Norwegian Bliss Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had an amazing time (helped by a brand new ship and exquisite weather). The cruise director and staff were fantastic, providing a wide array of onboard activities. Make reservations early for the shows, which were also great.

I already spoke of the not so good,but mostly great,

Although the Bliss is a new ship it was not at all what we expected. The ship is very poorly arranged. Its impossible to get into any of the shows because they book so quickly, as well a the specialty dining and the clubs. We were trying to book shows weeks before the cruise and couldn't get in. Received 3 specialty dining's and they were booked up finally got into the Ocean Blue and then had to pay an upcharge. The open areas are too small for the amount of guest, super crowded. The worst was trying to maneuver through the Garden Café in the mornings, horrible, never found place to sit and the crowds were out of control. We booked a balcony room and found it to be much smaller than any of the other cruise lines balcony's. We were treated very rudely by several of the bar staff. Its a shame because this was for our 40th anniversary and we had saved for a very long time to take this trip. However, the food and drinks were very good!

We were amazed with the quality of entertainment and activities.

The itinerary and excursions were fabulous! More time at each port would have been appreciated; our spa mini-suite was smaller than expected; the halls were narrower; the Pride of America staff set the bar very high regarding friendliness and customer service; the Bliss staff did not come close to POA staff except for a select few.

The ship sailed at 120% of capacity with 4700 guests - too many! Very difficult to find a table for breakfast (we ate in specialty restaurants every night and those were excellent). We booked one race track session and one laser tag session when we first boarded, intending to see if we liked it before booking more sessions (you pay $5 for laser tag and $10 for go carts), but that was a mistake because they were both fully booked after day one and we were out of luck. The Alaskan ports were fabulous. Seaplane (magnificent scenery and beautiful peaceful landing spot in the middle of nowhere) in Ketchikan. Whale watching in Juneau (we saw humpbacks and orca!) and helicopter to walk on glacier and old-time streetcar ride in Skagway. Victoria lovely too. We took a horse and carriage ride which was a great way to see the sights.

We usually cruise with Carnival. We love cruising with Carnival, but decided to give Norwegian a try due to the face that the Bliss had new and exciting things to offer. The disappointments began immediately upon embarkation with NCL and did not improve throughout the cruise. We have all agreed to never cruise NCL again and will share this information with anyone we meet who is planning on cruising. The staff were extremely rude. The service was below par. The entire family was disappointed with NCL and the Bliss. We have never had a bad cruise with Carnival, especially not a cruise that we regret taking!! Alaska was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip for everyone. While the state of Alaska itself was beautiful, that beauty was definitely overshadowed by the terrible Norwegian experience. Carnival Cruise Line will without a doubt get my vacation money from now on.

Second time to Alaska, first with our teenagers. Inaugural Bliss Alaska cruise. Overall amazing trip, everyone loved it.

Our Aft Balcony room 12312 was not as large as some of the other Aft Balcony Rooms. One had to step aside for another person walking around. There is a similar situation walking down the hallways when there are two wide bodies passing each other. Our balcony had room for two chairs and a small table but not enough for lounge chairs. Other balconies had more room. Our balcony view allowed 180 degree view the entire trip. The view was spectacular when traveling to and from the glacier. Our first meal was at the main dining room, the Manhattan. Service was good but similar to other large dining venues. We ate the rest of our meals at either of the smaller dining rooms Savor and Taste. The food choice was the same as the Manhattan and they were right across the hall from each other with the Mixx bar in between. We are early eaters so we went to whichever dining room opened first. The staff rotated between each restaurant. The ship's buffet, the Garden Cafe, had a larger choice of food but we preferred the sit-down service of Savor and Taste. One does not tend to eat as much as a buffet. Suggestion for eating at the buffet; leave someone at the table while others go for food so that the eager table bussers do not remove food or drink before you have a chance to enjoy them. We chose the NCL's Free at Sea Options of Free Unlimited Open Bar and Free Wifi. The Open Bar option was very convenient. The Wifi was spotty. I utilized my Verizon service on ports. All of the free entertainment we viewed was very enjoyable: Jersey Boys, Havana, and the Beatle cover Band. We especially enjoyed the Beatles music. We needed to get to the Cavern at least 30 minutes early to get a seat. They were very popular. Over-all the ship was clean and the crew was excellent, All service was excellent. The Port of Seattle has a baggage check-in service called Port Valet. Midway through the cruise we received information on the criteria used to be able to have our bags picked up the night before disembarkation, check-in with printing of boarding passes and baggage tags was completed and we did not see our bags until our arrival in Tucson, AZ. We checked-in and were pleased that we received our two bags in Tucson on our flight. I was very pleasingly surprised. I highly recommend the Port Valet service if people qualify.

