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

[D. B.]

I have not sailed on NCL for 10 years.

 I will be on Bliss in December this year and would like to know if there are Guest Participation activities on sea days?  Things like organized activities like bean bag games or golf putting or ring toss or safe archery.?

 Thank you.

 

[laudergayle]

I LOVE Honey Bear…we always get a little win on it.  And, that clapping bear and buzzing bees are too cute.  This was our score last November on the Bliss.  

[OrcaGirl]

47 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

I LOVE Honey Bear…we always get a little win on it.  And, that clapping bear and buzzing bees are too cute.  This was our score last November on the Bliss.  

My grandmother was a beekeeper as well as the first female provincial beehive inspector for British Columbia, so this was a must-do for Mom. 🐝 

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

(Meanwhile, a table behind us sent back their tortilla chips like five times. Too salty, not warm enough, not salty enough, etc.)

Not warm enough? Too salty? Seriously! I'd have slapped them halfway to Ensanada! That's ridiculous...especially given they are privileged to be on a cruise.

 

Glad your mom is still letting you take photos of herself enjoying the cruise to the fullest!

[donnamatrix]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

I saw two different Jane Seymours, I wonder which one he was commenting on.  One was quite petite.  The petite one is the 'swing' that also can fill two other roles.

Hey folks, I’m the Fox previously mentioned by OrcaGirl. Six is my jaaaam and I have now seen it four times, on two separate Bliss cruises. This Jane Seymour is from the 7th (and last) Bliss cast who started in November, played by Billie Kerr, a powerhouse of a voice with an absolutely delightful Scottish accent that comes through even when she’s belting out Jane’s solo. 
 

I have a special spot in my heart for a strong Scottish accent. (Special nod to our Katherine Howard, with her delightful Irish accent too.)

[laudergayle]

2 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

My grandmother was a beekeeper as well as the first female provincial beehive inspector for British Columbia, so this was a must-do for Mom. 🐝 

What a wonderful accomplishment and accreditation.  I don’t know if you know this, but if you run Gand over the screen it makes the bees buzz.

 

We accidentally created a hive.  We had put pineapple in our wooden compost box and by the time we realized we had a full blown colony.  We found a local beekeepers group that came and rescued them.  
 

I’m really enjoying your posts…and your zoom seems like she’s full of young fun.

[hallux]

49 minutes ago, donnamatrix said:

played by Billie Kerr,

OK, I was able to get a picture with her and one of the 'swings'

[OrcaGirl]

Given everything, I’m missing a few but here are the dailies that I did remember to download so far. 
 

Bliss MR Day 1.pdf

 

Bliss MR Day 4.pdf

 

Bliss MR Day 5.pdf

 

[OrcaGirl]

Wednesday in Puerto Vallarta recap

 

So, we were told by the medical staff to start making our way to the medical centre at 7:30am and that we would be transferred to an ambulance at 8am. But the ship time and Puerto Vallarta time were not the same, and that seems to have confused everyone. At 6:30am while I was in a very long line at Starbucks, a staff person was knocking on our door to get us down to the medical centre for a 7am offload! Yikes. So our room service breakfast went untouched as we throw the last of our things into bags and grabbed our passports and hustled down to the med centre.

 

We were met at the med centre by the paramedics and a ship’s security officer. While the paramedics loaded mom onto a stretcher, I pre-paid $175USD to the security officer as the earl disembarkation immigration fee for the port, which is refundable . She also gave me the contact information for the port agent who would coordinate with us to have our luggage brought to us if necessary.

 

We were then escorted off the ship and into the waiting ambulance. Or rather, one of them. Two met the ship, and I think a gentleman in the ER across from us was perhaps a crew member, perhaps the Code Alpha we heard the previous night?

 

 

 

The paramedics took mom’s vitals while we were transferred to Hospiten Puerto Vallarta, about 10 minutes away from the port.

 

And honestly, it was nicer than the hospital in my home town. 🤷‍♀️ 

 

The nurses were lovely, the first doctor who examined mom was wearing a Barbie pin so I loved her immediately, the hospital administrator was fantastic at walking me through the paperwork, and the orthopaedic surgeon was great (also a stone cold silver fox…).

 

We spent approximately two hours at the hospital; including initial assessment, X-rays, anti-inflammatory IV, and then consult with the orthopaedic surgeon, who confirmed that mom didn’t need surgery and would be allowed to return to the ship. Oh my gosh. The relief we left.

