MyTMo777

I've been in the pools on all of the ships I've been on, and a couple of hot tubs too. Never gotten sick. Never died. Never seen puke in or around one. I'm pretty sure it's fine to go in.

You can also consider just going a la carte at the other two restaurants you want to try, instead of buying a package.

Victoria is lovely and perfectly safe. If you enjoy walking, it's a beautiful and leisurely stroll from the cruise terminal to the inner harbour. I would suggest either walking or taking a cab to Fisherman's Wharf first. Enjoy a wander around there (and be sure to look for the seals!). From there, catch a water taxi ($6/per person) over to Chinatown. The water taxis are one of my favourite parts of Victoria. You'll get some great views of The Empress Hotel from the water taxi. You can also buy a hop on hop off package for the taxis and ride them to all kinds of destinations. Be sure to stop at the main Inner Harbour right in front of the Empress and get off. Walk down Government Street and definitely buy Roger's Chocolates! 

I could go on all day about Victoria and all the things to do there. Been there too many times to count and absolutely love it.

Bushwacker for me!

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We had problems with our booked activities being different on the app than on the TV in our room. I missed a go cart racing reservation because it didn't show on my app, although when I checked later I could see it on the TV. That led me to check other reservations, and found that several dining ones and shows also were at different times or different days on the app than on the TV. Guest services was great about getting me a different go cart time for the one I missed, and they were able to confirm that my TV was displaying the correct information, not my app. The app never did catch up in the 14 days we were on the ship. Other than that, it was great for all kinds of other things. Just beware of that potential glitch (which may have been fixed - we sailed last November).

I can't really compare them because I've only been on the Bliss. We found the food to be very good, even in the MDRs, and especially in the specialty restaurants. The buffet is also quite good. Occasionally I found meat or fish a bit dry, but if you choose carefully, there's great food to be found in the buffet. 

The Havana show was in its second revision when we sailed last November, so it was only average. Good dancing and singing, but not much plot. I understand it's gotten better since then. The Jersey Boys were fantastic.

We were on a 14-day cruise, so our other musicians, comedians, etc. might have been different than what would be on a Mexican coastal cruise. But there seemed to be something for everyone - country, pop, motown, Caribbean, etc.

On 2/25/2019 at 2:53 PM, Cruising Oma53 said:

Norwegian Cruise Line NCL

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9668

Stateroom Category – OK-BA (Balcony AFT)

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments or problems) – There was quite a lot of 'creaking' and 'cracking' type of noises. Could hear some scraping noises from above cabin area.

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - no

Balcony View – No obstruction. Docked in 2 Caribbean ports where the view was another cruise ship.

 

Balcony size - Normal Balcony appearance could be improved with painting of the rust spots and wood railing varnished. 

 

Was wind a problem? - No.

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - no

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? - no

 

Any other comments? - the couch is close to the balcony door. The bed closer to the entrance.Sleeps 2. 

Which ship was this on? You just said NCL.

On our Bliss cruise in November, we attended a session on upcoming itineraries, new ships, etc. They mentioned that the intent for Harvest Caye has always been to open it up to other cruise lines, and that that would be happening in the near future. Wonder if that plays into this at all?

Ship - Bliss

Deck - 12

Stateroom # - 12272

Stateroom Category - BA (mid)

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? Yes. No outside noise at all.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? No.

Balcony View - This cabin has an angled balcony, facing forward. We totally enjoyed that! You can ask for a lounger chair and it fits just great on the wide end of the balcony.

Balcony Size? Slightly larger than others in the same stateroom class because of the angle.

Was wind a problem? No, we didn't notice any excessive wind at all. Please note we were on a Panama Canal cruise, so in Alaska that may be different.

Only "problem" I found with this cabin was that there are no drawers, which made it awkward to store underwear and socks.

The location is great - just off the aft elevator lobby on a corner. No traipsing down long hallways while avoiding cleaning carts. No noise from the elevator at all. This was a great room that I would totally book again (and bring baskets for undies & socks!)

