Norwegian Bliss Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was my first cruise and NCLmade it to be not my last. I love NCL. The free styling dinners were great. I overheard people say that it’s a problem with other CruiseLines. Always rushed.

First time on a ship this large and it was worth the experience. If you don't like crowds this is not the cruise for you; but if you want a new experience give it a try. Excursions: Seattle - Boeing Factory Tour was worth the time and the Space Needle is a must. Ketchikan - The Bearing Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour was an excellent adventure and very informative. Juneau - Whales & Mendenhall Glacier Tour; saw three whales. Skagway - White Pass Summit Rail & Bus Excursion was very enjoyable, breathtaking views. Victoria, British Columbia bus tour was interesting.

We chose this cruise because it was one of the newest ships, and with kids 10 and 12, has new things such as a Racetrack and Laser Tag on board. We've been to Alaska several times by cruise before (Disney Wonder being the last cruise 2 years ago). We were not thrilled that not only were there so many people (4800 plus 1700 crew), everything got booked up literally within hours of getting on board. Our kids only could find one time slot for the race track (10:30 PM) and none for Laser Tag because of the number of people and availability. The same went for shows and the comedy club - too many people trying to get seats so we never did! Then there aren't enough elevators for all these people so you wait 10 minutes to get to another floor. Yes, no exaggeration. They definitely could be more organized - for instance telling you to go to the Theater to meet for an excursion off the ship at 7am, you walk down the stairs to the stage, they tell you to go back up now and walk around the theater and outside. This kept happening. Our daughter has many severe food allergies. We made arrangements a month in advance with their "Access Desk" which handles special requests for food, etc. We told them by email, fax, and phone of her list of allergies and they said it wouldn't be a problem. I called and confirmed the list two days prior to sailing. Again, said it's not a problem - just check with the restaurant supervisor before ordering. We did, and they didn't know of the list! They knew there "was a list", just didn't know what the allergies were. UGH! So frustrating. The first morning (Sunday) we went to the restaurant, spoke with the supervisor, and my daugher asked about a gluten, dairy, and egg free waffle. He went in the back, said he read the ingredients on the frozen packaging and it had no egg, wheat, or dairy. She ate the waffle, and within 15 minutes was in the bathroom throwing up with an allergic reaction. My wife had to give her allergy medication. She ended up seeing the ship's doctor, and the Assistant Maitre D came to the room and said all the waffles have Egg! From then forward, he said he would take care of her food orders personally, and he did! He saved the cruise for sure. Every meal - he asked her what she wanted, and they had it ready. He was great - his name is Koray. Definitely a great asset to NCL. As for the rooms, we had two - a balcony and an inside stateroom. They were both about the same in size - although the balcony room has a couch that can flip down to another bed, and a bunk can be lowered above it. Rooms are quiet and well appointed. Three US Plugs are located at the desk area by the phone - not by the bed so we brought extension cords for us to use. Storage under beds and under couch. Beds can be a queen or two twins divided, as we had in the interior room for our kids. Housekeeping is on point. They don't use the iConceirge texting system on this ship, so we couldnt' communicate with other family even if connected to ship WiFi. Had to purchase WiFi if you want it. That bummed us out. Even tried two way radios but didn't work due to ship size and steel. Restaurants are good, but as I say busy. Specialty ones get booked fast. Room service is free, but charges $7 to deliver. During the cruise they offered a discount on laundry of $20 for a big bag so that helps. Because the elevators are so busy, you really need to take stairs if it's only a couple flights. Overall, we had a good trip. Ship is more stable than others because of size. We liked the stop in Victoria - defintely a good itinerary and one we hadn't done before (this is our fifth Alaska Cruise). I'd say for famlies Disney is better. Less crowded, more to do for families, and better choices. Better kids club and solid staff. Disney has far less staff turnover than NCL from what everyone said. This ship was geared for the 55+ crowd with 26 bars, 17 restaurants and its own smoking room.

