January 16, 2026 | Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Norwegian Bliss (Norwegian Cruise Line) called at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on January 16, 2026, during Day 6 of our seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles. Following Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán, Cabo was our final port before a sea day and our return on January 18. Built by Meyer Werft in Germany, she entered service in 2018 as the third Breakaway Plus-class ship.
Norwegian Bliss (Norwegian Cruise Line) called at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on January 16, 2026, during Day 6 of our seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise roundtrip from Los Angeles. We had departed Southern California on January 11, spending two days at sea before reaching Puerto Vallarta on January 14 and Mazatlán on January 15. Cabo San Lucas was our third and final Mexican port, followed by a sea day on January 17 and our return to Los Angeles on January 18.
At the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas offered a different port setting from the mainland calls earlier in the cruise. Norwegian lists Cabo as a tender port, with smaller boats transferring passengers between ships offshore and the shore facilities. The bay is closely associated with the granite formations at Land’s End, including El Arco, the natural arch near the meeting of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez. This gallery forms part of our photographs from the final port day aboard Norwegian Bliss.
Built by Meyer Werft in Germany and delivered in April 2018, Norwegian Bliss was designed with Alaska cruising as a central part of her operating role. Her career also established an early connection with Southern California, including inaugural events in Los Angeles and Mexican Riviera cruises during her first year in service. By January 2026, she had completed a 2025 refurbishment that updated accommodation, dining venues and outdoor spaces, continuing the development of a ship whose seasons have connected Alaska with warmer cruising regions.
Information List
Name: Norwegian Bliss
Operator: Norwegian Cruise Line
Type: Cruise ship
Class: Breakaway Plus
Position in Class: Third ship
Builder: Meyer Werft, Germany
Floated Out: February 17, 2018
Delivered: April 19, 2018
Entered Service: 2018
Christened: May 30, 2018, Seattle, Washington
Gross Tonnage: 168,028 GT
Length Overall: About 1,094 feet / 333.5 meters
Published Guest Capacity: 4,010 at double occupancy
Published Crew Complement: 1,716
Shipyard-Published Speed: 22.5 knots
Hull Artist: Wyland
Hull Artwork: “Cruising with the Whales”
Most Recent Refurbishment Before This Cruise: 2025
Gallery Date: January 16, 2026
Gallery Location: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Port Arrangement: Tender port
Cruise Dates: January 11–18, 2026
Cruise Length: Seven nights
Embarkation and Return Port: Los Angeles, California
Cruise Day: Day 6
Previous Port: Mazatlán, Mexico, January 15
Following Day: At sea, January 17
Scheduled Return: Los Angeles, January 18
Personal Connection: Photographed during our cruise aboard the ship
History and Features
Construction and Introduction:
Norwegian Bliss was built by Meyer Werft in Germany as the third ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Plus class.
Her hull emerged from the building dock on February 17, 2018, marking the float-out stage of construction.
Norwegian took delivery on April 19, 2018, following completion of the ship and her trials.
The inaugural programme included a transatlantic passage and preview events in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Her christening took place in Seattle on May 30, followed by the beginning of her first Alaska season in June.
Breakaway Plus Class:
The Breakaway Plus series developed from the earlier Breakaway class, introducing larger ships with additional passenger space.
The class comprises Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Encore.
Meyer Werft describes these ships as wider than their Breakaway-class predecessors, with an additional passenger deck.
At 168,028 GT and about 1,094 feet long, Norwegian Bliss brought substantial capacity to Norwegian’s Alaska and Mexican Riviera operations.
Her layout combines large indoor public spaces with outdoor promenades and upper-deck recreation areas.
Wyland’s Hull Artwork:
Marine artist and conservationist Wyland created the ship’s distinctive hull artwork, titled “Cruising with the Whales.”
A mother humpback whale and her calf form the centerpiece of the design.
The artwork reflects the marine wildlife associated with Alaska, a region central to the ship’s original deployment.
Its introduction continued Norwegian Cruise Line’s practice of giving individual ships recognizable large-scale hull designs.
The whale imagery remains part of Norwegian Bliss’s identity as her operating seasons take her between Alaska and warmer destinations.
Design and Time at Sea:
The ship’s Observation Lounge provides broad forward views, reflecting the emphasis placed on scenery during her development.
The Waterfront promenade connects outdoor seating, dining and lounge areas with views of the sea.
Enclosed observation spaces and open decks support different ways to experience the ship’s changing cruising regions.
These features were relevant to an itinerary combining three Mexican ports with three full days at sea.
Our January 2026 cruise placed those sea days both before the first port and after the final call at Cabo San Lucas.
Service:
Norwegian Bliss began her first Alaska season from Seattle in June 2018.
Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles followed during her inaugural year, including calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.
Her wider deployment history has also included Caribbean cruising, demonstrating the flexibility of a ship initially developed around Alaska.
The Los Angeles programme established a Pacific coast connection that continued with our January 2026 cruise.
During summer 2025, Norwegian again operated Norwegian Bliss on Alaska cruises from Seattle before the winter season represented by this gallery.
The 2025 Refurbishment:
Norwegian Bliss underwent a refurbishment in early 2025, before the January 2026 cruise shown here.
The changes introduced Horizon Park, an outdoor gathering area on an upper deck.
Accommodation work included updated suites and additional balcony accommodation created from part of the Observation Lounge.
Dining changes included expanded Cagney’s Steakhouse and Teppanyaki venues, together with the introduction of Palomar.
These updates formed a new chapter in the ship’s service while retaining her established role in Alaska and other cruising regions.
Cabo San Lucas and Tender Operations:
Cabo San Lucas lies near the southern end of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.
Norwegian identifies the destination as a tender port, where passengers transfer between the ship and shore aboard smaller boats.
The port setting differs from the commercial harbor at Mazatlán, our previous stop on the mainland coast.
El Arco and the surrounding Land’s End formations are among the destination’s best-known maritime landmarks.
The call brought our three-port Mexican Riviera itinerary to its final destination before the return passage to Los Angeles.
Our January 11–18, 2026 Cruise:
We departed Los Angeles aboard Norwegian Bliss on January 11 for a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise.
January 12 and 13 were sea days on the southbound passage.
Puerto Vallarta on January 14 was followed by Mazatlán on January 15 and Cabo San Lucas on January 16.
Cabo was Day 6 of the cruise and the final port before another day at sea on January 17.
The voyage concluded in Los Angeles on January 18, bringing together a week of ship photography, Pacific passages and three Mexican destinations.
OLP Social: Cabo San Lucas was the final port of our seven night Mexican Riviera cruise from Los Angeles, following Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán before a sea day.
OLP Social 2: Built by Meyer Werft in Germany, she entered service in 2018 as the third Breakaway Plus class ship, measuring 1,094 feet long and 168,028 gross tons.
OLP Social 3: Wyland’s hull artwork, Cruising with the Whales, features a mother humpback and her calf, reflecting the Alaska cruising for which she was designed.
OLP Social 4: Cruises from Los Angeles were part of her inaugural 2018 season, establishing a Mexican Riviera connection that continued with our January 2026 cruise.
