What was Bliss 2019 Thanksgiving Cruise from NYC like?

[Synergy At Sea]

Thank you Softl. Some how I get the feeling the 12/20sailing May be similar.

[luckyinpa]

5 hours ago, Synergy At Sea said:

Thank you Softl. Some how I get the feeling the 12/20sailing May be similar.

 

no way. ive ordered all crowds and disorderly people off the ship. 

[Project-College]

Could you also please all crowds and disorderly people off the ship for the 12/28/19 cruise!

[tokidoki]

this is the unfortunate part of cruising during a major holiday where public schools are off!    I always travel,  if possible during off season times.   I like larger ships with great broadway shows and more activities.   I am taking the Bliss in early March since I am excited to sail this new ship in NY.  I realize there are drawbacks with elevators and I know GSC will be overcrowded, so I will get a clamshell to secure a lounger.  

[mking8288]

Thank you Softl. Some how I get the feeling the 12/20sailing May be similar.

 

Are you on that sailing, enjoy & good luck.  Just had dinner with our friends that came back on the Bliss - a few words about the nice Beautiful Observation Lounge's camp experience ... be forewarned of the snoring sleepers everywhere, especially on sea days.  They've been with us on the Gem's Spinnaker Lounge, which is different, nothing like what they saw last month - not nice.  We as passengers cannot do anything but to voice our opinions, it's up to NCL management to address it.  

 

They got upgraded free within OV, months ago, with their GTY booking (with offers) to a nice & large pictureview family OV cabin on deck 5.  Here are some pictures - much more spacious than a typical balcony, downside is no direct access to the outside with the sliding balcony door ...  

 

Bigger bathroom, double sinks & bathtub, 2 TV's and 3 closets, sliding privacy curtain between the bed & the oversize sofabed area.  3x 110 volts outlets plus 1x 220 volts euro 2-pin outlet at the long desk/dresser.  

 

 

 

 

[JustAPilot]

Seems like the conscious opinion is there are to many kids on cruises! Lol. The Virgin cruise line can't come soon enough folks /s

[Beebosmom]

Totally agree with IBWIGs summary. 

 

A little communication from NCL explaining why, what and how long the precautions would be in place would have gone a long way in easing my annoyance at not having certain cabin amenities or waiting in long lines at the buffet among other things.

 

They could've started off with a complementary welcome aboard drink since not everyone gets the UBP and we missed the first 4 hours of what NCL considers Day 1 due to delayed boarding.

 

GSC was a nightmare. It's NCL's own private island and tendering was delayed because they couldn't get clearance right away?  We were treated like cattle in lines and in the theater for over an hour after our group was called.  By the time we got to the island, we had 3 hours, no chairs and didn't even bother trying to get something to eat.  Total disappointment!

 

I heard the same rumors about the number of children but honestly didn't notice it.  The ship is huge and I didn't find a particular concentration of children in any one area.

 

Booking shows and activities as soon as possible is an absolute must.  We booked our go cart and laser tag as soon as we boarded and weren't able to get a spot until the last day!  

 

Six and Jersey boys are both excellent productions.  Book those online as soon as they open up for booking.  Basically to get a good seat tho because it seemed the entire standby line got in, they just had to sit on the sides of the theater as the center filled up first.

 

The only specialty restaurants we tried were Los Lobos and Teppanyaki.   Los Lobos was terrible.  Food was not good and service in what was a practically empty restaurant was SO SLOW, we missed the only reservation we could get for a comedy show.  As bad as Los Lobos was, Teppanyaki was that good.  Great "show", huge servings and tasty food.

 

Debarkation as others stated was also long and seemingly disorganized and there were very few crew members around to offer guidance.  

 

All that being said, we still had a good time.  The cruise director and his staff kept us entertained and everyone we encountered was very friendly.  The cabin and our steward were fantastic.   There was always something to do or somewhere to go of interest to us.

[luckyinpa]

22 hours ago, Project-College said:

Could you also please all crowds and disorderly people off the ship for the 12/28/19 cruise!

that sold out before the xmas cruise. sadly that one is out of my control. i did get the finger lickers off the ship though. someone eating food while in the buffet line and licking fingers then touching things is something that scarred me for life

Edited December 13, 2019 by luckyinpa

[luckyinpa]

regarding the observation lounge snoozers. first off i cannot fathom why anyone would want to fall asleep in a public place to begin with. (absent something like delay in airport etc). it would be horrible to have someone take your stuff. put an ice cube on your head, untie your shoes or something like that. id never do it!

