Cruising NCL Bliss with Nut Allergy

So this is first attempt at travel blog even though we have cruise 8 times before and a few all inclusive. So to start off we left Peterborough ON on Dec 7 to travel to Fort Lauderdale from Hamilton Airport via FlySwoop Airlines. First off FlySwoop which is a Ultra Low Cost airline in Canada was incredible for my nut allergies. I indicated my allergy previous when I booked my ticket online and when I got to the gate to check in I was told because it was the first flight of the morning they had already wiped down my seat for me but still allowed me to pre-board to do anything I needed to do. The flight was awesome they made an announcement for the whole plane to please do not consume any nuts on the plane and I had no problems. I always fly with two epipens and handiwipes in my pack but I also had additional epipens in my backpack that I used as a carryon.

We arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport and preceded to go and find the Tri-Rail shuttle to take us to the tri-rail station which was pretty easy. The tri-rail which was around $3 pp took us right to Miami Airport which then we got a taxi to our hotel (because we didn't want to wait an hour for hotel shuttle).

On Dec 8 we then took our hotel shuttle and boarded the NCL Bliss.

 Embarkation was actually pretty smooth and we got in and got our paperwork and sign and sail cards and we were assigned a group number 2. We then sat and only waited maybe 30 mins and we were on our way onto the ship.

Now my previous 7 cruises have all been on Carnival so that is my comparison experience. Of course we could not get into our rooms until 2pm and we were on board at approx 1230 so the first place you go is to the buffet to eat.

As a Severe Peanut Allergic person the buffet on a cruise ship can be a minefield to traverse. So I asked the nearest person for someone to help me. They called Nicholas

who was the executive sous chef. He was excellent he walked me through the entire buffet and told me exactly what I could and could not have and the areas to avoid all together. He even pointed out the few pastries and breads that would be ok for me but because they were right beside ones that were not it was a high risk of cross contamination on a buffet so that was a hard NO for me. So I played it safe and sampled the burger and pizza and fries the first day. The were ok but Carnival Cruise Lines far surpasses the pizza on this ship.

So we made our way to the stateroom when we were able and dropped our bags off. There was a letter in the cabin telling me because of allergies I was to go to the Maitre 'D's office located in the restaurant reservation area. This was ok but it didn't really specify where that was so we went to guest services. The redirected me to the area called The Social which is where you can make reservations the first night. After waiting in line for 30 mins I finally got to speak to a person and they were nice and pleasant and offered me the menu for the dining room that night to pre-order. A lot of items on the menu had nut items in them so I played it safe and got the steak and baked potatoes and fruit plate for dessert ( no chocolate melting cake😒).

We went for Supper with a group at Taste one of the 3 main free dining rooms on the Bliss. They all have the same menus and draw from the same kitchens. So I told them I had pre-order and when everyone's  meals came out so did mine exactly as I had ordered so that was a good start and the food was very good no complaints. After that meal I was offered a menu to pre-order for the next night however that was the last time that was done without me prompting for it.On Carnival I never had to prompt they were right there with the menu.

I won't bore you with details of every meal but with a lot of menus that I saw a lot of items did have nut items as part of them so I did play it safe and stuck with things that were safer like chicken, steak and prime rib. Not once was there ever a suggestion for a waiter or wait staff of a food item that they could alter for me to have this was a little disappointing as I guess I was spoiled on carnival with this but that also goes to the difference between freestyle dining of NCL and  the set dining times with same waitstaff every night of Carnival.

I did eat at The Local which was the irish pub restaurant also complimentary a few times. And I have to say as soon as the waitstaff came to the table the first thing they always ask was if anyone had any food allergies which is very good. And they checked to see if what I had ordered was safe for me.

One BIG WARNING for Nut Allergic folk is the Bars on the NCL Bliss and I assume any NCL ship. All the bars serve containers of nuts for people. While at most bars i didn't see a lot of these the one particular area I did was The District Brewhouse. I went in with my friends and quickly left as the nuts were everywhere in there and I watched several patrons just eating them and wiping there hands together so I was out of there quickly and did not return.

So All in all my experience on the Bliss in regards to food allergies was pretty good. I didn't utilize any of the up charge restaurants but I am sure they would hand things the same. However in my personal opinion my overall experience on the Bliss was not as enjoyable as my previous Carnival Cruises. I didn't like that fact that you had to book a lot of the entertainment a head of time especially with a group of 14 people it can make it hard to co-ordinate. I didn't find the staff with a few exceptions to be overly happy or friendly And it just didn't have the same fun vibe that Carnival seems to have.

I can say I tried it but I think I will be returning to Carnival very soon.

PMC Issue fact or fiction!!!

