Norwegian Bliss Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Best Norwegian ship I’ve ever been on(been on getaway and epic each two times). Better food, great shows, so much to do! Jersey Boys was an amazing show, I loved it.

This is my 2nd NCL Cruise. Had a better experience on the Escape. This felt very crowded.

We had three families traveling together on this trip. This is the first cruise for my family. I have been actively planning two more cruises since arriving home. We loved it! Pros: - Staff was exceptional in every way. Exceeded our expectations. - Food was really amazing. Glad we received the free dining package we probably would not have tried it. Now I wouldn't go without it. We didn't purchase dining package for my son we just paid for him as we were not sure he would even join us for meals. The menu pricing I felt was very reasonable. We just paid for his entree and he had a little of my side and appetizer if he was still hungry. We may purchase dinning package for him on next cruise. If you don't have the dining package you can still eat at the specialty restaurants and just pay for what you would like to eat. - Entertainment staff Silas, Alex, Junior and Moret (sp?) were so much fun. Go to the shows in the atrium in the evening. They were so funny. I wish we would have gone to more of them. - We also really enjoyed the live music at night found all over the ship. Grab a cocktail and enjoy. Really something for everyone's taste. - This ship holds a lot of people we only felt the crowds on the first day until after sail away. After sail away the crowds just totally dispersed. The ship is laid out so well. - The comedy acts were terrific as were the Beatles group. - All of the kids were hooked on the Wyland TV channel! He is the artist who's work appears on the ship. Cons: - The teenagers in our group wished there was a sports course or rock wall or something else to do in addition to the go carts and the laser tag. - The miniature golf was silly, only a few holes. It was not well planned or fun. Space could have been better utilized. It was like a total after thought. A small ropes course or rock wall would have been better. - Not enough deck chairs in the sun. The Aqua racer hangs over the deck creating a huge shady area. Which no one wanted to sit under. It is very windy up there and cold if you are stuck in the shade. - I would also like to see another quick option for food at the pool besides the buffet. - This may seem silly but the entire ship was uncomfortably cold for me. We are from Iowa still snow on the ground and I was freezing on this ship the entire time. The observation lounge was like a meat locker! We are so glad that our first cruise was on the Bliss. We can't wait to go on our next cruise but worried it will never live up to the Bliss! So pretty. Our daughter still sleeps with her stuffed Bliss ship.

Overall great cruise. Food was awesome! St. Thomas and Tortola were great.

