Panama transit cruise

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 70

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Bliss

21 Night Panama Canal Eastbound (Los Angeles To New York)

Sail date: November 03, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14752

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

A beautiful ship with lots of beverage and entertainment options. Could use a little tweaking on the menus in the main dining rooms. Loved the Waterfront! Staff throughput the ship were wonderful!

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Check in and boarding went very smoothly. Sail away was delayed almost 2 hours due to bus transportation issues from lax to cruise terminal

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
We found that all the restaurants and bars were well staffed. Very friendly for the most part. Very hardworking, as most service staff worked various venues night and day.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Well appointed fitness center. We also enjoyed the water slides.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Fantastic entertainment. Britain's Finest, the Beatles cover band, was superb! Jersery Boys and Six were excellent also!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
We found all the staff to be extremely friendly. They appear to be genuinely happy with their jobs. All our enquiries were answered professionally and satisfactorily.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
What a beautiful ship! The Observation lounge is amazing! The waterfront areas on deck 8 are a very nice place to relax with a book or a pre dinner cocktail. Staff was continuously cleaning all common areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Nice size well appointed cabin. Probably the nicest bathroom we have had on a ship. Cabin steward looked after all our needs.

Ship tip

Dont worry about reservations for dinner in the main dining rooms as the wait times are minimal. We preferred using Taste/Savor over the Manhattan Room due to their smaller size. Much quieter dinner as a result. si

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

4 out of 5
Didnt spend any time in San Pedro but did spend the previous day before our cruise in Long Beach. Very nice area

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

3 out of 5
Not our favorite...to much harassment when leaving the ship

Mazatlan, Mexico

5 out of 5
Really enjoyed this port. Mazatlan is a very clean and friendly place to visit. Many volunteers on the streets to help you find your way. Just follow the blue line in to town.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

4 out of 5
Enjoyed the Malecon. Lots of artwork on display

Acapulco, Mexico

3 out of 5
Cliff divers were the only highlight for us at this port

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

4 out of 5
An hour and a half bus ride to get to this city. Did the hop on/off excursion here. A bit of a gong show at the end of the day getting back to the large bus back to the ship. Very nice city to visit otherwise

Panama Canal Transit

4 out of 5
The only reason it doesnt get 5 stars is the fact that our "daylight transit" started in the dark at 2 am! It was amazing other than that. Go to the seminars put on by Dr. Dave on the ship. Very informative

Cartagena, Colombia

5 out of 5
A pretty little city! Did the catamaran transfer that wasnt a catamaran but an older passenger ferry. On the plus side Norwegian refunded our money when we voiced our displeasure.

Santa Marta, Colombia

5 out of 5
What a great visit we had here! Did a walking tour with Javier from GuruWalk. He was terrific!

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5
Did the Antilla shipwreck Sail and Snorkle trip booked throjgh Priceline.com. A fun afternoon!

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5
Did a walking tour with Bigala from ToursbyLocals. She was a wonderful guide around a cute little town. Quite a walk of the ship to the meeting point

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

4 out of 5
A nice little village to walk around. Visited the museum while we were there. I think its a port where you should plan for a beach day

New York, New York

4 out of 5
Just hopped in a cab for the airport. Cool and rainy anyway.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Went as smoothly as could be expected
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