Long Review: A Wonderful Norwegian Bliss Thanksgiving

[SacCaliCruiser]

Bottom line: We are a family of four with teenagers on our third ever cruise and absolutely loved our Thanksgiving cruise! The ship is gorgeous and feels new, and once we got a lay of the land, we loved the layout. There was a ton to do aboard and the food was great with lots of choices. There was a good mix of families, couples of all ages and multi-generational travelers. The observation lounge and waterfront were fantastic places to relax and the atrium always had something fun to do. We recommend this cruise for cruisers of all ages and particularly for families like us with teens aged 13-17. 
 

The Cabin: We were in connecting balcony rooms on Deck 14 and they were great, had plenty of space to move around and adequate storage. The cabin attendant told us he could not open the balcony divider for safety reasons (we had had it opened on another cruise line before). Our cabin attendant was good and our cabin was always cleaned well, though he sometimes seemed annoyed that we were spending time in our cabin when he wanted to clean it. We were very close to the elevators/stairs but had no extra noise from them because they are partitioned by walls. We found it nice to be so close to them. 
 

The food: Food in general was great and a notch above another cruise line we’ve tried. The Garden Cafe (the buffet) and Ocean Blue were our favorites. Our meal and service at Ocean Blue was some of the best we’ve ever had anywhere (on land or on a cruise). Winston, our waiter, was fabulous. And the buffet has so much variety and everything we tried was delicious. The Indian food and many kid-friendly options stood out. We also ate at Le Bistro and loved it (especially dessert). Thanksgiving dinner in the Manhattan Room (the more “formal” of the three main dining rooms) was outstanding. 

 

Activities/Entertainment: We loved the cruise director staff! They were all energetic and funny and the sail away party is a must! They had a lot of fun activities for Thanksgiving and on other days. Don’t miss Deal or No Deal - even if you are just watching - it’s so fun! The Newlywed Game was a highlight too (but not for younger kids). Our 17-year-old spent much of every day and night (voluntarily) at the Entourage teen club and loved it. They had a full week of fun activities for the teens. We did not use the clubs for younger kids. The Broadway style shows Six and Jersey Boys were absolutely magnificent. 

 

The famous race cars: The racetrack is fun but if you are an inexperienced or nervous driver (like our daughter) you might get lapped and bumped around a bit. It is $15/person each time and takes a little getting used to if you don’t have experience with go karts. It also sells out so book early.

 

The drink package: We got the “free at sea package.” Note that the included soda package for kids does not include mocktails but my husband and I just ordered them on our cards - which the bartenders allowed - or the bartenders often just made them virgin daiquiris at no charge. The included  drink package did not include premium coffee. If you like fruity drinks try the Rebellious Fish and the Peach Bellini.

 

Crowds: We never felt overly crowded  on the ship except on embarkation day, at the pool on sea days, and at peak times in the buffet - all of which we expected. The one day we encountered an extremely long line was to get on a tender boat in Cabo at the end of the day. 
 

Priority: Full disclosure, we paid the extra  for Priority Access because this was our first Norwegian cruise and we didn’t have any status perks. This is offered when you check in online 21 days prior to your cruise. We felt it was totally worth it. Just be sure to ask where to go at all times because there aren’t signs for priority anywhere (your room key will note on it that you have priority). At embarkation we asked and were taken to the much-shorter Haven line, we were in an early, priority disembarkation group and had priority to get on the tenders in Cabo (again we had to let them know we were priority and they took us to the front of the line).

 

Some Tips: Book excursions early and if you don’t get the one you want go to the excursion desk ASAP and get on a waiting list. Book dining and activities in person right after you board. The App was finicky for us on embarkation day, so I recommend going in person to the Social to book shows and the race cars, and the Tepanyaki restaurant to book dining as soon as you are on board. If possible, book dining online before you board. These fill up. 
 

Our extremely small nitpicks: the service in the main dining room was slow a couple nights (but it was wonderful on Thanksgiving night in the Manhattan Room), at times the staff in general seemed a little less than enthusiastic and not as super-duper friendly with personal service as on another cruise line, and the adult pool was sometimes freezing cold. But these were such small issues compared to our fabulous experience overall!

 

Have fun and happy to answer any questions!

Edited December 1, 2022 by SacCaliCruiser

[Georgia_Peaches]

Wow!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I've been a little shy about booking the Bliss because of it's size but we are looking at her for Alaska in the future...assuming she still goes to Alaska.

[S&DMOM]

Thank you for your report.  Did you have to make reservations for the shows?

[SacCaliCruiser]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I've been a little shy about booking the Bliss because of it's size but we are looking at her for Alaska in the future...assuming she still goes to Alaska.

She’d be a great ship for Alaska because of the Observation Lounge, it has 2-story, floor to ceiling windows!

[SacCaliCruiser]

4 minutes ago, S&DMOM said:

Thank you for your report.  Did you have to make reservations for the shows?

