Semi-live from the Bliss 12/19

[LincolnLog]

I’ve never been to Cabo when there were three ships there at the same time. I wonder if that is the reason for the strange port times on this itinerary. Do they try to stagger the times for three ships?

[Niffernay]

11 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

We keep seeing plates left in hallways, glasses left on staircases, water bottles left in elevators. Is it so hard to find a more suitable place to leave items for the crew to clear them?

[OrcaGirl]

Buenos Dias! Hola from somewhere nearing Puerto Vallarta… 

 

This morning’s random thoughts/observations/answers:

 

Internet went down for a bit this morning. I couldn’t connect, Starbucks couldn’t scan my app and had to charge my morning caffeine fix to my cabin. (But my stars!!!)

 

The thermal spa continues to be fabulous, but you know what it really needs? Bar service. Sidecars in the sauna. Painkillers in the pool. Et cetera.

 

Eastern Legacy is gin, white peach, yuzu, elderflower liqueur and Cointreau. It’s delightful, and possibly my favourite drink on the ship.

 

Really surprised they’re not playing Christmas movies on board, but neat that they’re showing things like West Side Story (original) and In The Heights. (I’ve got White Christmas and Die Hard downloaded to my iPad so that’s my back-up plan for Christmas Day… I’ll be the person in the thermal spa with her earbuds in, randomly stage-whispering yippi-ki-yay m*****f*****!)

 

Tagalog is soooo much harder to learn than Indonesian; I’ve been going around each morning trying to say ‘magandang umaga’ to each crew member from the Philippines I see but I don’t think I’ve gotten the pronunciation right once.

 

Unlike the Alaska cruise on the Encore, we haven’t spent any time in the Observation Lounge thus far. Did a quick walk through on the first sea day and it was super empty.

 

The Starbucks onboard has paper straws for cold drinks, but you have to ask if you prefer, as I do, the sippy-cup lid instead.

 

The husband’s Latitude account was missing our first NCL cruise on the Dawn from several years back. Even though they say you can’t get missing cruises added after 12 months, they will totally help you if the issue was that the system accidentally created a second Latitudes account (the difference? A missing dash in our home address…) Five minutes at the Cruise Next counter to get the accounts merged, two minutes at the Guest Services desk to get a new card printed, and two minutes at the Shore Excursions desk to get a retroactive credit applied for his Silver excursion discount… done!

 

Don’t leave your pill bottle on the thin bedside table and then accidentally knock it behind the bed because you didn’t have your glasses on. That was a pain-in-the-*** to recover.

 

Has any ship at sea purchased the rights to put on a production of Mamma Mia the stage musical? Seems like it would be a perfect fit…

 

I can’t remember what ship (or even what cruise line) this was on, but I miss having an uncovered outdoor eating area near the buffet. It was definitely aft, there was an nice little bar and a mix of seating and killer aft views. It was just a nice quiet place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. Wish NCL had that.

[Oakman58]

5 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

Buenos Dias! Hola from somewhere nearing Puerto Vallarta… 

 

 

 

Has any ship at sea purchased the rights to put on a production of Mamma Mia the stage musical? Seems like it would be a perfect fit…

 

I can’t remember what ship (or even what cruise line) this was on, but I miss having an uncovered outdoor eating area near the buffet. It was definitely aft, there was an nice little bar and a mix of seating and killer aft views. It was just a nice quiet place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. Wish NCL had that.

 

I believe all the Jewel Class of ships have the Great Outdoors aft.  It was my favorite place for a breakfast on our Caribbean cruises.

 

Totally agree that Mamma Mia would be a great fit for a stage musical.

[MeHeartCruising]

Mama Mia! has been on Royal Caribbean's Allure for quite some time.  Good fun.

[vikkiw]

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

I can’t remember what ship (or even what cruise line) this was on, but I miss having an uncovered outdoor eating area near the buffet. It was definitely aft, there was an nice little bar and a mix of seating and killer aft views. It was just a nice quiet place to enjoy breakfast or lunch.

Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas had a nice area on the aft, half covered, half-uncovered, just outside of the buffet.

