Opinion on Bliss

[pete_coach]

Wrote an extensive review of the Bliss but thought I might offer a condensed version here.

Lovely ship, all new and shiny. Outstanding staff, out cabin attendant was best we ever had. The staff elsewhere, including restaurants and bars were attentive and great service.

Cabin (mini suite) was about normal but has a big bathroom.The balcony seemed smaller though.

The food was very good, everywhere we ate. Food is debatable but in our group, there were no complaints whatsoever, all meals were well presented and tasted great.

I did think the entertainment venues were too small for that amount of passengers. Shows wee quickly full and the line ups were very long. Never did get to see the Beatles act. Social was also always full with lineups.

I also think the design is very poor for the outdoor spaces. The amount of real estate for the go carts, water slides, mini golf and laser tag (as well as haven space) left very little outdoor room. This left the pool area very small and during the 4 sea days out of a 7 day cruise, it was near impossible to get to the pool let alone sit near it. And it closes about 6 PM so the area can turn into a movie theater.

The observation lounge is a treat...if it was not for the people using it as a sleeping quarters. I suspect it was designed specifically for the Alaska cruises so people can get a good view without being out on the cold decks.

We have been on many cruises and this was our second NCL cruise. Not sure if another NCL is in the offering.

[annmarz]

I was on the Bliss in early February and I thought it was far superior to the Getaway, which was my only other NCL cruise. Note I enjoyed the Getaway very much and have traveled on 12 cruise lines, over 35 cruises. The Observation Lounge was a wonderful venue, day and night. I agree that a huge amount of space was used for the go-karts, etc. and another or larger adult-only pool would have been nice. But I understand that these mass-market cruise lines have to have something new and different to set them apart.

 

The Beatles act was impossible to get into but they did perform in the theater the last night. And it was great! The Paul guy had the head movements down pat! There were plenty of empty seats for Jersey Boys and Havana. (Both were outstanding). We were able to get into an early show of the Comedy venue - also very fun.

 

I will say that this was one of the cleanest ships I have been on and for the most part the crew seemed happy. It was also the most efficient embarkation I have had and very easy disembarkation as well. I do think improved technology is making this better among all cruise lines.

 

As far as food goes - some was surprisingly excellent (prime rib in Local), most was very good, and some was average. The Seafood Extravaganza in the buffet was disappointing, although the shrimp was great. The only specialty restaurant we ate in was Le Bistro and we loved it. With so many options, if you didn't like something it was easy to find something else to eat. (I don't waste calories on substandard food.) This is one of the reasons I love cruising.

 

 The ship didn't feel like it had 4000 pax (except by the pool, the muster chaos, and the Beatles). 

 

The only negative was the dull itinerary and ports. At least we had good docking space in St. Thomas and didn't have to tender in anywhere. 

 

Overall it was a great week, well worth the price and I think if you couldn't have fun on this trip there is something wrong with you.

 

 

 

[mcd2745]

We got off the Bliss exactly onexweek ago. This was our second NCL cruise (1st was also on the Getaway two years ago). We are fairly experienced cruisers  - 6x on Disney, 3x on RCCL besides the NCL cruises. I thought the ship was very nice. The Observation Lounge was a real nice space and must be great for Alaska. Although, I assume it is like the pool deck during the Caribbean sailings....get there before sunrise if you want a spot. Pool deck was a disaster. Go-karts seemed like a fun idea, but was a disappointing waste  of a lot of real estate. We also had a mini-suite. Room was nice, balcony a little small. Room steward was awful, making us 0-for-2 on NCL as our steward on Getaway was also terrible (they should put the room back together every morning - putting the sofa and Pullman beds away - without us asking them to). Food was good across the board. We only did regular dining room one night and service wasn't great. It was better in specialty restaurants. I liked the Local, just like we did O'Sheehans on the Getaway. It's a smart venue to have open 24/7. Very disappointed they didn't have the darts and pool table like there was on Getaway though. Entertainment was good overall. Bar staff was great throughout the ship. While I do very much like the "Freestyle" approach to dining and vibe overall and not getting dressed up at all, I'm not sure we'll do another NCL cruise. Perhaps, if we are going along with a big group like we did for the first one. Otherwise, not on our own. We're trying a Carnival cruise (Horizon)  for the first time next,  and we will see how that goes. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by mcd2745
Clarification