Will it be Bliss? Our first NCL Post-Covid Cruise - Live!

[L1211]

And disembarking info, including priority access

[L1211]

Breakfast this morning in the buffet at 7:30a easy peazy- table with a view! 

[L1211]

Quick breakfast- the DH tried to get to 6 for Starbucks at 7:15 but the stairs were completely full. He never made it to the lobby… 

[L1211]

Uber driver says main entrance to LAX is closed and it was backed up over a mile long to enter.  Glad we have plenty of time! 

[L1211]

Disembarkation was really easy this morning!  They started calling self assist walk off about 7:45.  Yellow for PA was called next about 8.  We walked at 8 and carried our bags down to 7 from 10.  We were instructed to meet at The Local for PA exit assist.  We didn’t make it to the local- they caught us at the bottom of the stairs (we were wearing our PA stickers they provided) and took us out a side door. There was no line, but you could see a line that wrapped around and came out the same place where we were scanned out.  That was nice.  Off the ship by 8:05!

 

next we made the march through  baggage and off to immigrations - the line never really stopped moving - elevator and escalator creating a small pinch point.  
 

through immigration and outside by 8:30 - could not have been easier!  Immigration did not need to see passports- just a quick facial scan and you were out the door!  
 

uber wait was about 10 minutes and $57 befor tip.  
 

now to see what LAX has in store for us this morning…. The girls are out of Long Beach airports - highly recommend that!  Small, regional airport that is so much closer and easier than LAX!!  They are on Southwest and we are in United (we had ticket credit to use from canceled Nile Cruise).  
 

The DD is not feeling well this morning -

went back to her cabin to lay down after taking meds. She’s a type 1 diabetic so all my momma bear instincts are going crazy this morning. Sigh…

Edited March 17 by L1211

[L1211]

For anyone still following along, the offering at the United Club today!  Mimosa for the win. Also have a yogurt bar, make your own breakfast burrito bar, almost like the Bliss! 

[L1211]

A few final thought on our first NCL cruise since Covid- not much has changed!  Service was outstanding. Food quality was high- both speciality and MDR offerings.  Buffet was crowded with good quality food.  Bar service was never difficult. Drinks well made with stellar service.  Positive attitudes from the staff everywhere!  Starbucks was spot on and the lines moved quickly.  Facilities were stunning and immaculate clean.  Elevators were pretty awful at times…. Staff remembered names - so impressive!  
 

Difficult to get a chair on deck- I hated playing the “C-hog” game, But if you did not reserve by 7:30, they were gone.  We only grabbed two on sea days and had with DH and myself or DD and friend in them most of the time.  
 

I was impressed with the clientele- people were polite, kids well behaved.  That was refreshing and made The spring break crowds much more bearable. 
 

overall, was it Bliss?  You bet it was!  Will we return- not during spring break- but overall, yes, we’re still a NCL family! 

[L1211]

Thoughts on FAS Plus  - for the win!

- Starbucks. - loved this benefit! Not sure the pkg alone would have made Sense- the DH only had one coffee a day and I had two only on two occasions.  But, still a really nice perk to have.

- bottled water - we drank a mix of votgled

and tap water from the ship.  Water aboard is good. Didn’t really need to this, just nice to have. 

- ungraded beverage pkg- totally enjoyed this!  We only drank high and wines - me

mosy Le Crema and DH drank decoy or Silverado.  We enjoyed bottles with dinner - such a nice touch.  We  upgraded alcohol in mixed drinks.  They NEVER “poured down” - they always had the high end offerings available or went to get them without us asking! 
- additions dining credits - love NCL speciality dining.  Food quality was high in MDR too,

but enjoy the dining experience in the smaller more intimate restaurants.  This was highly valued and helped make the trip special. 
- additional port credit- only used it once, but nice to have.

 

Bases on the math I did earlier, it totally paid for itself- many times over when you added in the up-charge for drinks!  Totally recommend this upgrade! 

[L1211]

For anyone playing along at home. The bar was closed this morning- we had a plan to make our own mimosas on the ship - neither cabin had used the in-room sparkling wine - so the plan was to take it to breakfast 

and make our own. The girls were spent and no one really felt like drinks.  Well, until now- mimosa #2 as I wrap up this wonderful trip! 

[L1211]

Just heard from the DD- they have Ubered to the In and Out by the Long Beach airport and are getting lunch.  I’d say she’s feeling g better… 

[L1211]

Cabin review - Club Suite 

- cabins was nice, but not sure it was worth $500 more for each cabin. Perks included the upgraded bath and that was really nice!  Best shower at sea- ever, hands down.  No upgraded products, that would have been a nice touch given the bath was the only real upgrade.  
 

sparkling wine delivered warm- never had any ice- but we cleared out the mini-bar and sat their stuff under the desk.  Cooled it that way,

but never drank it.

 

canapes were delivered in day two as promised, But nothing we were interested in - and included eggs and fish- really needed to be refrigerated.

