittinger fulfills that niche for me, and when I want to splurge, it's Cristal.

Now, if your wife cares for a top bottle of prosecco, try this one: Ruggieri & C, Giustino B Extra Dry. This one comes from Valdobiaddene, one of the best micro-regions. Three others from the same town are also just as good: the Nino Franco Brut Nodi, the Ca' dei Zago, and the Graziano Merotto Cuvée del Fondatore Rive di Col San Martino. These bottles are priced in the 40 to 50 range and they are as good as some of the best champagne bottles (OK, not as good as the Cristal and the Krug, though, but at one fifth of the price, they are outstanding in terms of price-quality ratio).

6 hours ago, elwood_98034 said:

You get all the crazy Starbucks drinks. The funny teas, the frappuccinos, all sorts of things. My wife would just go in with her card and order 4 of whatever for about $5 each. 

If two of us went to the bar we could order two doubles of pretty much anything behind the bar each and take them back to our cabin. As each day went on that hundred foot walk seemed to get longer and longer...

My wife is a Verve Cliquot fan. We just now priced it at Costco at $45 a bottle. She would have easily drank a bottle a day. Easily. That is $350 at retail, plus tax.

I found a very nice Argentinian Malbec. Once the wine stewards saw your card with the upgrade they automatically went to the top shelf, and even made suggestions for more expensive drinks than what we had asked for. They would even make cocktails from your recipe if you asked. I had a Freddy Fudpucker one time. I forgot to ask for ice in it, so he made it full strength. I went to sleep on the balcony after that one. Four shots of Patron, four shots of Galliano, OJ, and that was me 'watching whales' for an hour with my eyes closed. I didn't do that again.

Verve Cliquot?

It's Veuve Clicquot.

And no, that prosecco wasn't sweet.

Maybe what you had was a Mimosa or a Kir, made with the prosecco. That would be sweet.

3 hours ago, elwood_98034 said:

You could just eat at the buffet all the time too. Similar analogy.

 

And that Prosecco was dire.

Yeah, yeah, funny. I happen to be Italian, and from the Veneto region, that is, the region that makes prosecco... So I've had every prosecco you can imagine, and no, that one wasn't bad at all. Sure, it wasn't a Prosecco Superiore DOCG, it wasn't from Conegliano or Valdobiaddene or Asolo (the three best micro-regions), and it was merely a DOC which doesn't mean it was bad. People get predisposed against what doesn't harbor the more prestigious labels but sometimes smaller and non-prestigious producers from the larger area do a good job. I've had many DOC regular proseccos that rivaled the best ones, and at more affordable prices. Maybe the particular bottle from which they poured it for you was open for a long time, not at the right temperature, whatever. The ones I had were delicious.

And mind you, I only ate at the buffet once, and just because I was in a hurry between a show and a shore excursion. I don't mind paying more, if it's worth it. It's a question of price/quality ratio.

Look, if you are into the top wines and spirits, like I said, the upgrade might make sense. But if you aren't, and most people aren't, it doesn't, given that the upgraded package is much more expensive, and the price difference between the upper tier of the basic package drinks and the drinks that aren't covered wasn't that big; you also get a discount if you have the basic package but order the eventual higher priced drink. It's all I was trying to convey. I was trying to be helpful.

But only each individual customer can make this decision. If you are into higher-end drinks and the upgraded package makes sense for you, by all means, get it.

50 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Except usually when you attend a sports match, you are a fan of one or the other teams, and you will have paid specifically for that event.

 

And usually if you are a fan of one of the teams, as long as you win, the entertainment value is secondary.

 

Whereas the music on a cruise ship is supplied free to us all, and is never going to satisfy everyone.

No, we’re all paying customers. It’s not free. It’s included in the price you paid for your cruise. All included amenities and entertainment are part of the money you paid and a fraction of it goes to the musicians’ salaries. There is no free lunch. My analogy is actually more accurate than yours. If you play an instrument as an amateur for free I’ll forgive your mistakes, but if you are a professional playing for a salary and I’m a paying customer I have the right to criticize. Funny that we are posting on a website forum called the Cruise CRITIC and you’re berating me for criticizing.

