Sitka and Ketchikan were our favorite ports! There wasn’t a place to rate those. Alaska was beautiful! Definitely glad I did my research and packed appropriately. I usually get really cold and I purchased rechargeable hand warmers, a vest, and thinner waterproof jacket from Columbia. Pro Tip, if you don’t have winter gear (I live in central TX, so I didn’t) I got my stuff online at the start of summer all on sale!!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were in Haven, so of course this was easy. We were also the first cruise out for the season so we didn’t have to wait for the previous cruise to disembark. There were a few kinks to iron out being the first cruise of the season but nothing to really complain about.
My only issue was getting to the terminal as you walk up it wasn’t clear where Haven was to go. You apparently are to go with the guests who need special assistance. This wasn’t clearly marked upon entering the terminal.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food was good, as per usual. When I didn’t like a particular meal (due to flavor, no fault of the chef), they were quick to bring me something different.
Room Service
5 out of 5
Used room service once on the last evening after a late port. They were pretty quick considering it was the last night of the cruise.
Savor Restaurant - Main Dining Room
4 out of 5
Had lunch here one day. They were not great at communicating and kept trying to take our glasses as we were waiting for our bottle of mineral water.
The Observation Lounge
5 out of 5
Snacked here often!
The Local Bar & Grill
5 out of 5
Ate several meals here. Great for snacks and lunches.
The Haven Restaurant (Exclusive to Guests of The Haven)
5 out of 5
We eat most of our meals here! They are excellent and the best food on the ship!
Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
We always do this the first night to start off the cruise! It’s fun and the food is good! We always walk out full with food leftovers!
Le Bistro
5 out of 5
Always a great meal! Had the duck and it was amazing. Also had the scallops for an appetizer.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I’m putting my behind the scenes tour here!
Do this! It was super interesting!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Bliss Theater
5 out of 5
Saw Jersey Boys, Beatles Experience, and both comedians. All were great!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our steward and butler were the best we’ve had in Haven so far!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I REALLY like the Haven on this ship. To the point that I’m looking to see where else the Bliss sails when not in Alaska. I really like the ship. It was also pretty clean. The only “dirtiness” I saw was people leaving their glasses in random places or dishes outside instead of leaving them in their room for their stewards to pick up or taking their glasses to a bar.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We really like staying in the courtyard and I prefer the deck on the same floor as the pool/lounge. For this ship, that’s deck 17 and our cabin means large balcony. This came in handy going through Endicott Arm as it was too cold/windy/wet up front and I wanted outside for picture taking.
Ship tip
Honestly my advice would really be the same for any cruise. Research your location, research your ship, research your excursions. I saw do many people unprepared or talking about things that are on the NCL site that they had no idea about.
Not everything was open (we knew that going in as it was very early season). What we didn’t like is that it was much more “big city” feel compared to other ports. Also it felt like some of the shop owners were a bit more pushy. Tracy’s Crabs were a 10/10, but a bit $$$.
First time in Seattle so it was cool to see. Originally from the west coast but south. Ubers are really hard to get if you take the train from the airport to downtown, so be prepared. We had to try 3 times because they either drove past us and cancelled, cancelled before they got to us, or wanted us to walk over a mile to a pickup point with our luggage.
So, I gave 5 stars but the reality is that we didn’t port until 8:30 and all aboard was 11:30. We only had a few hours and it was dark. It looks like it was beautiful and there looked to be things that I would have liked to see.
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