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Warning - supersized post due to all the pictures!!!)
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| Day 2 Freestyle Daily page 1 |
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| Day 2 Freestyle Daily page 2 |
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| Day 2 Freestyle Daily page 3 |
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| Day 2 Freestyle Daily page 4 |
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Saturday morning, we had breakfast at The Local to try it out. The atmosphere was similar to eating at a casual-dining restaurant and is open 24 hours.
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| breakfast menu |
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| country platter |
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| create-your-own-omelet |
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After breakfast, I attended a general session in the Bliss Theater, which wasn't full. Perhaps people were stuck in a long line waiting to meet Wyland, the artist who painted the hull of the
Norwegian Bliss.
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| line wrapped around the atrium to see Wyland |
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| NCL president and CEO Andy Stuart |
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Remember I mentioned in the
previous day's post that I hoped we could get into "Q", the Texas BBQ specialty restaurant for lunch? It was open to everyone from 12-2pm. Well, the line for it meandered all the way down the ship, and was cut off before we could join. The last people in line were to wait until 2pm to get seated, and it was only 12pm. So we ended up attending the Seafood Extravaganza at the Garden Cafe. I had never seen so much seafood on display at a buffet! The event may have been specially held for the inaugural. I stuffed myself with so much delicious shellfish that I couldn't stand to eat shrimp, crab or lobster for months afterwards.
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| too many plates of this |
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| and this |
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After overdosing of cholesterol, we walked it off by visiting the rest of the ship that we missed on the first day.
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| lunch menu in the main dining room |
Norwegian Bliss' Observation Lounge was impressive. It was such a huge space (cabins were sacrificed to create it) and even offered a mini-buffet. Kaleb would hang out in here while I was out doing travel agent things. The expansive views from the lounge is perfect for Alaskan cruising.
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| complimentary bar menu |
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Some of the specialty restaurants were not being used for meetings, so I got a few photos. The children's areas looked nice. Then we found the arcade. Many of the games were free (for the inaugural of course). Too bad we didn't see this last night.
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| Food Republic |
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| Food Republic food menu |
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| Food Republic drink menu |
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| Ocean Blue menu |
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| Ocean Blue menu |
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| a Starbucks cafe on board |
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| arcade almost to ourselves |
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| $0.00 works for us |
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| we did a lot of the car and cycle racing |
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| and tons of hoops |
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| once or twice on the VR game was enough |
We toured cabins on display, ranging from inside to mini-suites. I won't include all of them here, just some interesting ones.
If you are traveling solo, you can opt to stay in a studio cabin, which has access to a common area stocked with snacks and beverages. These cabins would be priced less than if you paid for a regular interior cabin at 200%. There are studios that connect to each other if you need this type of arrangement. Note that all studios are interior. I thought they were nice and cozy.
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| bathroom is part of the studio |
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| and sink |
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| studios share this common area |
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| snacks and beverages in common area |
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An accessible balcony cabin:
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| wide spaces and doors for wheelchairs |
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| spacious bathroom |
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I thought this "trough" sink in the mini-suite was cool:
The most luxurious cabins on board, located in
The Haven, were available for viewing today, but only escorted tours. The Haven has its own pool, private restaurant and common area. The two- and three-bedroom villas are popular with families. There is even butler service and other luxuries.
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| waiting our turn to tour |
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| plush king sized beds |
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| accessible bathroom |
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I was surprised to find that the second bedroom of the 2-bedroom villa contained a double sofabed instead of a real bed. Perhaps it was meant for younger children.
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| sofabed in second bedroom |
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| car wash rain shower |
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| oceanview bath |
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| Bulgari toiletries |
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The deluxe owner's suite is bigger than my house! The bathroom is so beautiful.
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| wow! |
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| this closet is the size of a studio |
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| robes |
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| sofabed in the second bedroom again |
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| living and dining room |
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The common areas for Haven guests were quite nice.
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| private pool and courtyard |
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| lounge and restaurant |
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| another cozy lounge |
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| stairs down to the main lounge |
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| snacks and beverages also available |
The Haven villas would be perfect for guests/families who enjoy ultra-luxury cruising, but still desire the entertainment and amenities that a large cruise ship offers, such as children's clubs, Broadway-style shows, and night life.
After the escorted tour, we grab some drinks at the District Brew House. When we got back to our cabin, there were more commemorative gifts delivered.
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| just soda water for me |
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| picture book, luggage strap |
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We didn't feel like eating in the main dining room, so we opted for dinner at The Local.
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| blurry main dining room menu |
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| Local food menu |
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| food menu |
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| drink menu |
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| drink menu |
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| watermelon Greek salad |
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| fish and chips |
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| grilled cheese and tomato |
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For dessert, we stopped by Coco's sweet shop. One complimentary menu item per guest was offered for the inaugural (except milkshakes, celebration platter and chocolate fountain). Our server informed us that the ice cream sundae would be a smaller version of the paid one.
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| nutella sundae |
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| raspberry watermelon cooler |
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| Bliss by night |
We spent the rest of the night walking around the ship and stopped by the arcade. By now, other guests had found out the machines were free and the place was more crowded.
Our second night of the cruise was over - much too short to enjoy all that Norwegian Bliss had to offer. We also found out too late that the laser tag and go-karts were complimentary to experience during the inaugural - oh well, got to leave something new to do whenever we sail on Bliss again!
Norwegian Bliss is a wonderful option for Alaska cruising. The Observation Lounge is an ideal place to take in all the scenery while staying warm (and fed by the mini-buffet). If you're not already busy doing excursions at the ports, there are so many activities to do on the ship. There are plenty of specialty restaurants to choose from, which are usually included in the "
Free at Sea" promotion. Solo guests can choose to stay in a studio. Haven guests have their own pool, courtyard, lounges, and restaurant. There is something for everyone on the Bliss, whether you are traveling by yourself, a couple, or multi-generational family. If you are interested in cruising on Norwegian Bliss (or any other cruise), contact me anytime! (info at bottom)
We'll be back in Los Angeles tomorrow morning and meet up with my brothers and their families in Long Beach for the rest of the Memorial Day weekend...stay tuned!
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
