Semi-live from the Bliss - Mexican Riviera - Feb 11-18

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Good morning!

 

Just finished up breakfast, and about to order a rideshare over to the port.

 

 

Looks like the Bliss arrived about an hour late, so we know to expect a wait before boarding.

 

Ah...

I also had a waffle at my BW on the morning of departure - I chose it because I figured it would be the last good one for over 2 weeks. what I didn't realize was it would be the LAST one - no waffles on the Bliss. Sniff.

[schmoopie17]

45 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Ah...

I also had a waffle at my BW on the morning of departure - I chose it because I figured it would be the last good one for over 2 weeks. what I didn't realize was it would be the LAST one - no waffles on the Bliss. Sniff.

Wait...they no longer have those small waffles that are shaped like daisies? First hash browns...now waffles? I don't eat eggs (eggs are nasty)...so it looks like my breakfast on our upcoming cruise will be crispy bacon and chocolate croissants. 

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Ah...

I also had a waffle at my BW on the morning of departure - I chose it because I figured it would be the last good one for over 2 weeks. what I didn't realize was it would be the LAST one - no waffles on the Bliss. Sniff.

Did you go to the dining room? They were on the menu on Epic 2 weeks ago

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Wait...they no longer have those small waffles that are shaped like daisies? First hash browns...now waffles? I don't eat eggs (eggs are nasty)...so it looks like my breakfast on our upcoming cruise will be crispy bacon and chocolate croissants. 

There's corned beef hash daily.

 

But, if we want to get real, the iced cinnamon buns are fabulous.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

Did you go to the dining room? They were on the menu on Epic 2 weeks ago

We ate breakfast in the dining room, I think, once.

I can't recall for sure if there was a waffle - I'll give it a maybe.

I had French toast - quite tasty.

But no waffles at the buffet. French toast (good) and pancakes (not so much).

[inar]

Loving this thread. I wanna see every menu and daily and any shore excursions you take.  What is this nonsense about no cookies?   I cruise in three weeks.  Must have cookies!   Who doesn’t have hash browns?   Crazy talk!

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, inar said:

Loving this thread. I wanna see every menu and daily and any shore excursions you take.  What is this nonsense about no cookies?   I cruise in three weeks.  Must have cookies!   Who doesn’t have hash browns?   Crazy talk!

Get used to the changes.

[OrcaGirl]

Sorry everyone, I need to cut my semi-live short. Mom had a bad fall in the thermal spa tonight, fractured her ankle. 

 

We’re being taken to hospital in Puerto Vallarta when we get there, and then we’ll see if our cruise continues or not.

 

 

[PhillyTravelBug]

Oh no! Hope you can continue. Best wishes!

[www3traveler]

Prayers for you and your Mom

[PistolPete13]

Oh no, that's terrible!

[G-DawgMN]

7 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Sorry everyone, I need to cut my semi-live short. Mom had a bad fall in the thermal spa tonight, fractured her ankle. 

 

We’re being taken to hospital in Puerto Vallarta when we get there, and then we’ll see if our cruise continues or not.

 

 

 

 Oh no, I hope that she's ok. 

[detroitlions]

Prayers for your mom. I hope you can continue your cruise.

[drumming cruisers]

Prayers for your mom. Hopefully a clean break and you can continue your cruise. 

 

 

[cruisinfamily7609]

On 2/10/2024 at 12:03 PM, cruiser2015 said:

If you are the BW Worldport, be cautious - I checked this area out on google and it looks like kind of a not great neighborhood. Right next to the freeway. Nothing around it except for the Denny's next door and a gas station.

Sailed last month; I'm a BW guy. Chose the one in Torrance instead  - exactly half way between LAX and the port.

Should be alright for the overnight, I suppose. When I offered these 2 and one other to my DW, she rejected this one.

It's an industrial port, and the town of San Pedro in general is older...not the worst in SoCal, but not necessarily a tourist hot spot, either. To be blunt, I’m driving in the day before and staying near my daughter’s home in Fountain Valley (I used to live in So Cal but escaped that mess and moved to the central coast about four blessed hours north). It’s good enough for me, but I have a car that I’ll have to park (and pay dearly) to leave for a week. Torrance is about as safe as you’re going to get in South Bay, for sure. Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach are nice areas as well, but they are a little farther from the port. 

[cruisinfamily7609]

14 hours ago, zqvol said:

Get used to the changes.

I really dislike replies like this. It infers that somehow the GUEST is the problem for expecting decent food and service. Truth be told, this is my first time on NCL and if it doesn’t measure up, I won’t be back. I have no doubt there are thousands of others who feel similar. That’s how it works - you try it, and if you don’t like it, don’t come back. It’s the people who go on the line and are thoroughly disappointed and then return that make me scratch my head in wonder. 

 

[cruiser2015]

8 minutes ago, cruisinfamily7609 said:

It's an industrial port, and the town of San Pedro in general is older...not the worst in SoCal, but not necessarily a tourist hot spot, either. To be blunt, I’m driving in the day before and staying near my daughter’s home in Fountain Valley (I used to live in So Cal but escaped that mess and moved to the central coast about four blessed hours north). It’s good enough for me, but I have a car that I’ll have to park (and pay dearly) to leave for a week. Torrance is about as safe as you’re going to get in South Bay, for sure. Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach are nice areas as well, but they are a little farther from the port. 

