I’m sailing on the Bliss in November, LA to MIA via Panama Canal. I’ve been binging on cruise videos but sometimes the amount of info feels overwhelming 🤪. I found your video very helpful, practical and down to earth, and am looking forward to watching your other videos. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences, and happy cruising to you 🛳🤗
It's funny how much you learn each time you book and go on a cruise. I watched so many cruise ship vlogs and in some cases made comments that were answered and helped a lot. The other thing is to try different cruise lines based no only on destination but your demographics. Our first cruise was Holland America lovely ship fit our demo good entertainment definitely for an older crowd which is us. Then went on Carnival with our daughter and her family, great ship good food wonderful time but much louder more stuff for them to do so it was a good choice. Then we did the Norwegian Bliss, that was a game changer for us, excellent food amazing entertainment and by far the best thermal suite I've ever seen we have already booked our next cruise on the Bliss, a bucket list trip through the Panama Canal also going with our daughter and her husband. There is no doubt they will love it . Last point travel agents are a good way to go the possible we book through Costco travel, not only are they your travel agent they give you many other perks that booking through the cruise just don't give you. Hope your next cruise is better, each time we cruise we learn what are likes and dislikes are, for us it's more about the ship than the ports it visits. We do some excursions sometimes just stay on the ship and enjoy the fact it is less crowded.
Thank you so much for watching and for your encouraging comment. The Costco tip will be a game changer for us. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Happy Cruising !!!!
Very excited for you. It will be an amazing trip. Will be putting out some more videos from second Alaska Cruise with some great excursions info. Happy Cruising !!!!
Very nice video and helpful even to us even though we've been on NCL cruises twice and are on the Bliss on January 7 from Miami to LA via Panama. I'm also an early riser, I wake up naturally anywhere from 3:30 to 4:30. I too like to find some early morning peace and quiet to read, walk around and if the WiFi is working to browse the internet and look after a few items of business. The constant wailing of background music at that time of the day is seriously off-putting. I did have a very nice experience from the Garden Cafe staff who saw me there every morning when they started about 4:30 AM. One of the cooks came over and told me he hated to see me sit there uncaffeinated and probably hungry so could he get me coffee and breakfast. I said yes and from then on every morning early I got coffee and a custom brekky. One of the staff also told me that the closed half of the Garden Cafe had the sound turned off which was great news. Peace and quiet at last, even if only for a few hours.
Thank you for your comment. I continued to be amazed by the Ship’s staff on how wonderful they are. Great tip on the Garden Cafe portion with the sound turned off. Your upcoming cruise sounds truly incredible. Thank you for watching. Happy Cruising !!!!
Just completed our cruise on NCL Bliss, we upgraded to Haven about two week prior via a bidding offer. Wow are we glad we upgraded, this was first class to the max!! Plenty of attention was given and we had a butler assigned to use 24/7, no lines as we had VIP on and off the ship at all ports and especially on the return. They have a special Haven elevator in which they escorted us to avoid lines, this was amazing. Even on board we have VIP and went right to the front to check in. We will use Haven again, now we are spoiled.
@@clarkspacificadventures8066 Approximately how watch did you bid for the Haven upgrade? We have a trip planned in February and I am seriously thinking about bedding for Haven
Going in January 2023. Your notes are awesome. Thanks for sharing them. We are going to be heading south to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. 2 tank dive in Cabo and zip lining in Ensenada.
On our last cruise with MSC, we wanted to give a few crew members thank you cards and discovered that you can ask the Guest Service desk for simple stationary (branded note cards and envelopes).
Having taken a fair share of NCL cruises, indeed we just usually walk past the photographers, be it at embarkation or disembarking at a port. It was also great that you brought up the noise issue as I know some folks are more sensitive to noise so that's why they select their rooms ahead of time to be away from engines. Great tips!
I returned from the NCL Bliss Mexican Riviera Cruise. I loved it but the shore Excursions are crap; especially the ones going shopping and tequila factories. No going to a good place to shop. The one to see like the the water being blown into air was okay.