[OrcaGirl]

I need to start bringing the binoculars up to breakfast; the husband saw a pod of orcas this morning, and we saw several dolphins again.

 

Got a little sunburnt yesterday. Remember to reapply sunscreen!!

 

Meanwhile my parents got six inches of snow last night, and a deer ate the branch tips off their Christmas tree. Don’t ask.

 

The ship backed into port today. See my IG for a time-lapse video. The Ruby Princess was already docked on the south side, and we got the north berth.

 

Change of plans for today. The husband’s diving plans fell through, he didn’t hear back from his back-up dive shop in time, and he didn’t get off the ship’s wait list to join me on my whale watching excursion. So we decided to cancel my excursion and spend a big chunk of the day in the thermal spa instead.

 

Did get off the ship for a short walk across the street to the Galeria Vallarta mall but it wasn’t super exciting except to see that Starbucks down here have *cranberry* holiday drinks.

 

And what’s that? A tent offering reasonably priced massages right near the ship? Too hot for me today but good to know for future trips for sure!

 

Margarita in hand, it’s back to the thermal spa… a cold rainfall shower followed by some time in the snow room is called for.

[Kclovesken]

On 12/21/2021 at 7:11 AM, jimdee3636 said:

@OrcaGirl:

First of all, I love your observations and your writing style. My wife and I will be on the February 27, 2022 Mexican Riviera sailing, so your reports are whetting my appetite!

 

On my one prior cruise on the Bliss in 2019, my favorite place on the ship was the A-List Bar (in between Cagney's and Los Lobos). Have you been there yet, and, if so, how was the atmosphere? The bartenders there were the best I've ever encountered on a cruise ship.

 

Jim

I will be on the same cruise. Can't wait I am so excited.

[OrcaGirl]

Spent the rest of the afternoon in the thermal spa. I got a pedicure (my first since the pandemic started!), and the husband got a manicure (his first ever!) 

 

(Don’t love the hard sell for products or additional services in the spa, but I know that’s part of their job. Also as an aside, if you get the $50 spa credit for guests 1&2 as part of your booking and/or are planning to use the Latitudes discount, double-check the fine print of what treatments qualify…)

 

Speaking of the pandemic, when we were on the Epic back in March 2020, midway through the cruise I mentioned to the husband that 7-day cruises just weren’t long enough for me anymore, that at least 9 or 10 days were necessary for real relaxation. And then of course due to COVID that cruise ended up being 9.5 days, so I felt bad for jinxing it. (Yep, global pandemic, totally my fault.) But yeah, starting to feel that way again, longer cruises are the way to go in the future. (But I still hope we can get back to Canada on schedule this time…)

 

I’m thinking the Baltics out of Copenhagen next fall, provided the global panini settles down again.

 

Oh FFS, on this the fourth day of the cruise I found the free way to access CC without using up wifi minutes. It’s slow as molasses though so don’t know how helpful that will be…

 

NCL app continues to be glitchy; it was showing the freestyle daily for Cabo until right before we left Puerto Vallarta.

 

FYI for those planning independent excursions: we stayed on ship time while docked in Puerto Vallarta (which was one hour ahead).

 

Fewer people on board seem to be adhering to the mask rules compared to the first two days, which I’m not thrilled about. Sure, getting maskcne again after several months of not having it is annoying, but pretty sure a COVID outbreak on board would be worse… and checking in on the situation back home is not reassuring, so mask up maybe? Especially when in the elevators at least? 

 

Good intel on the cookies after 9:30pm. That’s past our usual bedtime but we’ll try to make a special effort to stay up tonight… 😉

 

Musical weirdness: as we got off the ship today, there was a stereo system on the pier playing a song that was mostly in Spanish but sampled from sort-of-famous Canadian rapper Snow… I will now have chicitty-boom-boom-down stuck in my head for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Do you want to build a snowman? (Hope someone figures out how to decorate them for Christmas?) 

 

 

Off to dinner and then Jersey Boys! (Wait, nope, Jersey Boys just got cancelled as we were about to head out.)

