NCL Bliss Race Track Problem on June 9-16 Alaska Cruise

If that is the case then don't build a go cart track if you don't have the staff and resources to run it. Can you imagine RCCL telling its passengers on port days.... the zip line and wave runner are closed.

Something is majorly wrong and miscalculated.

I've sailed twice on RCI's big Anthem of the Seas, and RCI has its own problems accommodating all of the guests who are interested in doing the things like North Star and Ripcord by iFly, for example.

The problem on the mega ships is that some of these "attractions" can only accommodate a very small number of people at a time; put them on a 4,000 or so passenger cruise ship, do the math, and it's inevitable that there will be some very unhappy campers. North Star (a glass capsule on a crane that rises 300 feet above the ocean and can swing out over each side of the ship) can only accommodate 14 guests at a time, and can only do several rides per hour (and only that because RCI stopped swinging the capsule out over the sides, which has really diminished the ride). Even so, that's maybe 50 guests per hour. The ride doesn't operate all day, even on beautiful days at 7am it's not running.

I can't speak to what NCL is doing on the Bliss, but I do think it's inevitable that there will be a problem accommodating all interested guests when limited-capacity amusement park rides are put on huge cruise ships.

I've sailed twice on RCI's big Anthem of the Seas, and RCI has its own problems accommodating all of the guests who are interested in doing the things like North Star and Ripcord by iFly, for example.

 

The problem on the mega ships is that some of these "attractions" can only accommodate a very small number of people at a time; put them on a 4,000 or so passenger cruise ship, do the math, and it's inevitable that there will be some very unhappy campers. North Star (a glass capsule on a crane that rises 300 feet above the ocean and can swing out over each side of the ship) can only accommodate 14 guests at a time, and can only do several rides per hour (and only that because RCI stopped swinging the capsule out over the sides, which has really diminished the ride). Even so, that's maybe 50 guests per hour. The ride doesn't operate all day, even on beautiful days at 7am it's not running. If you don't have the staff to keep it open during the cruise then something is wrong. Either you thought too big or find a way to keep it open.

 

I can't speak to what NCL is doing on the Bliss, but I do think it's inevitable that there will be a problem accommodating all interested guests when limited-capacity amusement park rides are put on huge cruise ships.

I agree with everything you said. Of course 4000 passengers cant all use the go carts. The same would apply with any other cruise line like RCCL. But correct me if I am wrong but on port days does RCCL have the zip line and wave runner open? I believe that they do. Some people stay on the ship in port to get on the slides and other activities since the lines are shorter.

That's the point I was trying to make, not that its hard for everyone to partake. Either NCL thought too big or find a way to keep it open during the cruise. Even more odd is that its a money maker. The more that ride, the more money NCL makes.

It makes NO sense to close it during port days.

We are on the Bliss in November for the Eastern Caribbean cruise. This itinerary has 3 sea days so hopefully the hours will be longer and more people will be able to ride. I’m not crazy about the fact that we’ll probably have to make reservations the minute we get onboard but I’ll at least try it once.

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I agree with everything you said. Of course 4000 passengers cant all use the go carts. The same would apply with any other cruise line like RCCL. But correct me if I am wrong but on port days does RCCL have the zip line and wave runner open? I believe that they do. Some people stay on the ship in port to get on the slides and other activities since the lines are shorter.

That's the point I was trying to make, not that its hard for everyone to partake. Either NCL thought too big or find a way to keep it open during the cruise. Even more odd is that its a money maker. The more that ride, the more money NCL makes.

It makes NO sense to close it during port days.

On an Alaskan cruise, NCL has a pretty good idea on he number of people that will hang out on the ship while it is in port,,, which is very few. And they know what the demand for the go karts could be based on their other ship. The fact that some people chose to sit back and wait until all of the times were taken, then grumble about it is just funny.

On the 6/2 sailing, we had 4700 passengers on board. And there were still go kart reservations available mid-cruise. They eventually sold out.

Snooze lose.

I had heard on another site those who complained got a 9.95 OBC for their inconvenience

We are on the 5 day Coastal at the end of September travelling with a youngster (friends son under 11) who is also hoping to do the race car and laser tag.

Hope things easier to book then!

It’s our first time on NCL and find it amazing that you have to book so much in advance!

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It’s our first time on NCL and find it amazing that you have to book so much in advance!

 

You don't, not on the non-mega ships. This is a problem for mega ships, not only on NCL, but on other cruise lines as well. Too many things that can only accommodate a limited number of people at a time. It's what happens when you try to turn a cruise ship into an amusement park at sea.

Enjoy your cruise!

If that is the case then don't build a go cart track if you don't have the staff and resources to run it. Can you imagine RCCL telling its passengers on port days.... the zip line and wave runner are closed.

Something is majorly wrong and miscalculated.

I have ridden water slides and done the ropes course on port days on the Getaway....and the water slides on the Escape...

To me, the go carts are a big gimmick. I can see the upkeep being very expensive. Obviously I am in the minority on this opinion.

How many days in advance can you book the go kart track? Does booking open up 90 or 120 days prior or something like that?

I did the go carts last week, with no reservations. In fact, I walked up, the guy checking us in told me I needed close toed shoes, so I went back to my cabin and changed, went back, and got right on.

We were on the June 2 cruise. The Go-Karts were open when the ship was in Victoria as that is when we rode the karts. We were off the ship at all the Alaska ports so can't speak to the go-kart timing at those locations but it was definitely open in Victoria. We even changed our reservation from a different day to the Victoria day and there were plenty of open reservation time slots on that day even before we got to Victoria.

