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.