LIVE from the Bliss: 10/29 - 11/3

[drwbrt]

7 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

This filet at Cagney’s was cooked to perfection and tender. On of the best eats of the entire cruise. 

 

You remembered Cagney's, but not the Raspberry Crème Brûlée? 

 

Also, do you have a light to bring this time around? Looking at these pictures I'm remembering how dark the dining rooms were.

[drwbrt]

2 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Maltings bar was always a nice hub for us. Good, comfortable seats, great drinks, and a lively crowd. The Cavern Club an homage to the Beatles stage overseas, was on the small side. Although some may have been turned away at capacity, keeping the very small made it feel livelier than it was at times. We will be very interested to see if the Beatles are a still a big draw and if the space still feels as fun and cool. 

 

 

 

@drwbrt on the hunt during laser tag. He was on my team. Not shown: The 8 other women on our that were there celebrating their 70th birthdays. No, we didn’t win. But we had a great time. Maybe I will have to do laser tag again …

 

 Maltings is in such a great location too.  It is the PERFECT stop and get a drink on the way bar. Especially because they have two whisky-based cocktails on tap.  They tap my card and I have a whisky-cocktail that was both delicious and sometimes wound up on my brand-new white shirt that my wife bought be the day before I left on the cruise. Blackberry Smash is a great drink but it's more of a splat or splash when landing on white fabric.

 

The caption about laser-tag is too small...memory lane, I know. These birthday women were the BEST to play laser tag with. We none of us could stop laughing while we got absolutely destroyed by some collection of suburban families wearing coordinated Under Armor clothing. Great time! Thanks ladies, and happy birthday.

[drwbrt]

I am reliving our last NCL cruise, and with the experience I've had since then (Princess and Carnival) I really enjoy the bars that are themed around a collection of spirits or wines. A brewhouse, a whiskey bar, a mojito bar, a champagne bar.  I love this style, especially when the bartenders have become experts in that area.  We didn't try it until later in the week, but the Sugarcane Mojito Bar was so great at helping us pick a drink, talk to us about it, receive feedback, and then recommend the next drink. I'm growing more and more jealous each post; Carnival is lucky I already finished my survey.

[New2cruise2022]

34 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

You remembered Cagney's, but not the Raspberry Crème Brûlée? 

 

Also, do you have a light to bring this time around? Looking at these pictures I'm remembering how dark the dining rooms were.

1) I did forget about the Raspberry Crème Brûlée (thank god it autocorrected with the accents because there was NO way I was getting that right on my own.) My waistline did NOT forget about the RCB. 
 

2) Adding a light to the list of things to look for prior to packing. I guess I’m gonna be that guy at dinner. 

[New2cruise2022]

44 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

They tap my card and I have a whisky-cocktail that was both delicious and sometimes wound up on my brand-new white shirt that my wife bought be the day before I left on the cruise.

In the spirit of you are what you wear, I shall call thee “Blackberry Smash Value Bro.” 
 

Few things make better memories than watching your brother do something regrettable. Good times. 

[drwbrt]

In the buffet, there is a restroom listed where I remember one of my favorite bars being.  Can you verify when you get onboard?

[New2cruise2022]

14 minutes ago, drwbrt said:

In the buffet, there is a restroom listed where I remember one of my favorite bars being.  Can you verify when you get onboard?

I will check it out for sure. 🫡 The bar and the restroom. The proximity to the bathroom certainly seems symbiotic for the rather circuitous nature of drinking. 🍻 

[New2cruise2022]

There is nothing like a little bad weather before a cruise to get you excited to go on a cruise. 
 

NOW AT HOME 🌧️ ❄️ 

 

LATER ON CRUISE 🚢 ☀️ 🏖️ 

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

I'm going on the 7 night sailing shortly after yours on 11/10. 

 

Would you mind telling me what brands of Rosé they have available in the bars and during dining? I'm hoping to see Vueve or Le Kool but I think both are not longer available on NCL. 

 

Thank you!

[Kasher Cee]

On 10/17/2024 at 6:37 AM, New2cruise2022 said:

If there is a place I feel “unprepared” it is on this topic. I do think we will bring something to be … festive. We do not have anything planned yet. This indecision is driven by cost and effort. If I decide I’m all in, I’ll budget a little more for the costume.

 

I welcome any suggestions for separate or group costume for three men. 

Packing space limits my bringing the costumes I have on hand. Therefore, I purchased an inexpensive tshirt on Amazon. That will be my costume! 🙂

 

[Kasher Cee]

On 10/17/2024 at 5:33 AM, New2cruise2022 said:

 

Online Check-In

We did online check-in a week ago. The process was easy, despite not being perfect. There were some app issues that were solved very quickly with a quick login on the computer. Again, not perfect but I didn’t feel inconvenienced. Pictures were accepted on first take and the passports scanned nicely speeding up data entry. It is satisfying to see “Completed” lit up in green on my Pre-Cruise Checklist in the NCL app. EDocs showed up in the app the following day. 

