BLISS Alaska Maiden Voyage Travelogue

[spender]

Thank you for your time on this great thread. Enjoyed the review and pictures. Excited to be on the Bliss in August

 

 

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[NMG318]

Besides the hot chocolate in COCOs, is there any other hot chocolate options available? I did not see it on the Starbucks menu.

[macfam5]

Hope you had a wonderful trip. I have a quick question. Which deck did you disembark while in ports ?

 

 

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[sunsetsoon]

Just one more thank you for your time and effort. Makes me super excited to be on board for the last Alaska cruise of this season.

[erdoran]

And thank you so much from me too!! Your info was so helpful to DH and me for planning. Glad you had a wonderful time!

[Steff79]

thank you for your live, great pics, great cruise

[Motegi]

Hope you had a wonderful trip. I have a quick question. Which deck did you disembark while in ports ?

 

 

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In Alaskan ports you disembark from Deck 4 but usually they have you take the elevator to Deck 5 and then take the stairs to Deck 4.

 

In Victoria there were two different levels to disembark from.

 

In Seattle you disembark from two locations on deck 7.

 

In the elevators there is a “gangway” button which I believe will automatically

take you the right deck.

[Motegi]

Thanks! I looked at the 150-600, but thought it would be heavy and bulky, so went with the 18-400. (Will be my 1st trip with it) I also have the Sigma lens 8-16, which I plan on taking. This is our 1st trip to Alaska and Seattle.

 

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Sounds good. The 400 should have sufficient reach for most of the wildlife. The main use for my 600 was for the bears and the bald eagles. The whales I could capture with a shorter lens.

[Motegi]

Besides the hot chocolate in COCOs, is there any other hot chocolate options available? I did not see it on the Starbucks menu.

 

I believe you could get it up on the observation deck at the self serve stations.

[Motegi]

Jim Badger’s performances in the evenings at District Brewhouse were one of Pam’s highlights of the cruise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the cocktails they have “on tap” there was the “Cool as a cucumber” which I really enjoyed!

[usafretiredinal]

Just another quick THANK YOU! We're boarding next week and it was so great to get your perspectives on so many of the Bliss venues & ports! THIS is why I love Cruise Critic - great participants like YOU!

[donsuej]

Thank you so much for your pictures and posts about this ship. It's been great to follow along with you and your wife. We won't be on the ship until Feb. and in the Caribbean!

[Motegi]

Day 7 - Victoria, BC, Canada

June 8, 2018

 

Pam and I did the Butchart Gardens excursion through NCL. We were a little concerned with how late the ship gets in and how late the excursion starts but the daylight lasts much longer there and the garden does have lighting.

 

It was sprinkling lightly throughout our visit but it didn’t dampen our experience at all! The garden was huge and the number and variety of flowers and trees was mind boggling. It is no wonder that this garden has been honored as a world heritage site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It began raining harder on the way back but our tour bus driver still took us through town for a tour and provided some history. We didn’t get to stop in front of the parliament building due to traffic but it was raining pretty hard at that point anyway.

 

We were back to the ship by 9PM well before the 9:30 All Aboard.

 

After a quick trip to the cabin to drop off our jackets and things we made our way to the atrium to watch the “Perfect Couple” game show and grabbed dinner afterward at “The Local”.

[Motegi]

For our Disembarkation Pam and I chose to do the Port Valet service for this cruise through NCL. As I had posted earlier in this thread it is a free service offered in conjunction with the Port of Seattle that you arrange through NCL after you get on board.

 

The service will take care of your airline check in and boarding passes and will take your luggage directly from the ship to the airport and check it in for you. By signing up the standard airline luggage fees will be applied to your shipboard account. As a bonus any overweight luggage fees will not be charged.

 

 

They will distribute a form to your cabin for you to fill out with all of your information at the beginning of the cruise.

 

 

For the Bliss Alaskan Cruise I believe you have until Tuesday evening to sign up.

 

 

They distributed the boarding passes and luggage tags as well as stickers to our cabin on the second to last evening.

 

 

We had our bags packed and tagged outside our cabin before 11PM on Friday. NOTE: The “Port Valet” decals inside the envelope are to be worn on your shirts at the time of departure. This was not explained anywhere inside the envelope and I only discovered this by calling guest services. Many people mistakenly put the stickers on their bags.

 

 

On disembarkation day those who are participating in the Port Valet are able to walk off as part of the first group.

 

 

We took a flat rate taxi from the port to the airport. It was a flat $40. The shuttle bus is $20 per person. For a single rider the bus makes sense. For parties of two or more a “flat rate” taxi makes sense because you don’t have to wait until the bus is full to depart. The pricing of Uber and Lyft were higher than the taxi.

