BLISS Alaska Maiden Voyage Travelogue

[Blissful Cruiser]

I’ve started a separate thread for the Freestyle Dailies for you!!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=56213213&posted=1#post56213213

Very, very, very nice of you!!!! Thank you! I'm so excited to see your adventures here!

 

Can I ask one more favor of you? I have seen pictures of the coffee pots in the cabins - WILL you pretty please post a picture of the coffee pods or packs that you use with them? I think they are the same that the Hamilton Beach single serve uses - but I want to make sure. We are coffee addicts and I want to bring some with us in the flavor we like? Thank you in advance!

[Stephaniee23]

Were those self-service wine stations at the buffet!?!?

 

 

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[Motegi]

Bedroom

 

There is a king sized bed (or two twins) with two pillows on each side. There are tiny end tables on either side with open shelving.

Wall switches beside the closet control the overhead llight and also the ambient lighting system that runs along the perimeter of the headboard.

Also there are sconces mounted on either side of the headboard with both a standard lamp as well as a very bright LED reading light that can be individually activated.

As an added bonus, both of the sconces include USB jacks to allow you to charge your phone or other personal electronic device at your nightstand.

The hairdryer is located under the “desk” in the main room.

There is a small Hamilton Beach coffeemaker at the desk with four packets of coffee (2 regular, 2 decaf), two mugs, tea, creamer, and sweetener. The coffee maker is a single cup machine with circular filter packets.

Of note, there is plenty of space under the bed to store all of your empty suitcases. We put two full sized suitcases plus a large rolling garment bag underneath with room to spare.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Motegi

[Motegi]

Closet

The closet is situated on the other side of the bathroom wall and faces the side of the bed. Therefore the space between the closet and the bed is quite narrow. There are sliding doors to access each side. One half is configured as shelves including one shelf with a standard sized cruise ship electronic safe. The other half has a clothes hanger bar with more than a dozen hangers included. However I find that the clothes hanging side is a bit too shallow meaning that the sleeves of my dress shirts often stick out beyond the door thus preventing it from sliding closed.

There are also multiple other storage compartments throughout the cabin. Two large drawers under the sofa/single bed. One of those contains the pillows and bedding for the sofa.

There are two storage cabinets with shelving under the desk and one cabinet with the minibar refrigerator (ours was locked).

 

[Motegi]

Very, very, very nice of you!!!! Thank you! I'm so excited to see your adventures here!

 

Can I ask one more favor of you? I have seen pictures of the coffee pots in the cabins - WILL you pretty please post a picture of the coffee pods or packs that you use with them? I think they are the same that the Hamilton Beach single serve uses - but I want to make sure. We are coffee addicts and I want to bring some with us in the flavor we like? Thank you in advance!

 

Ask and you shall receive!

 

Here are detailed photos of the coffee maker (it IS a Hamilton Beach).

[Motegi]

Were those self-service wine stations at the buffet!?!?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Why yes they were!

 

Unfortunately there is a label that says that those wines are NOT included with the ultimate beverage package (UBP).

 

However there are servers walking through the buffet that will take bar drink orders.

 

There is a good selection of wines by the glass that ARE included with the UBP.

[sns1009]

Awesome information! Thank you! Enjoy your cruise!

[CruiseJB]

thank you for all the great info and pics.

[Motegi]

DAY 2 Freestyle Daily is up!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=56217672#post56217672

[Motegi]

Balcony

 

The balcony is decently sized with two sitting chairs and a small table. There is a large glass panel under the railing providing a mostly unobstructed view of the scenery from the cabin. Pam finds that at 5’1 the railing was just at the level of the horizon and was quite distracting to her.

The balcony’s sliding door is very heavy and the locking mechanism is quite stiff requiring a decent amount of force to open. There is a locking button placed high up on the side that needs to be pressed before swinging the handle downward to release the door. Beware that when the balcony door is open and the cabin hallway door is open simultaneously it will produce a strong wind tunnel effect and can forcibly slam the hallway door shut.

 

[Sam.Seattle]

You are correct about the timing. The NCL Tracy’s Arm Excursion departs from the ship at 1:15. From what I understand it is a small boat that goes up into the fjord and gets much closer to the glacier and the fjord walls than the Bliss can. The Bliss will be following into the fjord from behind. The boat then rejoins the Bliss at the far end of the fjord to alllow everyone on the excursion to return to the ship.

 

We have done this excursion and it really is a "Must Do". You will get much closer to the glacier. Along the way you will see many water falls and perhaps some bears.

 

Also, I am glad the OP got to see some of our sites... One of my favorite summer events is the concerts at Ste Michelle

 

https://www.ste-michelle.com/visit-us/summer-concerts/list

 

Enjoy Alaska!