 

[tbintn]

On 12/21/2021 at 10:26 AM, Selion said:

Not sure why I'm reading this thread.  Just got off Bliss 2 days ago. 😅

ha Ha!  So did we (12/12 sailing).  Love it!

[OrcaGirl]

Further random thoughts: why do people think a random bartender could or should provide you with insight into how many performers in the show have COVID, when they were tested, etc. 

 

Also: no sympathy for anyone claiming they should get compensated because they booked the cruise to see Jersey Boys. None. Nada. Rien. Tidak. Nein. Nyet.

 

Had dinner at the buffet, then donated a little money in the casino and decided to hit the hay early.

 

The husband decided that he prefers the Bliss chandelier but I still like the Encore’s chandelier best.
 

[bluesea777]

9 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Further random thoughts: why do people think a random bartender could or should provide you with insight into how many performers in the show have COVID, when they were tested, etc. 

 

Also: no sympathy for anyone claiming they should get compensated because they booked the cruise to see Jersey Boys. None. Nada. Rien. Tidak. Nein. Nyet.

 

Had dinner at the buffet, then donated a little money in the casino and decided to hit the hay early.

 

The husband decided that he prefers the Bliss chandelier but I still like the Encore’s chandelier best.
 

You must be kidding, I hope! It’s been agreed that Encore’s bubble wrap chandelier is the worst of all. 🤭

 

Anyway, I’m loving your witty review and photos! Keep it up, and enjoy the rest of cruise!

 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by bluesea777

[KAYKAY121]

Well, guess I will have to watch Jersey Boys on YOUTUBE.  I was looking forward to it but looking forward to more relaxed entertainment choices now. The ship looks way less than crowded. That is a good sign. Enjoy your day today. 🙂

[julie3fan]

2 hours ago, KAYKAY121 said:

Well, guess I will have to watch Jersey Boys on YOUTUBE.  I was looking forward to it but looking forward to more relaxed entertainment choices now.

 

I thought I read that Jersey Boys had started back up again?  I hope so, as we're sailing Jan 9th.

[KAYKAY121]

I think there is a performer with Covid so looks like we won't see it on the 12/26 sailing but my fingers are crossed. 

[flyguyjake]

1 hour ago, julie3fan said:

 

I thought I read that Jersey Boys had started back up again?  I hope so, as we're sailing Jan 9th.

They did. We saw them on 12/12 sailing.

[mlgb]

That's a shame re JB.

 

Wonder if they run it on the 5 Day short cruise?

 

When in PV we hit up the McD inside the mall.

[brad0576]

On 12/21/2021 at 1:29 AM, OrcaGirl said:

After some quality spa time and nap time, we headed to Maltings to grab cocktails (Eastern Legacy is a favourite) to be enjoyed out on the Waterfront while watching the sun set.

 

 

Tonight was ‘dress up or not’ night, and we decided to go with ‘not’… but it was nice seeing ladies dressed up with fancy sparkling masks coordinated to their outfit. But for us, to the buffet for ‘grill extravaganza’ night… so naturally I had more Indian food 😉

 

After dinner, we grabbed more cocktails and then killed a little time watching casino action before heading to the theatre.

 

SIX! Absolutely loved it. Amazing costumes, choreography, etc. And the performers were so good. Loved that they had an all-woman backing band (“They have a GIRL DRUMMER?!?!” for the two of you who get that reference.)

 

 

Grabbed a little snack at the Local and then managed to catch Siglo’s set of New Wave / Alt Rock music at the Cavern before turning in for the night. (My husband wore his Joy Division mask for the occasion.)

 

 

Six was cancelled the prior week when I was on the ship - a crew member was sick but "tested negative for both Covid and Influenza"

[LincolnLog]

1 hour ago, mlgb said:

That's a shame re JB.

 

Wonder if they run it on the 5 Day short cruise?

 

When in PV we hit up the McD inside the mall.

You don’t mean McDonald’s do you? 🤔

 

I don’t mean to judge, but…with all the great food options in Puerto Vallarta you eat at McDonald’s? Okay sorry I guess I am judging you 😂

[OrcaGirl]

It was a hazy/smoky morning in Mazatlan. Growing up, I thought vacating in Mazatlan was the height of sophistication (because my one ‘cool’ aunt, the only one with a career and no kids, had a time share here in the 80s).

