BertoBuoy Cruise Review on Norwegian Bliss on Feb 02, 2019

Item: Norwegian Bliss
Rating: 4
Author: BertoBuoy

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review

BertoBuoy

Contributor Level: Second Mate

81 Days Till Next Cruise

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Sail date: February 02, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

The ship was beautiful and still in like new condition. The layout was unique which is one of the reasons I was attracted to it. I am accustomed to Royal Caribbean's layout with the main promenade and wanted to try something new. I typically take the stairs on a cruise ship but with so many floors I found I had to take the elevators more than usual - my room was on the 5th floor and the pool deck was on 16 which is quite a hike. I did love the waterfront on deck eight but I wished that it circled the entire ship. Overall the ship didn't feel crowded but I do think NCL wasted a lot of space on items that most passengers will never use. The laser tag, go carts, and Haven are all spaces that have an associated fee, consuming a lot of space for relatively limited use. I can't speak to the Haven but the other two are not always open and don't seem that popular. This ship was also missing many of the standard amenities like a sports court, rock wall, or shuffle board. It does have miniature golf but it's very very small and the layout is horrible - be prepared to walk across the course to get to the first hole. I can see how this would be an ideal ship for Alaska. There are actually outdoor heaters in many spots and the observation & waterfront areas would make this my top choice for an Alaskan cruise. The theater was probably the smallest I have seen on any ship including others of NCL's. I think the intent was to offer multiple show times each day for the same event but it's nice to be able to walk in with out reservations which is close to impossible here. I was happy I tried the Bliss but I don't think I am in a hurry to sail on a similar layout of ship.

6 Comments

lil1escargot 3 years ago

Wow

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ShimmeringSea 3 years ago

I love all this info!!

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BertoBuoy 5 years ago

Food. Overall I was satisfied with what was offered. For breakfast I ate at Taste, Savor, the Local, and Margaritaville. Both times at Taste and Savor I really enjoyed the specialty items but it was not worth the time. One breakfast took a full 2 hours. The local was good and efficient but the menu is always the same and a bit limited. Margaritaville is a mini buffet that doesn't get too busy. It has a decent assortment and I really liked the semi outdoor setting. I don't always eat lunch but I did manage to try the buffet, Taste, and the Local. I got to say the buffet is super busy like every other ship I've been on and if you're not careful you could loose a limb... I mean some of these people act like they haven't eaten in days. But the selection was nice and I liked it better than the buffet on Royal Caribbean. For dinner I ate at either Taste or Savor each night. Can't say I had a bad dish and I regularly order several appetizers pluse 1-2 dinners so I sampled a lot of stuff. Although I was satisfied I do think NCL has eliminated the higher cost food options like lobster tail, escargot, and shrimp cocktail; all which are still standard menu items on RCCL. I never ate at a specialty restaurant as I don't believe in paying extra for a dinner I already paid for when I purchased my cruise. If it was a nominal fee I would consider but the prices are equivalent to an equivalent restaurant State side. I also noted that NCL would advertise special offerings each day at either the buffet or the Local that were not offered in the main dining room that night. These included items like prime rib and seafood night. I did check these out just to see if I was missing anything and I wasn't - Almost seemed like they were trying to deter people from eating in the main dining rooms. I previously mentioned a couple meals that took an extremely long time. At one of those meals I actually complained to the maitre d. I ended up sending chocolates to our room the next day and showed up at our dinner table the next night with a complimentary bottle of wine. I was more than impressed as I have had bigger issues on Royal Caribbean and they are not quick to compensate for anything.

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MsNicNav 5 years ago

Each cabin does have a blow dryer, but it’s located in the main living area, not the bathroom.

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kylee1 5 years ago

Could you tell me if they have blow dryers

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BertoBuoy 5 years ago

Hmm.... How do I leave a full review? Thought it was going to as specifics regarding food and stuff...

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