Norwegian Bliss Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Definitely recommend Norwegian Bliss. We used the $9.95 phone and texting package while we were on the ship to keep in touch with family. Wish the phone would notify you when a text came in. You can use this service without using any of your 300 wifi minutes. Service goes through the ships wifi.

Overall great cruise. Went Jan/Feb so there were no kids on board (we were told 18 in total). Weather was perfect and I loved that the captain and pilot explained so much about the Panama Canal as we were preparing to go through and then during the transit.

We had a balcony cabin 13166 which was just right for 2 people. Food was generally very good especially at Cagney’s Steak House and the All American Diner. The Bliss has very good live bands and duo’s I.e. The Cavern Club and Sugarcane Mojito Bar.

The main event is the canal crossing which is narrated. It takes an entire day to cross. Really enjoyed the cruise starting from the Pacific side and ending in Miami. The Mexican ports minus Acapulco were nice. I cannot recommend a visit to Acapulco due to the damage sustained by a Category 5 hurricane last October 2023. Its very sad to see the damage to all the homes and hotels. Not much to see there accept if you do a boat tour. The whales are around many of the Mexican ports during our winter, so boat tours are a good option. We did the coffee plantation tour in Guatemala. It was excellent and the clear skies gave our group a great view of the Volcanoes, and yes one was erupting.

We like NCL for consistency and value, but get a bit irritated with the "upcharge" for just about everything (specialty dining, premium drinks, faster wifi, fitness classes). This was the longest cruise we have taken with NCL, and we truly enjoyed it. WIFI on board is way better than it was 5 years ago, but continues to regularly kick off users off during a session (too many people trying to access). Overall it was nice cruise and I would take it again!

We took a Norwegian cruise from San Francisco through the Panama Canal and back to Miami, Florida with quite a few stops along the way. The cities and excursions themselves were wonderful, but getting to San Francisco, some of the employees on the ship, some of the food on the trip, wait times to get to excursions, and wait times to get off the ship were not acceptable. We had Norwegian book our air from Milwaukee to San Francisco and back to make sure that if anything went wrong, Norwegian would take care of getting us to the ship on time. We even booked an extra day in San Francisco through Norwegian so we could ensure enough time to get to the ship. DO NOT trust Norwegian to take care of your getting to the ship no matter how much extra you paid nor the extra amount of time you have to get there. After spending more than 15 hours on the phone, much of it on hold to Norwegian, we forfeited the money we paid Norwegian and re-booked our airfare with another carrier at 3:00 a.m. the morning before our trip so we could actually get to the ship before it took off. They refused to help us, shuttling us from one area of Norwegian “help” to another. When we tried to get our money back from them for the airfare we didn’t use, we were simply rebuffed. We lost $1500 in the deal because that was what it cost us to book one way to SF through another carrier. We also had a couple of bad experience in one of the restaurants. Taste had a Matre’d that should have had a lesson in politeness from his kindergarten teacher. We had reservations for 7:30 and arrived around 7:15. My husband politely went up to the desk and told them we were a bit early but would be glad to be seated early if there was room. He was rudely told to go sit at the bar and have a drink until 7:30. So we did that. When we ordered, my husband ordered steak, which was not only cold, but tough. The next night, the same Matre’d again acted as if he was doing us a favor to seat us at all. That night, I ordered grilled watermelon for dessert. When it came, it was tepid, limp and tasteless. We did not go back to that restaurant. The excursions on this ship were mostly wonderful. BUT the wait times to get off the ship to the waiting buses for the excursions were unacceptable. We often were given a time to be in the auditorium and didn’t end up on the buses for over an hour. One time it was almost 2 hours. And getting OFF the ship. YIKES! Literally hours. We were expected out of our staterooms by 9:00 a.m. and, in our case, were supposed to be leaving the ship by 10:00 a.m. We and literally hundreds of other people waited in hallways and atriums with no access to food or water until after 2:00 p.m. AND THEN, we still waited in line at border patrol because they had not staffed enough personnel to check us out. Unacceptable! If that isn’t enough, the ship was ginormous! We knew that before went, but had always had good experiences with Norwegian in the past. So we figured they knew what they were doing. NOT! Hallways were often jammed with people. Reservations at most restaurants were non-existent unless one wanted to eat at 9:00 p.m. Most of the shows were reserved entirely the first day, as well. Many excursions were over-booked or no longer open for booking. The cafeteria was often so jammed, one could hardly find a place to sit if you could actually get to the food. We never ended up with a chair at the pool and could barely walk the walking path because chairs were put on it by staff. The hot tubs were usually jammed with people as well. Finally, if that isn’t enough, we (foolishly) booked another cruise with Norwegian, this one going to Japan. It is almost 6 months from now and already, there are 4 days where there are NO excursions available. WHAT!??? Talk about unacceptable! I am angry, upset and hurt. This is not what we have experienced with Norwegian in the past. In fact, we have been using them for years and gone on 4 other cruises with Norwegian, praising them up to our friends and relatives. Not anymore. I am very disillusioned and upset. WHAT GIVES, NORWEGIAN?!!?

I’m already planning my next vacation on the NCL Bliss.

If I were to rate my trip 1-10 I would give this cruise a 7.

This is a great vacation at the last minute. Great new friends had amazing food. It was a nice relaxing time just what I needed.

It was a good cruise. I probably will not cruise this size ship again myself. It was too big and crowded for my taste. Not enough days to really enjoy all the venues and activities due to number of people mostly. Couldn’t get a seat in the casino unless you were willing to be in the smoking room.

Overall this was a fun cruise. Staff was attentive. Good was good. Cabin was comfortable and cleaned every day. Service and food in Cagney's and Le Bistro we're great!

Yes we were mad travelling all the way from Edinburgh to LA for a 5 day cruise, but this was to replace a cancelled Canaries cruise planned for my daughter’s 21st. Myself, my daughter and my sister (her first cruise) did really enjoy the ship and had a great time, even though I’d say this was probably my least favourite NCL cruise so far.

This is not a ship for kids. This is a cruise for older folks period. There needs to be more entertainment at night. Thanks

Cruise was relaxing and fun. The Bliss is a beautiful ship, and the service was excellent.

I would never take this cruise line again! After enjoying cruises on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages, I was disappointed and frustrated with the poor quality of this cruise line. I have NEVER wanted to go home while being on vacation! Issues included: 1. I upgraded my internet package but was still unable to access my email or receive texts (even from others onboard). 2. My waiter from Cagney’s returned the wrong card to me and I assume he gave my room key to the person whose room key he gave me…?! 3. Our balcony neighbor was smoking but we were harassed when we complained and eventually had to move ourselves. 4. The sink in our room did not drain properly. 5. The rooms were not cleaned well - I found items from the previous occupants in our room! 6. The hours during which they serve food don’t make sense. Breakfast at the buffet ended at 9:30, which is way too early, and the only 24-hour restaurant won’t let you take food from the restaurant. Room service, which has a handful of items- requires a $10.95 surcharge, didn’t answer the phone in a timely manner and made me SiCK (see next point)! 7. I got FOOD POISONING FROM ROOM SERVICE AND WAS QUARANTINED WITH NO REIMBURSEMENT TO THE ACTIVITIES I HAD PAID FOR BUT HAD TO CANCEL. 8. When I went to medical onboard, the nurse took my blood pressure incorrectly (over my sweatshirt), didn’t take my temperature properly (missed my ear!), and couldn’t find my vein for my IV (I left without receiving this).

The ship was great, ports were nice and great entertainment was available. Nice to see many activities for children even though we did not have any on the cruise. Would do it again.

Overall our trip was very enjoyable. There were many great places to see and we learned a lot from the tours we went on. The food and drinks were good. Entertainment and activities on the ship were excellent, but space could have been better utilized to accommodate more people in smaller venues. The gentleman from planning future trips was extremely helpful. He was able to find a quiet area to accommodate my wife who has a hearing loss so she could participate in the conversation and have her questions answered. Our room was always clean and our cabin attendant Gerom always had a friendly greeting for us. Disembarkation was not well organized for those who had a tour. This was our first trip on a ship this large. Future trips will likely be on a smaller ship.

We will try a different NCL ship and either leave the 20 somethings home or make sure there are better activities for them. Still thinking we like RCL better but overall we had a great trip.

We love cruising and have been on a variety of brands. This was our 4th Norwegian. It will probably be our last. The magnificence of cruising was lacking on this ship. If I wanted a Las Vegas feeling, I’d go there.

Ports of call were great, transiting the Panama canal was a lifetime experience. Ship staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. And the activities were heavy on game shows, trivia, bingo and music. It was very little of educational nature in their schedule activities