Staff was generally very friendly and good. We particularly appreciated Nemanja. It is a big ship, lots of people, long waits for elevators, but it’s also new and nice. We got a balcony mini suite, but the balcony was so tiny we didn’t spend much time there. The cabin itself was fairly roomy though. I don’t particularly like the way NCL nickels and dimes customers, and it was difficult to find space in popular areas (observation deck), but overall we enjoyed ourselves. Boarding was our new e major hitch - we were among the first to check in, but the agent forgot to give us boarding group cards. As first-timers it took us awhile to figure this out, and once we did they told us too bad, you’ll just have to sit in the waiting room and board with the late group. Also, one of our excursions was canceled last minute and it was hard to rearrange things because everything was already sold out. The excursions desk agent tried to be helpful, but it was still quite a disappointment to not be able to veto the dogsled camp, which was the top item on our bucket list.

Food/Dining: As expected with all NCL ships, the food and dining options were fantastic. With the addition of Los Lobos at the expense of Moderno Churascaria was quite nice to see, as it shows variety between different ships in the line. The introduction of the Q Smokehouse was great to see and we very much looked forward to eating there, although we thought the menu may need some little tweaks but the service was fantastic and very authentic to the theme. As usual Cagney’s, le Bistro and La Cucina etc. were up-to their usual standard with fabulous service and incredible food. As well as the complimentary dining options being as per usual, fantastic. Although I would like to see NCL work on changing up their restaurants more to different speciality restaurants more, perhaps an Indian specialty? Rooms: I got to experience both being in a Balcony suite and a Studio. With the suite there was certainly a noticeable increase in spaciousness. If this isn’t a huge concern to you, however, go for a regular balcony as the difference isn’t huge and the balcony is the same size. Staff: This was actually one of the best cruises in terms of our experiences with the staff. My room steward was probably thee best I have ever had; friendly, talkative and great at his job. Those in the poolside bars were brilliant and got to know you on a personal level which is always nice. A special shoutout to those at the CruiseNext Desk who were so friendly during the week and helpful in planning our future cruise destinations. Onboard Activities: The onboard activities were certainly different from usual ships I travel on. As of course most of them took place inside due to this being an Alaskan cruise (though the weather didn’t really bother us as we are Scottish). This caused a lot of congestion in and around the onboard activities especially in the atrium. I would have liked to have seen more outdoor activities in areas such as spice H20, instead of the very squashed Social Club. I was personally disappointed by there being no 18-25 meet ups as there usually is. We did however love the go karts, and thought it was well worth the charge. Ship Quality and Layout: With most of the NCL ships nowadays they all follow the same rough layout as the breakaway/getaway but of course each new ship has its on little differences. A big one we noticed was entourage and the arcade was moved from deck 17 to 5, which would have been a relief to many older passengers. Although the upper decks at the aft of the ship seems very confusing and compact due to the inclusion of the laser tag and gokarts which made it more difficult to move around in this area. The observation lounge (which we were very much looking forward to) came as a disappointment to us. As often the seats/couches were hogged by many fellow passengers, some who took a three person couch (sofa) to themselves in order to stretch their legs and go for a nap, many people we seen also took their shoes off on the ‘public seating areas’ which we found quite disgusting. Also many brought a large amount of food down from the cafe and made quite a mess of the lounge, in my opinion. The pool deck was actually very popular for us, as the weather did not bother us we had most of the deck (and the bar) to ourselves, and we made sure to take advantage of this. Also the atrium specifically was no where near big enough as many people gathered here because of the colder weather, and maybe they should have looked at expanding the size of the atrium in the bliss. As usual the cleanliness was of the highest standard onboard and the crew do an excellent job of upholding this. Embarkation/Disembarkation: I have cruised out of Miami, Tampa, Venice, Palma, New York and Honolulu before but none of these ports have came close to matching the quickness of the embarkation process of Seattle. We flew through the terminal and were on the ship in an instant. The same can’t be said for the disembarkation for us, although we understand we were at fault for our delays. We were schedule for priority disembarkation which began at 8am, but we seen no harm in exiting a few minutes before our time allocation. Big mistake, as we stupidly passed through customs without our baggage and were forced to wait outside in a large queue to get back into the terminal. The NCL staff member who was dealing with many aggressive passengers alone done a great job, but since he was working alone could only deal with one person at a time. This was an unfortunate end to a great cruise. Itinerary: Words can’t really describe Alaska so I’ll just reiterate what John Muir said in that once you go to Alaska “you’ll never be satisfied with any other place in the world for as long as you live.” Main Pros: Scenery, empty pool deck and the crew. Main Cons: busy lower decks (resulting in slow elevators), lack of activities for young adults (especially the 18-21 age range) and no space in the observation lounge.