 

balcony was small but nice - enjoyed the view, but never really used the balcony- at all.  A bit cold in evenings. Hot when in lower México.  
 

storage was plentiful. I used the drawers under the couch and DH used the shelves in the closet. Plenty of hanging room for us both.

[L1211]

Dining Review

We reviewed meal as we enjoyed them and photographed most everything we ate. In a recap, food was great!  Quality was high, nearly all food was served hot - I hate lukewarm food so was pleasantly surprised by the truly warm food temp.  Food was well-prepared and seasoned. Service was nearly always stellar. Could easily get through a meal in an hour or linger longer if you wanted.

 

Worst/least favorite meal was Los Lobos- service was frenzied. Rush, rush, rush!  The server was breathless each time he approached the table. Such a contrast to Cagney’s calm, well paced and professional service. Food was also just ok. 
 

Best meal- we think Cagney’s for overall - food quality, service, ambiance.  It’s a family favorite for a reason! 
 

MDR food - this surprised us. We’ve not done much dining in the MDR- usually just do speciality dining.  But, we really enjoyed the service and food here.  The surcharge lobster tails and surf and turf were all well prepared and worth the cost.  They can really cook lobster!  Money well spent.  
 

The Local- this was also good.  We don’t eat a lot of bar food in our daily lives and enjoyed it!  The DH loved the sausage sliders (go figure!) They were slices of sweet Italian sausage with caramelized onions and a brown mustard served on a soft rolls.  Chicken salad sandwich was outstanding.  Wings were a bit flabby, sadly.  Nachos ordered but never came.  Overall, a good experiences 

 

Buffet - the girls LOVED the hotdogs- again, go figure.  I tried to get an explanation of what made those hotdogs so good (she ate 5 in one day!!!).  They were grilled, bathed in hotdog fat goodness and served on a soft bun- you’re welcome! The Indian food was all outstanding- i only got it once!  Breakfast just ok - I'm convinced they served powdered eggs, sometimes swimming in fat - ugh.  Better breakfast available elsewhere…

the Observation Lounge- we never ate a meal here, but did have a couple of snacks with drinks. Lots of fresh fruit, other offerings plentiful but a bit odd.

 

Our cabin class offered free morning room service but we never partook. We enjoyed going to Starbucks and catching the morning lobby mayhem.  DH isn’t a breakfast person.  We never made a sit down breakfast - I miss that! 

 

[L1211]

Entertainment review

We enjoyed the Beatles and comedy (when they say adult comedy, believe them!) in the Bliss theatre but expect it would be better in the Cavern club. 

 

Jersey Boys was outstanding!  
 

musical talents around and about were solid -Silgo was great - found thanks to @ChiefMateJRK!!  Loved the more simole

music in the District. 
 

I’m not a fan of all the Lobby going on’s but it is clearly popular!! Always crowded.  
 

overall, found entertainment to be solid to outstanding- something for everyone 

 

[laudergayle]

39 minutes ago, L1211 said:

canapes were delivered in day two as promised, But nothing we were interested in - and included eggs and fish- really needed to be refrigerated.

Tell me more…eggs and fish don’t sound at all appetizing.  In the past CBS cabins got a chocolate treat with a strawberry (humble) and then another day a plate of 4 difference cookies.  This has been what we’ve gotten 5 times since restart.  

[RWK1952]

1 hour ago, L1211 said:

Thoughts on FAS Plus  - for the win!

- Starbucks. - loved this benefit! Not sure the pkg alone would have made Sense- the DH only had one coffee a day and I had two only on two occasions.  But, still a really nice perk to have.

- bottled water - we drank a mix of votgled

and tap water from the ship.  Water aboard is good. Didn’t really need to this, just nice to have. 

- ungraded beverage pkg- totally enjoyed this!  We only drank high and wines - me

mosy Le Crema and DH drank decoy or Silverado.  We enjoyed bottles with dinner - such a nice touch.  We  upgraded alcohol in mixed drinks.  They NEVER “poured down” - they always had the high end offerings available or went to get them without us asking! 
- additions dining credits - love NCL speciality dining.  Food quality was high in MDR too,

but enjoy the dining experience in the smaller more intimate restaurants.  This was highly valued and helped make the trip special. 
- additional port credit- only used it once, but nice to have.

 

Bases on the math I did earlier, it totally paid for itself- many times over when you added in the up-charge for drinks!  Totally recommend this upgrade! 

 

Thanks for sharing your opinion of the FAS Plus. For us, premium alcohol is not a big deal.  When we were on Celebrity, we actually found their standard, sparkling wine to be excellent. No problem with mixed drinks either.  We are also not coffee drinkers, hence Starbucks is not of interest.   Given those factors, we think the regular FAS will suit us just fine.  Would you agree based upon your experience?

 

Also, forgive me for not knowing, but what is MDR?  You seemed to enjoy the food from there.

 

The Priority Access option only affected port stops if they required a tender, correct?  Would you say the Priority Access pass was worth it for the initial boarding process, and the final disembarkation process alone?