Just got off the Bliss this morning. Here are my thoughts as I sit in the airport waiting to fly home. Embarkation & debarkation were a breeze. We arrived around 10:30am. We were Group 4 and were on the ship before 11:30. Leaving the ship was very easy. They used the facial recognition software and we carried off our luggage about 8am. It was less than 20 minutes. Rooms were ready about 1pm when we boarded. Very quick! Pros: -Balcony Cabin worked fine for 4. It was cramped at times but we were rarely all in there at the same time except to sleep. Wished there was a little more storage. Loved having the balcony! -Food was great. Buffet was good with lots of choices. All the kids in our group preferred it. We ate in Savor 2 nights and food was very good. Service was a little slow but not awful. The Local has the most incredible cheesecake and the wings and spinach dip were yummy! Teppanyaki, Cagney’s, Le Bistro & Los Lobos were all delightful. If I had to drop one it would be Le Bistro as we are a more casual group but the food was good. Los Lobos was one of our favorite meals and the guacamole made at the table was beyond delicious! -Shows were really good. We enjoyed the different game shows & activities in the atrium. Beatles, Jersey Boys & Comedians we’re all great. Caught them in the theater with no reservations. We didn’t go to Havana or Prohibition. The 80s deck party by the pool with the videos from MTV was one of our favorite activities of the week! So fun! -Kids loved the laser tag & go carts. They did each twice and as soon as we were on board I used the touch screens to make reservations. The lines at The Social looked awful! -We had 3 families traveling together. We booked David’s Fun Tours months ahead of the cruise for an island tour in St Thomas. It was our favorite day! David was delightful, funny & informative and the van was clean! He spent the entire day with us and showed us all of the island. He had a cooler of water for us and set us up at the beach. He waited while we relaxed and when we finished he took us to the other side of the island. The kids thought the tour would be boring but all agreed David made it the best day! -In Tortola we took the NCL tour to Virgin Gorda. The Baths were awesome! Incredible day! The ferry was clean and efficient. At The Baths pack your patience. It is crowded but everyone gets through. Worth doing once! -Loved The Waterfront area. We spent a lot of time in The Brewhouse. The piano player and sing along were great at night! All of the live music on the ship was so good. Siglo was awesome! Cons: -Sun deck. With the addition of the go carts the sun deck was smaller. Chairs were gone by 8:30 am. Saw a couple fights over chairs. I knew this when I booked the ship. In the future if cruising the Caribbean I would go on a ship with more sun deck and pool space. My kids missed shuffleboard. Kids loved both waterslides! -Took the trip to Blue Lagoon in Nassau. Our group gave it 2 thumbs down. Didn’t get there until 1pm. It was quite busy and chairs available were a very far walk from the stand where you purchase umbrellas etc. The staff was very unfriendly. We purchased umbrellas that came with 2 drinks. Went to the bar two different times to get the drinks filled and they only would wait in people paying with money. Finally gave up. Ferry was old and I felt they loaded a lot if people in it. Many were standing. It was late at pick up and we got back to the ship a few minutes after all aboard time. Was glad we booked the train wreck through NCL. It was our least favorite day. Next time I would stay on the ship and go to the spa! -There needs to be more quick food options than just the buffet and The Local. Several times we just wanted a sandwich or pizza but without the chaos of the buffet or having to sit down and order. I just want a place to grab and go and past midnight. -Margaritaville. Cute place but no one was hardly ever eating in it. We enjoyed the Havanas & Bananas drink at the bar and a plate of nachos which were both delicious! Maybe NCL could develop a quick pizza place and put it in there. Hopefully better pizza than the buffet! 😝 All in all it was a great trip! Perfect no but I’m yet to do that perfect vacation. Pack your patience for people and elevators. I saw several rude and yelling people. Realize you can’t do it all. There is a lot! Pick what’s most important and be happy doing those things. Enjoy a raspberry mojito or Miami Vice and soak in the sun! You are on vacation! 😎

Best Norwegian ship I’ve ever been on(been on getaway and epic each two times). Better food, great shows, so much to do! Jersey Boys was an amazing show, I loved it.

The most beautiful ship I have been on with NCL. Our trip had a German company rent out most of the boat probably as an incentive for selling their product. They were not friendly though it probably was a language barrier. We didn't meet a lot of fun people as we normally do bc of them. I wish they told us before we booked. The boat isn't smoker friendly... you can only smoke at SpiceH20 which has no pool or in the smoking area of the casino. The German company rented h2o out every night so no sail away happy hours really disappointed us. They stuck the smokers under the race track to accommodate the German company. Oil also sprayed out of the stacks on that trip...it smelled and got on our clothes. Food was great except every time i ordered fish it wasnt what i ordered. The mahi mahi was grouper, my salmon tasted like a trout and the striped bass was brazino sea bass. Good just not what i wanted. Jersey boys was awesome... you'll want to see that twice. Havana we skipped bc we heard it wasn't good. The hypnotist show i heard was funny. Beatles were fun. No pool side sail away parties, no ships night out or white party... it wasn't that fun for us as laid back pool drinkers that really don't care about making shows and dinner reservations. We just want to see the sunsets with great company with a cocktail every night.

Great cruise!! Loved the observation lounge on this boat. The pool deck would have been fine if people didn’t reserve chairs for all day. They would put towels out on multiple chairs & only use them rarely. Luckily they would continue to ad chairs on the upper decks. I heard people complain about how much they spent on board, but I had a hard time spending all of my on board credit. Best place for breakfast was the Local. It was a small menu but it was fast & delicious. The go carts & laser tag were fun but only did them once. The comedy show & Jersey Boys were excellent. Most nights I watched the game shows in the atrium. I would recommend early dinner at 5:30 so you can see the 7:30 shows & later dance parties or nightly music around the ship. My inside room was typical, but next door neighbor couldn’t shut their door without slamming it. I thought the staff was excellent. I heard some complain about waiting for drinks but I didn’t have a problem. I also tip for my drinks so they remembered what I was drinking. Another favorite place to hang out is 8th floor waterfront because there is comfortable seating on the deck & was a relaxing view of the ocean.