We have sailed the Breakaway twice and enjoy the freestyle cruising and dining. We sailed with our Grandsons and found the children's program to stringent and inflexible, so never returned after registration. The only menu that varied was the evening in the Garden Buffet.

This was our first experience on a different cruise line besides Disney. Overall, I was impressed and would cruise with Norwegian again. However, the one thing I didn't like was how I felt I was getting hit for extra fees for everything. On Disney, EVERYTHING is included. When I had to pay extra for go-carts, and laser tag, that irritated me. The shows were horrible on the Norwegian with the exception of The Jersey Boys. The biggest questions I always ask myself is would I go again and yes, I would. I'm thinking of checking out the Bliss' dates for the Caribbean.

Disembarkation took a lot longer than expected, most due to the number of passengers, but also due to the fact that only two exit points were being utilized. We spent 1:15 hours in line waiting to disembark, we were chose the 9:00am disembarkation slot thinking it would take 30-40 minutes at most to disembark but there was such a bottleneck because many people were carrying their own luggage off the ship and only contributed to an already slow process. People that choose to carry their own luggage off the ship should be limited to their own time slot and be made to stick to it. When we arrived at the airport we found that many people from the cruise were also flying and the lines were absolutely crazy. My recommendation is to stay in Seattle the day you return and have fun then fly out the next day.

I would say it was a wonderful cruise except for the disrespectful children and the parents of them. There were at least 50% of the kids with no manners or respect for not only the ship and its furnishings but other adults. The parents are right there watching them run around other peoples sitting areas and jumping on furniture and leaving bowls of ice cream in elevators and the parents could care less. I feel the crew should be able to tell the parents to calm and control their children. There should not be children allowed to sit at the bars or go to shows with inappropriate language. Those privileges are for adults There are plenty of activities that are there for kids and kid friendly areas but no place for adults to go where there are no children except for a smoking lounge. The main lounge should be for adults only or at least for children no younger then 12. Would I go again? Yes but I would try to find a ship that was a little less kid friendly.

Nice new ship but be aware of some issues. 1. We had a mini suite for 4 people and it was by far the smallest mini suite we have had on any ship. We struggled to move around when there was more than two in the room. 2. The beds were rock hard. Just like sleeping on the floor. Woke up sore everyday. 3. Had had to keep asking for coffee for the machine. Not sure why they have the machine, cream, mugs but no coffee. 4. The elevators are as bad as people say. We mainly used the stairs 5. The Italian restaurant was not worth it. Over priced and rude staff Now the good: 1. The shower was amazing. Better than any hotel shower I have used and I travel 100 nights a year 2. Tepenyaki was great. Did that twice and loved the food and show 3. Buffet was very crowded, but food was excellent 4. Most of the staff was friendly 5. Service was amazingly fast. Sometimes to fast Overall I’m not sure I would go on the Bliss again. The rock hard beds and huge crowds everywhere were big negatives. If they fixed the beds and had about 1000 less people it would be worth the money. Maybe if the Haven were more reasonable that would have been better.

