We went with 7 other friends on this cruise. It was our first. We really enjoyed the food. So many choices, it was delicious. My only complaint there was that ocassionally, some things were not quite hot enough at the Garden Cafe....but very tasty overall. The staff and crew were super friendly and made everyone feel welcome and appreciated. They made every effort to speak with guests. The entertainment was great. We LOVED the band Siglo, and got to see them every chance we could. Also enjoyed the band Britain's Finest. They were so good and brought back many memories of the Beatles. Saw Jersey Boys and that was fantastic. The Atrium was always a buzz with something fun going on. We stayed in an inside cabin aft (to save a little money). Will never do that again. Balcony or window next time :) Very big ship...lots of walking.... So pack comfortable shoes! Read Less

We live in Seattle with a view of Elliott Bay. We would see the beautiful NCL Bliss come and go every week. We wanted to see what it was like onboard. It was wonderful. Embarkation was a breeze - just a few minutes and we were on the ship. We dined at Cagney's Steak House on the first night and the double pork chop was great!! So was the service. We bought the roving photographer's picture, too. After that we tried all of the comlimentary restaurants but preferred Savor on the port side of the ship for lunch and dinners. We also tried "Q" the western restaurant. It was a good try but not exactly like a real Texas Smokehouse - because, they did not start smoking the meat in the early morning and then serve it several hours later. Maybe they did not have a meat smoker on board. So it was a Scandinavian version of a Texas barb. Four good sauces. Nice deserts. We took the "insider's tour" of the ship and saw how the costumes and wigs were set up back stage - amazing. We enjoyed both shows - I Havana! and Jersey Boys. I have a new appreciation for the Atrium - it was like a family room at home with all sorts of games, and movies, and music. It was comfortable and entertaining. I mean, when did you last play charades? It is still a fun to play Charades after all these years. The Thermal Spa was really relaxing and bubbly.We rarely had to wait for an elevator and, if so, we usually got on the second one to arrive. The elevator ride was a nice way to meet folks too. We did the free activities and chose not to be drinkers so there was no sticker shock at the end of the cruise.We had a very enjoyable trip - NCL knows how to make a vacation wonderful!!! Read Less

We had the best time on The Bliss in Alaska! Can’t wait to go again! From embarkation to disembarking it went so smoothly. The port valet in Seattle was so nice. Everything on the ship was beautiful and clean. Staff was attentive and always helpful. Food and entertainment was wonderful! Our stateroom had plenary of room and storage space for everything. There were 16 in our party. I arranged through email for our large group for dinning reservations through NCL so we could all set together. The representative that corresponded with me was so helpful. This was my first cruise so I did a lot of research. Which helped in so many ways so I was totally prepared. There’s just not enough time to do everything. We just made sure we picked our favorites, so we could also relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Our highlight was the helicopter glacier walk tour! It was so unbelievable! The weather was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking. We brought 4 little bottles with us to collect some “high quality H2O” for our kids. We had the best time!! We just had such a great time we can’t wait to go again! Read Less

It was a dream for us to go on an Alaska cruise.The personnel were very pleasant.My main complaint is that there is not enough areas for smokers.Talked to many smokers who say that other cruise lines offer smoking outdoor on one side of the ship.Very disappointed. On that large of a ship there should have been more areas.I guess smokers are considered second class citizens,I wont use this ship again.The food at buffet was decent.The other compimentary restaurants there was an extra charge.So we did'nt go to those.Also we had ice delivered to cabin,then found out there was a 14.50 charge.So from then on we got our ice from the restaurant or bars.The drinks were great.Entertainment was hard to book,it was always booked up.The best bar was outside on the 8th floor,had a great bartender.Excellent job and very easy to talk to.All told it was a decent cruise,beautiful ship.Bed was very comfortable. Read Less

We are not expert cruisers - this was only our second cruise - both to Alaska. First with Princess 12 years ago. This one was a family reunion with 14 guests, some of whom are more frequent cruisers (none with NCL). Some observations for relative newbies (like us) or first timers on the Bliss (with one big caveat - we sailed with only 4000 aboard - every week over the summer there were 5000 aboard): Embarkation: We chose the 10-1030 window. Dropped off our bags outside (except day bags). No lines inside. Waited about 45 minutes in the waiting area and then were invited to board well-before the 1130 boarding time. Easiest boarding anyone had ever experienced. Dining reservations: Make these early - before the cruise (as soon as the website allows), particularly if you want to eat at Teppanyaki, Blue, or the French or Italian restaurants. If you don't reserve before embarking - don't listen to the recommendations to wait - make them on arrival. The touch screens work well if you don't want to wait in line (you can also make reservations from your TV screen in the cabin once you get it). Activity reservations: Make these immediately when you get on board. On our cruise, you could do this at "Q" as soon as you got on board (with not much of a wait). Go carts were great - but sold out quickly. We reserved for the laser tag (which lots of folks loved), but got too busy and missed our reservation! Show reservations: Havana and Jersey Boys both "sold out" - so reserve these online before you sail (or no later than the first day). Havana was good - not great. Saw several families leave early when they decided it was not appropriate for young children. Jersey Boys was great. Several in our party had seen it on Broadway - and liked this production better. Shore excursions: We made these on our own. Loved SouthEast Sea Kayaks Orcas cove tour (in Ketchikan) and wildlife tour (Joe Ordonez) in Haines (catch the ferry to the much less crowded Haines Alaska). Mendenhall Glacier is great as well - for our group it was easier and less expensive to schedule a cab in advance and skip the lines for busses (get there early to beat the crowds). Food: We had many members of our group who are "Indian food snobs" - who absolutely loved the Taste of India section of the Garden Cafe and ate there at least once a day. Compared to other cruises, our group also rated the buffet as much better than other cruise lines. It is much less crowded if you get there early (or late), particularly on days in port. Everyone enjoyed Tepanyaki, Cagney's, Los Lobos, and Q, particularly: main courses at Teppy, TresLeches cake and fish at Los Lobos, banana pudding at Q, and steak at Cagneys. Would definitely choose a dining package if you can - all specialty dining venues were a step above the regular restaurants (taste, savor, and manhattan). Public areas: The observation lounge is great. It does get crowded, and folks stake out their spots early and stay all day. You can get nice views from inside the buffet on deck 16 (or outside/undercover around the pools). We had great weather and found deck 8 to be our favorite hang-out - fewer people and lots of fresh air. Laundry: NCL still offering a $20 special for everything you can fit in one laundry bag - throughout the cruise. We left our bag on the bed in the morning, and had clean, folded clothes by dinner. Internet: For Alaska, we could get slow verizon voice and data in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. We did share a $125 , 250 minute package amongst 4 of us and found the speed fine for light surfing and email. Consider buying a travel router so that you can all use one connection at the same time. Drinks: Read a lot of complaints about drinks- but had no issues on board. Good drinks, readily available during the whole cruise. If you have only one person in a cabin who is going to drink, you may be better off paying as you go - cocktails and wine were about $9-10 each and beer about $7-8. If you are only going to get a glass of wine with dinner, you may be better off using a package for prepaid gratuities or specialty dining. Elevators: Everyone uses the forward elevator banks. When you get back on the ship after your shore excursion, it is much faster to walk to the rear bank of elevators and then go up. Same for days at sea. Rarely waited when using the aft elevators. Workout facilities - were busy on sea days. Unfortunately NCL has limited use of the spin room - to sea days and only if you pay for a class. Most classes sell out- so if you want to spin - make reservations early. 3 spin classes are $55. You can buy access to all classes during the cruise for $95. We did have a few spaces open for "walk ins", but that is apparently unusual. Seems a bit crazy that the cycles are not available for the rest of the day. But, at least the spin classes were good. Disembarkation: Easy and fast - only wait was getting through customs, which was still only 10 minutes. Read Less

My husband and I cruised to Alaska, from Seattle, the first week of September 2018. We (well, I) splurged and booked a room in the Haven section (floor 17). This review will address both Haven and overall experience, but my rating scores will be for Haven which did offer a priority for activities. Before the details, the most significant areas of opportunity for NCL Bliss: - Water, Seltzer, Coffee/Tea water is not included in the Unlimited Drink Package - Haven Suites are all toward the front of the boat leading to feeling a lot of movement - Buffet area (Garden Cafe) is overcrowded for every meal; overflow is sent to Observation lounge that doesn't have tables - Go-Cart track/Laser Tag have a cost associated and require a reservation. Go Cart track 'trianing' and wait time - with a reservation - was 50 minutes. After finally getting on the track, operators intentionally slow people down because so many guests are inexperienced / poor drivers. Ruins the experience for everyone. - Elevators really do take a very long time and the amount of disabled patrons with their scooters take up space. - Ports & Ship push jewelry, watches, and terrible artwork 24/7 Now to the detailed review: The Haven pricing is steep, even without the 'Spa' room option. The decor is beautiful, the bed is very comfortable, the amenities are great (high end soaps, the most comfortable bathrobe in existence, fresh flower arrangements, full-size bathtub). The lighting around the room and in the ceiling really is beautiful and, while our balcony size was standard, there were wicker-type chairs with comfortable padding. The butler & room steward were also wonderful, but I'm assuming this may be somewhat unique because we were in the Haven; bigger tips. The dedicated 'front desk' for Haven, while a great notion, was always lined up with people or - there was no one there at all. The Haven bar also was very slow and always had enough people to add to the slowness. The Haven restaurant upstairs was beautiful with huge windows. White linen tablecloths; very formal feeling. Service, while nice, was incredibly slow for every meal - and the same is true for every restaurant on the ship. The food was good - not high-end dining good, but good. Chicken was salty, food delivered at different times, charging extra for Coffee and Juice (even with purchased of the Unlimited Drink package). It felt a bit too formal for every meal, but was quiet and nice to be there without dealing with a crowd of people. The buffet area, Garden Cafe, really had a ton of food options so while you would have to deal with seating issues, the food was generally pretty good. The paid restaurants were subpar. We ate at "Q" BBQ, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Teppanyaki. Q BBQ's food was terrible and was the place we experienced the slowest service (while it was nearly empty at 6:00 p.m.). Cagney's also had very poor service and the food was sub par - don't expect a Morton's or Ruth Chris, it's more Longhorn. Teppanyaki, while slow, offered the best food. The Haven offers their own observation lounge with large windows, luxury seating, an upstairs 'library' type area and small snack area. I'm still astounded that a designer signed off on this area - the carpet patterns reflect off of the slanted windows making it impossible to take a nice photo. In addition, the metal window frames are large and block line of sight for anyone that is 5'2 to 5'8 - really poor design for an 'observation area'. The rest of the ship, while designed beautifully, didn't seem designed for Alaska cruising contrary to their marketing. The pool deck was awesome, yet even in 60F weather w/ wind, it wasn't practical. Outside seating for the restaurants also seemed odd and weren't use throughout our stay. The atrium, which was toward the center of the ship, was always overcrowded with insufficient seating. The entertainment was ok, nothing spectacular. We saw Jersey Boys & Havana - both were nice, but the waiter/bar service before the show was poor. There are no hand rails for the stairs, so older people that would get up during the show struggled to get up the stairs. The staff entertainment was poor - the cruise director was annoying, his 'sidekick' was also bizarre. The other activity leads were cocky, made rude comments to guests and just made it feel like they couldn't wait to be done with their day. The Mandarin Spa - I scheduled a 75 minute standard Swedish massage. No bathrobe offered, a thin sheet to cover, they referred to me by my middle name the entire time, and a masseuse that was unskilled. When needing to shower to remove oil from session, she became angry and challenged me; wouldn't offer me a robe or guide me to the locker area to shower, dress, etc. I've been to many spas, please save your money and research a spa in one of the ports and spend your money there. The gym - actually - was fantastic. Really big and plenty of equipment. I wish I could give a rating for the gym alone - 5 stars. The ports: Ketchikan - Juneau - Skagway - Victoria; they were beautiful, but the time in port for most were short with Victoria being the most ridiculous 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Do not book excursions through the ship; they tend to be about 20% more. If you can, book in advance through TripAdvisor or went you get off the ship. The port stores have been inundated with terrible jewelry shops, try to avoid and explore on your own if you can. Victoria, while it had a really beautiful downtown, required a paid shuttle ($13pp/round trip) if you weren't up to walking for 30 minutes from the dock. A shame that with all of the money spent you still had to pay for this. Overall, our trip to Alaska was a once in a lifetime adventure and the views of the mountain, glaciers, and wildlife were like looking at a magazine. We took full advantage of every port, met some amazing Alaskans, explored the ship, and dodged the constant flood of marketing material left in our stateroom every evening. The Haven, while comfortable and beautiful, wasn't worth the premium price. If you're a bit older and wealthy, the Haven & the Bliss will be ok for you and you'll have a great time. If you're younger and are budgeting to spend $8k on a vacation, don't spend it on a cruise. Read Less

I had read about this ship 6 months ago and what sparked my interest was that this very large new innovative ship would be departing for 7 day Alaska cruises from Seattle, WA., where my son lives and that I would be visiting in August . So my husband and I booked it ! The observation deck is the best part of the ship , with an enormous space dedicated to viewing , in this case , the beautiful Alaska scenery and glaciers. There are numerous seating options and endless windows for a relaxing view, We loved the numerous dining options both complimentary and specialty .We chose a 3 meal prepaid dining package and were not disappointed once . Our favorite was Ocean Blue . If you love freash oysters and seafood do not pass up the opportunity to dine there , Our other specialty restaurants were also Le Bistro, and Teppenayki Grill . Not disappointed in either of them . Le Bistro was excellent ! I was pleasantly surprised in the quality of the food, since the one other NCL cruise we had taken , the food was terrible . I would recommend this ship for quality service , dining , and great public areas, but the cabins are tiny . Read Less

Went on Emerald Princess ship last July & wanted to try NCL's newest ship BLISS. My wife & I were definitely pleased. Just a beautiful ship with great amenities (food, entertainment, excursions, facilities, & activities). Service was outstanding. Best part was the Observation lounge located at the front of the ship. Beatles own Britain's Finest rock group, Prohibition comedy, and Jersey Boys were the highlights of the activites (but there were other performances as well!) on board. We ate at a specialty dining restaurant every night. 5 of them were provided by NCL's upgraded deal. The other two were comped to us because we are Platinum level guests on NCL. Cagneys, Teppanayaki, Ocean Front, Le Bistro, etc were among the specialty dining experiences we enjoyed the most. The Buffet, Savor, & Taste restaurants were just fine as well. Let's not forget The Local Pub (O'Sheehans on other NCL ships) which is 24/7 open. Loved the casino....especially poker and blackjack and craps tables. Cabin was on 9th deck aft....balcony stateroom. Very nice...very clean! Alaskan Ports. as usual, were wonderful. Paid only $45 to ride Ketchikan trolley bus to see the salmon, bears, & the bald eagles. Went on the railway system in Skagway (do not bypass this trip!). Fun & informative Highly recommend Bliss as it will soon leave Seattle/Alaska to take passengers thru the Panama Canal & end in Florida for Western & Eastern Caribbean trips this winter. Enjoy! Read Less

Could not express in words the Alaska cruise. The beauty of Alaska is beyond what words can say. The Bliss was a wonderful ship - the dining, entertainment, service, cabins and excursions were better than ever expected. The embarkation and disembarkation was so smooth and we used the service to send our luggage from ship to airport and that was so easy and less we had to deal with getting off ship. We tried to go to every show on the ship. Jersey Boys was the best show I have seen in a long time. The comedy shows were great. The specialty dining was the best. Buffet is always good in a pinch. We loved the art show and purchased a lovely piece of art. We also loved the great deals we got on jewelry and liquor on the ship and in the ports. Our cabin was beautiful and the service several times daily was unbelievable. This is definitely a trip I would do again. Would highly recommend it for anyone. Read Less

This was a last minute cruise we booked 3 weeks before departure. An Alaska cruise was something we wanted to do and it was the right choice. I don't get any of the negative reviews.The Bliss is an awesome ship and everything was perfect. The embarkation and disembarkation was quick and easy. Our cabin 9174 was perfect for the 2 of us. We NEVER had a bad meal on the ship, this includes the buffet, the complementary dining, and the specialty restaurants. Every show we saw was great especially Jersey Boys (which we saw twice). All the live music was great especially Siglo and the Beatles cover band. All the staff was polite and was able to answer any question we had. Our cabin was taken care every day sometimes twice a day. We went to the Mendenhall Glacier and whale watch and it was awesome. This is a trip I would absolutely do again. Read Less