Tutontow
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Posts posted by Tutontow
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54 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:
Would you go back on the Bliss? Or will you look at another ship next time?
The Observation Lounge sounds wonderful, but I'm wondering how much it will be utilized on the Caribbean sailings. We will have our first cruise on her in a CAS comped MiniSuite offer in February out of Miami.
We had called CAS to check on an Alaska cruise on the Bliss for this last summer, but they would only offer us an OceanView due to the popularity that first season. Instead we took our usual Mini-Suite (or Large Balcony) offer to Bermuda.
After being on the Bliss we are spoiled, so yes we would sail her again in a heartbeat. No matter where you sail the Observation Lounge is a great place to hang out. I highly recommend getting a cabin close to the OL. Our cruise was in Mexico and we used the OL every day. The bartenders we had in the OL were fantastic. Of course we tipped well.
The OL was a great meeting spot. We had a friend sailing with us and we always met in the OL before shows and meals. It is just a pleasant spot to look outside, people watch and have a good drink.
The OL also has some good cold cuts and cheese along with mixed nuts. Many times I munched out on the salami and cheese to hold me over until our next meal. Sometimes we would get back in from a port and would just need something to tide us over until our dinner reservations.
NCL really hit it out of the park with this ship. The OL and waterfront are just great ideas that really are home runs. The waterfront at night is just wonderful.
Our friend has been on over sixty cruises from CCL to Celebrity and everything in between, she raves about the Bliss.
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We sailed the Bliss on a Mexican Riviera cruise out of LA on 10/13/2018. I wanted a balcony close to the Observation Lounge. My theory was if the casino was taking too much money I could just run up to the OL grab a couple of drinks and enjoy our balcony.
We had cabin 14148 which is directly below the entrance to the OL. It is close to the stairs and elevators which made it convenient. I was concerned about noise and thankfully I never heard any noise from the OL. I had originally booked on deck 15 to be on the same floor as the OL but then I noticed we were directly below the exercise room. I read the crew exercises at off hours and we would hear weights clanging at 3 AM. A quick call to my casino host and all is well. It worked out perfectly, a quick walk up one flight of stairs and we were there, and quite frankly the OL is so nice we only took drinks back to our cabin twice.
We never had a bad meal whether it was the buffet, the MDR or The Local. Some were better than others. In order we ate at La Cucina, Cagney's and on the last night Le Bistro. We all agreed all of them were good but they got better with each meal. Le Bistro was the perfect way to end the cruise.
On another note The Bliss is beautiful and amazing. My wife and I sailed with a friend of ours who has been on over 60 cruises and she was impressed enough that she would sail her again in a heartbeat. Her husband told me they have back to backs booked in January and after hearing her comments he wishes they were sailing The Bliss.
Between the drink package, gourmet dining, The Jersey Boys, Havana, The Cavern Club / Beatles, The Observation Lounge, The District Brew House, Maltings, Cellars Wine Bar and three ports there were plenty of high points and memorable moments. It really worked out well because if things were going south in the casino we had plenty of other places to hang out and have fun.
Oh, I almost forgot, The Waterfront is so cool at night. It is a great place to enjoy the outside, wonderful sea air with a tasty beverage. We hung out there and watched football. What a unique experience to be in the Pacific Ocean at night with a great breeze, friends and family, football and a craft beer in my hand. Two steps away I could go in and grab another brew and hear live music. I give NCL an A+++ on this idea.
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On 11/2/2018 at 10:37 PM, Sand and Seas said:
Wow! What a great outcome
Have you called CAS to book another cruise yet?
We haven't scheduled another cruise yet. I really like NCL and casinos at sea. We have never had a problem getting a comped cruise. I just call CAS and tell them what ship and the date and they take care of me. Let me add the Bliss is wonderful. Between the drink package and the Observation Lounge I never really got burned in the casino. If we were losing too much we would just hang out in the Observation Lounge.
It was funny, two days after we got back a flyer came in the mail with several ships and dates from NCL / CAS for comped cruises. Like I said earlier I just call and tell them when and where.
