We enjoyed our 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Bliss. I can’t wait to return to some of the islands. I’ve been on several cruises and this itinerary was my absolute favorite. I wish I didn’t have to fight so hard onboard for my NCL World Points, that had been redeemed in a timely manner prior to our trip, to be applied to my onboard account. I also didn’t enjoy having to have my photo package purchase confirmed by the corporate office even though I had a printout of my Vacation Summary from the NCL website. And if a passenger qualifies for 10% off excursions it should just be applied, I don’t understand why the Shore Excursion desk has to be “reminded”. Overall we had a great trip with a few glitches. We do plan to cruise NCL again. In fact our experience with Shannon at Next Cruise onboard was fantastic, she answered our many questions and helped us plan our next trip!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Easy, lines as expected but they have a good system in place to move everyone along as quickly as possible. Using passengers passport photo for the Ship Keycard instead of taking a new photo is a great timesaver!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Le Bistro was my favorite - the escargot, mushroom soup and scallops - absolutely scrumptious!! Los Lobos came in second, loved the tortilla soup. I wasn’t as happy with Cagney’s, there were better selections last year on the Escape. Sugarcane Mojito Bar was our favorite. The bartenders, “Batman & Robin” were FABULOUS!!!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
It’s tough to participate or watch activities in the atrium, while there is a great selection and a lot to watch/do....I wish they held more activities in the theater so more guests can actually see all the fun.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
SIX and Jersey Boys were AMAZING! So much talent, absolutely fabulous!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Overall everyone is very helpful and courteous but there are always a few that have a slight attitude or don’t go out of their way to help. I didn’t like having to “remind” them I qualified for a 10% discount on excursions, they don’t automatically apply it without mention. They also didn’t have record of the NCL credit card World Points I had cashed in for Onboard credit - another thing I had to prove/fight for. I also pre-purchased a photo package and it took 4 trips to Guest Services to sort it out. Even though it was listed on my Vacation Summary that I printed from the NCL website.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Gorgeous ship and well maintained!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
Make sure you take proof of your prior purchases and if you applied any NCL credit card points to your onboard account. Go to the Shore Excursion desk if your Latitude Status qualifies you for a discount, make sure it’s applied. If you pre-purchase a photo package go early in the trip to make sure they have record of it.
We took a catamaran cruise to see the Pitons. This was by far one of the best excursions we did on the trip. (Second to St. Thomas). St. Lucia is gorgeous and sailing around the island was so relaxing. We stopped to swim in a small cove. I highly recommend this excursion! Just remind the tour guide to get the waiver passed around early on (while standing in line at the pier) so everyone isn’t scrambling to sign it so they can get off the boat and swim!!!
We took the Hop On/Off water taxi to the beach. Great crew on the water taxi! Choice of two beaches, the first was more private and included free WiFi. The second was in front of a Sandals resort and we felt it would get very crowded. We were very happy with the smaller first beach. The water was nice, from the beach there was a small drop when walking into the water that was full of shells and a little rough to walk on. If you have water shoes - wear them! You could go to just one beach or both. We enjoyed this very reasonably priced excursion!
We did the Virgin Gorda and the Baths excursion. Absolutely beautiful! The water taxi to and from had free WiFi which was a pleasant surprise. The hike to the first beach was fun, not too strenuous. Sadly The flag was red indicating we couldn’t swim due to rough water The hike itself to the caves/baths and second beach also wasn’t bad. The caves are very cool but it’s a lot of work and I don’t recommend this tour for someone who may struggle with tight spaces, climbing or crowds. It can move very slow depending on the abilities of the people in front of you. It was a great tour, we enjoyed it!
My favorite port and my favorite excursion!!!! Do the Powercat Snorkel & Beach excursion or any excursion offered by Castaway Tour Co. - their staff “Skeleton Crew” are SUPERB! Besides being so much fun they are knowledgeable, informative and truly very good at what they do! We saw two turtles, squid, a crab, several fish and coral. Afterward we stopped at Honeymoon Beach to relax and enjoy some rum punch. Fabulous excursion Highly Recommend!! I love the Skeleton Crew excursions, I’ve done two and can’t wait to go on more!
LOVED THE BEACH! Crystal clear water! We did the Copacabana Beach Day. The tour included transport from the port, a beach chair, a shared umbrella. a drink and free WiFi. It was at a very nice beach club that also offered food and additional drinks for purchase. I would absolutely go back!!! My only complaint is that the NCL staff did not have a sign or clear directions for where the tour group was to line up. We wasted so much time finding the right line that we had to wait for the second bus even though we were off the ship almost 25 mins before the set meeting time.
We did the St Kitts Scenic Rail. Beautiful views! The guide narrated different aspects of the area as we traveled. It’s a double decker train with the best spot on the top level to actually see the ocean, mountains and other areas. From the bottom level all you see is trees. Be prepared for the smell of diesel during the ride. We were told that Tourism is their main income, so it surprised me that the route wasn’t more landscaped or at least free of garbage. Especially for $129/pp. For anyone that loves trains this a a great tour.
Golden Eagle Sailaway & Swim - great catamaran, pleasant crew and beautiful waters. Snorkeling first near a shipwreck then swimming and beach time. The perfect combo! The boat anchors and you need to swim to the beach, less confident swimmers should wear a life vest or use a noodle. The crew brought a cooler to the beach so refreshments could be enjoyed. Fabulous excursion!
NCL responded to my cruise survey and gave us a credit to use on our next trip to make up for the issues we encountered while on the Bliss with our account/photo package etc. Excellent customer service!
Glad to read your review. We are going on our first NCL cruise and it will be the bliss. It will also be two weeks(16 days actually) through the canal. Looking forward to it.
I canned an RCI credit card for similar reasons, a real bunch of rigaramole to cash in points. Go with a card that gives YOU the cash back that you then can spend on the cruise, any cruiseline! There are several cash back choices out there.
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