Beautiful Ship...Pros and Cons

Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review

karaokecruiser

Contributor Level: Second Mate

20 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 98

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 27, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Bliss

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 15782

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Pro...Beautiful massive ship with so much to do. The Observation Lounge and wrap around deck will, at times, give you lots of room to breath, even with so many passengers. Drink package is a must and well worth it. Con...Food and service not as good I've had on a majority of my cruises. I'm holding judgement until my second NCL cruise next month. I'm not expecting levels of a Viking cruise, but I was hoping to match Celebrity and surpass Royal. Cagney's on this ship was awful. We'll never forget the golf ball sized hole in my wife's wine glass nor the chef and waiter not understanding how to crust a steak with blue cheese.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Worst ever. But I'm not sure who is culpable. Was it the port in L.A.? Or was it NCL? My next cruise on Pride of America might help me decide.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Hit and miss. I love the drinks. NCL lets you order two at a time on your drink package, so you can get one for your room mate instead of having to present their card. Plus...Ask for a triple and there's no issue. The food was not the best. Cagney's was as bad as I'd heard. I understand it's great on every other ship. I'll try it again on Pride of America next month. The lunch buffet was far superior to breakfast, but don't pass up the bananas foster topping for their french toast. I also appreciated the smaller buffet tops in the Observation Lounge. But we tried several restaurants and, excluding Le Bistro and perhaps Teppanyaki, stay far away...Especially the Mexican restaurant.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There's just so much to do on board I couldn't get to it all. If you can't find something you like on this ship you should just give up. Everything from race cars to The Jersey Boys...Jeez!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Rock, Country, Cultural, Musical, Comedy, Reggae, The Four Seasons, and The Beatles...Do O need to go on? The ship's rock band sounded so much like Pink Floyd, I forgot to get a drink.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Service was a real hit and miss. It was our worst room service, the bars were pretty good, but restaurant staff just couldn't nail down our orders. One waitress acted like we were bothering her when we ordered at Margaritaville. Maybe it's just these mega ships. I asked and these guys get zero days off in an 8 month contract.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

We were in a spa mini suite. This is no suite by any stretch of the imagination. We did have a nicer restroom, but next time we'll opt for an extended balcony and just pay for our spa package.

Ship tip

Things you can't book ahead of time can easily be booked when you get on ship. Go to the 15th deck observation lounge, grab a drink, and find one of the many screens you can book anything you want. If you download the app, you can do it there as well. Also...Even though the App is a hit and miss at time, the $10 texting and calling feature is WELL WORTH IT to stay in contact with others on the ship.

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Went smoothly. I was a bit confused with the luggage tag system because I'm used to everyone else bringing them to your room. I guess NCL has you pick them up in a location. I still can't see how that's the best system. Maybe it was just this ship or this sailing.