Edited June 3, 2018 by Sam.Seattle
Added tour..

[erdoran]

We have done this excursion and it really is a "Must Do". You will get much closer to the glacier. Along the way you will see many water falls and perhaps some bears.

 

Also, I am glad the OP got to see some of our sites... One of my favorite summer events is the concerts at Ste Michelle

 

https://www.ste-michelle.com/visit-us/summer-concerts/list

 

Enjoy Alaska!

 

Thanks for talking about the Tracy Arm excursion. We just booked it! Had to move our whale watch/mendenhall glacier photo safari back to 7:30 which is fine.

 

Are we nuts for booking two on the same day? the am one gets back 12:30 and then pm is 1:15. DH made me trade out the Laughton Glacier hike for the van to/from Caribou Crossing because we are really putting out $$$$$$$ at this point for excursions!

[Sam.Seattle]

Thanks for talking about the Tracy Arm excursion. We just booked it! Had to move our whale watch/mendenhall glacier photo safari back to 7:30 which is fine.

 

Are we nuts for booking two on the same day? the am one gets back 12:30 and then pm is 1:15. DH made me trade out the Laughton Glacier hike for the van to/from Caribou Crossing because we are really putting out $$$$$$$ at this point for excursions!

 

I am sure you will be fine doing both excursions the same day and you won't regret seeing Tracy Arm up close. You will be amazed how much closer you will get to the Glacier vs the Bliss. We are only on this planet a very short time... make the most of it!

[Motegi]

Day 1 - Afternoon

In the afternoon our bags arrived in a staggered fashion. All were at the room by 6 PM.

The muster drill announcements began around 3:30. We headed from the observation deck to our station, A, which was located in the main theatre. We appreciated that they had the stations in the public areas and lounges rather than on the promenade deck.

We had a reservation for the Go Kart experience at 6 PM and made our way to the track 10 minutes before our scheduled time as they had requested. We chose to do the Karting on Day 1 as it is still warmer near Seattle than in Alaska and we were told they would shut down the track if it is raining (which it could in Alaska). Be aware that it is quite windy by the track and can be cold.

 

Everyone on the track needs to wear closed toed athletic shoes and no handbags are allowed. Long hair must be pulled up.

We checked in with the track attendants at the track and were given balaclavas to wear under our helmets. There was a mandatory safety video prior to going on track.

Then we were off to the races:

 

[KristieB]

I'm guessing the hallway doors are still self closing? One thing I noticed on Getaway is that people just let their doors slam shut, at all hours of the night.

[Motegi]

Day 1 - Evening

For dinner we decided to check out the Manhattan main dining room. Boy were we glad that we did! The maitre’d gave us a “romantic table” by the window with a sunset view. Our server was Roy. He was brilliant and the food was amazing! We will definitely be asking for his section when we go back!

 

[Motegi]

The Menus - Manhattan Dining Room, Day 1.

 

[Jen731]

You are 100% my hero. We aren’t on the Bliss until next year but I’m just lapping up the details. :hearteyes: Any chance we will get a peek at menus as well?

[Motegi]

The Food - Manhattan Dining Room, Day 1.

Caesar Salad

Crab Cake Appetizer

Bruschetta appetizer

Salmon Entree

Creme Brûlée Dessert

And our favorite dessert on ALL NCL cruises (and one of the reasons why we cruise NCL)... Chocolate Lava Cake Dessert.

 

[Motegi]

You are 100% my hero. We aren’t on the Bliss until next year but I’m just lapping up the details. :hearteyes: Any chance we will get a peek at menus as well?

 

That’s so funny! I JUST posted them...

[pmb0602]

Curios if they provide extra blankets to be used when sitting out on the balcony? Would like to avoid bringing my own if possible!

[Motegi]

The main theatre show on day 1 was a variety show with short snippets of the performances we will be seeing throughout the week. No photography was allowed.

 

It was interspersed with what seemed like advertisements for the spa, casino, and other onboard extras. Some even incorporated some interpretive dance

Edited June 3, 2018 by Motegi

[Motegi]

Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in progress!!!

 

 

 

Silas, our Cruise Director!!!

Edited June 3, 2018 by Motegi

[Motegi]

Stephanie at the mic who put all of this together for us!!!

 

 

 

Ruben from the Havana Cast on stage:

 

YouTube star from Cruisin With Wheels on stage

Edited June 3, 2018 by Motegi

[Motegi]

Breakfast - Day 2: Sea Day

 

One of our favorite features on the other NCL ships was O Sheehan’s so we decided to go to The Local for breakfast today. It is complimentary and made to order. It is not busy at all and you can be seated immediately. Much better than the insanity at the buffet...