 

During all this, my dad’s sister’s son dropped by to visit Mom, who apparently used to babysit him when he was a young’un. He brought me and Red Starbucks since we had to abandon our coffee and breakfast on board, and once we got the all clear to return to the ship, he came back by with red velvet Valentine’s Day cupcakes.

 

 

Instead of another $750USD ambulance ride (and they DID take credit card), we took an Uber XL back to the port for a much more reasonable $177 pesos + tip.

 

Once at the port, a wheelchair appeared and we were escorted through the port area back to the ship, with a stop at a pharmacy. It cost $22CDN to fill the new prescriptions which is amazing… I declined the upsell for *****, diet pills, etc… 💊 

 

The final tally for the hospital visit itself came out to something like $2k USD. Which, not as bad as I feared. Mom can still buy herself a new side-by-side for the farm. 🤣

[OrcaGirl]

Once back on board, we headed to the cabin for a short rest and (since we now have four days to go) to set out a laundry bag (possibly my favourite of the Platinum perks).

 

I honestly can’t remember what we did next, but eventually we headed up to the Observation Lounge for some tea for mom, a Monkey Business for Red, and an espresso martini for me, to enjoy with our cupcakes, and check out the two cute huge yachts parked next door to the Bliss (both owned by the same Seattle billionaire). 
 

 

At some point, I went down to Guest Services to get the immigration fees back, and to cancel the NCL bus transfer to LAX since we didn’t know how our flights would be affected or if the bus would be accessible to Momma.

 

For dinner, we headed to Taste (or Savor?) for a celebratory ‘we get to stay on board’ dinner with Red, the Fox and K. Mom and I shared the upcharge Cagney filet with asparagus and yam mash, and it was very good (even if mom and I compromised and ordered it medium, which is an affront to a good steak).

 

 

 

And again, I can’t remember much else from that night. 🤣 Oh, we went to the Eliminator game show; I enjoy the initial trivia part, but not the final four round which has nothing to do with trivia skill.

 

And then to bed.

[dlh015]

Your mom is just awesome!! (and so are you)  She's really making a go of it!

 

 

[OrcaGirl]

Thursday in Mazatlan recap

 

Momma had such a better sleep last night, once the surgeon advised that she was okay to remove the boot and brace while in bed.

 

We planned to sleep in, but woke up as we pulled into Mazatlan. And heard the roosters — it was like being back on the farm. 😂 

 

 

After a Starbucks run, we headed up to the buffet for breakfast, then swung down to the medical centre to confirm that the hospital had sent over the “fit to sail” paperwork for our return to ship. (They had.) So we thanked the nurses and doctor and gave them some extra Valentine’s treats.

 

After that we headed up to the thermal spa. Showering is so much easier in the changing room’s accessible shower than in the cabin bathroom, for sure. And then mom enjoyed some stone lounger time. I loaded up her iPad with a bunch of new and classic country songs, and she enjoyed a few hours of music and watching the swallows and frigate birds fly by.

 

 

We had lunch in the buffet, then went down to the Observation Lounge for a bit in search of a good spot to people watch. Pretty packed for a port day, but then the weather was not ideal and we heard a lot of people mentioned they stayed to stay on board.

 

After taking a detour to our cabin for a call with my husband who will be making any necessary flight changes for us (I’ve got the cruise status, he’s got the airline status), we popped down to the Atrium to grab seats for 80s trivia.

 

There had been a message on our phone to stop by Guest Services, so I did. And apparently they’ve arranged for private wheelchair transport to LAX on Sunday? I was confused when the guy just gave me a piece of paper with two phones numbers on it, so I’ll have to swing by again and confirm the details.

 

80s trivia was way too easy, and too many people didn’t grasp the “don’t just shout out the answers” concept. We got 18/20; and it would have been 19/20 and a tie for first if I’d just listened to my instincts instead of giving in to peer pressure. But at least it was better than the 80s trivia on the Discovery Princess with all of the errors. (Ooooh I am still mad about that one.)

 

 

 

For dinner, we went to Teppanyaki. It wasn’t mom’s favourite, but she tried lots of new things and that’s all I asked of her. She did like the edamame, the fried rice and the shrimp.

