The Panama Canal aboard the Norwegian Bliss

In January of 2023, we sailed aboard the Norwegian Bliss to Columbia, Panama, Guatemala and Mexico during a 15-night cruise that included transit through the Panama Canal.

The Bliss and our At Sea Days

The Bliss is currently one of NCLs largest and newest cruise ships. She can hold over 4,000 passengers and 1,700 crew on 20 decks. The ship is decorated with massive Robert Wyland-designed art work and is easily the most recognizable ship in any port. Amenities include a large theater, go-kart track, water slide, bowling lanes, multiple themed dining options, an outdoor boardwalk, and a brewhouse. Our cruise even included a 300-strong marching band! The entertainment venues varied from the large multi-purpose theater to the Cavern Club, styled after the Liverpool club where the Beatles performed. The one thing we never got on this ship was bored, finding a place to sit was sometimes tricky with the six at-sea days and then an additional day transiting the canal. All-in-all, there is very little to complain about with this behemoth of a ship.

With the large number of at-sea days, the drink package was a must in our minds, but NCL does like to nickel and dime folks between the two packages. Needless to say, being on a first name basis with the bartenders and tipping regularly goes a long way. The other key to enjoyment of at-sea days is to plan your day around activities and to have favorite hangouts and get there early. For us it’s always figuring out when and where trivia will be, that helps us decide when to head on deck for some pool time, and when to find some shade and enjoy the passing breeze. Deck 8 has a wraparound walking path with multiple bars and areas to congregate.

Cartagena, columbia

Our first and only port in the Caribbean after two days at sea was Cartagena, Columbia. This stop offered us a chance to tour the old city, visit the fortress of Castle San Felipe de Barajas, and then spend some time in the surprisingly amazing Port Oasis Eco Park. We took an NCL excursion that covered these stops and we had a great time. Our first stop was a view of the old fortress and a chance to take some pictures with the War Bored Monkey’s. Street art is a big deal in Cartagena and we saw several great examples of it during our day in Columbia.

The old fortress was an impressive site with a great view overlooking the harbor. It’s a steep walk up with a few areas only accessible by stairs. Some of the internal walkways are pretty tight but certainly worth checking out.

After boarding the bus we continued into the city. Our first stop was Centenario Park where we caught a glimpse of one of the resident sloths. Our walk took us to the Clock Tower Monument which acted as the gateway to the walled city. There were a number of artists, craftsmen, and street performers in Aduana’s Plaza. The walk took us to the Bastion of San Ignacio, a walled overlook of the harbor, here we got a few pictures before boarding our bus to head back to the dock.

Arriving back to the ship, we were surprised to discover a small eco park between the lot and the ship. This area was the most under advertised portion of our trip with it’s collection of birds, monkeys, ant eaters, and all sorts of local creatures.

the panama canal transit

Our next day wasn’t technically an at-sea day but we never left the boat. Our transit of the canal began early and we travelled under the Atlantic Bridge shortly after breakfast. We learned that we’d be travelling through the new set of locks, this meant no train to lead us through, and instead we had an escort of tugs guiding us. On one occasion, one of the tugs bumped us a little harder than expected and that sent a few gasps through the ship. Once we cleared the first set of locks, it was a leisurely cruise through Gatun Lake at 15 knots. We had a few spot showers during the day which forced peopled back in side, this caused some overcrowding in every area with a forward or rear facing window. The view from the bridge was broadcast on every available screen and could be viewed in our room as well.

panama city

Our stop in Panama City was a little different since Miranda had foreign exchange students that her and her parents stayed in touch with over the years living there. They picked us up from the dock and took us on a scenic drive through the city, sharing with us a little history lesson and the joy of the old town traffic jam. We stopped for coffee at Hotel La Compañia to enjoy the day and take a look at the remaining footprint of the Church of the Society of Jesus. We only really had about 6 hours at this stop so we decided to have lunch closer to the cruise port at Praia Amador and we had a couple of sampler platters with some interesting options. The cruise terminal in Panamanian City is still under construction and it will be beautiful one day, but for now, it’s just a construction site that requires a bus ride to get through.

