Bliss Reviews , Good, the Bad, and the Overcrowded....

[eddeb]

We are excited about our cruise in Dec. on the Bliss.

 

For a new ship many of the reviews are not glowing.

 

Please take the time to read all of the reviews when you

 

have time.

 

Common complaints so far:

 

Buffet> can't find a seat often.

 

Laser/Karts sold out by noon for the week. People upset.

 

Folks with UDP can't get reservations. Restaurants fully booked.

 

Cavern holds 100 folks, with 4,700 guests on the ship.

Same for the Social comedy club.

 

Atrium overcrowded. Noisy.

 

All day chair hogs.

 

Main theatre holds around 1,000 guests, long lines. Guests turned away from shows.

 

Elevators> two banks facing each other, folks push buttons on both sides,

 

making for 10 to 20 minute waits. Folks in wheelchairs left out for

 

all those in a big hurry and cut in front. IE: not enough elevators for

 

4,700 guests.

 

Really hope NCL corporate is listening and works to rectify these

 

issues by expanding shows/ times etc.

 

We are looking forward to our cruise in Dec. But one review said:

 

"NCL used to be Anything you want, when you want... Now it is

 

Make your reservations ASAP upon boarding for the week and be ready to

 

stand in long lines...and pay lots of Fees"

 

As mentioned earlier, please take some time to search current Bliss

 

reviews and make your own conclusions. :cool:

 

We are the Moore's :cool:

Tampa Bay

[Maya1234]

We were on the ship the week of Forth of July. There was never more than a 5 minute wait for an elevator. (Now 5 min is actually somewhat long to wait for an elevator but 20 min? Never). My husband used a wheelchair for part of the time amd people were very accommodating.

 

We were in the Haven so can’t comment on some of the other stuff but everyone who made dinner reservations in advance ( which NCL makes it easy to do) got plenty of choice for dining.

[sctexan]

Exact same complaints were leveled when Escape was a new ship.

[electro]

Exact same complaints were leveled when Escape was a new ship.

And Breakaway and Getaway. If NCL has not fixed these issues by now, I guess they have no intention to fix them on any ship!

[cheersforbeers]

We were on the Bliss July 14-21 in a group of 6. We never had a problem finding seating in the Garden Cafe for Breakfast or lunch. We attended the Jersey Boys and Havana and were able to be seated at the 10ish shows. Also never had a problem in forward observation room finding seating for 6. The group did try to do the go carts on our final sea day and was told we needed a reservation, but it didn’t upset our vacation. I think alot of the complaints are just people that can’t be satisfied

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[roxette]

I was on the Panama Canal cruise in May. Which obviously was a cruise with less kids on board. Now during the summer and school breaks, it is what it is.

 

On that cruise, my only complain was the buffet. Which on sea days at noon was very crowded, and the outdoor seating was a joke. Very loud music during the whole lunch time. Other than that, a very pretty ship. The interior felt luxurious. Felt like a Celebrity ship rather than a NCL ship.

 

On port days though, very nice in the buffet. Nice seating, felt much more like a restaurant than many other cruise ship buffets which have a cafeteria feeling.

Don't miss the Indian station!

 

Also, if the weather permits, Cavern Club have an outdoor bar on the promenade deck. The sound is just as good there as indoors. You just don't see the band playing.

[gkr283]

We are excited about our cruise in Dec. on the Bliss.

 

For a new ship many of the reviews are not glowing.

 

Please take the time to read all of the reviews when you

 

have time.

 

Common complaints so far:

 

Buffet> can't find a seat often. MORE ROOM IN THE OTHER DINING ROOMS.

 

Laser/Karts sold out by noon for the week. People upset. NOT DOING EITHER ACTIVITY.

 

Folks with UDP can't get reservations. Restaurants fully booked. BOOKINGS MADE

 

Cavern holds 100 folks, with 4,700 guests on the ship. IF I GET IN I GET IN. NOT A DEAL BREAKER. DON'T ACTUALLY LIKE THE BEATLES!

 

Same for the Social comedy club. DITTO, APART FROM THE BEATLES OF COURSE [emoji3]

 

Atrium overcrowded. Noisy. I KIND OF LIKE THE BUZZ WHEN A PLACE IS BUSY WITH FOLKS HAVING A GOOD TIME

 

All day chair hogs. THIS BUGS ME BUT I'LL FIND A SEAT AWAY FROM THE POOL.

