Disappointed

Item: Norwegian Bliss
Rating: 3.5
Author: Kaarie

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

Kaarie

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Highlights (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 09, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 18364

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

There is a lot of bugs that are needed to be worked out on this boat and maybe even some staff changes. Book everything as soon as you step on the boat!

Embarkation

4 out of 5

When they made our cruise ID cards the one they are for our daughter did not work so we had to go back to the very end of the line to get a reprint.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

This boat would be a great warm whether ship because people can dispurse more. It was nearly impossible to find a table in the cafe. It was so crowded at the cafe (buffet) that I felt like I was constantly fighting for food and a place to eat it. We chose to eat in the dining rooms and pay restaurants (the reservations for these were booked before we cruised) because they were less stressful. The few times we went to the buffet we had a few great fellow cruisers allow my family to sit with them or save their table for us when they finished. Reservations for the pay restaurants booked very early as well so make them either before you leave or as soon as you get on the boat.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

The laser tag and go carts were booked for the entire cruise before end of day one. You book your activities on a wall kiosk by the elevators. Unless your child is a middle to late teen book the double go carts. Even though the site says a child has to be at least 48" the staff will turn kids away for not being tall enough to reach the pedals. The kids in our group ( 4 kids ranging from 5-10) never did get to ride the go carts. They did get to do laser tag. We somehow scored a time slot from the box office. When we arrived it took 15 minutes for the staff to get the two teams organized which cut the play time down. If they open the go carts and laser tags earlier in the day (like all day because they are only open in the evenings) it would alleviate a lot of the booking issues.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

I was on day 4 before any of the staff smiled at us first. I have cruised before several times and never was on a boat where it was obvious these people hated their job. The customer service desk was constantly busy and I could understand them not being cheery but man they were rude...especially Honey. She was overly rude and when my sister in law told her because of her ugliness she was going leave as many reviews to warn people, Honey handed her a card to make sure her name was spelled correctly.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Since it is a brand new ship it was clean and had that new feel. There wasnt someone canstantly wiping finger prints so by the end of the day the elevators looked rough. The common areas were well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

I have cruised several time and this was the worst, unorganized, ill-planned, and unfriendly ship I have ever been on. If it wasnt for the ports of call it would have been miserable. Our excursion, the Alaskan views, and those times with all the family we had on the boat is what saved the trip for us. My advise is book everything as soon as you step foot on the boat. Be aware of your excursion times, research the restaurants if you're interested and book all mlm of it right there by the elevators even before you go to your cabin.

Thumbs up