Norwegian Bliss to Mexican Riviera Tips kinda concerned :S

[Kclovesken]

Hello everyone. First let me say I appreciate all your awesome feedback and info. As I said before after having a really crappy last few years I am finally doing my dream vacation. We are doing Bliss to the Riviera several months from now. I am not a seasoned cruiser but do understand this is the larger ship so will be a big crowd. However recently I have seen so many people complaining about the Bliss and was curious if yall had any tips for me. I am a patient traveler but dont want to be caught off guard. I know about reserving shows and dinners but if you miss a reservation are you penalized? Is there a better time to go eat? Also is Vibe worth the cost and can you book early or only once on board? Is paying for priority boarding and tenders etc worth it? 

[smplybcause]

Specialty dining may charge you if you no show. Complimentary dining has no penalty. You cannot book vibe ahead of time, whether it's worth the cost or not is up to you. The majority of people that have come back on here have said paying for priority access was not worth it (most of the ones I saw were not itineraries with a lot of tender ports). I think the 6-7 time period is probably the main dining time. I usually go after 8 and have never really waited long at all. 

[BirdTravels]

10 minutes ago, Kclovesken said:

Hello everyone. First let me say I appreciate all your awesome feedback and info. As I said before after having a really crappy last few years I am finally doing my dream vacation. We are doing Bliss to the Riviera several months from now. I am not a seasoned cruiser but do understand this is the larger ship so will be a big crowd. However recently I have seen so many people complaining about the Bliss and was curious if yall had any tips for me. I am a patient traveler but dont want to be caught off guard. I know about reserving shows and dinners but if you miss a reservation are you penalized? Is there a better time to go eat? Also is Vibe worth the cost and can you book early or only once on board? Is paying for priority boarding and tenders etc worth it? 

First and foremost, the Bliss is a beautiful ship and just because you read something on the internet doesn't make it true. We have done 18 cruises on NCL "big" ships including the Bliss and all of her sisters (Encore, Joy, Escape, Breakaway, Getaway). We also spend a lot of time on Quantum and Oasis class ships on Royal. We enjoy the big ships because they offer so much more entertainment. And we go on vacation to be entertained. We don't go to sit in our room in silence. If you want a truly wonderful entertainment experience, the Bliss is great! 

 

Crowds are everywhere. Any amusement park. Any theater show. Any movie theater. Any concert. Any football/baseball/soccer game. And crowds will be on the ship. Any ship. If you are looking for a vacation by yourself, any of the activities mentioned earlier are not for you. 

[Kclovesken]

Oh yea trust me I know it's not true. The old people complain more than praise. I was just curious about others experience. Crowds dont bother me but when it's your first time and you see more kaka than praise you just want to learn from seasoned folks what they recommend :0) 

@Bird Travles I read your review and honestly it was what helped me to decide. You did an awesome job 🙂

 

@smplybcause Thanks for the info on the possible charge for specialty dining. I was not aware. I don't plan to miss any reservations but figured it was worth asking. 

[smplybcause]

There's varying reports on if they actually do charge you, but the official policy is they can charge you so it's always possible you might be charged.

[eileen11]

The Bliss is coming to LA along with the Joy???   WOW!

[kayjay76]

I've missed several specialty dinner reservations on different ships and have never once been charged. Although if I know I'm not going to make it I do try to call reservations from my room phone. But have never been charged when just did a no show.

 

Of course if you dine later it might be less busy. But we find service is generally efficient in specialty resturants. Cagneys seems to be the slowest of all. But if you're not one to like to linger at dinner... simply let them know you have a show reservation or if you would like quicker. no fuss service. Staff always seems super accomidating no matter which ship you're on.  

 

Some in our party have been randomly chosen for priority boarding on our last cruise and we actually beat them on the boat with boarding group 1 and 2 lol. 

 

I can't lie... the Bliss was not my favorite ship. I think it was built more to suit Alaska than warm climate sailings. My 1st choice is the Escape, then Breakaway then Getaway then Bliss. But some in our party loved it and it was their favorite! I think it truly comes down to your personal likes and dislikes. The decore is stunning. The pool deck is by far the best and most open deck. If you like inside quiet places the observation lounge is wonderful. 

