All in All a very enjoyable time. Certainly there could be improvements but overall very good. I guess the fact that I would do it again in a heartbeat speaks for itself. I will say however, the our ship was sailing at 40% capacity.....it might be a totally different story at full capacity.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was good given that all guests had to test negative for COVID before entering the ship. It cannot be easy to test 2,000 passengers in a few hours prior to boarding so I give Norwegian credit on their effort even though it was not much fun to experience,...However,...not having to wear a mask through our journey was worth it.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Garden Cafe food was generally good except for the runny eggs. The specialty restaurants were very good but three of the places shared a common menu. I think there needs to be a little more variety in food choices. Norwegian also wacks you hard for a quality glass of wine with your meal even if you have the drink package. For example, a glass of Brunello (italian) was $32 a glass!! so minus the $15 dollar credit and you are still paying $17 for a small glass of decent wine. Similar prices on decent Cab or other wines. They also had a wine dispenser the buffet area where I believe the charge was like $7 for 2 ounces,...this was not included in the drink package. Having only been on Princess before, I think Princess does a much better job accommodating wine drinkers. The size of the drinks are also very small as opposed to those on Princess.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The water slides were cool although they did not work well for larger guests. The hot tubs were key. Being 6.5 feet tall I didn't even attempt the go karts although people seemed to enjoy them
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We saw Jersey Boys which we enjoyed and the Beatles Experience Argentina were truly outstanding. We went every night ! My only gripe is the they wough only play about ten songs and then they were done for the night. They did a farewell concert at the Bliss thratre and packed the house for a set just over 1/2 hour.....Way to short. Most band take a 15 minute break and come back for a second set.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was wonderful and did everything they could to be helpful and accommodating
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship layout was generally good. I will say that if you are a smoker, especially a cigar smoker....you are not going to be happy. Norwegian has only a single indoor room with about 12 seats in it for smokers,...it also provides the corner of an outside deck area at the rear of the ship for a smoke...so you will find about 50 people stuffed into a very small area trying to enjoy a smoke at any given time,...I think they could manage something a little better to accommodate smokers. The staff did a great job of cleaning and sanitizing,...it was constant.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Low ceilings and very cramped as opposed to other cabins I have seen on other ships. But we really did not spend all the much time in the cabin other than sleeping. The balcony was VERY small. On Princess I think the balcony was easily twice the size of the Norwegian Bliss
Ship tip
If you like to drink wine, you are not going to be happy with the Norwegian drink package.
We missed our excursion in Puerto Vallarta booked through United Cruises because of the local time difference (they are an hour ahead of ship time) If you book an excursion, make sure that everyone is operating on the same clock!
Mazatlan was an industrial port,...not set up for tourism. Norwegian had a shopping center set up where you could buy everything from nic naks to jewelry, food and messages. However if you think you are going to walk onto a beach...think again.
We did a snorkelling excursion in Cabo which was very good. Cabo is exactly what you think it is going to be,...a mecca of vendors trying to sell you everything under the sun.
Agree with you on the wine. The selection with the UBP was awful. On previous NCL cruises there was a much wider selection and definitely better quality wines. Thought the Malbec was the best of the lot and the Cab was crap.
Not a big wine drinker. But I will say the drink package on Celebrity was never a disappointment. They were very good at being clear as to what wine was included or not. I never had to pay more. Except for the water in my cabin fridge (which they call a "mini bar". No it's a dorm fridge). So l am very curious to see how this 'Premium Drink Package' works out for me, since does NOT include bottled water.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