Overall we did enjoy ourselves very much, but a few downfalls for such a beautiful ship. The go-carts and lazer tag are added expenses that we didn't realize would be an additional fees. You had to sign up for them at the start of the cruise and they booked up within the first couple of hours. We also heard that even though you had scheduled times to go you had to still wait in line for up to an hour. Weather was to cold, wet, and windy to enjoy the pools and hot-tubs. Shows were great! I have had better food and food choices on other cruises ( all with NCL). I do not think we will ever go on this ship again, and I'm glad it was just my husband and myself this trip. We often take some of our grandchildren with us, they would have been extremely disappointed in the go-carts and lazer-tag situation. Again overall we did enjoy ourselves very much, but a few downfalls for such a beautiful ship.

Great week on the Bliss. Crew was helpful and attentive to the needs of the travelers. They made the cruise enjoyable. They were upbeat and cheerful while serving 1000s of people.

In one word: WONDERFUL! The Bliss is a beautiful ship with a friendly, professional staff. Everyone on-board seemed eager to make our first-time cruise a once-in-a-lifetime event. The food (we only ate at the inclusive venues, opting not to spend extra for the specialty restaurants) was Marvelous except for the Country Fried Chicken which NCL should drop from their menu. Everything else was perfectly prepared and expertly served. I was a little disappointed that the mini-suite was not much of an upgrade from the balcony cabin. The only differences were a larger bathroom (which may be worth the price difference, the bathroom WAS very nice and spacious) and a slightly larger balcony. The only other disappointment was the inaccessibility of a smoking area. The website stated, in more than one place, that the starboard-side Waterfront walkway, with a few exceptions, would be a smoking area; it was not. The only smoking areas were outside on Deck 17 Aft and inside the Humidor Cigar Lounge, Deck 8 Mid. Considering the number of smokers utilizing these areas at any given time and the general feeling of disappointment amongst them, NCL should reconsider having so few smoking areas or should re-do the website so false information is not published. The shore excursions were well planned and executed. Embarkation and disembarkation (we had airport transfers both ways and used Port Valet for disembarkation) were easy and hassle-free. Our stateroom steward, Christian, was an absolute Gem! Friendly, hard-working and efficient, he was a consistent bright spot in an already bright and shiny day - every day! The Observation Lounge is a wonderful concept. Unfortunately, many parents allowed their children to run loose throughout the lounge area and crew members did nothing except step aside when a small herd of running kids was headed their way. The idea of sitting in a relatively peaceful atmosphere while relaxing and enjoying the view appealed to us greatly but we were never able to do so. The entertainment was top-shelf. The original show, Havana!, and the production of Jersey Boys (both FREE, by the way) were both terrific! The tribute band, Britain's Finest, sounded just like the Beatles (who I never really liked in the first place) and put on a good show. The Cruise Director's staff did a remarkable job of providing non-stop activities. From game shows to trivia contests to dance lessons (all FREE, as well), the events were energetically presented, well-attended, and enjoyed by all. If you were bored on this cruise, it's because you chose to be! Overall, the trip was Great and we will absolutely be cruising again!

