Based on the rates, we decided to do Alaska in October, even though we knew the weather would be iffy, some excursions and shops would be closed, and we might miss out on some events, wildlife, etc. Knowing that, I would say this was still a wonderful trip. It gave us a great taste of Alaska, without the crowds and hustle bustle, we still saw whales, (no bears) Eagles, Glacier Bay was majestic, and the service on the Bliss five star. It was a prequel to our next "in season" Alaska trip. There is so much to see, we will be going again. Alaska, it not a once in a lifetime. You will want to come back again and again.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was seamless. Once my bags were dropped off, I was directed to Haven. The lounge in Seattle is not as nice as some of the other Haven lounges, but check-in was easy and within 45 minutes from arrival, (10:00 check-in), we were lining up to board . The Concierge, introduced himself, explained the process and services, provided a tour of the Haven, and allowed us to drop off carry on in our rooms, before having a great lunch at the Haven Resturant.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We had two specialty restaurants as part of the free at sea and as platinum level, an additional 2 specialty meals. We ate at Le Bistro, Q Smokehouse, Ocean Blue, and the Teppanyaki restaurants. We did not choose Cagney's because the steak and lobster at the Haven is, in my opinion much better and no upcharge. We did eat lunch in the buffet a couple of days. There was a dedicated Noodle Soup Station which I loved. The service in all restaurants and the buffet was very good. In the buffet there was constant cleaning and wipe downs .
Ocean Blue was my favorite specialty this trip. The dover sole was excellent. The table seating was very tight however with limited space between tables. I do not know if it was because the outside area could not be utilized due to weather, but it was uncomfortable and I heard more than one person comment to the wait staff.
Q Smokehouse was your typical BBQ, and was good but nothing exceptional. They also provide dinner entertainment, which I thought would be a country western theme, but was more like a dinner jazz singing. The group was very talented so it was fine.
Le Bistro never disappoints, and did not on this trip or ship.
The Teppanyaki Restaurant is always fun and you expect it to be a little noisy, however this group of chef entertainers did a great deal of singing which made it seem a great deal louder than usual.
Finally the Haven Restaurant - All should model the service level of the Haven. The food is excellent, they go out of their way to meet your needs and/or special requests. Yes the menu is fixed, however the food is excellent, and again, they will work to meet your needs.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The NCL Bliss has the go carts, laser tag, and other fun things to do on board. The cruise director did a great job in arranging the standard games and activities we have learned to expect.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The entertainment was very good. We saw Jersey Boys which was excellent, I saw Six which was OK, however, earlier this year I was able to see a Six performance on the NCL Breakaway, which was much much better, so I had a slight bias. Loved the Beatles and the comedy 18+ was good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
95% of our interaction was with Haven staff who must be trained to obtain nothing less than excellence.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I witnessed constant cleaning and wipe downs through-out the ship from the buffet, to the casinos, elevators, Haven. NCL takes cleanliness seriously
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
17716 Is a 2 bedroom large balcony suite, not a courtyard penthouse. The room was fine. It seemed a little smaller than the 2 bedroom we stayed in on the Breakaway, but it met our needs. I loved the large balcony.
Juneau was fun, took the tram and later visited Tracey's Crab shack. Since we traveled off-season, was not as busy and some places had closed for season, but overall fun port.
This port was a substitute for Skagway, which was the main port we wanted to see. Unfortunately due to the rock slides, we had to go to Icy Strait. I actually enjoyed Icy Strait. Again many things were closed, but it is a cute little town, easy to walk, and the tram ride up to the wilderness trail was fun.
This is the highlight of the trip. We observed from the observation deck and listened to the ranger for part of the trip, and when the ship repositioned was able to enjoy the views from our balcony, drinking chowder/and or hot chocolate which our butler arranged for us. It was majestic.
Due to our inability to dock in Ketchikan, the captain was able to arrange an earlier arrival into Victoria. These extra few hours gave us an opportunity to go into town and really see the city. Original itinerary only allowed 4 hours, so we did not have an excursion planned and had planned to just stay onboard and finish packing. Due to the change in arrival, we now had over 6 hours which allowed us to get off and explore
Haven is waste of $$$. For the money you could sail on am actual luxury line and have a significantly higher experience. They tried to upgrade me, nope. The "suites" are insulting and small. That "two bedroom" is vulgar. That second "bedroom" is no more than a walking closet. Ugh! But people seem to enjoy it.
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