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My wife and I play blackjack with a little VP and LIR. On October 13th we sailed the Bliss on a comped cruise out of LA. We didn't gamble the first night. On the second day, a sea day we lost $700.00. On the third day, another sea day we lost another $700.00. Sea days kill us gamblers. I figure this is how it is going to go this cruise but oh well we budgeted for it. On day three after Puerta Vallarta we brought $400.00 to the casino and lost that in short order. I am now fed up with the $15.00 continuous shuffler machines. I know it really doesn't matter unless you are counting but I just don't like them.
We decide to get a marker for $500.00. Yes we are too lazy to go back to the room for more cash. We head to the $50.00 table which is an eight deck shoe game.. We get spanked in a hurry. My wife and I are playing head to head with the dealer. Nobody else is on the table. She says let's get another $500.00, the bad cards are out, it has to change towards the end of the shoe. Guess what, it did. We got back to even and then got our original $500.00 back from the first marker.
Now it gets interesting. We started playing BJ in 1986. We play basic strategy. I own a blackjack table and have it in my bar at my home. I have a friend who says the problem with five and ten dollar blackjack is you never get up enough to walk away. Anyway I digress. My wife and I are feeling a little bit better and I say screw it, let's go into the high limit room an play $100.00 a hand on a six deck shoe. We'll buy in for $500.00 and see if we get lucky and catch a couple of good hands.
We mosey on in. It is just her, me and the dealer. She gets a blackjack right away and I catch a soft 18 against a dealers 6. I double and get a 10. The dealer busts. Now we are having fun. Before you know is we are having the run of our lives and tipping $50.00 a hand. My wife keeps track of the money and she has a nice stack of purple chips in front of her. We have had good runs before but never anything like this. At one point we were playing $800.00 a hand and tipping $100.00 a hand. I know many people play a lot bigger than this but this is huge for us.
When it is all said and done we won back everything we had lost and was up $5500.00 dollars. An added bonus, we went back a couple of days later and won another $2200.00. We are spoiled now. $15.00 blackjack won't get it done any more.
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Last year I hit a $2400 jackpot on Royal Caribbean - the last night of the cruise. The first night I made $800 off $20 during the first hour of the casino opening. My husband hit a $1,000 spin somewhere in the middle of the week. Also on that cruise a man hit $20K. Problem is.....when it's all said and done, we still lost more than we won. We enjoy the casino and put money aside all year for our cruises and never plan to make a profit. We get lots of free cruise offers in the mail and never pay for our cabins anymore - but they certainly aren't free!
This sounds exactly like us. The "free" cabins certainly help take some of the sting away from our losses but they certainly aren't free. Of course we would still gamble like we do so the comped cabin is a nice perk. The best thing is when you actually walk off the ship money ahead when the cruise was comped.
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It's NCL. Of course it's not classy. It's like Carnival.
You are correct, it is not classy but it is light years ahead of Carnival. I have been on numerous Carnival cruise and we always had a good time but NCL is just better in every way. CCL seems to thrive on the passengers providing entertainment. NCL actually has some talented performers on board. On NCL the food in the MDR is so good compared to CCL. Oh well to each their own but NCL is definately better than CLL.
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Okay, I have been lurking on this thread for a while and I have to finally chime in. First and foremost it doesn't matter where you go, if you go looking to nit pick you will definitely find fault with something. Even with a positive attitude there is no doubt you find at at least ten things not to your liking. Don't let it ruin your week. Try to solve it and if not move on. As far as nickel and diming, I just don't get it. If you don't want it, don't buy it. I have been on a couple of NCL cruises and for me the food was great. The entertainment was way better than CCL. The drink package was a huge perk. On my last CCL cruise our bar tab was over $600.00 for the week. The only extra money we spent was in the casino. I must be missing something with the nickel and diming. Granted we don't sail with children so the free adult entertainment works for us.
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:'):'):')
Ditto
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I too need some advice. I have never done private tours. I am chicken that something might go wrong and I would get stranded. On my October Bliss trip to the Mexican Riviera I am going to try going private. Any tips and advice is welcomed.
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NCL has a captive audience and they can charge what they want. If you like to drink and don't have the UDP thay have you over a barrel.
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Don't misunderstand, we love sunbathing, but choose to do our sunbathing on beaches while in the ports. If people want to sunbathe while on the ship, it doesn't have to be done right around the pool, especially as most people have said they don't even go in the pool. If you sunbathe on a lounger where you can see the ocean, you can still go take a dip in the pool to cool off.