I do agree that the efficiency needs to improve. It took nearly an hour from the time of our reservation to when we were actually in the karts. Even so, it was a lot of fun and we will definitely ride them again on our next Bliss cruise.

And they know what the demand for the go karts could be based on their other ship.

They have another ship with the karts?

Overall this cruise was great and my family had a great time. However, the one issue that we, plus many other guests, encountered was the NCL Bliss Race track. We boarded the ship around 1pm on June 9. Because this was a late boarding, I saw that most of the race track appointments were already sold out before we had gotten on board. By late afternoon on June 9, all race track appointments were sold out.

 

I figured this was okay as there was a stand-by option listed and recommended by guests services. However, if you go to the race track, the workers will actually discourage you from standing around since cancellations rarely happen. Like many other passengers, we kept checking back hourly and daily to see if any cancellations would occur but not one happened throughout the entire cruise. Therefore, we did not get a chance to ride the go-karts.

 

I understand that with 4k passengers, not every passenger will get a chance to ride but NCL needs to do something about this. Either extend the hours of the race track, allow racing on port days, or only allowing each stateroom to make one reservation. I'm not sure what is the most fair or logical solution or if NCL even cares since they're getting their fees no matter what. All I know is that there were a lot of unhappy passengers that did not get to do something that was highly hyped and promoted about this cruise. Very disappointed with NCL and will probably not cruise with them for a while.

This is to be not surprising with the ship being brand new. Lines will get shorter in due time.

 

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yup, just like the ropes course on the Breakaway/Escape

I was watching a cruise video about the MSC Seaside. People were mad that on the 3rd sailing they started charging for the zip line. Apparently the line was so long they decided to charge $10 per ride or $50 for unlimited rides.

Hopefully NCL will discover a balance of price and availability to allow the most people to ride the go carts.

I have ridden water slides and done the ropes course on port days on the Getaway....and the water slides on the Escape...

 

To me, the go carts are a big gimmick. I can see the upkeep being very expensive. Obviously I am in the minority on this opinion.

Not at all. I am planning an Alaskan cruise for next year and was really hoping for a ropes course in this ship. Besides the thermal spa, the ropes course was one of my favorites on the Getaway.

This is odd as we were also on the June 9th cruise. We made our first reservations the day we got on for Sunday racing. No problem. When that was done my husband wanted to go again, so we made an addition reservation for Friday at 11am. Again no problem. Once done with that, my husband wanted to go again, so he made another reservation for 3 hours later, again no problem making that one. Seems odd that some are having issues getting reservations, when we had no problems at all.

This is odd as we were also on the June 9th cruise. We made our first reservations the day we got on for Sunday racing. No problem. When that was done my husband wanted to go again, so we made an addition reservation for Friday at 11am. Again no problem. Once done with that, my husband wanted to go again, so he made another reservation for 3 hours later, again no problem making that one. Seems odd that some are having issues getting reservations, when we had no problems at all.

Well that sucks. Those damn monitors in the hallways kept showing "sold out". Nothing we could do.

They have another ship with the karts?

NCL Joy had them first.

Different market, though.

This is odd as we were also on the June 9th cruise. We made our first reservations the day we got on for Sunday racing. No problem. When that was done my husband wanted to go again, so we made an addition reservation for Friday at 11am. Again no problem. Once done with that, my husband wanted to go again, so he made another reservation for 3 hours later, again no problem making that one. Seems odd that some are having issues getting reservations, when we had no problems at all.

Were you in the Haven?

Overall this cruise was great and my family had a great time. However, the one issue that we, plus many other guests, encountered was the NCL Bliss Race track. We boarded the ship around 1pm on June 9. Because this was a late boarding, I saw that most of the race track appointments were already sold out before we had gotten on board. By late afternoon on June 9, all race track appointments were sold out.

 

I figured this was okay as there was a stand-by option listed and recommended by guests services. However, if you go to the race track, the workers will actually discourage you from standing around since cancellations rarely happen. Like many other passengers, we kept checking back hourly and daily to see if any cancellations would occur but not one happened throughout the entire cruise. Therefore, we did not get a chance to ride the go-karts.

 

I understand that with 4k passengers, not every passenger will get a chance to ride but NCL needs to do something about this. Either extend the hours of the race track, allow racing on port days, or only allowing each stateroom to make one reservation. I'm not sure what is the most fair or logical solution or if NCL even cares since they're getting their fees no matter what. All I know is that there were a lot of unhappy passengers that did not get to do something that was highly hyped and promoted about this cruise. Very disappointed with NCL and will probably not cruise with them for a while.

I was on the June 9th Bliss sailing as well. I made my race track reservations in the early afternoon on embarkation day. The appointments during the sea days were sold out, and I was forced to take a time right after departure from Juneau. My impression of the race track is very gimmicky. The video shown prior to racing that reviews safety procedures was not taken seriously by passengers. The staff did recap the items prior to getting strapped into the go karts. However, people did not follow the procedures discussed, and the staff did not enforce those rules. In particular, we were instructed to drive in the right lane if going slow. There were people going slow in the middle of the racetrack which prevented anyone from passing. Also, the helmet was a little tight on me and asked for a larger one. I was given the exact same size. I had to deal with it. Not the best $9.95 spent for sure.

We board this Saturday. Where exactly do you book for the go carts and laser tag?

This is odd as we were also on the June 9th cruise. We made our first reservations the day we got on for Sunday racing. No problem. When that was done my husband wanted to go again, so we made an addition reservation for Friday at 11am. Again no problem. Once done with that, my husband wanted to go again, so he made another reservation for 3 hours later, again no problem making that one. Seems odd that some are having issues getting reservations, when we had no problems at all.

At any of screens near the elevator lobbies. Same as dining and show reservations.