 

 

 

After dinner, we headed to the Atrium for Bandaoke. When we boarded, before the fractured ankle, we had planned to attend lots of karaoke and I had bet mom and Red that we would be hearing many renditions of My Way… and what’s the first song at Bandaoke? 🤣  The first few singers were shockingly good, and then we got more into what I expect on a cruise, eg overly confident drunk dudes who forget that there’s more to Living on a Prayer than just the chorus. 🤣

 

 

During my earlier stop by the cabin, there had been a random fruit basket in our room. No note. When we got home after dinner and bandaoke, there was a second fruit basket, now with a ‘hope you feel better’ note. (If NCL is buttering us up, maybe refund our thermal spa fees instead of giving us something we could just get upstairs at the buffet.) 🤣

 

 

And then to bed. A much better day.

[OrcaGirl]

Freestyle Daily - Day 6 - Cabo

 

Bliss MR Day 6.pdf

[OrcaGirl]

I’ll do a Cabo update in the morning, but a couple of short notes on differences between this cruise and past cruises.

 

I have not seen little waffles, hash browns, or Eggs Benedict in the buffet.

 

There are waffles on the MDR breakfast menu.

 

Not a single cookie to be seen in the buffet or observation lounge. I’ve asked repeatedly.

 

I haven’t been in the buffet for dinner every night, but it feels like more stations are closed compared to either the Escape in October/November or the Bliss last June. Have not seen a crepe station operating, and that was a frequent stop for my husband on the Escape.

[hallux]

I'm so happy to see you got to enjoy the full cruise!!  Best wishes on a full recovery for your mom

[donnamatrix]

1 hour ago, OrcaGirl said:

I have not seen little waffles, hash browns, or Eggs Benedict in the buffet.

I miss the eggs benny. 

[OrcaGirl]

1 minute ago, donnamatrix said:

I miss the eggs benny. 

Taste or Savour for breakfast tomorrow? I neeeeeeeed an Eggs Benny.

[donnamatrix]

58 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

Taste or Savour for breakfast tomorrow? I neeeeeeeed an Eggs Benny.

I’m in, after my massage appointment. 

[9tee2Sea]

hope you are able to see all the whales from ship ( look for all the boats out at sea going in the same direction.  They will be tracking some whales).  I was on the Bliss Panama Canal cruise ( Miami-Los Angeles) right before yours.  You wouldn't believe all the medical evacuations that occurred.  I think it's wad around 4.  One time, we were 1 hour out of Cabo, and the ship turned around back to port to evacuate someone.  Hope the food is better on your cruise.  Everything we ordered had to be sent back at least once due to cold temps ( and no, the were not chips).

[hallux]

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

Everything we ordered had to be sent back at least once due to cold temps

I had a different experience on the same cruise.  Though the service in Taste and Savor left something to be desired.  I'm planning a mini review of the trip, not a day-by-day "I did this, and this, and this" kind of thing but just a general review.

Edited February 17 by hallux

[doubledown_58]

23 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

I’ll do a Cabo update in the morning, but a couple of short notes on differences between this cruise and past cruises.

 

I have not seen little waffles, hash browns, or Eggs Benedict in the buffet.

 

There are waffles on the MDR breakfast menu.

 

Not a single cookie to be seen in the buffet or observation lounge. I’ve asked repeatedly.

 

I haven’t been in the buffet for dinner every night, but it feels like more stations are closed compared to either the Escape in October/November or the Bliss last June. Have not seen a crepe station operating, and that was a frequent stop for my husband on the Escape.

No crepes. Oh no...

[Panhandle Couple]

10 hours ago, hallux said:

I had a different experience on the same cruise.  Though the service in Taste and Savor left something to be desired.  I'm planning a mini review of the trip, not a day-by-day "I did this, and this, and this" kind of thing but just a general review.

And we did the same cruise in early December, and had no issues with the food at all.

I even tried the MDR NY Strip steak for the first time, and it tasted good, and was cooked per my order, and not cold or luke warm. 

 

The only semi-warm food we had was in the Q.  It was tasty, just not as warm as good barbeque should be, but we understand the challenges with making it in a cruise ship.

[OrcaGirl]

Friday in Cabo recap

 

We woke up early to the rumbling of the anchors as the Bliss got settled in the waters of Cabo. And to the melodious sounds of sea lions barking, which I find charming in Mexico and annoying as **** when I’m camping in Howe Sound. Noisy mother****ers.

 

 

I grabbed some Starbucks for mom and Red, got mom out onto the balcony for some fresh air, and then headed out to the Manhattan Room.