 

Main theatre holds around 1,000 guests, long lines. Guests turned away from shows. BOOKINGS MADE

 

Elevators> two banks facing each other, folks push buttons on both sides, I'LL USE THE STAIRS AND FREE THE ELEVATORS FOR THOSE THAT REQUIRE THEM

 

making for 10 to 20 minute waits. Folks in wheelchairs left out for

 

all those in a big hurry and cut in front. IE: not enough elevators for

 

4,700 guests. I'LL DO MY BIT BY USING THE STAIRS WHILE I'M FIT AND ABLE. IT'LL BE THE ONLY REAL EXERCISE I GET ALL WEEK!

 

Really hope NCL corporate is listening and works to rectify these

 

issues by expanding shows/ times etc.

 

We are looking forward to our cruise in Dec. But one review said:

 

"NCL used to be Anything you want, when you want... Now it is

 

Make your reservations ASAP upon boarding for the week and be ready to

 

stand in long lines...and pay lots of Fees"

 

As mentioned earlier, please take some time to search current Bliss

 

reviews and make your own conclusions. :cool:

 

We are the Moore's :cool:

Tampa Bay

 

I'm sailing later in the year and am also excited. Like you the reviews haven't put me off. Thanks for summarising the main issues so far. I'm pleased that none cause me any real concern.

 

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[david_sobe]

These "complaints" can be tagged with any mega ship from Epic to today. The only part missing was the "crowded pool area."

Many are casual cruisers probably booked through a travel agent and don't realize you must/should book everything before sailing. The specialty restaurants are hugely popular especially.

[Oakman58]

The only mega-ship I’ve cruised on was the Epic and my complaints were similar to yours. That experience was enough to turn me off to the mega-ships. I’ll stick with Jewel or Dawn class or similar size ships.

[RossE]

sorry, but I'm new to cruising. Do other lines, like RCL, have the same sort of problems with their Mega ships ,IE Symphony Of The Seas. As I understand it, she holds two thousand more than the Bliss.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

[david_sobe]

I hope NCL creates another entertainment venue on their new ships because my biggest complaint of the Breakaway or (plus) ships is using the atrium for shows or games. The venue is way too small and unless you get there 45 mins early, you cant see at thing. The acoustics are also very bad if you are upstairs. Just another thing to plan for. Since the theater is used every night, they don't have a good venue for shows.

[shof515]

I hope NCL creates another entertainment venue on their new ships because my biggest complaint of the Breakaway or (plus) ships is using the atrium for shows or games. The venue is way too small and unless you get there 45 mins early, you cant see at thing. The acoustics are also very bad if you are upstairs. Just another thing to plan for. Since the theater is used every night, they don't have a good venue for shows.

i agree. i felt the same when i sailed the breakaway twice and escape a few months ago. On the second breakaway cruise,the noise in O'Sheehan was so loud it was hard to hear what was going on at the atrium.

[PATRLR]

We are excited about our cruise in Dec. on the Bliss.

You should be, it's a great ship.

 

For a new ship many of the reviews are not glowing.

Typical. People unhappy are more motivated to post. I was on the June 2, we loved it and would book it again without hesitation.

 

Please take the time to read all of the reviews when you have time.

Don't need to, I was there.

 

Buffet> can't find a seat often.

Nonsense. Couple times on port mornings during that hour or so before the gangplank is open the buffet was crowded. I had to walk around a bit to find a seat and we didn't get to sit in our "usual" area. But I easily found a table for 4 and the lines to get food were not long at all, including the omlet lines which I don't think I ever saw more than 4 people ahead of me.

 

Laser/Karts sold out by noon for the week. People upset.

We booked our Friday morning ride on Wednesday.

 

Folks with UDP can't get reservations. Restaurants fully booked.

If you want to eat at prime time, book early. Same as a quality land based restaurant. Otherwise, almost all through the cruise there were openings at all restaurants except Cagneys.

 

Cavern holds 100 folks, with 4,700 guests on the ship.

Same for the Social comedy club.

We stopped in the Cavern a few times, sure there were lots of people, but, we were able to get in. Same for the comedy club.

 

Atrium overcrowded. Noisy.

Noisy? It's not a library. They hold events there, people are having fun. It should be noisy. If you want quiet, go to the OL.

 

All day chair hogs.

This has been way over blown. On the June 2 cruise we never had a problem getting seats in the OL. The worst I saw for "chair hogs" was people (families, it seemed) sleeping on some of the couches for hours on end (which I don't think is appropriate). But at least they were there. And most important, I was able to get a seat. Sure, if you want to be in the front row, those seats are gone early but that is the same with any venue, anywhere, land or sea.