 

 

Look what made an appearance at the Garden Cafe… now those are good hash browns! (As I headed out to the outdoor seating with my plate, a young woman was heard to ask ‘Are those chicken nuggs?’…)

 

 

After a quick breakfast in the buffet it was down to the pier to meet up with our excursion: Beach Resort Getaway. (After a detour back to the cabin by the husband because I forgot our excursion tickets… [facepalm])

 

 

They drove us by coach bus to the resort; the excursion staff mentioned the requirement to wear masks during transport, but unfortunately didn’t enforce it for the dudes wearing theirs fully under their chin. But hey, it’s not like this is a respiratory virus that can spread to others in an enclosed space… [eyeroll]

 

They said there were 90 people from NCL going on this excursion, with three buses. We were on the first bus and left about 10 min before the stated departure time, so show up early for best selection of beach chairs.

 

It was about a 20 minute drive from the ship to the beach resort, right along the Malecon. 

 

According to our excursion leader, “everyone is vaccinated” in Mazatlan and there are currently only 7 cases of COVID in the city. We were sitting at the back of the bus so I don’t think he saw my “don’t believe that for a second” face.

 

As he was explaining the resort amenities, the excursion leader said “At the bar you can get Corona… [awkward pause] uh, beer.”

 

As you get off the bus, you’re directed to a single main entrance with a temperature check and then you walk through what looks like an airport/ship security scanner but is actually spritzing you with… more sanitizer? Pesticide? Eau du perfume? Salsa verde? Unclear and seemed like pointless hygiene theatre.

 

Once we got into to the resort proper, we made a beeline for the beach to grab some prime chairs. Only to have to move five minutes later when the people next to us started smoking. I can’t handle cigarette smoke, so we relocated to share a different palapa with a family with kids (which I also can’t usually handle, but generally consider the lesser of two evils…)

 

The beach chairs were hard plastic but surprising comfortable… at least for the first hour… but no traditional lay-back sun loungers. No real seating by the pool areas we visited either (but we didn’t explore them all…)

 

Good wave action at the beach, and lots of big jumping fish. We were told to watch out for stingrays, but didn’t see anything.

 

Lots of vendors, but they weren’t too aggressive, leaving you alone after a polite ‘no gracias.’

 

The excursion included two drink coupons. Mango margarita was decent. Pina colada was dangerously good. Note that they don’t serve alcohol before 11am (e.g., should have gotten a frose with breakfast.)

 

Buffet lunch opened up around 12:15pm… decent for a beach resort buffet, not the most amazing Mexican food but not the worst I’ve ever had either. We also made an effort to eat lightly in anticipation of our Cagneys reservations tonight. Uno enchilada, por favour.

 

We did appreciate that the buffet was set up specifically for NCL passengers, e.g. the cruise ship people and resort guests were kept separate during meal time.

 

Guard your plates well — local birds have no compunctions about stealing tortilla chips right off your plate. 

 

Pro tip: watch your step and try not to fall into one of the grotto pools, completely drenching your towel and top. I wish I could blame the tequila, but I am a klutz. Banged my heel (and my pride) but my waterproof phone case did its job perfectly.

 

Back to the lobby at ~2pm for our bus ride back to the ship.

 

By the time we strolled through the port shops and took the mandatory free shuttle through the industrial port area, we were back on board and in our cabin by 3:15pm.

[mlgb]

3 hours ago, LincolnLog said:

You don’t mean McDonald’s do you? 🤔

 

I don’t mean to judge, but…with all the great food options in Puerto Vallarta you eat at McDonald’s? Okay sorry I guess I am judging you 😂

Yes. We actually didn't need to go looking for food. More a lifelong interest in the different McD menus in different countries. 

 

Spending time drinking and eating off ship never a big attraction for me. Given that where I live there is no shortage of really good Mexican food.

Edited December 23, 2021 by mlgb

[LincolnLog]

3 hours ago, mlgb said:

Yes. We actually didn't need to go looking for food. More a lifelong interest in the different McD menus in different countries. 