The drinks package upgrade is really a bad deal. It's not necessary at all, given that the $15 allowance per drink for the basic package covers most drinks offered on board. If you have the basic package, the few upscale drinks that are not part of it can be had at a discount if you absolutely want them. I never felt the need, since the options included in my basic package were always satisfactory. 

If you are a big wine person, just buy out-of-pocket a bottle or two during one of the specialty meals (again, you'll get a discount), or a by-the-glass selection above your basic package. You won't need to do it all the time, so the much much more expensive upgraded package is likely to be a rip-off unless you are really extremely into upscale wines and spirits and you want the top options every time. 

I guess that for a really snob drinker the upgraded package makes sense... but even though I do know my wine and I do enjoy upscale wine when I dine out, and I like some upscale whiskies as well, I felt that the options I had with the basic package did keep me happy enough.

For example: sure, the top champagne flutes were not in my basic package... but the prosecco selected by Norwegian Bliss was truly delicious and didn't make me miss the more expensive champagne flutes.

59 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

Thanks for the help everyone. We're going to stick to our plan with the inside. Tahiti is really expensive and we're committed to that for 18 days and return just 2 weeks before Alaska. But we can save a little dough with the inside on Alaska. I'd rather do a few more snorkel excursions in Tahiti to be honest. Done Alaska  several times before and know a balcony isn't a necessity. I think my pride is suffering seeing as how we're the only ones doing the inside in this family. Oh ego......... 😞

LOL for the ego thing...

I met people on the ship who were in more expensive accommodations than ours, and seemed less wealthy and less sophisticated than we are, and met people who were in less expensive accommodations than ours, and seemed wealthier and more sophisticated than we are...

With many cruises selling out fast, the kind of cabin someone has is not always a close match to what that person can afford or is used to. Besides, the value of human beings is hardly a match to how much money they have. I know some humble people who are much better human beings and much more fun to be around than some wealthy people I also know. 

One of the things I enjoyed while cruising, was the fact that almost with no exceptions, everybody was very friendly and outspoken and we made friends everywhere, regardless of social class.

So, put your pride aside, relax, and enjoy the trip!

On 9/5/2019 at 12:48 PM, Dgius said:

UPDATE:  I just called to try and make reservations for the specialty dining rooms......AND THERE ARE NO SLOTS AVAILABLE LEFT.......IN ANY OF THE RESTAURANTS until 9:45PM!!!!!!   Which is not an option for my husband and me.   I was trying to be opened minded....NOW I am just ticked off!!!   

Like others said, this is inconsequential. Only a portion of the seats are booked online. We just came back from a Bliss cruise and although all restaurants that interested us seemed sold out when we looked online, when we got on board, we were easily able to get all restaurants we wanted and at the times we preferred, even though we changed our minds a few times and made last minute reservations. We also showed up without a reservation to one of them, and they still accommodated us. It seems like people book spots way in advance, afraid of missing out, and then they change their plans and there are always cancellations and spots left for waiting lists. 

21 minutes ago, elwood_98034 said:

We were surprised by how cool the pools were. We did the Sun and Jewel a few years ago, and the pools were almost as warm as the hot tubs. Way cooler on the Joy, same as the Haven pool.

 

 

On the Norwegian Bliss, the pool was almost as warm as the some of the hot tubs (which should actually be called the lukewarm tubs). I loved the water temperature in the main Norwegian Bliss pool.

I was on the Bliss last week, not the Joy. I hear they are quite similar, almost identical, the Bliss being a bit newer. 

Restaurants:

We went to 5 paid ones and 5 complimentary ones.

Paid:

La Cucina, outstanding. Best meal of the trip.

Food Republic, imaginative, creative, well-presented, exquisite mostly Asian fusion food. We very much liked it.

Los Lobos, surprisingly good. We thought, Mexican food, eh... but thankfully we went there, because it's Mexican food with a modern twist and it was very, very good.

Le Bistro - surprisingly, disappointing. It's considered to be their best restaurant, but clearly wasn't. And it's not because I dislike French cuisine, much the opposite, I love it, and I lived in Paris, France, for five years. I know French Cuisine. Le Bistro was mediocre at best.

Ocean Blue - also surprisingly, as it is considered the other upscale one together with Le Bistro, rather ordinary. We had better seafood in other venues on the Bliss than on the specialized seafood Ocean Blue, paradoxically.

