NCL Bliss sailing was on the Inaugural Cruise from Southampton, England on April 21, 2018 England to New York City, NY. arriving on May 3, 2018.
Inagural Cruises are different than all other cruises on the same ship. The NCL Bliss floated out of Meyer Yard in Papenburg, Germany on February 17, 2018. Before making it’s way to sea the life boats were added. Due to the ship sailing through the Panama Canal the life boats are housed inside the NCL Bliss so the NCL Bliss can pass through the Panama Canal.
The River Conveyance was on March 14, 2018. Due to a narrow river passage the tug boats took the NCL Bliss out to wider deeper waters and then the NCL Bliss was sailing all alone for the first time. What a sight to see that even if it was on visible on YouTube only. The ship was delivered to Bremerhaven, Germany where it would begin it’s sea trials.
The crew was added to the ship during the sea trials. One crew member told me it was amazing to be part of the sea trials. The biggest feat was the ship was travelling as fast as possible and did a full u-turn at the fast rate of speed. They needed to test how well the ship manuverd incase a passenger fell overboard and they had to make a sudden turn. Oh, they did say the ship handled the manuvered well. The crews days were spent in sea trials and the evenings they spent viewing the entertainment and eating in the restaurants so they would have an idea what the passengers were going to see and eat during their cruise. They also had an opportunity to meet each other and work with each other. I’m also sure that lots of supplies were added while in Bremerhaven.
The NCL Bliss sailed out of Bremerhaven, Germany on April 19, 2018 for Southampton, England. It is my understanding that a group of Travel Agents sailed with them between Bremerhaven and Southampton.
When the NCL Bliss sailed out of Southampton for New York City on April 21, 2018 a full crew of engineers, plumbers, electricians, etc sail with us. When the ship floats out and sea trials are complete, it is time to make sure everything on the inside of the ship is in full working order. As passengers on a Maiden Voyage, we have to remember that even the computer system is brand new, the staff is brand new, the cabins are brand new, the electronic doors are brand new, and the air and heating systems are brand new. In fact everything on the ship has to be in working order and work crews spent the 12 night crossing double checking everything.
We noticed the swimming pools had no heat on the day we sailed but the steam was rising off the pools by the time we left the Azores. Our cabin had a broken bed which the engineers fixed right away once it was reported. Everything else in our cabin was fully operational. We saw the crews working on the overhead outside heaters as it can get chilly in Alaska. All the electronic door were set for 3,000 or more passengers to process in and out of. All day everyday we watched the engineers make adjustments to everything, the staff learning their job and where things are located, and how everything became a well oiled machine. It was comforting to know the engineers were there and we enjoyed talking with them and watching them. It was an education of cruise travel I had never seen before. It truly is amazing how much goes into the production and operation of a new ship.
I firmly beleive the person most responsible for making sure everything moves perfectly, efficiently, and jobs get done is the Concierge. Our concierge Andrian Bica is a person who firmly knows his job and how to take care of everything. I can not imagine this ship setting sail across the Atlantic without him.
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