For active sea travelers who appreciate a generous choice of diversions, restaurants, entertainment and personalized pampering — all wrapped up in gorgeously sophisticated style and quality decor — Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new ship, named Bliss, excels.
Features of Bliss
NCL has long been known for its razzle-dazzle bells and whistles that herald an abundance of experiences. This 2,043-stateroom, 167,800-ton vessel has made an especially impressive initial splash.
Bliss is currently in the midst of a month-long inaugural celebration with a USA launch that kicked off in New York City at the beginning of May, followed by festive ports-of-call in Miami, Los Angeles (via the Panama Canal) and ultimately will be officially christened in Seattle on May 30 and then, on June 2, commence summer voyages to Alaska, featuring Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, British Columbia. Quite a coming-out party.
President and CEO Andy Stuart, who deftly runs this 16-ship company said, “The people: crew and shore staff! I walk around our ships and interact with crew and it is a joy to be a part of this. I look at their faces — and I know how hard they work, how creative they become in doing the best job possible. I notice the pride that they bring to their jobs every day. For example, the Indian chefs. We recently put in a tandoori oven. I went to see it and the chefs prepared tandoori-style sea bass and chicken. I tasted it — fantastic! Those chefs were so happy that I took the time to meet with them, see their project and that they could share with me the cuisine from their homeland. This is a people business. No passenger has ever written a letter to me about a lounge or our phone system, for instance. But passengers do tell me all the time about the bartender who took special care of them all week or a waiter or front desk staff member who was kind and made a positive difference in their vacation”.
Devotion to passengers
According to Cruise Lines International Association, approximately 25.8-million people vacationed at sea in 2017, a number expected to grow this year. NCL has a keen eye not only on keeping its devoted passengers coming back again and again, but also wooing a new generation of Millennials. Here is a peek at noteworthy Bliss news.
Luxurious rooms
A staple on NCL vessels, The Haven is an exclusive hideaway. It feels even extra posh on the Bliss with 80 elegant suites spaciously cocooned in an enclave that harbors its own private dining room, a two-deck-level courtyard with sunlit-starlight bar area (the roof retracts), hot tubs, spa, pool, cabanas, private butlers and a stunning two-deck-high Horizon Lounge that panoramically overlooks the sea.
Seagazing and basking in natural light
Massively roomy (at 20,000 square feet) and sea-loving romantic, the Observation Lounge, which wraps 180-degrees of floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of ship, is the perfect voyeur perch in which to sea gaze — eyeing glaciers in Alaska, whales in Mexico, turquoise splendor in the Caribbean while ensconced on a comfy chair, perhaps sipping a cocktail or cappuccino.
Another monumental draw is that the lounge is dedicated to serenity — no meetings, dance-a-thons or other rah-rah hubbub will be scheduled. From bow to aft and port to starboard, Bliss also glistens with natural light.
Andy Stuart said, “It is our strategy to build ships that are outward facing. Since our first Breakaway-class ship, we’ve located lounges and other public areas so that passenger views are more open to the outside and feel more of a connection to the ocean”.
State of the art entertainment
There are so many theatrical shows, music performances, stand-up comedy acts, lectures and magic ta-dahs on Bliss that, at times, it can be a challenge to choose among the wealth of offerings. Yes, this is a welcome conundrum.
A dazzling, full production of the 2006 Tony Award-winner for Best Broadway Musical, Jersey Boys — showcasing music made famous by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons woven into a story arc about their rise to top-of-the-charts fame — repeatedly earns standing ovations. The newest and most ambitious original musical devised specifically for NCL by Broadway award-winning creatives, havana dances and sings its colorful, dramatic way across the elaborate-set-design Bliss stage as a tribute to Cuba in the 1950s.
It is a show empowered by industry-titan, Cuban-born Frank Del Rio, President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Holdings, comprised of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Located in the more intimate Social Comedy and Night Club, Happy Hour Prohibition – The Musical is an adults-only, bit risqué show spun in Madam Lulu’s New Orleans speakeasy with audience interaction that time travels back to January 16, 1919 (on the eve of Prohibition), serving specialty cocktails from that era. Another venue, The Cavern Club — designed to flame fandom reminiscent of the Liverpool, England.
Racing track
Drivers steer electric go-karts up to 30 miles per hour around 15 hairpin turns for eight laps on this longest raceway at sea — 1,000 feet — a first for NCL’s North American-based ships. Adrenaline addicts are also pumped about Planet Earth, another new top-deck zone with laser tag played in teams within an open-air, extensive, intensive alien-lab scenario.
Disclaimer: This video is intended for informational purpose only. This may not be construed as a news item or advice of any sort. Please consult the experts in that field for the authenticity of the presentations.
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Source: Forbes