Yes we did for the Broadway shows. You do not need to reserve the comedy shows or game shows. I couldn’t reserve the Broadway shows online before the cruise so we went straight to the Social club as soon as we got on board and reserved them. They do also have a standby line that lets in 10 minutes before the show and on our sailing the theater was never 100 percent full. 

Edited December 1, 2022 by SacCaliCruiser

[BBlake43]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I've been a little shy about booking the Bliss because of it's size but we are looking at her for Alaska in the future...assuming she still goes to Alaska.

I just went to Alaska on the Bliss in September and just booked another Alaskan cruise on her in 2024.. IMO it's perfect for Alaska with the Observation Lounge 

[laudergayle]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wow!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  I've been a little shy about booking the Bliss because of it's size but we are looking at her for Alaska in the future...assuming she still goes to Alaska.

We did Bliss to AK in May.  I wouldn’t do a mid-May cruise again as the ice field hadn’t melted enough so we saw no glacier.  If we did another AK cruise we would probably choose Encore as it goes to Glacier Bay.  But Bliss is indeed beautiful. IMO.

[laudergayle]

@SacCaliCruiserthanks for your post.  We recently booked Bliss 7-day to Mexican Riviera in Nov. ‘23.  Did you see any whales?

[SacCaliCruiser]

36 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

@SacCaliCruiserthanks for your post.  We recently booked Bliss 7-day to Mexican Riviera in Nov. ‘23.  Did you see any whales?

No whales but we saw dolphins.

[New2cruise2022]

What a great review. We board the Bliss in 52 days and my teens are 15 and 17. So happy to hear all of your experiences. You seem to be happy travelers and get the most out of everything. 
 

if you don’t mind me asking about info I can probably find elsewhere, could you expound on priority? (Price, experience, inclusions,  time saved)

[New2cruise2022]

I decided not to be lazy and used this thing called google …

https://www.ncl.com/priority-access-faq
 

It is available for purchase when I do the 21-day checkin? 

[SuzieQ521]

4 hours ago, SacCaliCruiser said:

Yes we did for the Broadway shows. You do not need to reserve the comedy shows or game shows. I couldn’t reserve the Broadway shows online before the cruise so we went straight to the Social club as soon as we got on board and reserved them. They do also have a standby line that lets in 10 minutes before the show and on our sailing the theater was never 100 percent full. 

 

Thanks for the great review.! We board Bliss in mid-January for the 5 day Mexican Riviera. Sorry in advance for the following questions, LOL:

 

1) Priority Access: Per New2 Cruise2022's link above, it says it includes complimentary daily room service breakfast...is this beyond the continental breakfast that's free anyway? How long was embarkation for you with this priority access? We have a 4 year old and the shorter we stand in line, the better!

 

2) I know you said you have teens but did you see many preschool-age kids? We are going mid-January so I assume there would be less than Thanksgiving time but I am hoping our son could do the Splash Academy.

 

3) Was your ship close to capacity? I know you said it did not feel crowded. Debating about buying the unlimited Starbucks plan but wanted to avoid the super long lines that might come with it.

 

4) Did you do a NCL sponsored excursion in Cabo? I was looking at the independent companies for whale watching but it was hard to find something that fits the timeframe we are in port for, after accounting for tender time.

 

5) Did your kids go to the Arcade? Do you know about how much the games were?

Was it warm enough to use any of the water activities/pool?

 

Thanks so much!!!

[New2cruise2022]

@SuzieQ521 Great questions.  Anxiously waiting …

[New2cruise2022]

Is Prohibition still offered on the Bliss?

[SacCaliCruiser]

14 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I decided not to be lazy and used this thing called google …

https://www.ncl.com/priority-access-faq
 

It is available for purchase when I do the 21-day checkin? 

Yes that is when it became available for us, when we did the 21-day check in it was offered as part of the check-in process. Have fun! You’ll love the Bliss!

[SacCaliCruiser]

24 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Is Prohibition still offered on the Bliss?

No I don’t believe so - it wasn’t on our sailing. 

[SacCaliCruiser]

14 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

 

Thanks for the great review.! We board Bliss in mid-January for the 5 day Mexican Riviera. Sorry in advance for the following questions, LOL:

 

1) Priority Access: Per New2 Cruise2022's link above, it says it includes complimentary daily room service breakfast...is this beyond the continental breakfast that's free anyway? How long was embarkation for you with this priority access? We have a 4 year old and the shorter we stand in line, the better!

 

2) I know you said you have teens but did you see many preschool-age kids? We are going mid-January so I assume there would be less than Thanksgiving time but I am hoping our son could do the Splash Academy.

 

3) Was your ship close to capacity? I know you said it did not feel crowded. Debating about buying the unlimited Starbucks plan but wanted to avoid the super long lines that might come with it.