The best thing to do is watch UA-cam videos. There are plenty of videos about things to do and not to do for first timers or just tips or tricks for anyone. Hopefully that will help you for your next cruise.
Library is usually on deck 6 on all of breakaway class ships. Check your deck plans. Observation lounge in the am is nice for reading and light snacks. The buffet is often mayhem. Sit down savor or taste for breakfast and lunch is a slower pace but can be less folks partaking. I'm 13 Ncl cruises in w 14 and 15 next month!
Thanks Warren for the great pro tips. Hopefully I can get those kinds of Cruise numbers as well - 14 and 15 - wow! Happy Cruising and appreciate your comments very much - very informative always!!!!
I like your video. It Bring back alot of memories when I started cruising. NCL Bliss is my favorite NCL ship. I hope to watch more of your video in the future. Best of luck.
Never been on the Bliss was set to cruise just before the C19 I had two trips cancelled when all travel was shut down. I am set to sail this February and in October and these will be two different ships from my previous cruises. One day I will get on the Bliss.
Thanks for the informative video. As an experienced NCL cruiser, I think what that photographer did, while you were waiting in line during embarkation, was inappropriate. We are always offered the boarding picture after we have completed check-in and are heading to the gangway. I have never seen anyone pulled out of line for the picture and I think you have a valid complaint.
100 percent agree. I now use travel agent for all of my subsequent cruises and have a great relationship with her. She is great!! Thank you for your comment. Happy Cruising!!!!!
Just a heads up, there are lots of cruise cloggers and videos to watch …do this , they give ideas of what to buy, ship tours and what to keep with you and what to pack and leave with porters etc…
Just did my 1st NCL cruise on the Biss to the Mexican Rivera and it was beyond my expectations! I loved it so much that I cancelled my next cruise next summer with another company and scheduled it with NCL especially with the black Friday deals they have right now.
Wow - that’s incredible!!! So happy you had a great experience. We will definitely be returning to NCL for another cruise as well. Thank you for watching and for your wonderful comment. Happy Cruising !!!
Thanks for watching 🙏. Library is a great suggestion and I was not aware of it before. Will definitely check it out on the next cruise. Thank you for the suggestion 🤙
Thank you for watching and for your question. I think there was the Beatles tribute show on Embarkation night, but not 100 percent sure. The stage shows were later in the week if my memory is correct. Happy Cruising!!!
Thank you for watching 🙏. Our cruise was first week of October 2022 - at that time I think if you were not vaccinated you were asked to take a quick test they had available prior to boarding the ship. Please check for current information. Happy Cruising!!!
@@clarkspacificadventures8066 just found out, NCL is no longer requiring a negative covid test for vaccinated and unvaccinated cruisers. That just made my day. Hate doing that test, so uncomfortable haha
I believe vaccination/ or test requirements vary depending what ports the ship will stop at. We are going through Panama early next year and I received an email yesterday stating vaccination record or proof of negative test is required.
Thank you for watching. I did not see the library. I am not sure where the library is located. That would be a good possibility for quiet for sure. Will check it out next time. Thank you for your comment. 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you watching and for your comment. Not complaining, simply attempting to help others avoid the mistakes we made on our first cruise. Have booked a second cruise on NCL. Happy Cruising!!!!
I’m sailing on the Bliss in November, LA to MIA via Panama Canal. I’ve been binging on cruise videos but sometimes the amount of info feels overwhelming 🤪. I found your video very helpful, practical and down to earth, and am looking forward to watching your other videos. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences, and happy cruising to you 🛳🤗
So happy to hear!!! Wishing you all the best on your upcoming cruise in November. All the best and Happy Cruising !!!!!
It's funny how much you learn each time you book and go on a cruise. I watched so many cruise ship vlogs and in some cases made comments that were answered and helped a lot. The other thing is to try different cruise lines based no only on destination but your demographics. Our first cruise was Holland America lovely ship fit our demo good entertainment definitely for an older crowd which is us. Then went on Carnival with our daughter and her family, great ship good food wonderful time but much louder more stuff for them to do so it was a good choice. Then we did the Norwegian Bliss, that was a game changer for us, excellent food amazing entertainment and by far the best thermal suite I've ever seen we have already booked our next cruise on the Bliss, a bucket list trip through the Panama Canal also going with our daughter and her husband. There is no doubt they will love it . Last point travel agents are a good way to go the possible we book through Costco travel, not only are they your travel agent they give you many other perks that booking through the cruise just don't give you. Hope your next cruise is better, each time we cruise we learn what are likes and dislikes are, for us it's more about the ship than the ports it visits. We do some excursions sometimes just stay on the ship and enjoy the fact it is less crowded.
Thank you so much for watching and for your encouraging comment. The Costco tip will be a game changer for us. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Happy Cruising !!!!
Love the tour, wife and I are going on our very first cruise in July 2024.
Alaskan Cruise, can't wait
Very excited for you. It will be an amazing trip. Will be putting out some more videos from second Alaska Cruise with some great excursions info. Happy Cruising !!!!
Great video again! We are going on the Bliss this Sunday. I really especially appreciate the garden cafe tip.
Thank you for watching. Hope you enjoy your trip. Be sure to try Taste Restaurant.
If you planned your cruise with a travel agent (which would have been the same price) they help you with all of that and more,
Thank you for watching and very much appreciate your comment. Next time it will be a must to book through a travel agent. Happy Cruising!!!!
Thanks for this. I will be going to Alaska next year. First cruise.
You are most welcome. Have a wonderful time. Happy Cruising !!!!
Great video, I usually tell everyone to watch lots of cruise videos before embarkation day. Research is the best way to avoid disappointment
Thanks so much for watching. Agree 100 percent! Happy Cruising!!!!
Very nice video and helpful even to us even though we've been on NCL cruises twice and are on the Bliss on January 7 from Miami to LA via Panama.
I'm also an early riser, I wake up naturally anywhere from 3:30 to 4:30. I too like to find some early morning peace and quiet to read, walk around and if the WiFi is working to browse the internet and look after a few items of business. The constant wailing of background music at that time of the day is seriously off-putting.
I did have a very nice experience from the Garden Cafe staff who saw me there every morning when they started about 4:30 AM. One of the cooks came over and told me he hated to see me sit there uncaffeinated and probably hungry so could he get me coffee and breakfast. I said yes and from then on every morning early I got coffee and a custom brekky.
One of the staff also told me that the closed half of the Garden Cafe had the sound turned off which was great news. Peace and quiet at last, even if only for a few hours.
Thank you for your comment. I continued to be amazed by the Ship’s staff on how wonderful they are. Great tip on the Garden Cafe portion with the sound turned off. Your upcoming cruise sounds truly incredible. Thank you for watching. Happy Cruising !!!!
Just completed our cruise on NCL Bliss, we upgraded to Haven about two week prior via a bidding offer. Wow are we glad we upgraded, this was first class to the max!! Plenty of attention was given and we had a butler assigned to use 24/7, no lines as we had VIP on and off the ship at all ports and especially on the return. They have a special Haven elevator in which they escorted us to avoid lines, this was amazing. Even on board we have VIP and went right to the front to check in. We will use Haven again, now we are spoiled.
Sounds amazing. Thanks for watching 👍 will have to check Haven option out!!!
@@clarkspacificadventures8066 Approximately how watch did you bid for the Haven upgrade? We have a trip planned in February and I am seriously thinking about bedding for Haven
@@zacharynicholls47 thank you for watching. We did not bid on an upgrade to Haven. My apologies, but not familiar with the bidding process on NCL
What did you bid and what cabin?
Going in November . How much was your winning bid to get upgraded to haven? Looking for a ballpark bid hoping for a upgrade myself . Much appreciated!
A post-cruise confessional. You learned a lot from all the self-inflicted errors. Next time you’ll be smarter and wiser.👍
Yep. Cruised more with much better result. Thank you for watching and for making a comment.
Going in January 2023. Your notes are awesome. Thanks for sharing them. We are going to be heading south to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada. 2 tank dive in Cabo and zip lining in Ensenada.
