This would have been a nice cruise with a smaller ship, fewer people, better times in port, and a crew that was not overwhelmed trying to care for 4000 people. The Bliss has lots of amenities, but loses the ability to maintain itself when fully booked. For those multigenerational families looking to go to Alaska, consider going in the off peak weeks-- 4000 people on a ship in July is stressful. Save some stress and money and don't do it. Consider early June or late August instead--it may be a more tricky schedule, but such a better experience.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Seattle embarkation was excellent--we arrived later (1:30) than we usually do and did not wait in line at all! Our rooms were ready shortly after boarding, and this was probably the smoothest embarkation I've ever had
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Main dining rooms are nice, quality of food is good, and menu is decent. Quality of food is also good, and staff are professional. I was most disappointed with the specialty dining restaurants, which are heavily promoted. First of all, it is virtually impossible to get a reservation before 9 PM (even with my "platinum latitudes access"--which gets me nothing and is pretty worthless). The best way for us to get in to specialty dining was to show up as walk ins and hope that one of the reservations no-showed (which happened both times we tried it). Overall, NCL seems to be chipping away at all the things that previously made NCL our cruise line of choice (ALL room service, including continental breakfast, is charged now; there are upcharges for anything extra (i.e. extra bernaise sauce in the steakhouse). These are small, but very noticeable, and negative changes that were just irritating to my overall vacation experience.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Fitness center is nice, but the ship was FULL and the weather was rainy. This meant EVERYONE was inside in the fitness center, observation lounge, cafe, and anywhere else there was shelter. This ship (NCL BLISS) holds 4000 people, and this meant I had to stay in my own cabin most of the time to avoid being in a crowd.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Comedians were good!
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Mostly attentive to service, but there were too many people and not enough staff. Room attendants come only once a day now (previously did AM and evening servicing). We did not even see our room steward after the first day's introduction, and our room had the garbage emptied and bed made every day and that was it. This is a significant change in NCL's previous level of service.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
NCL is always clean and well maintained! The ship is nice, but 4000 people is just too many-- Doesn't matter what amenities are on the ship! Most of the 4000 (including us) were not using the race cars and playing laser tag, so maybe if those spaces were reallocated to allowing more room for more equitable use, we many have enjoyed it more.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin itself was pretty standard and we had sufficient room. We had a Large Balcony at the front of the ship, which was REALLY nice for gathering with our 6 adults in our group. Unfortunately, these cabins are only available at the front of the ship, which was not close to any of the rest of our party. Since I spent so much time in my cabin on this cruise, the large balcony was a nice feature and I would get this again.
Ship tip
The Observation Lounge (15 forward) is a nice place to read, play cards, or work quietly. There is coffee, tea, and food available (often better choices than in the cafe)--go early to find a quiet spot.
We arrived in port at 8:00 (40 minute before sundown) and left at midnight. By the time you are able to get 4000 people off the ship, it is already 9:00, and was simply not worth it to us. The only place I really wanted to go was the Buchart Gardens....and they are not as colorful after dark!
Used the FREE Port Valet Service, which took our checked baggage directly to SEATAC airport for us. This was a fantastic service as it allowed us to quickly disembark and go tour the city without hauling our bags around. I highly recommend using this service!
I would recommend a smaller ship, with longer port times… NCL does a 7 day from Seward to Vancouver or vice versa and port times are about 12 hours at some ports. Shopping around is key…
Thanks for your review. The next time you are planning a cruise do some research on the ships to find a smaller one that would be more to your liking. Also, on NCL you can begin making reservations for specialty restaurants 120 days before sailing. You can get any time you prefer at that time.
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