 

For crowds... Ok I'll admit... I'm not one who likes people lol. There, I said it. BUT I have found no ship has had a crowd that's too big. There are always spots to escape to. If you find you're overwhelmed by the crowd.... walk away and you'll discover places much quieter. I find people who complain about the crowds don't explore the ship and find some favorite places.

 

You're going to have a wonderful time!!!! There's nothing like a cruise so enjoy every moment!! 

[hallux]

5 hours ago, eileen11 said:

The Bliss is coming to LA along with the Joy???   WOW!

The Bliss did 6 Mexican Riviera sailings last year - 3 in the Spring, 3 in the Fall (I was on the last one of those last year) - based out of LA.  It's generally not been a long-term assignment, just a stopover on the way between the Panama Canal and Alaska.  However, looking at the NCL site it seems like this time it IS a longer-term assignment, but the Joy moves to the East coast while the Bliss takes over the Mexico itinerary.

 

On to the main topic.  The Bliss is a great ship.  Are there some issues?  Sure, she's not perfect.  The Atrium isn't the BEST place for the activities held there, but it's suitable.  I generally eat early, eating at 5:30 was EASY.  Liked the ship so much I sailed on it twice last year.  Go in with an open mind, be flexible and try to form your own opinions and you should have a great trip.  Keep in mind that people are MUCH more likely to write a review to complain than they are to write praise (I still consider going back and writing a praise review for my October trip last year).

[AtlantaAlly]

We did the Bliss to Alaska and while I agree with the poster above who said it’s more of an Alaska ship (it was built for Alaska after all) it still had amazing features. If you’re a sun worshiper, there are two 18+ options for you- Vibe and SpiceH2O. Vibe will be more comfortable and less crowded. If you decide on vibe, get your speed walking shoes ready and be in the first non-priority boarding group.

 

the entertainment is top notch. We loved Jersey Boys, saw the Beatles twice, and two different comedy shows.

 

Jersey Boys sold out both of our showings- and the theater was full. Make sure to get tickets and get there on time. the comedy club is small, plan to get there early, not much standing room. the atrium gets full for shows. We liked it show up early, grab a drink and sit for a bit ahead of time. 
 

other not so mainstream fun things: we enjoyed the escape room, tried cocos (‘mmmmm, worth the up charge) we tried a lot of gelato. Our sailing had painting, my sister in law did that twice and brought her own drinks 🙂

 

have a blast!

[hallux]

37 minutes ago, AtlantaAlly said:

the entertainment is top notch

Not sure when you sailed but SIX is a great show.  If you sailed prior to that coming to the ship, SIX was a definite upgrade over Havana!  I sailed once with Havana! and once with SIX, SIX was MUCH better.

[Kclovesken]

9 hours ago, AtlantaAlly said:

We did the Bliss to Alaska and while I agree with the poster above who said it’s more of an Alaska ship (it was built for Alaska after all) it still had amazing features. If you’re a sun worshiper, there are two 18+ options for you- Vibe and SpiceH2O. Vibe will be more comfortable and less crowded. If you decide on vibe, get your speed walking shoes ready and be in the first non-priority boarding group.

 

the entertainment is top notch. We loved Jersey Boys, saw the Beatles twice, and two different comedy shows.

 

Jersey Boys sold out both of our showings- and the theater was full. Make sure to get tickets and get there on time. the comedy club is small, plan to get there early, not much standing room. the atrium gets full for shows. We liked it show up early, grab a drink and sit for a bit ahead of time. 
 

other not so mainstream fun things: we enjoyed the escape room, tried cocos (‘mmmmm, worth the up charge) we tried a lot of gelato. Our sailing had painting, my sister in law did that twice and brought her own drinks 🙂

 

have a blast!

So in order to make it in time for Vibe show up early? Am I correct or is there some tips for getting the 1st or 2nd time? Also do I go to customer service? I was looking into the priority booking but not sure it's worth it if others get on quicker anyhow haha :0)

Edited March 3, 2020 by Kclovesken
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