 

Main theatre holds around 1,000 guests, long lines. Guests turned away from shows.

Never saw people turned away. Our showing of Havana the theatre was at most 2/3 full. For Jersey Boys there were empty seats near me. Maybe they turn away late arrivals? EDIT to add, I just remembered we changed our Jersey Boys reservation the day of the show, so there were still seats available at that point.

 

Elevators> two banks facing each other, folks push buttons on both sides, making for 10 to 20 minute waits. Folks in wheelchairs left out for all those in a big hurry and cut in front. IE: not enough elevators for 4,700 guests.

Again, nonsense and overblown. I never saw any wheel chairs cut in front of I saw plenty of people doing the right thing and helping to get those folks on the elevators. Yes, when the big show got out, that elevator bank had lines waiting. At the end of port days there were lines at the bottom floors to get on the elevators. 20 minute waits? I doubt it. I certainly never saw it.

 

My Summary: It's a mega-ship. If you've never been on a mega-ship you might learn they aren't for you but that has nothing to do with Bliss specifically. If you have enjoyed other mega-ships, you will enjoy Bliss I am sure. I personally think NCL has done a great job with this class of ship.

Edited August 2, 2018 by PATRLR

[graphicguy]

sorry, but I'm new to cruising. Do other lines, like RCL, have the same sort of problems with their Mega ships ,IE Symphony Of The Seas. As I understand it, she holds two thousand more than the Bliss.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

Felt the same when I sailed the Liberty of the Seas, and even more so on the Allure of the Seas (which was shoulder to shoulder on the promenade for a couple of sea days) and Harmony and Anthem of the Seas. Restaurants were booked as were the shows. Had to book well in advance for Chops and Giovannis.

 

Understand that going in, and work your schedule around that.

 

RCCL, while I do enjoy sailing them, don’t do “Freestyle” (they call theirs “Anytime”) nearly as well as NCL does.

 

Still doesn’t keep me from sailing RCCL, because I know what to expect.

[graphicguy]

sorry, but I'm new to cruising. Do other lines, like RCL, have the same sort of problems with their Mega ships ,IE Symphony Of The Seas. As I understand it, she holds two thousand more than the Bliss.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

Felt the same when I sailed the Liberty of the Seas, and even more so on the Allure of the Seas (which was shoulder to shoulder on the promenade for a couple of sea days) and Anthem of the seas. Restaurants were booked as were the shows. Had to book in advance for Chops and Giovannis.

 

Elevators, especially for embarkation day, and disembarkation were totally full and slow on either line. Walk a couple of decks up or down and things thin out significantly.

 

Buffet, around lunchtime, on either line, is packed. Problem mainly with RCCL, they don’t quite know how to do “anytime dining” in the MDRs. Regardless if I made reservations or not, I had to wait 15-20 minutes to be seated. NCL is much better in their MDRs.

[BNBR]

sorry, but I'm new to cruising. Do other lines, like RCL, have the same sort of problems with their Mega ships ,IE Symphony Of The Seas. As I understand it, she holds two thousand more than the Bliss.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

 

No, the Royal mega ships do not have the same problem. Graphicguy seems to be some sort of NCL apologist, but one thing is very clear, a HUGE majority of posters here on the forums all agree that the Oasis-class (Symphony) are remarkably uncrowded without the same issues as the mid sized/large ships. It's a pretty well established opinion.

 

I've sailed Escape and I've sailed Oasis. There is just no comparison at all. NCL's designs are old and tired. And instead of making strides in ship design, they simply bloat the ships a little bit more and smash as much as they can. Shrinking all the spaces, low ceilings, pinched hallways, famously tiny and cramped pool deck, etc. To be fair, Carnival has made the same mistake with their latest big ships as well.

 

Don't confuse the term "mega-ship" - Bliss, Escape, Epic, etc... NOT mega ships. These are just bloated large ships with old designs, cramped spaces to fit as much as possible in them. Oasis-class is a ground up rethinking of cruise ship design that actually solves all of these issues. Large, soaring spaces, open venues with lots of room, way more pool space, etc. It's the most uncrowded mass market cruise ship you'll find.