 

 

Edited March 17 by RWK1952

[L1211]

Port review 

They changed the itinerary after booking for “fuel efficiency” - thought that was pretty lame.  “We’ve altered what we sold you to maximize our profits” is what I heard…. I didn’t mind that they dropped Ensenada - I love sea days and find most Mexican ports to be similar.  But, The rerouting made Cabo a very short port stay and that was the one we were most excited about. That was not good.  
 

Puerto Vallarta- beautiful city by the sea.  The Old Town is about 25 minutes from the port and worth the drive. Uber is cheaper than a taxi.  It is not a beautiful beach and we did not swim.  Girls were thrilled with the day spa for massages.  A few favorite pics  
 

 

[L1211]

3 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

 

Thanks for sharing your opinion of the FAS Plus. For us, premium alcohol is not a big deal.  When we were on Celebrity, we actually found their standard, sparkling wine to be excellent. No problem with mixed drinks either.  We are also not coffee drinkers, hence Starbucks is not of interest.   Given those factors, we think the regular FAS will suit us just fine.  Would you agree based upon your experience?

 

Also, forgive me for not knowing, but what is MDR?  You seemed to enjoy the food from there.

 

Yeah, you’d have to place a value on the higher end stuff - we’re into wine - going to Napa next weekend! Totally would not

be worth it without that and Starbucks!  
sorry - MDR is main dining room.  It was Taste/Savor or Manhattan on Bliss. 

[L1211]

9 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Tell me more…eggs and fish don’t sound at all appetizing.  In the past CBS cabins got a chocolate treat with a strawberry (humble) and then another day a plate of 4 difference cookies.  This has been what we’ve gotten 5 times since restart.  

Ha!  Right?!!  We Got cookies one day and an interesting plate with one strawberry,

two little shortbread cookies and some sugared gummie candies.  The canapés were tuna on little toast, boiled egg sliver, Brie with fish eggs in top - We love us some fine-dining,

but found none of it appealing!  I’ll look for a pic… we didn’t eat anything from the platter. 

[L1211]

Mazatlán 

Nice stop.  Enjoyed the bus tour more than I thought I would. Wish we’d taken the girls to Stone Island for a beach stop.  We thought we’d get beach time in Cabo but that was a bust due to time. It’s a lovely town by the sea. The cathedral was beautiful.  Beatles monument interesting.  Not a great beach locale. 

[L1211]

Cabo

too short a stay for what we had planned. Our two hour private boat hire was cut short by Kelly Boat not being ready for us. They first walked us to Oxox (or is that xoxo?) for ice and to let us buy drinks. That took 15 minutes, then they had to change batteries on the boat. I’m sure they would have honored the two hours, but we were short on time with the late start.  We did whale watching first then a very quick beach stop. Girls wanted beach time but it was cut short. Don’t get me started on the hour wait to tender back -

that was terribly poorly managed by NCL And somehow carnival did not have the same waits.  Some favorite shots 

[L1211]

The Waterfront and Observation Lounge 

The Waterfront is a big part of why we love Away class ships. Such a special place to gather and enjoy the views and the sea. The Bliss did not disappoint.  It was too cool out often on this route and the OL came

In handy.  Both special venues and really add to trip enjoyment. Some favorite shots 

[RWK1952]

28 minutes ago, L1211 said:

Yeah, you’d have to place a value on the higher end stuff - we’re into wine - going to Napa next weekend! Totally would not

be worth it without that and Starbucks!  
sorry - MDR is main dining room.  It was Taste/Savor or Manhattan on Bliss. 

 

Thank you so much for posting this blog.  We will be cruising on the NCL Breakaway around the Iberian peninsula around this time next year.  I know that you are on the Bliss, but I have heard very good things about the Breakaway as well.  What you have said speaks well for Norwegian in general, I believe.

[L1211]

1 minute ago, RWK1952 said:

 

Thank you so much for posting this blog.  We will be cruising on the NCL Breakaway around the Iberian peninsula around this time next year.  I know that you are on the Bliss, but I have heard very good things about the Breakaway as well.  What you have said speaks well for Norwegian in general, I believe.

What a trip!!. We love the Breakaway - super similar to the Bliss. This is my favorite class of ships.  Excited for you!!! 

[Texter2]

Thank you for letting us go on this voyage with you! Loved the pics and all the information. We embark on our first NCL cruise in 21 days on the Encore (that is why I read your trip blog with such interest, similar ship and a few of the same ports). We will have 21 days aboard and are going from Miami to Seattle. So thankful for your intel! 

[L1211]

Bars/tastings

We Loved Cellars Wine Bar and enjoyed two different tastings. We’d planned to do more,

but the experience is curated in a very similar way. One may be plenty.  Wine offering by the glass was really good and service top notch.  
 

We Also loved Sugarcane Mojito bar- what a great variety of speciality mojitos and each of us found a favorite! MIXX and A-list bars were great for pre dinner drinks.  So many nice atmospheres to enjoy and lounge! 
 

Maltings whisky bar is beautiful and a great meeting place.  DH found them to make the best old fashion and have the best pours of bourbon.  He found a EH Taylor single barrel there - IYKYK…

 

The OL made for a great place to have drinks pre-dinner too.