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Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

lamodeo25051954

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 21

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 30, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

We did a 7 day inside passage Alaska cruise in July 2019. Alaska experienced record breaking high temperatures during that month. We expected to see snow, ice, glaciers and icebergs but we saw only one from the ship. Book excursions! See Alaska in all of its glory. While we only saw one glacier, the scenery was still majestic. I was in awe every time I opened the curtains to our balcony. We paid attention to the weather forecast and packed bathing suits, winter coats, boots, flip flops and everything in between. Yes, we sat poolside in Alaska. Amazing.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Staff was very organized and informative. We boarded promtly with minimal wait in the terminal.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The Teppanyaki (Japanese hibachi grill) dining room was our favorite. The chef was very entertaining and had all of us singing out loud. The food was to die for! So juicy and delicious. The food at Cagney's steakhouse was absolutely delicious too. The service at ALL of the dining rooms and buffet was top notch. The buffet was kept clean, dirty dishes were promptly picked up. The "washy, washy" greeter was always happy to spray our hands with sanitizer before we entered the buffet. We were kept "hydrated" by the constant flow of drinks that came on a regular basis at the pool and other entertainment places. I honestly have nothing bad to say about the food or drinks. I would like to add that the service on Norwegian surpasses that of Royal Caribbean in our experience.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

This ship had plenty to do. An Alaskan cruise tends to be chilly so indoor activities are preferred on most days. We had a blast on the go-kart track (dressed in our winter coats in July). The mini-golf was definitely "mini" with 5 holes but fun. There was laser tag but we didn't make a reservation for it (didn't know we had to) so it was totally booked on the first day. The two adult sized water slides were very fun. Incredibly, we had two days in which the temperature reached 80 degrees in Alaska, so we spent the day at the pool, with excellent entertainment. I see that the next section in this review is titled "entertainment" so I will elaborate on that next.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We saw "Havana" and it was amazing and entertaining. Mark Klein the comedian was very funny. Our favorite was the live band in the Cavern Club. The were very talented and played music from the 80's like AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Guns and Roses, The Eagles and much more. I usually don't like live bands as the instruments are so loud that you can't hear the singing but these guys were perfect! They even played the acoustic prelude to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and had all of us in the club singing out loud. During a duet, the two other band members appeared in the audience dressed as Axel Rose and Slash! They were totally in character too. I just can't say enough for this band, (I wish I had remembered their name.)

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our room steward I Gede didn't miss a beat. Our room was picked up every time we left it. He was always friendly and greeted us by our names from day one. I mentioned earlier that the service was excellent. We didn't have to wait long at the bars which was much appreciated. Again, we have found the service on Norwegian surpasses that on Royal Caribbean.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

This is a new ship so there are no signs of rust or damage. The layout was very good. The staff kept all common areas clean and well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Somehow we ended up with a handicap accessible room even though we are not handicapped. It had plenty of room and lots of cubbys to put our things.