Norwegian Bliss Christening Celebration Cruise ~ May 30th to June 2nd, 2018

I was very grateful to have been personally invited by Norwegian Cruise Lines to take part in the brand new Norwegian Bliss' christening and four day celebration cruise on May 30th, 2018 out of Seattle, Washington.Honestly, it was an amazing experience. I had watched the Bliss from her steel cutting ceremony, through her entire build. So being onboard, especially for her christening was a proud moment for me.The Norwegian Bliss was my first mega ship, all other ships I have ever sailed on had a maximum capacity of 3200 guest, the Bliss has an almost 5000 passenger maximum. She broke the record for the largest passenger ship to ever sail through the Panama Canal and now to sail to Alaska.Day 1I arrived at Pier 66 in Seattle quite early, at about 9:30am. I used www.cruiseseattleparking.com (Republic Parking Northwest) to park conveniently right across the street from the pier. The lot also has a skybridge attached to the pier for easy access.Once there I lined up to check in, as there were quite a few VIP guests and events, boarding was delayed a bit, but I was onboard by 11:30am.I headed up to my room, cabin 14116. It was a beautiful balcony cabin (thanks NCL!). It was really well designed and loved the colour palette.Once settled in, I headed to Taste for lunch with a celebratory glass of wine. The food onboard was really good. Then it was time to start exploring the ship.I can't believe the feel of this ship. With over 3100 onboard, she feels half empty, or like a small ship even. She's designed so well that I never noticed any crazy crowds! After muster, I headed straight upstairs to the Observation Lounge where I was to be for the christening events. It was a great experience and had a lot of fun and bumped into several other travel industry friends. It was great to celebrate all together and toast to the Bliss and wishing everyone who sails on her health and happiness.After the christening it was time to relax for a bit back in the cabin and get ready for a special dinner I was invited to by my Norwegian Cruise Line Business Development Manager. I ate dinner in the beautiful Manhattan Room, one of the main dining rooms on the Norwegian Bliss.Everything food wise was AMAZING! After dinner, it was time to check out the sail away party that was moved to the Atrium instead of the pool deck. I partied the night away until about 11:30pm, then headed back to my room, where I found my daily for tomorrow, an invite to a cocktail reception tomorrow evening and a mouse in my coffee cup...Day 2If you've read my other cruise blog posts, you know I'm an early riser. This gave me an amazing advantage on this ship during this preview. I was able to see and get some great photos of places without anyone...First stop... Starbucks... Yes, it is a proper Starbucks and you can use your Starbucks Card here to collect Stars, however you cannot redeem rewards onboard.This is the main Atrium, where guest services is located, Starbucks and a great sitting area. Upstairs you see The Local, a great bar with a bowling alley (yes, a bowling alley).Next up, the heart of 678 Ocean Place...After my walk, it was time to relax for a bit, so I did that in the gorgeous Observation Lounge...As I was relaxing, I noticed a few spouts of water in the air, we were following two humpback whales!The Observations Lounge is one of my favourite places on the ship by far! Checked out more of the ship, had breakfast at Savor (eggs benny), then toured the pool decks and the Haven Suites.After, I headed down to the Bliss Theatre for the Partners First Executive Presentation, where the President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines spoke to us about the Bliss and the future of Norwegian Cruise Lines.It was the Seafood Extravaganza up at Garden Cafe, so I had to take part in some Alaska King Crab and Lobster...I went back to the Atrium as Wyland (who painted the hull of the Norwegian Bliss) was signing posters. I'm a geek like that, so I did get one lol...It was time for energy in the form of sugar... So I tried Coco's...I tried the Tiramisu Coupe, and it was as good as it looked...We then heard an announcement that the rumours were true... Pitbull was onboard and he was going to do a motivational talk with us... Back to the Bliss Theatre...He's honestly a great speaker. But it was time to get ready for a cocktail party I was invited to in the Observation Lounge, followed by dinner at Taste.Tonight was Jersey Boys, it was such a great show! It does have a bit of swearing (quite a few f-bombs), but it's such a great show and the cast was amazing. The entire last song was a standing ovation. By the time the show ended, I was beat...Such a great day exploring the ship, followed by a perfect sunset with a glass of prosecco on my balcony...Day 35:15am I was wide awake...Had an amazing sunset, well this morning's sunrise was just as beautiful...Grabbed a Starbucks then watched us sail into Victoria from the Garden Cafe.After breakfast and once we were docked at Victoria, it was time to try out the go carts onboard. They. were. awesome! Totally worth it!!!After my carting session, I wanted to grab a few photos of the ship as it was really hard to get any in Seattle... On my walk along the breakwater I had a friend show up...I didn't spend much time off the ship as I can see Victoria whenever I want as I live so close, I didn't want to waste any precious time so I headed back onboard.Once onboard I wanted to try a couple of the specialty dining restaurants as most weren't open to us due to all the special events onboard. So I was able to try "Q" for lunch.I ordered the platter, but was so hungry I dug in before taking a photo... Oops...On to dessert... A macaron, Grand Marnier Cupcake and a cup of Gelato later... Relaxed on the Waterfront for a little while, then again went to walk it all off (or waddle, not sure, but needed to move)...Teppanyaki...Skyline Bar near the Casino...Sugarcane... Home of my FAV mojitos onboard, seriously try the Raspberry Guava and the Pineapple Coconut, even a classic mojito from here is HEAVEN!Eventually my feet got tired again, I hit my daily walking target by noon everyday on this cruise haha! So I relaxed in the Atrium while Wyland was painting, it was so amazing watching him paint. I think I actually picked up some tips for our next sip and paint that I may want to try out. It was so nice just listening to the jazz music and enjoying an artist at work.It was then time to hit another cocktail party, then enjoy my last dinner in the Manhattan Room...Again, sorry, no food photos.. I was hungry...After dinner it was time to try out the other production show called "Havana!". It was good, costumes and dancing was great, but the Jersey Boys was better.After Havana! it was time for bed... It was an amazing cruise preview. Upon arriving back to my room I had a few extra goodies waiting for me so I did a "swag" photo of all the moments I collected this cruise...Day 4A very sad day... Disembarkation day is never a happy day for an avid cruiser... I loved this ship, I can't say enough about the staff and how beautiful the Bliss is. I was off the ship by 9:30am and sadly scanned my cruise card for the last time and dragged my luggage down the gangway...Until next time Bliss, until next time...A huge "thank you" again to Norwegian Cruise Line for the personal invitation to be apart of this special cruise. It's something I'll never forget and beyond grateful for being onboard for all the celebrations. I can't wait to be back onboard on September 8th when I cruise to Alaska for the third time.xoxoWanderlustJourney