JF79 Cruise Review on Norwegian Bliss on May 26, 2019

Item: Norwegian Bliss
Rating: 3
Author: JF79

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review

JF79

Contributor Level: Purser

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 30

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 26, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Just finished the 7 day Alaska. This is my 2nd Alaska cruise with NCL. My previous was on the NCL Pearl 2 years ago. The NCL Bliss is of course a mega ship. I have also been in the NCL Epic, another mega ship. If you are a frequent cruiser I would strongly suggest considering smaller ships. The mega ship concept is great if you enjoy all of the latest and greatest amenities such as go karts, laser tags, big water slides, etc. However, mega ships are very crowded feeling. The elevators on NCL Bliss are a SERIOUS issue. There are only 2 banks of elevators on this ship. Most have 3 banks. The aft elevators tend to be less busy. If you are a smoker you will NOT like this ship. Only one small smoking section on 17 aft and in an enclosed area in the casino. Non-smokers love this...smokers will hate this ship. NCL has definitely improved their quality of food. Significantly better than 2 years ago when I was on the Pearl. The entertainment options are not great on this ship. They could certainly improve this. Vastly different from other NCL ships. The theatre is tiny compared to other ships. Many activities are held in the small atrium. This space is too small for this. Big miss on this. Another miss is the time allowed in Ketchikan and Victoria. Way too short. NCL should plan this out a bit better as both are beautiful places that you won’t want to miss. Bottom line, if you like the crowded mega ship concept then this cruise/ship will please you. As an avid/experienced cruiser myself, I would STRONGLY suggest considering smaller ships. Unfortunately, NCL only sails the mega ships for the Alaskan itineraries. You may want to consider another cruise line with smaller, more reasonable size ships. I’m two mega ships in and I will never do another one. Only ships less than 100K GT’s for me from now on. I hope this review helps you with your decision making. Bon Voyage fellow cruise mates!

4 Comments

CourtneyV 5 years ago

Thank you!! This was the exact information I was debating on so your honest and fair feedback is much appreciated!

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olddbob 5 years ago

Bigger is not always better depending on the type of cruise you are looking for. I would never sail on a megaship

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WileyE 5 years ago

I just got off the Joy yesterday (7 day Alaska, loved it). Anyways, as I was buying my CruiseNext tickets, I asked the rep if NCL planned any new smaller ships in the future (like to replace the Sun and Gem), and he said two smaller ships (non mega) are coming out next year and year after. I think I'd like to consider smaller NCL too. 🍹

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CruzeFan 5 years ago

The primary issue with the short port times is that it it is a round-trip itinerary out of Seattle. Almost all of those have shorter port times to allow time to return to Seattle and they must stop at Victoria to comply with the Jones act. The one-way itineraries have much longer times in Port and usually offer an additional port or glacier cruising day.

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