As a Peterborough Laker Fan and a City of Peterborough tax payer this whole issue right now about the PMC floor repairs is very concerning to me. Not only does the fate of the Lakers home season next year stand in the balance but also the fate of 100's of minor lacrosse players and other events and uses for the PMC during the time period in question of June till possibly November of 2019. Its not just a question of the ticket and sponsorship revenue I am concerned about which as a fan I obviously am but also the $3.5 million price tag attached to this repair by the city.

What concerns me the most about this situation is the very confusing and mixed stories that are coming out about the reports and version of what is happening. So as a concerned citizen I emailed both the Mayor and the two councilors in my ward being Henry Clark and Don Vassiliadis. I will put my initial email and there responses to the email and you can read for yourself the variations in the  of the issues. And the versions that we have heard in the media.

My Email.


 Good Afternoon, As a concerned taxpayer and yes a Lakers Fan. I feel
you really need to get a second opinion on the structural integrity of
the PMC floor before spending 3.5 million dollars of our tax dollars.
Not only because its a lot of money and you will be messing up the
Lakers fan base for an entire season. But also its all the minor league
players that will be displaced both lacrosse and hockey in the fall and
with no extra floor or ice space in the city to replace this facility
during its down time that is a huge void that won't be filled. I hope in
your plans for the new facility at Trent University you have included a
fair amount of seating on at least one of the ice services much like
they have at the Cobourg Community Centre.
> 
> A Concerned taxpayer and voter
> 
> Rob Rutherford


The Mayors Response:

Rob

That would be a forth or fifth opinion on the building condition,I am sending some information to try and establish some of our reasoning.

I have assured everyone who has asked ,we would not be spending any money unless it was absolutely necessary.

The Memorial Centre is not scheduled to be demolished nor has any decision been made to decommission the building. A new Major Event and Sport Facility would cost $80 million to $100 million, according to early estimates. That study is underway. No decision has been made. If the community decided to build a new facility, it would take an estimated eight years for consultation, planning, design and construction for that substantial facility. We would need the Memorial Centre to last at least until we have a new facility. The community could also decide to re-purpose the Memorial Centre for other types of uses as a community facility. That is part of the current facility review that's underway.

A facility review of the Mem Ctr was commissioned in 2009-2010,then the structural review in 2016 all being reviewed by our own maintenance/engineering staff.

The structural engineer commented that the south wall is a critical component of the overall ice rink and the rink slabs and it needs to be replaced as scheduled prior to winter 2021. The engineer also reported that the findings show that the deterioration has been progressing at an accelerated rate. Waiting until the very end of the expected viability of the floor would be risking failure of the structure before we can replace it - leading to a longer closure and a more costly emergency repair. The repairs are slated for next year, 2019. We have been discussing this with the major tenants for more than a year and it's another year until construction.All of the reports are available to the public and they have been discussed at open Council meetings.

It is far better to be pro active rather than reactive when you have the magnitude of potential safety issues surrounding this facility repair.

The Lakers and the Petes are the two major sports activities the Lakers play 9 home games the Petes 34. There are many other users of the facility.

On the Trent Arena site ,we are years away from completing that facility as we are working to obtain Federal and promised provincial funding.

We are all in this together and we are trying to accommodate as best we can all the community.

I appreciate your interest.

The City of Peterborough has a new toll free phone number: 1 855 738 3755

 Henry Clarke's Response:

Mr. Rutherford.  Thanks for speaking up on this important issue.   just so you know, the city actually obtained three opinions, but I know everyone for some reason thinks it was just one.   I’ve seen the photos of the east wall that is failing and it’s enough to make me very concerned.  Its crumbing, with concrete spalling off, and creating a situation where we could see a structural collapse.

We are working with all of our user group, Lakers, Petes, minor leagues, trying to find the least intrusive schedule that those at the table can agree to.  staff felt we had reached that point, having waited a full year at the request of the Lakers and petes, and proposed the schedule of 22 weeks downtime as the best of a bad situation.

I am sure we are all open to ideas that can help that as we can all see how the teams and fan base will be impacted.

Thanks again  h

Don Vassiliadas Response:

Rob,

Sorry for the delay of my reply. Thank you for your email. I am a season
ticket holder for the Lakers. I have met with the Lakers organization on
August 29th and I am willing to make or support a motion at Council to
get a second and third opinion for the repair work at the Memorial
Centre. Also, I’m willing to accommodate the Lakers in anyway to make
sure 2019 is a good season for them. Please let me know if you have any
questions.

Best regards,
Don 

So I just wanted to put these responses out there so that everyone knew something isn't adding up and I would hope that before making a 3.5 million dollar decision that the powers that be at city hall would be proactive and come up with a solution that will work for everyone involved.