[Jorhammer]

I think the trick to surviving megaships if you dont like crowds is to get a room with a balcony, a spa pass and lots of room service when you are hungry. We did the Epic, there were lots of people, and we had a great time. Spent hours relaxing in the thermal suite, made money at the poker table and enjoyed shows/specialty dinning and when we got tired of people we retreated to our balcony and hung out there. Going on the Bliss in 9/8, expecting it to be as relaxing and awesome as the last.

[BNBR]

I think the trick to surviving megaships if you dont like crowds is to get a room with a balcony, a spa pass and lots of room service when you are hungry. We did the Epic, there were lots of people, and we had a great time. Spent hours relaxing in the thermal suite, made money at the poker table and enjoyed shows/specialty dinning and when we got tired of people we retreated to our balcony and hung out there. Going on the Bliss in 9/8, expecting it to be as relaxing and awesome as the last.

 

Agreed. The thermal suite on Escape was incredible and I think a "must" for that class of ship.

[GA Dave]

This forum has an ignore feature. Use it. ;)

 

However, I would never tell you where or when to post, that's inappropriate.

 

DONE! Bye. :')

[Rulers Mom]

Hello, Moores of Tampa Bay!

 

I just sailed on the Bliss a few weeks ago, didn’t experience distress caused by any of your worries.

 

 

We are excited about our cruise in Dec. on the Bliss.

 

For a new ship many of the reviews are not glowing.

 

Please take the time to read all of the reviews when you

 

have time.

 

Common complaints so far:

 

Buffet> can't find a seat often.

 

We mostly avoided the buffet, I prefer a server bringing my food, so we usually do. But we did eat there a few times and didn’t have any issues.

 

Savor and Taste, as well as the Local have awesome food with Table Service. Our best lunch was Margaritaville, which was included in our free at sea meal plan but may be an extra charge. Breakfast there looked good, too.

 

The buffet upstairs in the Observation Lounge was pretty good. We grabbed soft drinks/coffee and a few desserts there. The sandwiches and other offerings looked great. A lot of the items up there are behind glass so everyone isn’t breathing/coughing on them, too.

 

The main buffet did have a wonderful Tandori area. I grabbed some hummus up by the Greek area, took it back to Tandori for the fresh Naan. YUM! Much better than the pita wedges. They do need to increase production on the Naan, lots of folks were waiting for it a few times.

Laser/Karts sold out by noon for the week. People upset.

 

Not on our sailing, and there were plenty of kids on board. We met a few who had purchased an unadvertised perk, all you can drive. They had a makeshift standby line for those kids who had a dot sticker on their key card. My son rode them twice on our sailing, I did once. We booked it using the touch screens on the first day for later. On the first night he just walked up and got on.

 

Folks with UDP can't get reservations. Restaurants fully booked.

 

I guess you gotta be quick.

 

Do not waste your time going to Q to stand in line to book anything when you first board. The touch screens that are on every floor that I could see by the elevators are very easy. If there’s a line at one, the stairs are open tread and you can look up to see if the next floor has a shorter line. There are two at each elevator bank on every floor in the front of the ship, where our rooms are. They had them in the Aft, too.

 

We got every restaurant we wanted. Q was another favorite, so good!

 

Cavern holds 100 folks, with 4,700 guests on the ship.

Same for the Social comedy club.

 

We went to the Social for Prohibition, it was awesome! I booked it using the touch screen on day 2 or 3 for later in the week for the 7pm show.

 

The drinks weren’t that good, but I liked the old fashioned. Be sure to go upstairs to the Mojito Bar and see that famous Chocolate Cowboy. He was a blast, lots of fun, funny, and danced a Bachata with us.

Atrium overcrowded. Noisy.

 

We never experienced that. Btw, there is not a classic atrium on Bliss. There is about a 3 level area with lots of action, and the beautiful chandelier that looks like a whale spout. That area was never over crowded.

 

There was also a stage downstairs from the Local that often hosted shows/contests/music. Some folks can sit/stand upstairs and watch, some downstairs in the actual audience. That was crowded but not so crowded that you couldn’t walk through.

 

All day chair hogs.

 

This could be an issue in the Caribbean by the pool, wasn’t an issue at all in the Observation lounge. There’s so many chairs, sofas, seating areas! Those folks must have wanted a specific group of chairs, not necessary. There are enough vignettes for everyone interested.

 

Main theatre holds around 1,000 guests, long lines. Guests turned away from shows.

 

We only went to Havana, it was good. I didn’t see any long lines waiting for standby. We booked it using the touch screen for an early show, 7pm I think.

