The Panama Canal cruise was a bucket list cruise for us. The Norwegian Bliss is a beautiful ship to experience all of the beauty and wonder of the area. If you can afford to stay in the Haven the price is well worth it.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We stayed at the Crown Plaza hotel the night before the cruise. A great choice. Seemed like everyone in the hotel were cruisers so was easy to meet fellow travelers during happy hour. We decided to take the the 15 minute walk to the ship instead of the shuttle as there were so many people waiting. The walk was easy and scenic. Embarkation was a breeze as we were Haven guests.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was good overall and excellent in the Haven restaurant. We tried the Haven for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All exceptional. We ate in the Garden cafe several times for convenience. The dessert bar seemed lacking according to my husband. I appreciated the salad bar and noodle station. We tried the Local restaurant once. Not impressed. The food seemed like it had been sitting for awhile then microwaved. We had the fish and chips and meatloaf. The Food Republic restaurant was excellent. We ate there twice.
The Haven Restaurant (Exclusive to Guests of The Haven)
5 out of 5
The Haven has excellent food, service and ambiance. My favorite dish was the tuna tataki for dinner. Husband loved the Delmonico steak. Tip-if you order the surf and turf they will cut the lobster shell for you at the table for easier eating. That was much appreciated as I am not a sophisticated lobster connoisseur. đ
Food Republic
5 out of 5
The food is awesome. We tried several sushi rolls and the Thai salad and edamame. And soup. Try the specialty drink called the Sancho Panza if you want a great twist on a spicy margarita.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We enjoyed watching the FIFA world soccer game on the big outdoor screen poolside. Also used the thermal spa and gym every day which were great. The Haven outdoor deck on deck 19 is a great place to watch the Panama Canal transit. We also liked the observation lounge for quiet places. We didnât do the go carts this time. We did enjoy the bowling alley and playing skeeball in the arcade. The mini golf course was good. We also enjoyed watching the variety of activities in the atrium and attending discussions by Paul Whelan on the history of the Panama Canal.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Jersey Boys show was fabulous! Kudos to NCL!
We watched the Six performance. They all had beautiful voices but the production was not well written and went nowhere.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service onboard the Bliss was impeccable! Since it was a longer cruise we got to know several of the crew members. Several of the crew were new and had never experienced going through the Panama Canal. They were just as excited as we were. One of my favorite parts of cruising is being able to meet people from all over the world. The Bliss crew has some really wonderful people.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship is beautiful and well-maintained. Easy to get around. Very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Beautiful aft facing corner suite. The balcony is huge. Two chaise lounges and a table with four chairs. Separate bedroom. Two bathrooms. Master bath has a tub and separate shower. The smaller bathroom has a shower. Plenty of storage space. The only negative I would add is that on several days we had ash and soot on our balcony. Their is also the diesel fume smell at certain times that kept us from fully enjoying the beautiful outdoor space.
Ship tip
The ship is huge. We were in an aft facing balcony suite so it was a long walk to get to the front of the ship. You might want to consider that before booking an aft room. I enjoyed the long walks. My husband-not so much.
This was another âbigâ city. We did the city tour with lunch called âExclusive Cartagena.â We learned a lot of Cartagena history from an excellent tour guide. The lunch was at a very nice outdoor restaurant and was delicious. Tip-Cartagena has a unique entry to their ships which is a small walk-through zoo and aviary where there are many colorful birds. There are also a couple of nice shopping areas as you make your way back to the ship.
We did the dulce resort with lunch and shopping. It was crowded and hot. The âresortâ was an oversized gazebo with pick nick tables. Lunch hurriedly served on paper plates to each table. The shopping part of the excursion consisted of being herded into a small room for tequila tasting.
Awesome! We started through the locks at sunrise. It reminded me of going through Glacier Bay in Alaska only in a tropical locale. Lake Gatun was more like a wide river with lots of islands. Tip-If you are of the LDS faith look for the Temple shining on the hill at sunrise. Itâs on the port side as you start through the locks.
No excursion. We walked around the port area and shopped at the vendor tables. It was a pretty area with lots of big trees and grass. Nice view of the marina.
We stayed at the Intercontinental Miami hotel post cruise. Very nice. Walking distance to market area and park. Located right along the ship channel. There is also a Whole Foods grocery store close by. No airport shuttle but yellow taxi cost 32.00.
The disembarkation process was crowded and stressful. Like cattle being hearded through chutes. It took us over an hour to get through customs. Tip-Even if you are in Haven there are no Haven-specific lines.
For the price of being in the Haven you could have gone full luxury on Regent Seven Seas. NCL tried to get me to upgrade to Haven for 30k$. Uuhhh nope, not on an NCL ship for that price.
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