 

4) Did you do a NCL sponsored excursion in Cabo? I was looking at the independent companies for whale watching but it was hard to find something that fits the timeframe we are in port for, after accounting for tender time.

 

5) Did your kids go to the Arcade? Do you know about how much the games were?

Was it warm enough to use any of the water activities/pool?

 

Thanks so much!!!

1. Yes! Priority Access includes room service breakfast beyond the continental. I think you can Google to find the menu, I’ll see if I can find a link. 
2. There were a TON of pre-school age kids. There is a really fun looking splash/slide area for them by the pool and people seemed very happy with Splash Academy. If the teen club and its staff are any indication, Splash Academy should be great. And there were some fun-looking family crafts and games available.  
3. I don’t know the capacity but they said our cruise was the fullest one since pre-COVID so I’m guessing it was close. Once people got settled in we didn’t feel too crammed in at all. Just at the expected times - right after a show, etc. There definitely were long lines at Starbucks during peak hours but they honestly were very fast every time I waited. And when I went early in the AM there was no one there. 

4. We did the NCL sponsored resort escape in Cabo and it was nice to not have to worry about getting there and getting back. We went to a resort on the main beach - Medano Beach - which was itself a little crowded but the resort had a nice roped-off area with umbrellas and a terrific view of the ship. My husband and kids rented jet skis and others on our excursion got massages. They also had a really nice pool area. Pro tip: they provide a Mexican buffet lunch but you can order quesadillas for the kiddos for a small extra charge. We did not whale watch. We also liked having guaranteed return to the ship because the tender line was so long upon return. 

5. My 17-year-old said the arcade games were $1-$1.20 each and it was the best selection of games they’d seen in a ship arcade. There also is a super cute little bowling alley near the Local that costs extra but was never crowded. 
6. Yes the pool was packed most days and it definitely was warm enough in late November. The adult pool was freezing cold a few of the days but my daughter swam in the family pool and it was nice. People do chair hog unfortunately but we always managed to find seats by the pool. 
 

Have fun!!! It’s a great family cruise. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by SacCaliCruiser

[SacCaliCruiser]

Here is the breakfast room service menu and the ship-wide kids menu just for fun. 

[New2cruise2022]

@SacCaliCruiser Your review is one of my favorites to read. The things you love and the things that could be improved were presented with details and specificity that helped me know where you are coming from.  Also, your attitude towards the experience is so positive and balances the expectations (crowds and wait times) that it is a pleasure to read. 
 

Many thanks to you for the information and providing excitement for my upcoming time on the Bliss!

[Rglad]

Loved reading the review.  One question:

When you sign up for the show after you board...can you sign for people in rooms other than yours.. we are traveling with our kids in 3 rooms and want to sign for everyone.  

[SacCaliCruiser]

2 hours ago, Rglad said:

Loved reading the review.  One question:

When you sign up for the show after you board...can you sign for people in rooms other than yours.. we are traveling with our kids in 3 rooms and want to sign for everyone.  

Yes, you can! Just give them all of the room numbers. We did that as well because we had two cabins.

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:31 PM, laudergayle said:

We did Bliss to AK in May.  I wouldn’t do a mid-May cruise again as the ice field hadn’t melted enough so we saw no glacier.  

Can you elaborate?  What is this "ice field?"

[laudergayle]

54 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Can you elaborate?  What is this "ice field?"

On our cruise the Bliss was cruising Endicott Arms/Dawes Glacier.  While we suspected the size of the ship wouldn’t get us close enough to the glacier, we booked an excursion to get up close.  They cancelled the excursion due to ice.  In the picture you can see the ice field…blocking entry to the glacier.  The glacier was through that pass to the left.  So…this is basically as close as we came to seeing a glacier.  Oh yeah, my iPhone was on max zoom, so we really weren’t even close to the entry.  

[laudergayle]

6 hours ago, SacCaliCruiser said:

Here is the breakfast room service menu and the ship-wide kids menu just for fun. 

Question on Priority Access and enhanced room service breakfast.  The hang tags only have two omelets and the brioche French toast…even though the menu in the binder has the options in your image.  Did anyone in your cabin order off the expanded menu? Did you just write it on the hang tag…or did you call it in?

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

On our cruise the Bliss was cruising Endicott Arms/Dawes Glacier.  While we suspected the size of the ship wouldn’t get us close enough to the glacier, we booked an excursion to get up close.  They cancelled the excursion due to ice.  In the picture you can see the ice field…blocking entry to the glacier.  The glacier was through that pass to the left.  So…this is basically as close as we came to seeing a glacier.  Oh yeah, my iPhone was on max zoom, so we really weren’t even close to the entry.  

Thank you!  We're sailing Bliss in the Spring and may encounter the same thing.  No worries, we're also booked the following Summer, so we'll see that danged glacier eventually.  It isn't going anywhere (at least not fast).  😎