guatamala

We didn’t go far on this stop, NCL didn’t have very many excursions available and this wasn’t really a DIY stop. Puerto Quetzal is an industrial port pretending to be a cruise stop. Just off the boat is a small craft village where you can find the same shirt, shot glass, and trinkets at every booth. A few of them have something a little different, and I did find a nice Guebara shirt, albeit a little on the thick side, so it’ll be great for our upcoming Norway cruise. One interest thing that happened was that we were pulling into the port as a sugarcane field was being burned, this left the deck of our ship covered in ash.

acapulco

“Mostly safe city” this was the description of Acapulco provided to us by the captain as we arrived. There are no police because of corruption, the army patrols the city. The famed city that was the playground of the Hollywood elite has certainly seen better days so again we took an NCL excursion to be on the safe side.

The cliff divers normally go in the afternoon, but they did an exhibition for us, which was no small ask since the tide was out in the morning, most of the divers didn’t go from the top because of that. The divers are all unionized and are supported by the local hotels, that would likely no longer exist without them. We also stopped at the Los Flamingos Hotel for a drink and to see the Tarzan exhibit. Our last stop was to a jewelry store, sometimes you end up with little stops like this on cruise tours. In exchange for a soda or six ounce pour of beer and the use of their bathroom (a big deal with older travelers), the place gets a bus full of people to look at their stuff and maybe buy something. Our last stop would have been the fort of San Diego, but it’s under renovation and only viewable from an outside walking path.

puerto vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a tourist town through and through. We had options like a city tour, ATV rides, horeback riding, etc. but we decided to try something a little different. We took a catamaran trip to a fishing village next to a beach on the far side of the harbor. We toured the village first, disembarking was no small matter since there were no large docks for the catamaran, instead we took the small boats in. The walk up to the waterfall went through a path that had a large number of shops along the way selling handmade crafts. Pictures at the waterfall were nice but nothing spectacular. The walk to the beach included fording a fast moving creek that runs into the bay. A little bit of time on the beach and then back on to the boat. We made a short stop for snorkeling, it didn’t seem like it would be any good so we didn’t go and we were right. We stopped at a beach that required us to jump off the boat because there is no dock, it was a short swim in and then we hung out there for about an hour. We kayaked and did paddle boarding before heading back to the ship. There were blue footed boobies here, which we found fascinating since we visited the only other place we thought they existed just a few months earlier. The trip back to the port included one of the most interesting cover bands we’d ever seen, mad props to the crew for the entertaining ride back.

mazatlan

Explore on our own, we hiked up to the lighthouse. At 1500 meters and 341 steps at the end of a winding trail, it’s the tallest active lighthouse in the world. The views were great from up there, and apparently we just missed seeing a submarine leaving port. On our walk back to the boat we swung through town along the blue route, stopping by a drug store for some hiking related supplies. Drug stores in Mexico are an interesting sight when a cruise ship is in town.

cabo san lucas

Our stop in Cabo San Lucas was our second visit to the city in the last 12 months so we tried something a little different. We chose a cruise excursion that offered us a different view of the city and then a ride out to San Jose del Cabo. Our first stop was the Sunset Monalisa, a restaurant with a cross bay view of the arches. We were given a half hour to wander the premises, enjoy a drink, and take in the view. A half hour bus ride later and we arrived at the town center in San Jose del Cabo and spent an hour shopping.

our trip

We had a great time on this long cruise. Traveling through the Panama Canal is a fascinating experience and the stops along our January cruise were a welcome respite from the midwestern winter. We had some hesitation about the amount of at-sea days but we were rarely bored and the NCL crew had plenty planned to keep us entertained. We got to see so little of Panama City and Guatemala, they will definitely be future trips for us!