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment. Your trip sounds awesome. Have fun! Happy Cruising !!!
Booking with a travel agent will prevent the rookie mistakes you mention! Happy Cruising!
Thank you for watching and for you comment. 100 percent agree. Happy Cruising !!!
I agree about the music ! Lately not just on a ship but everywhere music is playing loud !! Am I old ?? It’s really getting to me !
On our last cruise with MSC, we wanted to give a few crew members thank you cards and discovered that you can ask the Guest Service desk for simple stationary (branded note cards and envelopes).
Thanks for watching. That is a great idea. Appreciate your comment. Happy Cruising !!!
Having taken a fair share of NCL cruises, indeed we just usually walk past the photographers, be it at embarkation or disembarking at a port. It was also great that you brought up the noise issue as I know some folks are more sensitive to noise so that's why they select their rooms ahead of time to be away from engines. Great tips!
Thanks so much for watching. Great point about being away from the engine room for sure.
I returned from the NCL Bliss Mexican Riviera Cruise. I loved it but the shore Excursions are crap; especially the ones going shopping and tequila factories. No going to a good place to shop. The one to see like the the water being blown into air was okay.
@@laurawright1461 thanks so much for watching 🙏. And thanks for the information. Happy Cruising.
The best thing to do is watch UA-cam videos. There are plenty of videos about things to do and not to do for first timers or just tips or tricks for anyone. Hopefully that will help you for your next cruise.
Thank you for watching. Happy Cruising!!!
There’s a library and a conservatory glass room they say are quieter
Library is usually on deck 6 on all of breakaway class ships. Check your deck plans.
Observation lounge in the am is nice for reading and light snacks.
The buffet is often mayhem. Sit down savor or taste for breakfast and lunch is a slower pace but can be less folks partaking.
I'm 13 Ncl cruises in w 14 and 15 next month!
Thanks Warren for the great pro tips. Hopefully I can get those kinds of Cruise numbers as well - 14 and 15 - wow! Happy Cruising and appreciate your comments very much - very informative always!!!!
I like your video. It Bring back alot of memories when I started cruising.
NCL Bliss is my favorite NCL ship. I hope to watch more of your video in the future. Best of luck.
Thank you so much for watching. I look forward to posting new videos. Appreciate your comment 🙏
Never been on the Bliss was set to cruise just before the C19 I had two trips cancelled when all travel was shut down. I am set to sail this February and in October and these will be two different ships from my previous cruises. One day I will get on the Bliss.
@@yvonne5252 Bliss is wonderful ♥️♥️♥️Sincerely hope you get to cruise on that ship.
Thanks so much. We are going on the Norwegian Bliss in April.
Thank you so much for watching 🙏. Hope you have a fabulous time in April. Happy Cruising !!!
Thanks for the informative video. As an experienced NCL cruiser, I think what that photographer did, while you were waiting in line during embarkation, was inappropriate. We are always offered the boarding picture after we have completed check-in and are heading to the gangway. I have never seen anyone pulled out of line for the picture and I think you have a valid complaint.
Thanks for watching and thank you for your comment. No worries just lesson learned. Happy Cruising !!!!
That is why at least for your first cruise you should use a travel agent and most are free
100 percent agree. I now use travel agent for all of my subsequent cruises and have a great relationship with her. She is great!! Thank you for your comment. Happy Cruising!!!!!
Just a heads up, there are lots of cruise cloggers and videos to watch …do this , they give ideas of what to buy, ship tours and what to keep with you and what to pack and leave with porters etc…
Thanks for the tip!
Will be going on the Bliss in July. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for watching. Enjoy and Happy Cruising !!!!
It sounds like you had a great experience on your first ocean cruise anyway. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching and for your comment. We had a wonderful time for sure. Happy Cruising !!!
Its important to read all the planning information beforehand.
Thanks for watching. Happy Cruising!!!!
What were you drinking? So I know what took you over the included $15 per drink. Thanks!
Tito’s Vodka Martini 🍸. Happy Cruising !!!!
