The Norwegian Bliss was a nice ship, but maybe not for Alaska...

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Bliss

7 Night Alaska With Dawes Glacier (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 07, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 15868

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

I'd definitely do Alaska again, but in a much smaller boat. I will do Norwegian again. We like the free style approach. I would gladly do The Bliss again, but in a Tropical climate.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
All the pre-check stuff was worth it. The lines were short and quick, but the boat was only half full.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Although technically it's not the ships fault, a stomach bug did get out. I recommend avoiding the buffets if they are self serve.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5
It was Alaska in May; so the pool/deck were empty. The fitness center was normal. The thermal spa was good, but they started shutting the rooms down around 8PM even though it was supposed to be open until 10. A Steam Room with no steam is just an empty tiled room. I also thought the thermal beds weren't very warm, same with the whirlpools.

Entertainment

3 out of 5
The Jersey Boys show was excellent. The other shows were okay. There weren't many stage events. I felt there should have been more shows.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The service was great. The boat was half full; so there was a very good staff to guest ratio.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
I hate it that cleanliness and design are linked. For cleanliness, I'd give 5 stars. The Bill is a wonderful ship, but it's too big for Alaska. We couldn't get close to the Glassier because the ship was too big. If you are going to Alaska, go on a small(er) ship. 2000 passengers max.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The cabin was great.

Ship tip

Avoid the buffets if it's self serve. Don't go on these bigger boats to Alaska.

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington

5 out of 5
I'd spend at least one day in Seattle.

Sitka, Alaska

5 out of 5
We had perfect weather. The National Forest is a beautiful hike.

Juneau, Alaska

4 out of 5
We had poor weather and didn't do much.

CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER

2 out of 5
The Bliss was too big for the glacier bay!

Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska

3 out of 5
May is too early for whale watching. Save your money until June-August. The rest of the port is fantastic.

Ketchikan, Alaska

3 out of 5
We had poor weather again. It seemed like this port was mostly shops.

Victoria, British Columbia

5 out of 5
Wow, what a beautiful city!

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We used Port Valet and our disembarkation was fast and easy. We put our bag out of the cabin Friday night and didn't see it again until we arrived at our home airport.
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