Bliss Diversion

[newmexicoNita]

11 hours ago, herdingdogmom said:

Ha,  you are now about to go under the Golden Gate.  Enjoy the rest of the cruise!

love San Francisco for so many reasons but it has gone to pot, literally and other drugs as well. We lived in the area for 5 years back in the last century. It was bad then. 

[marktwothousand]

An interesting change to the itinerary. I feel for the people who really wanted to see Vallarta and Cabo, but SF has plenty to see and do if you're the "excursion" type. At least you weren't stuck with the northeastern diversion ports in Canada that some ships had a few weeks ago. Cold AND nothing to do...if anyone wants to feel bad for other cruisers being diversioned, feel bad for THEM, not the new Bliss in beautiful California.

[PelicanBill]

Although this is somewhat new to the west coast, it keeps coming up for the east coast and gulf cruises that get changed. Cruise lines need to put a clear message on the booking pages and make people click to agree they understand the cruise line may alter the itinerary of the trip with no right of cancellation and no compensation due.  It is a risk we all take to cruise and they need to stop burying this in the carriage contract.

 

It's a problem.  I had cruises 2 years in a row completely altered - one at the last minute by 2 hurricanes (Bermuda) and last year a 6 port itinerary was thrown out after final booking and changed to something we would never have booked. (2 of the ports were damaged from the hurricanes.)  I felt the new itinerary was not worth what we paid - but had to swallow hard and enjoy it anyway.

[newmexicoNita]

25 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

An interesting change to the itinerary. I feel for the people who really wanted to see Vallarta and Cabo, but SF has plenty to see and do if you're the "excursion" type. At least you weren't stuck with the northeastern diversion ports in Canada that some ships had a few weeks ago. Cold AND nothing to do...if anyone wants to feel bad for other cruisers being diversioned, feel bad for THEM, not the new Bliss in beautiful California.

I guess living in Canada the ports don't excite you, but actually the Northern coast of America and the Canada itinerary is one of our favorites. 

[cathi007]

20 hours ago, PRgymnast said:

Damn...I was just about to cancel my current insurance and get Nationwide BUT that itinerary change payback is NOT available to Floridians (and several others states, including NY)!

Yeah I saw that...weird, sorry. I guess this is one good thing about living in CT.

[$hip$hape]

4 hours ago, beerman2 said:

Doug thanks again for keeping it in perspective and funny! 

Way too many get their panties in a bunch.

Doug, Looking forward to hearing more from you and Sue.

 

BTW,  If our Bliss (November 3rd)  Panama Canal cruise to Miami is changed to San Francisco,

I expect many more panties to get bunched! 

Michael

Edited October 23, 2018 by $hip$hape

[bonstersd]

Welcome to San Diego.  Passed by her this AM on my drive to work. 

 

[Peachypooh]

What is it like cruising to Ensenada? We were there 40 years ago and it was nice enough but I did

feel a little uneasy.

[TFLG]

37 minutes ago, Peachypooh said:

What is it like cruising to Ensenada? We were there 40 years ago and it was nice enough but I did

feel a little uneasy.

 

Ensenada is still pretty much a dump.  It's better than it was a few years ago.  They have added a new waterfront area just outside the port with a few shops/bars.  But the main drag is still just rowdy bars and small souviner shops all selling the same junk. If you want to go to Sr. Frogs or Papas and Beer and watch the kids get wasted its ok I guess. I'de rather stay on the ship and drink for free. Still a lot of poor kids selling chicklets and junk.  The main attraction is the blow hole which is pretty lame and really just another trap full of sad souviner shops.  The winery excursuon gets you our of town and is decent way to spend the day although the wine isn't particularly good.  If you play golf, Bajamar is just north of Ensenada and is a great golf course.

[BEAV]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:49 AM, tallnthensome said:

That adjusted itinerary is awful! I would NOT be happy with San Diego and San Fran over Cabo and Puerta Vallarta. Why would people cheer for that? They've made some adjustments to our March sailing on the BLiss for the Panama Canal which included the addition of Cabo. I would not be happy at all but do realize that the weather is what it is. 

Perhaps people were cheering because NCL proved the safety of their passengers and crew are above anything else?

 

As to alternative itineraries, there’s not a lot of options when you’re dealing with a 7 day round trip cruise from LA with access to Mexico shut off because of weather. 

[Peachypooh]

1 hour ago, TFLG said:

 

Ensenada is still pretty much a dump.  It's better than it was a few years ago.  They have added a new waterfront area just outside the port with a few shops/bars.  But the main drag is still just rowdy bars and small souviner shops all selling the same junk. If you want to go to Sr. Frogs or Papas and Beer and watch the kids get wasted its ok I guess. I'de rather stay on the ship and drink for free. Still a lot of poor kids selling chicklets and junk.  The main attraction is the blow hole which is pretty lame and really just another trap full of sad souviner shops.  The winery excursuon gets you our of town and is decent way to spend the day although the wine isn't particularly good.  If you play golf, Bajamar is just north of Ensenada and is a great golf course.

Thanks for the information. Very helpful!

[$hip$hape]

3 hours ago, BEAV said:

Perhaps people were cheering because NCL proved the safety of their passengers and crew are above anything else?

 

As to alternative itineraries, there’s not a lot of options when you’re dealing with a 7 day round trip cruise from LA with access to Mexico shut off because of weather. 