Do you want an unlimited or one-day pass, or to book individual race times? If you’re looking for a pass, follow the signs to the go cart sign up. When we sailed in November that was in the Social lounge on deck six. We boarded on that deck, I think, but that was in LA so may be different in MIA. 

If you want to book a few individual times, find an elevator. Around the corner from any elevator on any floor are touchscreens. Don’t wait in line for a screen; head up the stairs and find another one. 

On the Bliss last month, there was a laundry bag in our room on embarkation day, but I set it aside in the closet without reading anything attached to it. On about day 4 (of a 14-day cruise), the steward moved the bag back onto our bed and I skimmed over what I presumed to be the usual laundry special. It was too early in the cruise for laundry, so we didn't do anything. A week went by, and still no second laundry special. I called guest services to ask when the next one would be and they couldn't tell me. Finally, 3 days before the end of the cruise and the day of the last of DH's underwear, I pulled out the laundry bag and read the fine print. The $19.99/bag was an ongoing special! You could use it on any day of the cruise! Good grief...wish they'd made that more clear for those of us who are used to the once or twice a cruise one day only laundry specials!

On 12/4/2018 at 1:32 PM, Mr and Mrs C said:

Awesome! Thanks so much. Do you know if you can make the reservations for others in a group, (not in the same cabin), or if they have to all be there with their key cards? 

First, a correction. That should be Deck 6. That's where the Social is.

I'm pretty sure you have to have the person's key card. They ran each of ours separately.

57 minutes ago, zqvol said:

The cruise lines have no business having these slides on the ships. One day there is going to be an accident and someone is going to end up overboard.

I've been on the Bliss, although not on the waterslides, and I can't imagine any scenario is which someone could possibly end up overboard by using one of the slides. That's definitely a melodramatic statement!

On 11/27/2018 at 3:28 PM, Mr and Mrs C said:

Where did you book the unlimited pass? thanks!

In the Social lounge on Deck 7. It was the same deck we embarked on, and there were multiple signs pointing the way to go kart & laser tag reservations (same place), dining reservations, and shore excursions. I think spa as well. They were clearly signed, and if you're in any doubt, there are multiple staff around to ask.

Teppanyaki, Cagney's & Le Bistro. Not Ocean Blue. If you want seafood, order it at Teppanyaki's or even Cagney's. 

We were just there less than 2 weeks ago. We did the hop on/hop off bus with an included narrated walking tour of the old town. We would definitely do things differently next time.

1. The narrated tour was unnecessary unless you are keenly interested in a detailed history. There are English plaques on all of the important historical buildings in the walled city. We tipped our tour guide and ditched the tour after 15 minutes. Just get to the walled city and wander it for yourself.

2. The HOHO bus would have been okay if we'd a) had more time in port; and b) knew where to go on it. The stops listed in the brochure mean little to someone with no experience. With more time in town, we would've taken the HOHO to the walled city, then taken it to the beach (wish I had my brochure in front of me so I could give you the stop number). Keep in mind that although the busses run every 25-30 minutes, they fill up, so even though you are at your stop in time, you may not catch the first bus that comes by, meaning you could be standing there for 30-60 minutes. This is particularly true within the last 90 minutes before onboard time at the ship. If you use the HOHO, I would book it through the ship. That way if you're late getting back because the busses were full, they won't leave without you.

3. Allow yourself about an hour to browse the zoo and souvenir shop at the port terminal. It was far more interesting than we expected, and we had to rush through it to get back to the ship on time.

I loved Cartegena. We really only got to explore the walled city, and everything else we saw was from the window of the HOHO (we rode the whole route - 1.5 hours - without getting off just to see what there was to see). However, when we left we felt that if we only got to see one thing, we were glad it was the walled city. That's the most outstanding feature about Cartegena. Next time we're there, however, we'll probably hit the beach. 

You can't book the unlimited pass from the screens. You must do that in person on embarkation day. And they don't offer them after that. Day passes were offered up until day 2 of our 14-day cruise.

My DH had the unlimited pass. Unlimited pass users can walk right up and usually get into the next race, unless there are a numerous pass holders. The track holds 10 racers. They make reservations for 8, leaving room for 2 pass holders to show up per race. 

