We will try a different NCL ship and either leave the 20 somethings home or make sure there are better activities for them. Still thinking we like RCL better but overall we had a great trip.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Arrived earlier than our selected time but no problems checking in at Port Miami. Room to wait was nice with plenty of bathrooms and water stations. Group boarding numbers went pretty quick.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food overall was just ok. Much needed salt and I don’t normally add salt after cooking. Teppanyaki was great fun. Our chef was excellent and very entertaining. Best thing I ate was the spicy shrimp appetizer at Ocean Blue.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Lots of daily activities however geared more towards the older crowd 60+. Not much of interest for the 20 somethings to do. No physical activities at all.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Jersey Boys was excellent. I thought the costumes and talent in Six was amazing but the story was pointless in my opinion.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Previous trips with Royal Caribbean and much prefer that layout with the multi floor shop section and the observation lounge on Royal is multi floor theater. On Bliss the observation lounge is just one floor. It was crowded and felt enclosed.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room was fine. Smaller than we expected after our last RCL trip. Double sink in the bathroom was nice.
Ship tip
If you can’t entertain yourself and expect physical activity, pick a different ship or cruise line.
Panama City was fun. We ended up at the new terminal which is still in the construction phase outside. The taxi union was preventing Uber drivers from entering the port. We had to force the port security to let the Ubers in. One the terminal has more ships docking and they finish the lots and sidewalks I’m sure things will run smoother.
We booked our excursion with Dora the Explorer. Tour was great. When my mom decided to stay on the bus during the city walking tour, the bus driver took her for a scenic ride to pass the time.
Loved it. We Ubered to the Zona Romantica and walked the beach and boardwalk. The beach was nice and we found really nice sea glass on the beach. Had food on the street and it was really good.
We did NCL tour of Antigua and it was nice. Jade museum is a joke- basically a lady tells you how she made it rich discovering the jade. The museum is maybe 50ft long and they don’t even send you to it directly, you primarily end up in the giant store selling jewelry and jade nicknacks. The lunch was very good that came with the tour.
Our experience was ok as someone advised getting a porter when we got off in LA and we breezed through customs and immigration. The lines were crazy for those without the porters who have their own line. The wait for the bus to the airport using NCL transport was also crazy. Not enough buses- like they didn’t know how many passengers they he’d sold transport to? Friends did an excursion and lost over an hour of the tour due to the lines in immigration. Why didn’t they have a special line for people who paid extra for the excursion?
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