[tokidoki]

wondering if anyone has some dallies to post from this cruise?  thx

[HuliHuli]

On 12/2/2019 at 3:09 AM, Synergy At Sea said:

Bliss from NYC 2019 Thanksgiving Travellers please give me a run down on what it was like or post copies of the Freestyle Daily for the week?  
We Booked Christmas Cruise Spa Mini Suite Balcony with all 4 perks offered in September; drink pkg, dining pkg, 250 min internet, $50 off shore excursion in each port. Not sure what to expect since it’s been a while since we last cruised and so much has changed. Last time we cruised most everything was still free and all inclusive on the cruise ships.  Hubby & I are experienced cruisers and I a Latitude Member, it’s a first time for our reluctant 16 yr old daughter. So far from what I have been reading on these boards, I am almost sorry we booked this cruise. Will we have to pay extra for Yoga & Pilates Classes on board? Is there an EXTRA CHARGE for food on NCL ISLAND of Great Stirrup Cay? Was it worth getting off the ship at Great Stirrup Cay since it now appears to be Haven & special Cabana ized? Does anyone really dress for the country western, carribbean, 80s, 90s and white theme nights on board? Was the ship a NYC rat race during the holiday cruise or were you able to relax and enjoy it? How did they handle your Latitudes Member Shore Excursion  discounts?  Were you incorrectly charged for anything if you had the perks pkg and how was it resolved? So far we at least got our specialty dining reservations although 2 of the 3 are what used to be called late seating. We got the 2 shows booked and our shore excursions are booked.

My review of this cruise is available at http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=ce58d6a4e7b088018fefbee0878572a654d5f02840c9d9c83dccdf70d8fb09fab8e2c48a85c68eb8ecaf6ae56ead386934d19f19ccc4d5365be2da17eff91f7e.

I will look at what others have posted and offer further comment.

[HuliHuli]

On 12/2/2019 at 6:39 AM, shof515 said:

Quote

How did they handle your Latitudes Member Shore Excursion  discounts?

Discount is applied automatically when purchased onboard the ship by visiting the shore desk. When purchasing the shore excursion online before your cruise, the discount is showed at the end during the checkout process

Regrettably, this is not universally true.  I and our sailing companions had to visit the shore excursions desk to get applicable discounts applied and get pricing adjusted for excursions that were priced differently on-line from what they charged on-board.

[DonnaK]

On 12/14/2019 at 10:55 AM, HuliHuli said:

My review of this cruise is available at http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=ce58d6a4e7b088018fefbee0878572a654d5f02840c9d9c83dccdf70d8fb09fab8e2c48a85c68eb8ecaf6ae56ead386934d19f19ccc4d5365be2da17eff91f7e.

I will look at what others have posted and offer further comment.

We were also on this sailing, and had a very similar experience as you.  We were terribly disappointed with food, menus, the buffet, poor overall service, long waiting times and long lines.  Although the entertainment was outstanding, it was very difficult to get reservations so we weren't able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was our first NCL cruise, and definitely our last.

Edited December 16, 2019 by DonnaK

[softl]

5 hours ago, DonnaK said:

We were also on this sailing, and had a very similar experience as you.  We were terribly disappointed with food, menus, the buffet, poor overall service, long waiting times and long lines.  Although the entertainment was outstanding, it was very difficult to get reservations so we weren't able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was our first NCL cruise, and definitely our last.

Don't let that cruise keep you from trying another NCL ship. The Bliss was full that week because of the long holiday weekend. Many folks took advantage of that so it was sold out. Navigating a cruise ship is easier when there are fewer passengers. 

 

Also, there were only three days of sun basking poolside so the lower decks were getting all the traffic. 

[ibwig]

21 hours ago, DonnaK said:

We were also on this sailing, and had a very similar experience as you.  We were terribly disappointed with food, menus, the buffet, poor overall service, long waiting times and long lines.  Although the entertainment was outstanding, it was very difficult to get reservations so we weren't able to see everything we wanted to.

 

It was our first NCL cruise, and definitely our last.

 

I agree with softl, don't let that experience prevent you from trying another NCL cruise.  I've done this same itinerary twice with NCL, once on the Jewel and once on the Breakaway, and both of those cruises were great.  That's why I know they can do better than what was exhibited on the Bliss.