It wasn't particularly dirty when we went. I'd heard stories of soot but we never experienced that.

Got off the Bliss on Nov. 17. Straws were not served with the drinks, but when I asked for one, I was given a paper straw. I had brought reusable straws with me, but found that it was more hassle to carry one around and use than to just do without. I did way better than expected without a straw. It made me drink my frozen drinks more slowly, waiting for them to melt a little so they were easier to drink. The only other time I had difficulty was with too much ice in a drink and not being able to get to the liquid in the bottom. I ended up taking out a couple of ice cubes with my hands. 

I was on the Bliss Nov. 3-17. A couple of comments:

1. When exiting the theatre on the port side, there is a men's room on your right and a ladies' room with 3-4 stalls and a family restroom on your left. On the starboard side there are 2 family rooms. Not really enough restrooms for everyone. We got in the habit of taking the stairs down to deck six, where there are ladies' rooms right underneath on the port side with probably 8-10 stalls.

2. I agree that sometimes late at night I wished there was a "grab and go" snack place as well. Yes, there are snacks in the casino that are usually put out somewhere around midnight, and we made use of those many nights. 

Other things mentioned were subjective, of course. I actually loved the artwork all over the ship! I took pictures of lots of the displays, sculptures, etc. Some of the actual framed "drawings" were kind of lame, but they were just there to keep the walls from being too boring. There were plenty of other signature pieces that really kept my interest.

Well, I'll be better able to answer this in a couple of weeks - I leave on the Bliss this Saturday. I was on the Getaway in 2015 with our family (DH & I plus 2 kids ages 21 & 23). We loved it! Lots for everyone to do, from the introverted bookworm to the bar-hopping 21-year-old who stayed out all night at all the nightclubs. I think Bliss would be the same because it's also such a big ship. We've done both the western and eastern Caribbean, and I prefer the western.

That was so helpful!! Thank you! I did try to search for information in the Mexican Rivera port forum on here, but didn't find that thread.

I use a local TA who was recommended by a friend. Although she does a good job at the basics, she doesn't offer much "extras." We've booked 4 cruises with her, plus directed our friends to her. She gave bought us a cake for our anniversary on our first cruise, and on our upcoming one, she gave us $50 OBC for our anniversary. I think the 
TA's that give lots of extras are the ones that work for the big, online agencies that advertise all the time. They can afford to offer extras, whereas the local TA's can't; it comes out of their pocket.

I've heard lots of people say we can do Stone Island on our own - just take a water taxi. But can someone tell me exactly where to go to get a water taxi? How much does it cost? Do they accept US cash or do we need to exchange money? 

Once on Stone Island, do the restaurants there take US cash/credit cards? Are there public beaches or do we need to buy from one of the restaurants in order to use the beach? Is the water safe to go into? Can we snorkel there (we have our own gear)? Are there any kayak rental places?

I know...so many questions. But isn't that what all you fine folks on CC are for? 

It seems the complaints I've heard in the news are mostly because it appeared that NCL could've announced the change in itinerary before setting sail, giving passengers the option to cancel and rebook something else. Instead, they headed out to sea and made the itinerary change announcement once they had a full ship and a captive audience. If that's the case, it does sound frustrating for the passengers, although if I were running a cruise company and trying to make a profit, I probably would do the same thing rather than risk a percentage of the passengers canceling and thus losing that money.

On 9/30/2018 at 10:38 AM, UFMOM said:

 

 

 

Hope the aft elevators are less crowded on our upcoming Panama cruise. Our cabin is near them and I will be using a rollator since I am recovering from a broken ankle sustained in Cuba on our Sun cruise. I have heard horror stories about elevators and mobility devices. Have always deferred to wheelchairs and scooters myself, so hoping karma and my fellow passengers will be kind to me:)

 

 

Mary Ann

We're on the same cruise, Mary Ann, so if I see a lady with a rollator, I'll be sure to say hi and let you in the elevator first! Our room is near the aft elevators on the 12th deck, so I'm happy to hear those are the elevators to use.

Maureen