 

This may be my new favourite Platinum perk. I was met at the Manhattan Room by a CruiseNext rep, who walked me directly to the tender. No waiting. Amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

Once ashore, I walked to Starbucks for an iced Americano (since I wouldn’t have been allowed to bring one off the ship), and then headed to Walmart. Wouldn’t have been my first choice, but mom needed a few things to make her more comfortable on the last couple of days and on the flight home AND my pre-trip research insisted that Mexican Walmarts might carry a wine that’s no longer sold in Canada and which my mom wanted more of… and lo and behold, I found it!

 

 

Made a couple more stops to pick up souvenirs that mom wants to bring home for various people. Sent her this picture and asked if I should get one of these “Mexican stone carvings” for the neighbours who have been keeping an eye on the farm. Mom thought they were carvings of cowboy boots! 🤠 

 

 

It was hot and the shopping was heavy, and I was so glad to get back to the tender. Was back on board the Bliss and dropping off my liquor by 10:15am.

 

 

 

I met up with the ladies and headed to The Local for brunch. It was delicious, and we lingered over our coffee and mimosas just long enough for the switchover to the lunch menu so we could share the raspberry brownie cheesecake thingy.

 

 

 

After that, we headed up to the thermal spa. We got momma settled in a comfy chaise with a view, and then I went for my aroma stone therapy massage; and then we switched so Red could get the port special bundle. So good.

 

 

 

Between spa services, I popped out to the pool deck bar for BBCs and Blue Hawaiians, and caught a bit of Siglo’s set. I fell in love with their sound and style on my first Bliss cruise, and wish I’d had more opportunity to hear them this trip. They were playing Simple Mind’s Don’t You Forget About Me and a bunch of us near the bar were singing along with the hey hey hey heys and doing the fist pump at the appropriate moments.

 

We stayed in the thermal spa for sailaway. We had excellent views of El Arco, which was the main thing mom wanted to see in Cano. AND THEN! So. Many. WHALES! Humpbacks everywhere. Spouting. Jumping. Splashing. Splooshing. It was ****ing awesome.

 

 

I didn’t even bother trying to take photos or videos, I was just so happy that mom got that experience. (We paid a freaking fortune to go whale watching on a miserably rainy day while on a Princess Cruise in Alaska, and didn’t see squat.)

 

So now the Fox figures we should make a cruise to Cabo an annual thing. 🤣

 

After we’d had our fill of whales, we got changed and headed up to the buffet for a light supper. And saw more whales! 

 

We then headed down to the theatre for Jersey Boys. This is my fourth time on the Bliss and first time seeing it. (First time, performers got COVID and the show was cancelled; second time was a short repo cruise and it wasn’t offered; third time, the Fox and I bailed in favour of the thermal spa.)

 

It’s not my style of music, so I wasn’t a huge fan. Fine, not horrible, but not something I need to repeat. Unlike Six, which I will watch any chance I get.

 

But mom was tired so we bailed after 30 minutes or so. Red stayed for the duration and enjoyed the show. 

 

Around 9pm, mom asked if the cruise had cookies and milk. 🍪🥛 And of course, having seen the ongoing where are the cookies thread, I tried to manage her expectations but headed up to the buffet.

 

Alas, no cookies. Asked the staff, they just shook their heads and said “no cookies.” So sad about that. So I just got momma a glass of milk.

 

Random observations

 

At one point that afternoon, a dude was vaping in the thermal spa. Seriously, what the **** dude?

 

Sailaway was late, due to long queues for the tenders. The Fox and K were on a ship excursion (which they loved) and reported that the tender line to get back took them over an hour.

 

I can’t believe this is the second time I’ve had to say this, but under no circumstances should you point to your wife when someone asks if you’ve see any whales. Why are men?!?!

 

Such poor theatre etiquette at Jersey Boys. Someone broke a glass on the stairs and didn’t seem to notify anyone. People stayed in theatre with screaming babies. Taking photos with flash. Letting kid play on laptop. Using phone flashlight to eat a bowl of pasta?

[OrcaGirl]

Day 7 daily

 

Bliss MR Day 7.pdf

[samiam0403]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:41 AM, OrcaGirl said:

...cute huge yachts... 
 

Schitt's Creek fan, I'm guessing? And if so, thanks for putting that song in my head! 🤣🤣🤣

 

And thanks for the trip report - glad to hear your mom's (mostly) ok!

Edited February 18 by samiam0403