BOOK dinner options before boarding as they were sold out and you had to beg for seating from the hostesses. kids clubs were fabulous. Pool too cold to swim in. Some of the excursions do not offer any time in ports to walk around and see the pier/ dock or shopping areas Pack a hat and gloves if you are not used to 40degree weather.

I have never been more disappointed with a cruise. The description about the stateroom was very misleading. The entire cruise had several let downs, NCL has a lot of work to do. This ship in Alaska this early in the season forced the guests to remain indoors, crowded everywhere!

Disappointed that this maiden voyage didn’t have any perks other than Wyland and his mother The excursion gathering in theater a nightmare Too many people for too few elevators Unable to make dinner reservations yet when walking past most almost empty and they accepted walk ups Havana show was not good Jersey Boys good but only 4 shows??

This was the inaugural cruise of the Bliss and so the ship was in tip top shape and all the crew were primed for excellence. Excellent it was, too! Spotlessly clean, well designed and run and very friendly, the ship was superb in every way. I cannot think of any significant flaws. Shows were excellent. Entertainment was very good and there was something going on at all times. In fact it was difficult to keep up with all the activities! There were a lot of guests but the size of the ship was enough that it never seemed crowded except perhaps around the pool in the afternoon, on sea days. I think this was our best cruise ever!

Make sure you try the race cars at least once. Beatles show was great as was Prohibition. Plenty of dining options.

Everything was great with two exceptions. The drinks were way overpriced ( $34.00 for two cocktails) and $154.00 to get blood pressure check at the medical center. Staff were well trained and courteous, they seemed to enjoy what they were doing and were quick to engage in conversation especially about their home country. Had a great time. Cruise director was super

Can't say enough about this beautiful ship! We could always find a lounge chair on the pool deck on sunny days--we liked Deck 17. They have showers and hot tubs on Deck 17 which make it convenient to cool off without having to go to the pool deck. Drove the race cars and they were fun and challenging--quite a few laps so substantial. Only con would be that there is not a promenade deck and the jogging track on Deck 17 got crowded with joggers and walkers. Loved the entertainment--especially Jersey Boys. Good entertainment in the smaller venues also. All in all a wonderful cruise!

This was the inaugural cruise of the Bliss and so the ship was in tip top shape and all the crew were primed for excellence. Excellent it was, too! Spotlessly clean, well designed and run and very friendly, the ship was superb in every way. I cannot think of any significant flaws. Shows were excellent. Entertainment was very good and there was something going on at all times. In fact it was difficult to keep up with all the activities! There were a lot of guests but the size of the ship was enough that it never seemed crowded except perhaps around the pool in the afternoon, on sea days. I think this was our best cruise ever!

Food was very good in all main dining. Entertainment was excellent!

Very disappointed with the cancellation of 2 ports of call and adding back of only one. The 2 cities we did not visit were a major part of the reason we booked this cruise. A $24 refund for the port tax was an insult. We paid over $6,000 for this cruise and at least a third of it was not completed as promised and expected. Very poor planning on the part of NCL. I feel that as a minimum you should refund us $2,000. We usually travel with Royal Caribbean. They do a much better job. You should send your people to their training classes

best cruise ever, only bad thing was the weather (cold)