The hotel under discussion is technically in Wilmington, north of San Pedro.

Could you leave your car at your daughter's place?

Taking a ride share, I'd guess would be about $50 each way, plus tip. Compared to "dearly" (guessing that's by the pier parking).

[G-DawgMN]

7 minutes ago, cruisinfamily7609 said:

I really dislike replies like this. It infers that somehow the GUEST is the problem for expecting decent food and service. Truth be told, this is my first time on NCL and if it doesn’t measure up, I won’t be back. I have no doubt there are thousands of others who feel similar. That’s how it works - you try it, and if you don’t like it, don’t come back. It’s the people who go on the line and are thoroughly disappointed and then return that make me scratch my head in wonder. 

 

Every cruise line is doing cutbacks so you have decide which one is best for you. 

[cruisinfamily7609]

10 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Sorry everyone, I need to cut my semi-live short. Mom had a bad fall in the thermal spa tonight, fractured her ankle. 

 

We’re being taken to hospital in Puerto Vallarta when we get there, and then we’ll see if our cruise continues or not.

 

 

That's terrible! I’m so sorry to hear that about your mom, and your cruise... My mom is 80. I worry about that sort of thing with her. She isn’t that sturdy on her feet, so we have a walker we’re taking with us, and learning to go at her speed. This is a good kick in the pants and cautionary tale, unfortunately. I hope your mom heals quickly. 

[cruisinfamily7609]

4 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

The hotel under discussion is technically in Wilmington, north of San Pedro.

Could you leave your car at your daughter's place?

Taking a ride share, I'd guess would be about $50 each way, plus tip. Compared to "dearly" (guessing that's by the pier parking).

Ah, Wilmington. Unfortunately Wilmington, Harbor City, and other nearby areas aren’t great, but some areas are better than others, to be sure. They all butt up to Torrance, which is better...and perhaps someone here will jump out to tell me that Wilmington and Harbor City are safe. I’d laugh, but that’s okay. 😄

 

I’d love to leave my car at my daughter’s, but parking is an issue there - as in, we’re not allowed to park on the street, and at least (if there’s a bright side to paying for parking at the port), I’ll be able to jump in my car and head back north quickly as we disembark. I suppose I’m paying for that flexibility, which....after paying for the cruise and all...it’s fine. I’m not going to complain too much. It was either that or fly, and flying from the central coast down here is stupid. One has to fly from San Luis Obispo to Phoenix or Vegas and then come back, and pay $400 for the privilege. (I’m generalizing but that’s the gist of it) With that in mind, driving and parking almost seems cheap! LOL 

[cruisinfamily7609]

11 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

Every cruise line is doing cutbacks so you have decide which one is best for you. 

Very true. Food is a big deal though, so it’ll be interesting to see how I feel post-cruise. We cruised Carnival last year, and I was very unimpressed with the food and service, to be honest. I suspect this will be similar. I’ve heard NCL is better, but by how much - who knows?

On the other hand, I have a cruise booked on Princess for summer, and looking at a Celebrity one next year. Haven’t cruised on Royal since...gosh it’s probably been ten years? I’m not too interested in the massive behemoth ships. Too people-y for me. I loved the size of Majesty of the Seas back when Royal had it, so I’m hesitant to book one of those city-sized ships they love to build! 

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, cruisinfamily7609 said:

It's an industrial port, and the town of San Pedro in general is older...not the worst in SoCal, but not necessarily a tourist hot spot, either. To be blunt, I’m driving in the day before and staying near my daughter’s home in Fountain Valley (I used to live in So Cal but escaped that mess and moved to the central coast about four blessed hours north). It’s good enough for me, but I have a car that I’ll have to park (and pay dearly) to leave for a week. Torrance is about as safe as you’re going to get in South Bay, for sure. Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach are nice areas as well, but they are a little farther from the port. 

Just looked it up.

$20 per day is not horrible. (hey, I'm from NY)

It shows a $90 monthly pass - if you can get that one, it's a steal.

[FBegg]

40 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Just looked it up.

$20 per day is not horrible. (hey, I'm from NY)

It shows a $90 monthly pass - if you can get that one, it's a steal.

I just spoke to a rep from Parking Concepts@World Cruise Center Port of Los Angeles(949)978-0665. There IS a monthly pass, but you have to pay for 3 months in advance, cost is $295. I guess it would depend on the duration of your cruise and/or the number of cruises you would be taking within those 3 months in determining if the pass would work out for you or not.  

Edited February 12 by FBegg

[FBegg]

Aw, I'm sorry your mom got hurt Orca Girl. I hope she has a speedy recovery. 

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, FBegg said:

I just spoke to a rep from Parking Concepts@World Cruise Center Port of Los Angeles(949)978-0665. There IS a monthly pass, but you have to pay for 3 months in advance, cost is $295. I guess it would depend on the duration of your cruise and/or the number of cruises you would be taking within those 3 months in determining if the pass would work out for you or not.  

Oh well.