There is no doubt that this is an absolutely stunning ship! My husband and I just got off on Saturday. The trip as a whole was fabulous. Alaska is definitely a must see destination. I know we will be back...but I think on a different ship. stateroom was very nice. A little narrow, but more than enough room for 2. I think more than that would be crowded. Dining: we ate in the following restaurants Los Lobos: should have eaten here twice! Fantastic all the way around Le Bistro: excellent food! Cagneys: we have eaten at Cagneys on other NCL ships and loved it. This one was ok... maybe they were having a bad night. I ordered my filet minot medium rare and it came well done.... I didn’t complain because it was very tender and I was hungry, but thought it was worth mentioning. The desserts and sides were no where near as good as on other NCL ships Manhattan room: standard cruise fair. Always reminds me of wedding food which is why we upgrade our dining on NCL La Cucina: maitre de was very rude.... he asked if we wanted to sit outside because we were docked and I said I would rather eat inside because it was chilly out and he started arguing that it was beautiful out and looking at me like I had three heads, I told him no thank you and he sat us inside and let out a big sigh. Not sure what that was about, but the food was very good Teppenyaki: always a great show, and the food very good, but we skipped dessert and went next door to Cocoas to get a sweet treat Q: excellent food! Very yummy! Something did not sit well in our stomachs that night.... but that is no fault of theirs. The chicken was a little dry, but that would be my only complaint. Service: it was spotty. Some staff members went out of their way for you.....others barely acknowledged you were there Excursions: we booked two from the ship....both of them fantastic. We booked the Tracy arm fjord tour in Juneau and the railway/suspension bridge in Skagway. In Ketchikan we booked the lumberjack show on our own because it was cheaper. Spa: we splurged on the spa package and it was worth every penny after a long day of excursions! All in all we had a wonderful trip. The cons that will keep us booking again are: Spotty service The public venues were way too small so you had to book everything in advance (we did and saw all the shows we signed up for, but I prefer to be a little more spontaneous sometimes) The ship was a little too big for our taste The entertainment was ok but not great ( the one exception to that was the piano guy Jim in the brew house most nights) he was really funny and people sang along. NCL has really started nickel and diming to death. I know other lines do it too, but a 12 pack of water costs $24! That’s ridiculous! Other lines bottles of water are either included in your beverage package (our last Royal Caribbean ship) or they are only $6 for a 12 pack (our last carnival ship) These reasons may not seem to bother you much, but is enough to keep me off NCL for a while...I’m sure not forever, but for the near future. I could have written a lot more but didn’t want to bore you... please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to answer what I can

This ship was an amazing way to experience Alaska!! If you have not tried Norwegian Cruise Line and want to go to Alaska the bliss is a great option. There is so much to do on this ship including go karts, laser tag, and mini golf to just name a few. There are so many different dinning venues on this ship. We went to Teppanyaki, Q, and Cagney’s and all were great! This is a great ship if you love mega ships, Alaska, having fun, and meeting awesome people.

Fantastic, best ship I've ever cruised on. I would recommend to anyone that's looking for something better than carnival. Very little lines. Well laid out plans! Plenty of seating. AWESOME food. No disappointments... except for the rude passengers whom think they are better than all others, but that's the same on all cruise lines.

Just getting off the ncl bliss from Alaska. I’ve been on approx 10-12 cruises with ncl. Here are my thoughts - if you are going with a multi generation group the bliss is a good fit because of the multi activities . If you are going with an over age 50 group Alaska may be better in the smaller ships . I’ve done Alaska 4 times now. The balcony stateroom was pretty standard, I thought the bathroom to be large and plenty of storage throughout the cabins . If there would have been 3-4 people in the room it would have felt small. We tried 5 of the specialty restaurants, Q, los lobos, la cucina, Cagneys, and teppanaky. Hands down la cucina and Cagneys were the best, followed by teppanaki. I would not go to Q or Los lobos again. Except for the guacamole los lobos has poor service and below par Mexican. I thought the jersey boys show was great , la havana terrible (fell asleep 3 times), and the real surprise was how good the Beatles band show was (had a 2:00 pm ( on the last day). Observation deck was awesome and great layout with snacks there most of the day we tried to go when we thought the crowds would be low. At the spice h2o area I wish they would police the 18 and older rule , only saw them once run some 16 yr olds out of hot tub . Food in the main dining areas was consistent as was most of the bars, mojito bar being the best, but the observation bar staff was slot of fun too

Our flight was 2 hours late due to bad weather. When we arrived at port we were treated terribly because we were late. They told us we would have to take our own luggage to our room due to being late. Staff was not busy watching us struggle with heavy luggage. This was not an easy task. We felt like we were being punished. A person without good health would not have been able to do it.

I've been on a dozen or more cruises. This was by far the most efficient ship. There was no waiting for restaurants, short wait for elevators. The staterooms were very well designed. Two women in a mini-suite, and we had storage space to spare. The food was the best I've had on a cruise ship in 20 years.

Would visit Alaska again would leave from Vancouver the next time