As I sit here at a local brewery, its time to put my review in! Embark: Miami Travel: Caribbean Disembark: Miami Date: March 9th-16th Stateroom: Balcony, 2 people Stateroom: We had a balcony room for the week. Love the extra space for the balcony as it was a "nice gateway from everything." Two chairs and table to enjoy the sunset. The bed was comfortable to my tasting. The couch, we didn't used since we made it as our storage for luggage. Plenty of counter space for us, never ran into any issues. Bathroom; I enjoy the style and layout as it's practical and useful. I remember this overall layout from NCL Escape. My only issue [can be fixed] are the coat hangers in the closet. We were located on the Starboard/Right side of the ship and they would tend to bang against the wall. Just remove them if not use. Entertainment: My group of 4, got a chance to see Havana! and Jersey Boys. Both were excellent shows. -> Havana! [Base from Cuba] was colorful of light, music to enjoy, and great for the family. -> Jersey Boys; Great with the music, fantastic on the acting, and a good story. There is a bit of cursing in it, so be mindful of it and use the bathroom before hand due to its 2 hour long show. Food: Overall average. All us did make it to Cagney's for my birthday. As it can be crowded, but the food was great. Filet Mignon cooked to perfection and enjoy my time with the family. La Cucina was ok. We were first to be seated [on embarking day] and got served late compare to everybody else. Food was what we expected. Red Wine was soild as I can not remember which one we had that night. The Local [formally O'Sheehans] is the typical bar food. You got wings, fries, sandwiches, breakfast, etc. It is in the middle for quality. Great for late snack and the bar is loaded. I do enjoy the theming of it. Garden cafe is much better on the newer ships. There is a good variety. More seating and easier layout. Honestly, a good tip for some light breakfast food, go to the Observstion Lounge. Plenty of seats and food to enjoy the view. My favorite spots are the Skyline Bar [next to the casino], Mojito Bar, and District Brew House. The to bar and bartender at the time, were super awesome. The District Brew House is my favorite for drinking. Great beers on tap and bottle selection is better then some of my home town bars. They also have a couple of board/table games to play too. Coco's' for chocolate that is! Is nice. Good option for dessert and got a chocolate fountain for your sweet tooth. We, as responsible adults, spiked our sundae. We try to make to the little bakery shop for some gelato. We did not care the gelato that was served and the hours were weird. From 12pm-5pm if I recall. Staff: Everybody was good. No issues to report. I appericate the guest services to help us on rescheduling events and activities. Great job guys! Activities: Let us start with the pool.....the dreaded pool area. Yes, if you want good area to sun bath, you must go and get a grab a seat at around 7:30am. Around 8:15 is starts to get full. I, personally do not recommended, using towel clips and "reserve" 4 hours to come back. A handful of people did that nonsense. On the screen by the pool does say "Please do not reserve the seats for longer the 30 minutes" [Close to it, please do not quote me]. I ended up moving someone towel one seat over because they were not there for 2 hours for my group. It is loud if you are trying to relax and chill. Anywho, the slides are great. They are my favorite to slide down! Moving to Spice H2O. It is less quiet to tan out and chill. Please keep in mind that is will get crowed around 9am to find any seating. Best for port days of course. The laser tag we did not do. The theming for it is cool. The Go Kart. Now before I get ahead of myself. Please book for time on Day 1 or 2. It will get filled up [same for laser tag]. I enjoy the go karts a lot. I am not trying to brag, but I got first place. The track is easy for me but a lot a fun for any age. Theme Parties: The group did the 80's and 90's theme. Is was on the pool deck. If you got a the energy and make it to one of the parties. It was great way to dance your soul out! Casino: It gets it's own paragraph. The layout was good. The Dealers were entertaining amongst themselves. Had a great variety on slots. Now my main topic for this is the smoking area. The lowest bids [$5] for tables are located in the smoking area. I did my best to tolerate the smell, but wish they had normal tables outside as well. Plenty of winners and fun for late nights. Overall: *Sips my last beer* I like the new ship. It was great trip for everybody. I couldn't give it 5 stars due to, the same and repetition for every ship. Some new features for me which it pushes for 4 stars. I do not have a major issues with the ship. Good job NCL. If you want to know more about the ports. Please review my reviews on them at there own page.

Food was little better than average comedy show was hilarious very easy on embarking and disembarkation never felt crowded till the last sea day casino was busy only on the last day

We were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary and treated our sons and their family to join us. We were disappointed in some things and others were just okay.

Underwhelmed. Food was so so. As my kids would say “it was a big ship w nothing to do”. I don’t need much entertainment but as I looked through the daily itinerary I could not find a thing. I usually cruise RC and looked forward to a different experience but this was not what I was looking for.

We just got off the ship yesterday and we loved it! We have already booked on the encore for next year. We were a bit nervous with some of the reviews we read before hand but our experience was great! This was our 11th cruise but first with NCL. We have cruised carnival, RCL, and Disney. In comparison this ship is much cleaner than carnival and the food and dining choices were much better. The entertainment for the kids was phenomenal and we loved the outside spaces like the cavern and Spice. We ate at Carney’s and the Q and both were really good! The drink package and unlimited go carts were amazing. My biggest complaint was that when we booked our cruise over a year ago the unlimited go carts were $99 and they raised them to $199 and with two kids, that was pricey and they would not honor the original price. They also no longer have a day pass for go carts and times fill up immediately for both laser tag and go carts. All that being said, my kids got more than their money’s worth on the go carts unlimited package, We heard some people complain about the up charge on everything. As I said, this is our eleventh cruise and all ships have up charge options but if you choose not to do them, you can literally get away with not spending any money. There are multiple options for free dining at several venues, with various food choices. My sister in law and her husband were traveling with us and after her onboard credits and shore excursion credits her final bill was $147. So you can make it as expensive or inexpensive as you like. The rooms were nice and ours was made up twice daily. The one thing I did not like about the room is where the closet is located. It is on the wall behind the bathroom by the couch/additional bed. Traveling with a family of 4 it was a tight squeeze trying to get in there most times. The embarkation process was the best we have ever experienced. Debarkation was a bit unorganized but they were trying a new system. We self assisted off and were in our car by 815 after walking around the parking garage for 20 minutes because we could not remember what level we parked on. Overall it was a great experience and we can’t wait to go back! Hope this review helps and happy cruising!!

Overall, this boat was very clean, service was terrific and the food from all the complimentary restaurants to the most expensive ones was fantastic!! Check out The Manhattan!! Ship was very rocky. We could not understand why since there were no storms and it is quite a large ship. Also, the rooms left a lot to be desired. They were very small. They could become extremely uncomfortable if you do not take a suite.

This ship moves A LOT. Even the more experienced members of my group said that there was significantly more movement than they expected. Those who are easily seasick.... Take note. Otherwise was a fantastic boat. Very roomy. I don't think I waited in line for anything. Excellent shows. Overall a great trip!

Don't believe the negative reviews you may read of the Bliss. By the time we disembarked in Miami, we were convinced that previous cruisers who whined about lots of things were very unfair to Norwegian. It was a great value, and the ship and crew were awesome. Your fellow passengers . . . . it's not Norwegian's fault who is on board. Human nature, but some pax were determined to get their "money's worth." The inebriated folks on board, who would behave badly, were not fun to see. The buffet on embarkation day was overcrowded, as people camped out to wait for their cabins. I have never seen so many over indulging adults scooping mountains of food on multiple plates, as if this was their last meal in the next 7 days. It was disgraceful how much food was wasted on that first day. Many passengers were just plain rude, but I can't blame Norwegian for their behavior. In fact, kudos to the staff for always remaining polite and smiling, no matter what they are likely to observe or encounter in their jobs. In summary, I will cruise again on Norwegian.

Guys I am going to my first cruise every and it happens to be NCL gliss eastern carbines just need any advice will be appreciated, what should I expect. Thanks

Overall: good cruise. Now that I understand how Norwegian works I would do a few things differently the next time and try and cruise off peak.

NCL Bliss is a beautiful, but very large :)) ship. Taking a cruise has been on my bucket list for many years, & was finally able to mark it off. After debating whether or not to go to Alaska or Caribbean, decided on Eastern Caribbean. Ports included Tortola, BVI; St Thomas, VI and Nassau, Bahamas. Arrived in Miami Thursday prior to Saturday embarkation. Explored Miracle Mile as was near hotel, was not that impressed. Next time will plan something more entertaining, as there is much to do there. When first arrived at Miami Port on day of embarkation, didn't know what to expect, except what I had read. However, went extremely smooth & quick. Was onboard within 30 mins. or so of arrival. Stayed in studio staterooms newly developed on cruise ships specifically for solo travelers such as myself. We had our own beautiful studio lounge w/expresso machine, snacks, water, juice, etc. Even have wine station but it is pay per glass, not part of beverage package. JP set up several function for solo travelers, such as daily meet & greets, dinners and shows to attend as a group, if desired. However, I choose to do most of the stuff on my own as I had made reservations couple months ahead of cruise for shows and dinner. Activities crew, which included cruise director Dan Dan, Junior, Anika, among others, were very entertaining, putting together many trivia games, as well as their own version of Deal or No Deal game in the atrium daily. Among one of my favorite things participated in was learning the "Thriller" dance by the late Michael Jackson. Other favorites included the hilarious late night 18+ comedy show at the Social Comedy Club. Headliner was Steve Smith. He had us rolling in laughter entire 30 mins or so he was onstage. Couple nights later they had a first come first serve (no reservations required) 18+ show in Bliss Theater, which also included Spencer James. He too put on an extremely entertaining show. Attended Havana show, which was good. However, really enjoyed Jersey Boys show. Both of which I highly recommend you reserve ahead of time online, as soon as your are able if you are interested. Complimentary dining rooms were good for most part. Only down side was I felt service was slow at times, but staff was very friendly. Enjoyed to breaded Founder at Manhattan Room. Only 2 specialty restaurant I tried were Los Lobos & Margaritaville. Had chicken enchiladas @ Los Lobos....very delicious, & Chicken Quesadillas at Margaritaville....also very good. Only wish would have been a larger helping, instead of only two enchiladas. Had made reservations to Cagney's Steakhouse & Q Smokehouse, but decided not to go. Maybe next time. Took advantage of complimentary room service a couple of mornings for breakfast with croissant rolls, fresh fruit, cereal, etc. Couple of different Omelettes or French Toast were available for fee of $7.95. Choose Ultimate Beverage package for promo. As I am not a very heavy drinker, probably would not have purchased it had that not been the case. However, did enjoy margaritas, pina coladas, other mixed drinks & beer. Tried my first Mojito...Raspberry Guave which I truly enjoyed. Average of $10.95 each for the drinks I had, as well as a couple of sodas. Of course gratitude of promo package is added to cost of cruise, believe it was around $105 to $110, maybe little more. As with many other guest, had issue at pool deck with guest "reserving" sun loungers for themselves or friends/family members, by placing towels, shoes, hats etc while they went to breakfast or whatever they did, despite being requested to refrain for doing this. Would walk out there looking for chair, only to find more than half the chairs had stuff in them, but no one was there. They say there is a 30 min rule and your belonging will be removed if you are not there. However witnessed firsthand this rule is not enforced. For ship that size it needs larger pool area and they need to implement a stricter policy regard the lounge chairs. They do have separate adult and kid pool area which I liked. Pulse Fitness center was very nice, lots of equipment and machines. though I only made it there once. Also have nice jogging/walking tracking. Did lot of walking though as took stairs 99% if the time. Shore Excursions I had were not exactly what I had hoped they would be. Tried to experience scuba diving in Tortola for first time but wasn't able to make it out to do a deep dive as I had hope. Didn't feel comfortable enough after an hour of being trained the basics. In St Thomas went Castaway Girl Sailing and Snorkeling to Buck Island. My only real issue was there were way too many people (80) for this one excursion. Could not move in water without someone kicking or bumping into you or vice versa. We were in groups in order for guides to go through some details of area with you during snorkeling. In Nassau, I had one day all inclusive day pass to RIU Palace. Was not what I expected. Very loud music blaring most of time, and of course that was only day we experience not so great weather. Walked on beach some, got rock by some waves on shoreline. Very refreshing. Each location we visited had the most beautiful blue clear waters I'd ever seen. Will definitely cruise on the Bliss again. Took advantage of their CruiseNext program where you can make one to four deposits for future cruises and get onboard credit amounts based on how many deposits you place. You have up to four years to use them and decide where you want to go. Next cruise will probably be to Alaska, hopefully.

This was our first time on Norwegian. We have cruised 3 other lines but thought we'd give Norwegian a try. The ship was narrower than other ships we have been on so we did feel the motion of it, with one night being very rough for about 2 1/2 hours. I did enjoy all the activities that were offered and really enjoyed having the first few days on ship before arriving at a port to really investigate the ship. This ship is meant for an Alaskan cruise not Caribbean as there was not enough outside seating at the pool or in the hot tubs. Not sure I would choose this line again.