Side note: So far I have been impressed with the latest version of the app. It has allowed me to navigate pretty well and I was able to take care of all of my dinner reservations for both MDR and speciality dining. 

My app did not look like this- so I downloaded this one. Why do they have 2 different apps?

[Kasher Cee]

Question: You mentioned playing cards in the observation deck - did you bring your own games or do they have some available for use?

 TIA

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, Kasher Cee said:

Question: You mentioned playing cards in the observation deck - did you bring your own games or do they have some available for use?

 TIA

We brought our cards. We definitely did see the card room/library. We didn't notice if there were games. But … we will definitely check it out and get back to you. 

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

I'm going on the 7 night sailing shortly after yours on 11/10. 

 

Would you mind telling me what brands of Rosé they have available in the bars and during dining? I'm hoping to see Vueve or Le Kool but I think both are not longer available on NCL. 

 

Thank you!

🧞‍♂️ Your wish is my command. I don’t turn down an excuse to visit the bars across the ship. I will moséy and search for rosé. I will groove for the Veuve. 🥂 

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, Kasher Cee said:

My app did not look like this- so I downloaded this one. Why do they have 2 different apps?

I think the second app was launched this past summer. I think they keep both active for a while so people don’t get stuck at port trying to download the new app on embarkation day. 🤷🏿‍♂️ 

[New2cruise2022]

T-Minus 10 days

With less than 10 days to embarkation, I have to start willing my brain to focus on anything other than cruising. So, I’ve started the lists. The packing list for cruise. The to-do list for work before I leave. The to-do lists for work while I’m gone — I own a small business. The to-do list for home before I leave. 

 

NOTE: There will be no to-do list for home while I’m gone — I don’t leave to-do lists for DW and definitely no to-do list at home for her. (I may not be smart, but I’m not dumb.)

[chefchick]

On 10/17/2024 at 9:25 PM, drwbrt said:

I am reliving our last NCL cruise, and with the experience I've had since then (Princess and Carnival) I really enjoy the bars that are themed around a collection of spirits or wines. A brewhouse, a whiskey bar, a mojito bar, a champagne bar.  I love this style, especially when the bartenders have become experts in that area.  We didn't try it until later in the week, but the Sugarcane Mojito Bar was so great at helping us pick a drink, talk to us about it, receive feedback, and then recommend the next drink. I'm growing more and more jealous each post; Carnival is lucky I already finished my survey.

Will be boarding the Bliss on 11/3.  Please be kind and save a little/a lot of booze for us will ya? 😎

[New2cruise2022]

13 minutes ago, chefchick said:

Will be boarding the Bliss on 11/3.  Please be kind and save a little/a lot of booze for us will ya? 😎

My mind says you should be worried. My liver says you have nothing to worry about. (But I will have a report with my favorite bars. Some have better crew, some have better hours, some have better selection. I’ll report my findings.)
 

I am a visual learning. I’m looking forward to getting closer to the cruise to start posting lots of pictures. Expect a play-by-play kind of album. People, places, food, drinks. 
 

[doubledown_58]

Can you post dailies pls?

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, doubledown_58 said:

Can you post dailies pls?

I just saw a post last night about the new trifold format of the dailies. I will scan and post a copy of all 5 dailies. 

[New2cruise2022]

Treadmill thought:

I was at the gym this morning 💪🏼 and it occurred to me that going on cruises is as much a part of my work out and diet routine as the holidays. It’s like the circle of cruise life. 
 

Go on cruise and enjoy ALLLLL of the food. And the drink. Desserts get their own category here. 
 

Return from cruise with a few extra pounds of indulgence. 
 

Work out and diet like you mean it until next cruise so you can enjoy it ALLLLLL over again. Rinse. Repeat. 
 

Mufasa would have loved my approach to cruising. 🚢 🦁 🪦 

[drwbrt]

13 hours ago, chefchick said:

Please be kind and save a little/a lot of booze for us will ya?

I’m not on this cruise, so you should be good. 

[New2cruise2022]

2 hours ago, drwbrt said:

I’m not on this cruise, so you should be good. 

@chefchick he’s not lying. Total lush. 

[New2cruise2022]

It’s Happening …

I pulled out the trunk. THE trunk. I have suitcases for other trips. This is the one. The one for cruises. It has those items that are dedicated for cruising. Magnets and lanyards. First Aid kits and extension cords. Travel bags and chargers. And of course, the cabana wear.

 

I’ve retrieved it from the depths of storage. I’ll take inventory tomorrow and start the packing. (Which will mean 3x the amount of stuff I need for a quick 5-day jaunt to Mexico.)

 

[drwbrt]

10 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

It’s Happening …

 THE trunk.

 

 

 

Are you bringing a toad, a rat, a cat, or an owl?

 

It’s five days. That thing held more than you needed for a seven day. 
 

I’d do the same thing.