I been on 8 far going on 9th soon I always use a travel agent to book mine
Thank you watching and your great comment. Happy Cruising!!!
Just did my 1st NCL cruise on the Biss to the Mexican Rivera and it was beyond my expectations! I loved it so much that I cancelled my next cruise next summer with another company and scheduled it with NCL especially with the black Friday deals they have right now.
Wow - that’s incredible!!! So happy you had a great experience. We will definitely be returning to NCL for another cruise as well. Thank you for watching and for your wonderful comment. Happy Cruising !!!
How many thank you notes should I bring?
Thank you for watching and for your question. 5 to 10 should be good. Happy Cruising !!!!
@@clarkspacificadventures8066 Awesome thank you!
Quiet place? Go to the library? The observation lounge is quiet place.
Thanks for watching 🙏. Library is a great suggestion and I was not aware of it before. Will definitely check it out on the next cruise. Thank you for the suggestion 🤙
Thank you, that helps
Thanks for your comment. Happy Cruising!!!!
What cabin/cabin level did you have?
Level 8 - Cabin 8401. Happy Cruising !!!
You can rename your channel
That's on Us
Great that u blamed yourself.
So many blame others, nice vid
Lol 😂 Agree 100 percent. Thanks for watching and for your comment. Happy Cruising !!!
Thanks for the education
Appreciate you watching and thank you for your comment. Happy Cruising!!!
Is the ship tour extra?
The ship tour is free. Part of it is to showcase the spa and other amenities that you can upgrade to I think. Happy Cruising!!!
Is there a nightly show on the embarkation day?
Thank you for watching and for your question. I think there was the Beatles tribute show on Embarkation night, but not 100 percent sure. The stage shows were later in the week if my memory is correct. Happy Cruising!!!
If you want quiet…go to the Library!
Thanks for watching and for your comment. That is a great suggestion. Happy Cruising !!!!
Does NCL require you to be vaccinated or a negative covid test prior to cruising?
Thank you for watching 🙏. Our cruise was first week of October 2022 - at that time I think if you were not vaccinated you were asked to take a quick test they had available prior to boarding the ship. Please check for current information. Happy Cruising!!!
@@clarkspacificadventures8066 just found out, NCL is no longer requiring a negative covid test for vaccinated and unvaccinated cruisers. That just made my day. Hate doing that test, so uncomfortable haha
I believe vaccination/ or test requirements vary depending what ports the ship will stop at. We are going through Panama early next year and I received an email yesterday stating vaccination record or proof of negative test is required.
@@princessleala thank you for watching. Appreciate your comment very much. Happy Cruising !!!
@@princessleala thank you for watching and for your comment. The Panama cruise sounds wonderful. Happy Cruising !!!
We just checked in on the APP for the Bliss and it took 15mins for 2. It could not be easier. Just politely say No thanks to pictures.
Awesome 👏 thanks for the feedback. Have a great time ♥️
Lots of info on the NCL website!!
Thanks for watching. Great comment. NCL website is excellent source of info. Happy Cruising !!!
Thanks
Thank you for watching and comment. 🙏 Happy Cruising!!!
Good Information, but you need to do your leg work before you start your cruise.
Thanks for watching
Was there no quiet in the library?
Thank you for watching. I did not see the library. I am not sure where the library is located. That would be a good possibility for quiet for sure. Will check it out next time. Thank you for your comment. 🙏🙏🙏
The new NCL ships like Bliss do not have libraries. Those are on older ships
@@Wild1995 thanks for the info. I thought I had missed it. Thanks for watching. Happy Cruising !!!
Library located on Deck 6 to the right of the atrium screen, behind the photo studio.
@@ikefscout thanks for watching and thank you for the great information. Happy Cruising !!!
He says he really liked it but I heard a lot of bitching about many things . I’m having second thoughts now about my cruise . 🤔
Thank you watching and for your comment. Not complaining, simply attempting to help others avoid the mistakes we made on our first cruise. Have booked a second cruise on NCL. Happy Cruising!!!!
Make sure you leave a little bit of room in your suitcase you can steal the pool towels