The Bliss and the pax (you) provide a lot of options.

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by $hip$hape

[ParrotheadKev]

Largest cruise ship to ever stop in San Diego

[$hip$hape]

On 10/22/2018 at 11:37 AM, Georgie562 said:

If Mazatlan gets damaged due to the hurricane our Bliss Panama Canal cruise November 3 scheduled to port there will no longer port there and honestly I would not be able to stand another sea day so I'm hoping NCL substitutes  that port should it be missed. We've already gone through 2 itinerary changes on this cruise and don't wish for a 3rd one.

 

It's been updated to a category 5 this morning.

We booked this cruise for a Panama Canal adventure.

Not to worry... unless we also go to San Francisco

Edited October 24, 2018 by $hip$hape

[gambit57]

I'd be upset only because I would NOT have any clothes for SF weather.  I don't get the cheers, but I wouldn't be upset about it either.  Other than worrying about being cold.  I mean, packing for LA and Mexico is a LOT different than packing for SF.  I'm not sure if I'd have a pair of long pants on me for that trip.

[newmexicoNita]

18 hours ago, Peachypooh said:

What is it like cruising to Ensenada? We were there 40 years ago and it was nice enough but I did

feel a little uneasy.

Peachy, It isn't particularly a tourist town and there isn't a lot to do, but the countryside is awesome. I don't think I would want to walk around without being with a guide of some sort. The tour to the wineries is pretty awesome because of the nice countryside. Fishing is also a big draw there, but most of us do not take a cruise to go fishing. It isn't as bad as many make out it to be. It isn't good either. Remember when we did St Tomas last year? well it is better than that but not much. 

[funat55]

I'm on the Bliss leaving this Saturday October 27th.  I have not received any notification that the itinerary will be changed.  Frankly, I don't care where the ship goes.   My sister got this cruise from gambling a lot, and the port is close to home, so no airfare involved.  We already feel like winners.  I'm going to pack a couple of warm outfits regardless cause you never know.

[Peachypooh]

6 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

Peachy, It isn't particularly a tourist town and there isn't a lot to do, but the countryside is awesome. I don't think I would want to walk around without being with a guide of some sort. The tour to the wineries is pretty awesome because of the nice countryside. Fishing is also a big draw there, but most of us do not take a cruise to go fishing. It isn't as bad as many make out it to be. It isn't good either. Remember when we did St Tomas last year? well it is better than that but not much. 

 

Thanks Nita. The trolley tour in St. Tomas was good but it was a bit unsettling that we weren't offered to get off.

I guess that tells you something.

[TFLG]

45 minutes ago, Peachypooh said:

 

Thanks Nita. The trolley tour in St. Tomas was good but it was a bit unsettling that we weren't offered to get off.

I guess that tells you something.

 

St. Thomas is a lot nicer than Ensenada

[MyTMo777]

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.

[bearturtle]

9 hours ago, funat55 said:

I'm on the Bliss leaving this Saturday October 27th.  I have not received any notification that the itinerary will be changed.  Frankly, I don't care where the ship goes.   My sister got this cruise from gambling a lot, and the port is close to home, so no airfare involved.  We already feel like winners.  I'm going to pack a couple of warm outfits regardless cause you never know.

Who says you can't win gambling. We got our trip from a casino also, but then again, I guess over time we paid for it. Looking forward to Saturday, no matter where we go 🙂

[chloemonkey]

6 hours ago, MyTMo777 said:

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.

Just off of a B2B on the Getaway and due to hurricane Michael, we too were diverted....sent to Falmouth Jamaica (yuck) and Grand Cayman and missed Harvest Caye and Roatan (no loss here)  But I too kept checking my e mails and the NCL web site as we stayed in Miami for two days prior and so knew that a hurricane was brewing where we were headed but nothing from NCL until after we had boarded.  Our diversion was bothersome but still the Caribbean....I would be totally upset if I ended up on the west coast of California instead of the beaches of Mexico!  And $100 doesn't even cover two sweatshirts for those that didn't have the correct clothing packed.

 

But we do understand cruising during hurricane season and didn't utter a "peep" when we were informed of the change in itinerary....but I do agree with you that it would be helpful if people at least had the information beforehand in order to plan - in terms of shore excursions and wardrobe.  As in our case, we had hired a private guide in Roatan...so had to deal with cancelling that from the ship.

[newmexicoNita]

On 10/24/2018 at 7:01 PM, gambit57 said:

I'd be upset only because I would NOT have any clothes for SF weather.  I don't get the cheers, but I wouldn't be upset about it either.  Other than worrying about being cold.  I mean, packing for LA and Mexico is a LOT different than packing for SF.  I'm not sure if I'd have a pair of long pants on me for that trip.

this was the only concern a lot of the travelers had according to our daughter who is on the Bliss. Otherwise she said things are going pretty well and everyone is having a good time, even those who seem to think griping is the most fun part of traveling. 

[Peachypooh]

On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 12:44 PM, TFLG said:

 

St. Thomas is a lot nicer than Ensenada

Yes that is true. I was  not using the full name of the port we were at

in Guatemala  Santo Tomas. Sorry for the confusion.

[newmexicoNita]

On 10/25/2018 at 12:44 PM, TFLG said:

 

St. Thomas is a lot nicer than Ensenada

not talking about ST. THOMAS, I am talking about San Tomas, which is totally different port , but I understand how you could think that is the port I was talking about.