Most of the trip was good. However, staying 12 hours in Icy Point was ridiculous, especially after I found out that Norwegian owns it. Then only 4 hours in Victoria from 8 p.m to midnight on our last night of the cruise? Not great planning on Norwegian.
Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
I would give this cruise 2-3 stars. Staff/service was amazing and the views were beautiful. The ship was clean and some of the activities were fun. Icy Strait was a disappointment, as it was 12 hours for what easily can be seen in 2-3 hours. Being able to see Ketchikan and more time for Victoria and earlier in the day would have been much better, and having the final night be available for saying goodbye to passengers and packing up would have made all the difference. Also, the prices for the excursions were pretty high, so couldn't do some activities. Also, if I were able to make these types of decisions, I would include drinks/wifi in the pricing of the cruise. It really feels like being nickled and dimed and it doesn't leave a good feeling about the brand. Just a suggestion, a better approach would be to have those things not initially included, but then give them as a "gift" or "freebie" and people get THRILLED getting things for free. The internet doesn't cost Norwegian anything more. This would make people want to go on cruises more, and make you more money with happier customers.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was good for the most part, but on day 5-7 it was getting bad. I guess I can understand as we were in Alaska and supplies may be difficult, especially since we missed a port due to high winds.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I liked the Trivia, etc., but on the sunniest day (last day) one of the water slides was closed down! Really? Also, during Glacier Bay, we were at sea, and there were limited activities due to "not to compete with the beauty of the Glaciers" but viewing the glaciers didn't really take all that much time.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I walked out of Jersey Boys, and heard from so many other passengers that "Six" was terrible. I also heard that the comedians weren't all that great, so I didn't bother going to either of those shows.
Children's Programs
No Kids on Trip
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The service was the best part of the trip. The steward in the Studios was great and deserves 5 stars. The service staff at restaurants/buffet were very kind and amazing. I dropped a star due to the fact I went to collect a free charm at the gift shop and the guy told me to come back at 1 p.m. but this just happened to be when the shops would be closed. I asked the other staff at other shops and they confirmed this.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean, and my room was cleaned twice a day which was amazing. This was really high water mark for the trip. (Clean cruise ship is important, but the fact it was the best thing about the cruise is not a great point for what is to be a fun cruise).
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I really liked the cabin, but the toilet area and shower were a bit small. It's a boat, so I get it, but a foot more for each area would have made all the difference. Still, very lovely design and decor.
I liked the port, it was easy to get to, even with construction all around. The staff at port were friendly coming aboard, but I took two stars for staff when leaving the port. We were being literally shouted at to leave the docking area. I get it with so many people, but it can be difficult moving through herds of people, and getting shouted at definitely didn't sit well with me or those around me when we were tired and just trying to get out of there and on to the next destination.
It was very pretty, but it was a lot of shops. I didn't see the glacier because it was pricey, so I only spent a few hours exploring and seeing the city.
12 HOURS for this location??? It was very beautiful, but ridiculous to spend that length of time when 3-4 hours would have been PLENTY. Then to find out that Norwegian bought the place, kind of pissed me off.
Wasn't able to see this as it was too windy, per the captain. I heard from other passengers that this is a great place to visit, so I was bummed. I would rather be safe, though, so I don't have a complaint about this.
Beautiful city and was glad that we got there at 5 p.m. (daylight) because we couldn't get into Ketchikan. I would have really been upset if we only got to see this from 8 p.m. to midnight, as a lot of shops were closed as it was at 5 p.m. Really, why only 4 hours alloted to this when we have to take a 30 minute shuttle each way, and on the last night of the cruise from 8 p.m. to midnight and we disembark at 6 am. the next morning? Does anyone think these itineraries through?
Another of people say the same thing about Victoria BC- not being there for very long. I think the only real reason they go there is that on a closed loop cruise the ship needs to stop at a foreign port.
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