 

Spending time drinking and eating off ship never a big attraction for me. Given that where I live there is no shortage of really good Mexican food.

Fair enough, actually that’s pretty cool. I remember being surprised to see spam and rice at McDonald’s in Hawaii. 

[julie3fan]

4 hours ago, mlgb said:

Yes. We actually didn't need to go looking for food. More a lifelong interest in the different McD menus in different countries. 

 

1 hour ago, LincolnLog said:

Fair enough, actually that’s pretty cool. I remember being surprised to see spam and rice at McDonald’s in Hawaii. 

 

We never got to stop and try it, but we saw lobster rolls advertised on a McD sign in Canada on a port stop one time.  I was totally intrigued, but didn't figure the tour bus driver would pull thru the drive-thru for me. 😁

[OrcaGirl]

Catching up…

 

Post-excursion, we headed straight to the thermal spa to see what the massage appointment availability was like. Secured back-to-back (pun intended) appointments later in the afternoon, so had some spa time and then massage time. (Once again, confusion on the part of the staff about how to apply our spa credit so we need to make a trip to Guest Services later today to double-check.)

 

I got the aromatherapy hot stone massage, and it was 75 min of hurts so good. 

 

Dinner last night was Cagneys and it was… just okay? Like, still good, but not the phenomenal top five meal like it was on the Encore. So for this trip at least, Le Bistro wins out for best meal.

 

Husband spent a little time/money in the casino (he claims he lost only $60 at the roulette wheel in the same amount of time that the person next to him lost at least $600…)

 

Last night’s replacement shows for the cancelled Jersey Boys were the comedy-magic show and a Stevie Wonder Tribute.

 

Woke up early this morning, went for my morning Starbucks fix, and stopped in to the Guest Services to ask about COVID testing. Was told to expect a letter tonight, and testing for passengers needing it for their return home would be tomorrow (Merry Christmas!) in one of the dining rooms. 

 

Santa baby, put a negative result under the tree, for me…

I’ve been an awfully good girl…

Santa baby, get me home to Canada soon…

 

According to the freestyle dailies, there’s a holiday spectacular tonight in the theatre. They’ve got the performers from SIX, some of the lounge performers, the ‘Junior Cruisers Holiday Choir’… even St. Basil’s! (Eight is a lot of legs, David…)

 

Oddly no bingo scheduled for today… hope there is some for tomorrow because I still have two free card credits to use and I missed it on the first day.

 

Christmas movies being shown today include The Polar Express and It’s a Wonderful Life; can you believe I’ve never seen either?

 

Waiting on the husband to wake up and then it’ll be up to the buffet to check on the all-important hash brown situation…

 

Random thoughts of the morning:

 

Thought the Ruby Princess was supposed to be in port with us again in Mazatlan yesterday but didn’t see them.

 

If any cruise lines are listening, my future loyalty will go to any line that offers completely smoking-free cruising and excursions. 

 

Is the ‘activation fee’ for the free Wifi new? Don’t remember that from the Encore…

 

After 15+ years of cruising and poo-pooing the art auctions, I walked by the gallery this morning and stopped dead in my tracks and thought “that’s lovely, I would hang that on my wall…” It was a moody painting of a pod of orcas, very Pacific Northwest.

[BermudaBound2014]

48 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

Thought the Ruby Princess was supposed to be in port with us again in Mazatlan yesterday but didn’t see them.

 

Great sense of humor! Thanks for the review.

 

Not sure if this article explains why you didn't see Ruby yesterday, but it says both the Ruby Princess and the Bliss won't be stopping in Cabo today to reduce the number of passengers in the city (didn't you already go to cabo?).

 

Anyway, reducing the number of ships in port maybe why you didn't see ruby yesterday.

"The expected arrival of five cruise ships for Christmas Eve has been reduced to only three, as the Norwegian Bliss and the Ruby Princess have changed their routes to avoid Cabo."

 

https://gringogazette.com/wp/2021/12/two-cruise-ships-are-a-no-show/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=two-cruise-ships-are-a-no-show