 

 

 

Elevators> two banks facing each other, folks push buttons on both sides,

making for 10 to 20 minute waits. Folks in wheelchairs left out for all those in a big hurry and cut in front. IE: not enough elevators for 4,700 guests.

 

This might have been a legitimate complaint during peak hours - but not constant. We used the occasional crowds by the elevators as inspiration to take the stairs. But the elevators were often available quickly and only overcrowded a few times.

 

Really hope NCL corporate is listening and works to rectify these issues by expanding shows/ times etc.

 

We are looking forward to our cruise in Dec. But one review said:

 

"NCL used to be Anything you want, when you want... Now it is

 

Make your reservations ASAP upon boarding for the week and be ready to

 

stand in long lines...and pay lots of Fees"

 

As mentioned earlier, please take some time to search current Bliss

 

reviews and make your own conclusions. :cool:

 

Here’s another tip - they have “Balcony Blankets” at the pool towel check out stand. They are navy blue fur blankets. They don’t advertise them, but they made our balcony so nice when the ship was moving. My son took his to Margaritaville, even though they had heaters built into the ceiling he found it helped.

 

Our friends who had an interior room also went and checked out a few to sleep with at night after they saw ours. They don’t ask for proof-of-balcony. They’re so soft and warm!

We are the Moore's :cool:

Tampa Bay

Edited August 2, 2018 by Rulers Mom
posted a comment meant for the Social in the wrong place. Moved it.

[CleverFirst]

I'd love to throw out the question of how people felt the thermal spa was in regards to crowds. Are there peak times? What are they? Any help is appreciated.

[BNBR]

I'd love to throw out the question of how people felt the thermal spa was in regards to crowds. Are there peak times? What are they? Any help is appreciated.

 

I can't speak for Bliss, but on Escape they limit the spa passes. There were times it was "busy" and you may not be able to get a heated lounger, but it definitely wasn't crowded and we always had no trouble getting a nice lounger and enjoy the facilities.

[gambit57]

Anyone know if the pools/water slides have heated water? Just wondering if it's feasible to use in Alaskan weather if you're not a polar bear. They look fun!

[$hip$hape]

Anyone know if the pools/water slides have heated water?

Just wondering if it's feasible to use in Alaskan weather if you're not a polar bear.

They look fun!

WE were on the Bliss TransAtlantic.

The water slides have heated water.

They ARE fun !

[Oldgoat61]

We are excited about our cruise in Dec. on the Bliss.

 

For a new ship many of the reviews are not glowing.

 

Please take the time to read all of the reviews when you

 

have time.

 

Common complaints so far:

 

Buffet> can't find a seat often.

 

Laser/Karts sold out by noon for the week. People upset.

 

Folks with UDP can't get reservations. Restaurants fully booked.

 

Cavern holds 100 folks, with 4,700 guests on the ship.

Same for the Social comedy club.

 

Atrium overcrowded. Noisy.

 

All day chair hogs.

 

Main theatre holds around 1,000 guests, long lines. Guests turned away from shows.

 

Elevators> two banks facing each other, folks push buttons on both sides,

 

making for 10 to 20 minute waits. Folks in wheelchairs left out for

 

all those in a big hurry and cut in front. IE: not enough elevators for

 

4,700 guests.

 

Really hope NCL corporate is listening and works to rectify these

 

issues by expanding shows/ times etc.

 

We are looking forward to our cruise in Dec. But one review said:

 

"NCL used to be Anything you want, when you want... Now it is

 

Make your reservations ASAP upon boarding for the week and be ready to

 

stand in long lines...and pay lots of Fees"

 

As mentioned earlier, please take some time to search current Bliss

 

reviews and make your own conclusions. :cool:

 

We are the Moore's :cool:

Tampa Bay

We were on the Bliss when it went thru the PC. Had never cruised on other "NCL mega ships", only Jewel and Dawn class ships. We discovered that the "mega ships" are not our cup of tea. Finding a seat in the buffet was difficult, had to sit in the area that wasn't near the windows all but a few times. Had very few kids on the cruise, so I had no problems with the gokarts. It is necessary to make reservations to any specialty restaurant, even on smaller ships. I am guilty of pushing buttons on both sides of the elevators, but we did use the stairs quite a bit, and we didn't see any issues with people with wheel chairs (just the opposite). I did find it interesting that the hallways were narrower, and the sealings were lower as well.

Enjoy your cruise, just be prepared for larger crowds. We would sail on a mega ship again, but only if the itinerary was exceptional.:cool: