Alaska on the Bliss 5/2023
Norwegian Bliss Cruise Review
7 Night Alaska: Dawes Glacier Juneau & Ketchikan (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: May 20, 2023
Ship: Norwegian Bliss
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9252
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
Overall, I would break this cruise a seven out of 10 We would’ve loved to go deeper into Dawes Glacier but there was ice… I wish the last 2 ports were better & yes, I’d go back to Alaska again but take a diff cruise into more areas like Denali. I am happy with this cruise.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Cagney's Steakhouse
Phenomenal prime rib at the filet mignon was lacking. Vegetables were good service was superior and attentive
Savor Restaurant - Main Dining Room
From the very first lunch on embarkation day, I thought the food was about an eight out of 10. It was tasty. The service was excellent, but nothing superior.
The Observation Lounge
Every time we went upstairs to the observation bar and walked the entire distance around. There were so many snacks, and so many different things to eat that didn’t come from the Buffay or other areas and we liked that difference.
The Manhattan Room - Main Dining Room
The Manhattan room had the best meals that we got the entire time we were on the Bliss!! The service was phenomenal. We tipped extraordinarily well, because of such outstanding service not to mention that everything we ate there was very good and very tasty and promptly delivered and Exceeded our expectations especially for it to be a complementary meal Way to go Norwegian, the Manhattan room excelled
Ocean Blue
This was a step above outback or red lobster as we ordered the lobster tails and paid 25 extra dollars for them. They were a little overdone and a little rubbery for my liking. The service was excellent. I would not go back or pay extra for it next time.
Garden Café
This buffet was a little below average. Breakfast was acceptable and coffee was good. Lunch was also below average and dinner was definitely below average. We only ate here when we didn’t have a reservation elsewhere.
Starbucks
Being diabetic, it is a little hard to explain to someone what you want in your coffee that has to be absolutely sugar free, but to the best of their ability, they repeated back when I ordered and it was acceptable although I still think those coffees should be complementary.
The Local Bar & Grill
We had a quick breakfast here on day two. It was acceptable.
Atrium Bar
Average bar food but acceptable
Onboard Activities
Bliss Casino
The casino was accessible although on the first night, after four hours of delays, no one advised us that we had turned around and dropped a Medical person off and then that was the cause for the delay. It would’ve been nice to have known that so we could’ve left and come back.
Tradewinds Tax-and-Duty-Free Shops
We were highly disappointed with this shop. The variety was slim to none. The pricing was about 30% higher than I expected and ultimately we only bought one thing and no souvenirs nor anything for ourselves.
Entertainment
Bliss Theater
We really only saw jersey boys. I would give it a six out of 10. I also played bingo a few times and it is still ridiculously expensive but I do enjoy it.
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
I have two pieces of advice. The first is no one tells you how much you’re going to actually walk when you get into Port. We walked an average of 4 1/2 miles @ every port. I’m glad that I felt well enough to do so, because if I were restricted in movement, it would be disappointing not to know how much you need to get around. My second piece of information would be that no one mentioned how dry the climate is, nor that the altitude would cause nose bleeds. I am somewhat susceptible to them, especially in climate like Las Vegas as we live in the Ohio valley and it’s very humid here. I just wish it had been mentioned in some way so I could have prepared
Ports of call
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER