I was apprehensive about cruising on such a large ship, my favorite ships are around 2800-3000 passengers. I never felt like it was a big ship. The Bliss was super easy to navigate and what I found truly amazing all elevators stop at almost all the decks, with the exception of the upper decks. No more taking a centrally located elevator to deck 7 walking to the rear elevators to go to deck 6 to get to the Main Dining Room. This has happened to me on every ship I have cruised on (over 50 cruises) and I find most passengers don’t like that you can’t get to the MDR.
Embarkation: It was easy. My last cruise was the best embarkation experience I have ever had and, on the Bliss, it was just as easy. I require wheelchair assistance and at the port I was told where to go to get assistance and was almost immediately taken to registration. Check-in was easy and I was on the ship. The NCL crew member brought me right to my cabin, so no wait.
The Ship (Places I Frequented): The Bliss is beautiful. The artwork on all decks is exquisite. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. The Observation Lounge on Deck 15 is a wonderfully quiet place that takes up about half of the deck and allows the passenger to sit and just relax and watch the ocean or the port. It serves a light lunch and it was delicious. I enjoyed my time there. I use the library on all ships. It was small and had very little choice of books and games. I know that cruise lines think since people use Electronic Readers, they don’t need the library but there are many passengers who still read books and enjoy using the room to pay cards or games, some place quiet. The Library was lacking.
My cabin was on Deck 5, Cabin 5736, accessible stateroom. I loved this stateroom. It was massive, I will post pictures of it. It had a king bed (very comfortable bed), two massive closets (had left over closet space I didn't use), two nightstands, couch that folds out to a bed, a small window (wish the window was bigger, it was small), desk and an accessible toilet (great shower) (all the comforts of home). It was a great room, very quiet location and about 50 feet from the elevator.
I love St. Thomas. There is a massive shopping area right at the Havensight port and easy accessibility for a taxi to town. Lots to do in shore excursions.
I love Nassau. There are always four or five ships in port all at the same time. I go to Atlantis and gamble for the day. Remember, Nassau can be a dangerous port. Always travel in groups of at least 6 or more people, don't take an excursion with only two people, go in groups. There is safety in numbers.