[LdyMags]

Pam and I chose to do the Port Valet service for this cruise through NCL. As I had posted earlier in this thread it is a free service offered in conjunction with the Port of Seattle that you arrange through NCL after you get on board.

 

The service will take care of your airline check in and boarding passes and will take your luggage directly from the ship to the airport and check it in for you. By signing up the standard airline luggage fees will be applied to your shipboard account. As a bonus any overweight luggage fees will not be charged.

 

 

They will distribute a form to your cabin for you to fill out with all of your information at the beginning of the cruise.

 

 

For the Bliss Alaskan Cruise I believe you have until Tuesday evening to sign up.

 

 

They distributed the boarding passes and luggage tags as well as stickers to our cabin on the last evening.

 

 

We had our bags packed and tagged outside our cabin before 11PM on Friday. NOTE: The “Port Valet” decals inside the envelope are to be worn on your shirts at the time of departure. This was not explained anywhere inside the envelope and I only discovered this by calling guest services. Many people mistakenly put the stickers on their bags.

 

 

On disembarkation day those who are participating in the Port Valet are able to walk off as part of the first group.

 

 

We took a flat rate taxi from the port to the airport. It was a flat $40. The shuttle bus is $20 per person. For a single rider the bus makes sense. For parties of two or more a “flat rate” taxi makes sense because you don’t have to wait until the bus is full to depart. The pricing of Uber and Lyft were higher than the taxi.

 

 

 

So cool! Our flight doesn’t leave till 4 pm - can you leave the ship later or do you have to leave with the 1st group?

 

 

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[Motegi]

So cool! Our flight doesn’t leave till 4 pm - can you leave the ship later or do you have to leave with the 1st group?

 

 

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I think you can leave anytime before the final call.

 

But I imagine that the customs line would be longer the later you choose to leave.

 

If you have time you could always disembark early, walk to Pike Place Market, and get a coffee or breakfast. Then catch a taxi from there.

[johnt83]

@Motegi -- Excellent sharing of details on your cruise, thank you so much. I was on the inaugural right before your sailing and seeing the pics of this brings back great memories. I think you would agree that the Bliss is a beautiful ship and a game changer for the Alaska region. Cheers!

[Maya1234]

The Port Valet info was so helpful. Thank you!

[Zlasmcruising]

Hi, I have the same tour in Victoria as you did. If it starts raining hard while there, can you go back in the bus or are there covered areas?

 

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[Motegi]

Hi' date=' I have the same tour in Victoria as you did. If it starts raining hard while there, can you go back in the bus or are there covered areas?

 

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There is a coffee shop and other covered areas by the entrance. The gift shop is actually very nice there and has lots of unique things especially for those who appreciate gardening.

 

Plus they have “free” community umbrellas all over that you can use while you are there. Just pick one up, use it, and return it where you board the bus. Our driver said that he would have the bus where he dropped us off but I’m not sure if he stayed there the entire time we were in the garden or whether he just came back to pick us up.

 

Regardless I think the rain in Victoria on our visit was a rare occurrence. The driver said that unlike the rest of the northwest they rarely get any rain in Victoria

[Zlasmcruising]

There is a coffee shop and other covered areas by the entrance. The gift shop is actually very nice there and has lots of unique things especially for those who appreciate gardening.

 

Plus they have “free” community umbrellas all over that you can use while you are there. Just pick one up, use it, and return it where you board the bus. Our driver said that he would have the bus where he dropped us off but I’m not sure if he stayed there the entire time we were in the garden or whether he just came back to pick us up.

 

Regardless I think the rain in Victoria on our visit was a rare occurrence. The driver said that unlike the rest of the northwest they rarely get any rain in Victoria

Thank you! Loved your pictures!!

 

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[KristieB]

When you got off of the ship in Seattle, were there taxis lined up waiting?

[Motegi]

When you got off of the ship in Seattle, were there taxis lined up waiting?

 

Yes. At least a dozen of them. It was super easy to get one.

 

Just be sure to ask for a “flat rate” taxi. That will ensure that your fare is $40. This is regulated by the city.

 

Don’t get a towncar though as our cab driver warned us during the drive that their rates are not capped, only the taxis.

 

Like I said the Taxi is $40 flat rate no matter if you are solo or have a group of four.

 

For a single rider the $20/person shuttle bus would be the better choice.

 

Once you get to two or more the taxi is the better deal.

[retiredAF]

Thanks so much for posting so many wonderful pics and helpful information!

[Sam.Seattle]

I am surprised the existing terminal seemed to accommodate the Bliss and all the passengers. We enjoy watching sail away until our next cruise.

 

Great travel log. Thanks for taking the time to share.