Complimentary:

The Manhattan Room - pretty good, almost as good as the best paid ones.

Savor - rather bad

Taste - rather bad. Breakfast there at one point was almost disgusting.

The Garden Cafe - large, chaotic buffet, small tables, too crowded, the food is mediocre

The Local - pretty good, relaxed, peaceful

The Observation Lounge, also complimentary, has nice snacks throughout the day. 

I was on the Bliss last week, in Alaska. The Internet was good and speedy. Only in Glacier Bay it was spotty, but then, who cares? When you are in gorgeous Glacier Bay you want to be looking at the glaciers, the mountains, and the sea; not browsing the Internet.

I understand that people have different needs, but I kept considering if I should upgrade to the unlimited WiFi (I had the 250-minute package). I'm glad that I didn't because I ended up not even using the full 250 minutes.

I mean, there was so much to do aboard the Bliss! I'm a big Internet user at home, but during these 7 days on the Bliss, the last thing in my mind was going online. I was mostly in swimming pools, hot tubs, restaurants, observation lounges, shows, night clubs, gift shops, shore excursions, etc., places where I didn't need or want the Internet. Besides, the Bliss stops at four ports of call, and all four have rather strong cellular service. My Sprint LTE data on my iPhone was very strong in all four ports of call, so, when I was traveling on buses to go to excursion sites, I was catching up with social media, email, online news, etc. for free, so that when I was on the ship I didn't need to do that.

For my needs, 250 minutes did the job, and I ended up with some 50 unused minutes, actually.

We're in such a social media-dominated world!!! If one goes to Alaska for seven days of all places, it's nice to disconnect and enjoy the gorgeous views and spectacular nature and wildlife. Turn off your smartphone and your tablet... there are better things to do while cruising. You can be online all you want at home, when Glacier Bay, whales, bald eagles, snow-capped mountains, gorgeous lakes, and friendly company are not around you.

You aren't big drinkers. We aren't either. But the booze package did make sense for us. We'd each have some 3 to 4 drinks per day, my wife basically almost always drinking the Norwegian Bliss' very good prosecco, and I varied a bit more, with red wine, white wine, and some Mai Tais, Mojitos, and caipirinhas. I figured that if I had paid for each drink we had during the 7-day cruise we'd have spent twice as much as what the drinks package costs. 

Internet: we got the 250 minutes WiFi package and in 7 days we used about 200 minutes. I think you typically don't need more; when you're cruising you want to relax and enjoy your spouse, not necessarily be on social media contacting all your friends or reading the news online. We actually could have used just 150 minutes... the last day we used more, just because we could.

Remember, in four of these 7 days you'll be in ports of call, which do have cellular service, so when we needed bigger online presence, we saved it for our Sprint cellular data allowance when on shore.

You mentioned noise protection: I found that my cabin on Deck 9 of the Norwegian Bliss was extremely silent. I never heard any noise from the neighboring cabins, or from the one on top. When the sea was rough and the ship rocked a bit more, there were some structural pops. For the two nights when it happened, I simply used a pair of foam ear plugs and slept like a log.

I just came from an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Bliss, which ended this past Sunday.

If you want to save some money, don't get the balcony. It's utterly unnecessary. My stateroom, a mini-suite, did have a balcony, which I very rarely used. The Norwegian Bliss has a gorgeous almost 360 degrees lounge called the Observation Lounge on Deck 15, and it was my favorite spot. Even though we did have a balcony, we chose to go to the Observation Lounge for the Glacier Bay part of the trip, as it provided a much better view than what we had from our balcony. The Observation Lounge is very tastefully appointed, has a nice bar, good snack food, recliner chairs, lounge chairs, a piano, the works! Much more pleasant than our cabin, which we used basically to sleep. The Norwegian Bliss has many entertainment options. You won't be in your cabin that much while awake, and when you are, it's not always that you'll need a view (you may just have open ocean around, or distant land). Do I regret having had a cabin with a balcony? No. It was nice to have the balcony. But I'm just saying, I used it very, very rarely, so, my cruise wouldn't have been much worse if I had an interior cabin. 

Not to forget, I agree with the other poster who said the temperatures are low. I often did not stay in my balcony because it was too cold, with the wind caused by the ship's speed.

Enjoy! Glacier Bay is absolutely gorgeous, and the high point of the trip.

If you care for some additional advice on the Norwegian Bliss, don't miss La Cucina, their Italian restaurant. It is outstanding. We also greatly enjoyed Food Republic and Los Lobos. Paradoxically, we didn't like Le Bistro and Ocean Blue as much. For a relaxed, non-rushed, non-buffet breakfast, go to The Local.

16 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I really dislike classical music and jazz.and country.

 

Yet on a cruise ship I dont mind any of it.

 

And I am not expert enough to know whether any of the musicians are mediocre. A term I find quite offensive.

 

Maybe as a child of punk music, where you didnt have to be a master of your instrument and anyone could give it a go i am more respectful of anyone that tries.

 

Sadly you dont get a good punk guitar band on a cruise ship.

 

Hey ho let's go

Sorry if my use of the word mediocre offended you. But hey, they really weren't good. What can I say?

So, let's make an analogy. If I watch a sports match and the teams and players are not good, and the match is boring and of low quality, should I not say so, and just say that I'm respectful of their effort? Or a bad actor in a movie? In any form of entertainment, if someone puts him or herself out there and performs for the public, he or she is subject to criticism. 

21 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I see Silversea  has an Opera  cruise  check their website

Indeed, thanks!

https://www.silversea.com/opera-cruises.html

4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not lately.

I guess they do offer it lately, since I just met someone who was in a HAL cruise with the same dates and itineraries of our Alaska cruise on the Norwegian Bliss (I actually saw their ship several times) and she said they had Lincoln Center jazz musicians and chamber music ensembles were performing during their cruise.

8 hours ago, LHT28 said:

We cruise Oceania  but I do not find it particularly  heavy on the music 

yes they have the String quartet  that play a few times a day   & the entertainment  solos  are not like they used to be with more classical  performers

 

As I said   look for  a Chartered cruise that  has  12+ hrs a day of musical performers  ..well worth  it

Smooth Jazz or Opera  if you like that  Classical music   many  venues  & different  types of  Music cruises out there

 

 

I hear you, but where do I find the chartered music-themed cruises? I did a search on this site with the word Opera and mostly got results talking about The Phantom of the Opera (which is not an opera) and about the Opera browser; a few with a small mention of some sort of small focus on operatic singing. I didn't see truly Opera-themed cruises. I guess I'd have to go to a magazine like Opera News, which I used to subscribe to in the past but no longer do. I remember some ads there for opera cruises.

Wow, very interesting answers, thank you! I forgot to mention that I particularly like opera, so the suggestion about MSC is to be considered. 

The food at Norwegian Bliss: I went to 5 of the specialty restaurants, for an extra charge, and found three of them to be very good, but the other two (paradoxically, their most praised venues) rather mediocre. One of the three large complimentary ones was good, while the other two weren't. The complimentary buffet, I didn't like at all. About the masses liking these so-called gourmet experiences that aren't, I share the views of one of the posters here: I asked for the opinion of other guests and most people were delighted with the food at the Norwegian Bliss and found it all good in all venues, while my opinion and my wife's were definitely very mixed.

I just got in the mail a brochure about Viking river cruises and some of them include opera and ballet, in Vienna and St. Petersburg, and one of their sea ships boasts the fact that they have Metropolitan Opera performers. They seem to focus on gourmet food, too. They also have wine-themed itineraries; the problem is that most of their wine destinations, I've visited already by land.

I love classical music and jazz, and gourmet food and wine. I just had my first cruise with the Norwegian Cruise Line (Norwegian Bliss). I found the live music with a few ups but many downs: no classical or jazz whatsoever, mostly country and pop which I don't particularly care for, and with mostly mediocre musicians (with some exceptions). I found the food very irregular, from sublime to plain, and a couple of times, almost disgusting. Don't read me wrong; overall I did like the Norwegian Bliss; it has many other strong points which I detailed in a review I've just submitted. But disregarding the many positives for the sake of this question, and just considering these two interests of mine (music and gourmet food), this line wasn't great. When I plan my next cruise, these aspects will be instrumental for my choice.

So, my question is, what are the best cruise lines for lovers of classical music, jazz, and gourmet food and wine?

Thanks for your input.