If anyone were to see my skin they would think long and hard about sunbathing.
I have lived in Florida for 60 years and in my late teens, early twenties it was a challenge to see who could get the darkest. I spent numerous hours at Clearwater, Cocoa Beach and Daytona. I got to the point where I would spend eight hours at the beach without any sunscreen or shade. Not to mention all of the hours of fishing.
All I can say is I am sure paying for it now. I can't leave my front door without wearing long sleeves.
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I have to say the inverse is true also. My wife and I decided not to have children. It was a choice. Sometimes I just marvel when I see a young couple with three or four children and they are well behaved and respectful.
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We have a cabin booked under the lounge. Anyone out there with any comments?
I guess it can't be too bad or we would have heard about it by now. My theory is we can just run up and get a couple of drinks or a snack and bring it back to our room and enjoy the balcony. Or for that matter just enjoy the OL.
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I want to be close to the OL but I wonder how loud it would be underneath it on Deck 14.
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Here is a picture of the Breakaway class mini suite with all 4 beds shown
After seeing that there is no way I would attempt that once I got past the age of 25. My vacations have always been to valuable to try to get away cheap. Of course to each there own.
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It looks like all of the players clubs are tightening up since the economy is coming back.
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The best cruise I have gone on was the Epic.
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What I read here is that NCL did great, but the people that lease and run the casino did not give away as much to OP as he felt he was entitled. When did we become entitled?
If you are a high roller in a casino you are entitled. It is the way the whole comp system works. I have seen people literally given his and her Rolex watches as a comp. I have also seen people that were flown in on private jets, etc. It is the casinos way of enticing you to come back and give them your money. Of course the above examples happened at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
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No food fatigue here. I don't have to buy it, cook it, clean up after it...that my kind of food !:D:D
Ditto, Oh to have such problems LOL.
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One thing is for sure, when the offers dry up so will my business with NCL. Carnival has already lost me and I have no problem finding another cruise line or another type of vacation. I already have 12 nights comped in Biloxi and another 12 nights comped in Las Vegas. What makes absolutely no sense to me is that CCL, over the course of winning and losing during the past six years, are at least 15k ahead of me. It makes no business sense to dry up my offers because I won 3k on my last cruise. Yes after that 3k win no more offers from CCL.
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To me you have to weigh how much something bothers you. On the confines of a ship with 3000 or more people there will be several times I will be annoyed by the behavior of others. I personally can't stand the shrill sound of young kids yelling and running into me but guess what they are just being kids so I overlook it. I don't like getting run over or into by someone in a scooter and then I thank God I don't need one yet. I don't like hearing one side of a cell phone conversation but I hope it will be over in a minute and I can go back to enjoying my meal. My point is I chose my battles wisely and try not to let the small stuff get to me. I enjoy music on my balcony, at a low volume and never for more than 30 minutes, usually less. I also make sure my neighbors are okay with it and I make sure they know I will not be offended it they want me to turn it off. If someone played it for hours on end I would have to ask why they bothered to spend the money for a cruise.
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i bring a small bluetooth speaker and listen to music at a moderate volume in my cabin and on my balcony.
i make sure that i don't do it at night or too early in the morning when people might be sleeping...
haven't ever had a complaint but i also usually do a quick peek over the railing to see if there's anyone out on their balcony around me. if there are others out, i would place the speaker inside the room pointing out the open door instead of actually on the balcony with me.
IMO, if you're respectful there's no reason why you can't enjoy your music. balconies aren't designated "quiet zones" or anything like that.
Ditto and let me add I have had four adults on the balcony next to me really whooping and holloring up. My wife and I loved that they were having a good time with friends and family. Of course this was during a sail away not at 3 AM.
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Next on Bloomberg:
"Poisonous Snakes can be Dangerous!"
"Kim Jong Un is Korean!"
"Water is Wet!"
Film at 11.
I need to have a "Like" button!
Well It Finally Happened On The NCL Bliss
in Cruise Casinos
Posted
Her name is Gene. She was working in the OL. As you can see she is a real artist. One is a perfect expresso martini the other is a mudslide. She took great care of us all week. For the life of me I can't remember the other waitress who also was very good.