DH and I have been on this itinerary before (once on HAL, twice on NCL), but this was the first time just the two of us, without the kids or any other family. This was a celebration of our 27th anniversary.

We had the free airfare, which worked great. Easy, nonstop flights both ways (PDX-LAX). The airport transfer process involved a lot of standing around without much direction beyond "stay against the wall and wait," but we made it to San Pedro no problem. As it turned out, there had been a surprise Coast Guard inspection of the Bliss that delayed embarkation by 2+ hours. There would have been just as long a delay at the port as there was at the airport. By the time we boarded cabins were available, so we checked out the room. We were on deck 13 port-side forward, which turned out the be a lovely location.

We'd been on the Breakaway last December and were familiar with the overall deck plan, but we found we liked the Bliss much more in terms of the public spaces. The pool deck is way better - more open and welcoming. Moving the hot tubs up to the next deck eliminated the "bro factor" from around the pools. Those folks who liked to hang out in the tubs and flex all day were on a different level entirely. We also really enjoyed being along the Waterfront, mostly near Sugarcane, the mojito bar. We'd park ourselves in one of the couch groupings and play Cribbage in the afternoon, enjoying the view, the air and the people watching. Read more