We liked the actual ship and a good deal of the staff, but we really did feel like it was all about a place to upsell us. The pressure took away from the fun. The views however, were awesome, and it was very relaxing to just rest on the balcony. I'm glad we followed the advice of the travel agent and booked an "unobstructed" view with our balcony. Some of those times were my favorites.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
It was pretty quick, so that was good, but so many lines...
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The specialty restaurants we dined at were excellent, though it was very difficult to get into the one - Ocean Blue. When I chatted with NCL prior to the cruise, they told me don't worry if I didn't book prior to the cruise, because only 25% would get booked up. On our second day, we went to reserve, because then our party was all together. It was too late - they were booked for the remainder of the cruise. The Maitre 'D was fabulous though, and squeezed us in that night because they had an opening. If we had known though, we could have avoided some stress. Food Republic was also very good - good food and good service, though not as ambient as we expected from a specialty restaurant. The buffet was good, but not great, although some things there stood out. It just got boring going there a lot since we only had the 2 specialty meals. I liked that they did provide a sugar free dessert each night, and they provided gluten free for my sister. Service was usually good as well - most staff were friendly and pleasant.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
I had a pretty negative experience with the spa. The therapist was not honest with me about the automatic "service fee" which was her tip, but she said half went to the ship, so I gave her more. Turns out that was incorrect. I found out through the manager, because my sister's therapist gave a different, accurate story.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Siglo was very good with the rock music - and good with pop. I really loved the Bandaoke, wish they did more. Jersey Boys was fantastic, and we also really enjoyed Icons, although it was very loud.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Most staff were very good - especially at the beginning of the cruise. Outstanding were our Room Steward - Jerome, and Eugene at Food Republic.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The layout was a little confusing - they really need better signage.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The only thing that was weird was that there was no outlet by the bed for my husband's CPAP, but Jerome hooked us up with an extension cord.
Ship tip
They nickle and dime you for everything - so be prepared to be pressured for upsales from a lot of people, and bring extra $.
We did a short excursion - not enough time. Nice to see the bears though. Our guides for all the excursions were men who were pretty opinionated and sometime unprofessional.
We did whale watching, which was "guaranteed," but it should not have been. We would have been ok knowing that it could not be guaranteed, because we barely saw anything. Then we went to Mendenhall Glacier - which was good, but out driver had already been pressuring us at the last stop to not even use the bathroom, so when he said that we had to really hurry to see the waterfall, we decided not to chance it. See my note above about opinionated and unprofessional - he was the poster child for this. I did not need to hear his politically biased views either.
I LOVED this port - very simple, rustic and easy. We did not do the zip line due to the expense though. If we had known a little more earlier - like that it was a seat instead of a typical zipline, we might have saved for it.
Our bus driver was late - so we were thinking we would get back late. Since I told him we would beg off the tour, he really worked to get us back on time. Still opinionated though. My brother and sister-in-law had women tour drivers and they faired much better with them - not as opinionated!
I have sailed on Norwegian many times and have never felt pressured to upgrade to anything. I have purchased WiFi and additional specialty dinners but those decisions were strictly mine and not because of any pressure from anyone on the ship. I honestly don’t remember anyone ever asking me to upgrade.
NONE of the balconies on the Bliss have an obstructed view. It's the major selling point of the ship's design. You're travel agent should know that and not lie to you about getting you a balcony cabin without an "obstructed view" which literally doesn't exist on the Bliss
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