An objective (hopefully) review of the Bliss in Alaska

[RNCheryl]

I consider Celebrity my favorite cruise line, and have enjoyed cruises on Princess and RCL.  First try of Norwegian, chosen for a multi-generational Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 50th anniversary.  We chose the Bliss for its child program and enticements.

 

SEATTLE

Stayed at the Mayflower Park Hotel. We traveled with an old friend from college; we have been on many, many trips together and are comfortable staying together.  We had a room with a living area, bedroom with 2 queen beds, two bathrooms and two closets.  Staff was very friendly and helpful.  Room paid for with CC points!  https://www.mayflowerpark.com/

 

Best things:   Savor Food tour of the Pike Place market, which included an informative history of the market, back to the Japanese occupant time.  Absolutely great chowder and cheese, donuts to please the kids.  Our tour guide was Liz, from a long time farming family in the area.  https://www.savorseattletours.com/  The market was CROWDED as was all of Seattle with cruise passengers descending.

 

We booked a combination Space Needle/Chihuly ticket.  https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/visit/plan-your-visit. No way would I ever stand in that Space Needle line again, but would visit Chihuly every chance I got.  Family with kids in our group also enjoyed the Aquarium and MoPop museum.

 

Delightful dinner and show at Jazz Alley https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/.

 

We have friends who live in the area, and they took us for a beautiful ride up to Snoqualime Falls with a delightful lunch at Salish Lodge.  Being from south Florida, the huge, fragrant trees were much enjoyed.

 

OK, on to the ship.

 

Embarcation was a breeze.  No complaints at all.  Once on the ship, went directly to 6th floor:  Teppanyaki to confirm dining reservation, and Social to book comedy club, GoKarts and Prohibition.  Wait was long, but I was Tour Leader, and took one for the team!!

 

VERY GOOD THINGS:
 

The crew.  I have never had a more pleasant, smiling, helpful experience.  Steward was Succor.  He introduced himself the first day, and next day knew our names.  We didn't ask anything special from him, and I didn't notice any extras he gave us, but I appreciate his work.

 

The text-phone app.  We used this all the time with our large group of 10 in 5 cabins.  Sometimes a delay in texts being sent.  It was great to remind the group of scheduled activities, time to meet for a meal, and to arrange a spontaneous game of Spoons or cards.

 

Jersey Boys.  We gave seen this show on Broadway and in Las Vegas.  This performance was every bit as professional.  We were in the Internet Cafe early in the cruise, and our "helper" was the actor who played Nick Massi.  Super friendly and not hard to look at, either!!!

 

The Beatles cover band.  Saw them once in the theater and once in Cavern Club.  The audience was into it!  Great fun. (My grand daughters don't know who the Beatles are.  I have failed. 😞

 

Teppanyaki:  our anniversary dinner.  Good show, good food, great service.  Kid friendly.  They were helpful in reserving our party of 10.

 

Here is a big shout out for the Canadian air rescue team and the staff and crew of the Bliss.  Captain announced that a passenger needed to be evacuated to a full service hospital on our way to Victoria.  Crowds gathered in the OBservation Lounge.  It was miraculous to observe.  Son and husband got the whole thing on film.  Those rescuers are Heroes to me.  Let us hope the patient was helped in time.  They also air lifted a member of his family.  All this done without the helicopter landing on the ship.

 

The in room account of charges on your TV.  Easy to verify each day's charges.  No surprises at the end of the cruise.

 

Bars:  good service every where we went.  I had downloaded the NCL bar menu with recipes prior to the cruise and sent it to all our family.  Everyone did their homework and had a list of "Must Try Drinks"  Consensus seemed to favor Rebellious Fish, Aprol Spritzer, Painkiller, BBC, pina colada, milk shaky drinks, and good old Captain and Coke.

 

Observation Lounge:  good, if limited, buffet choices, a great bar, and views not to be believed.  Lots of spaces for families to play games, couples to find a nook.

 

Go Karts:  much more fun that I anticipated.  I am a very sedate driver, and to let it rip on the turns of the course was a blast.

 

Laundry:  dirty clothes left on the bed at 9 AM, clean clothes returned at dinner time.

 

 

ONLY SO-SO

 

Prohibition.  I had anticipated much more.  We made the mistake(?) of going right after dinner.  They serve 5 drinks in an hour's time.  Singing and dancing was good.  Very small venue with poor sight lines.  Will not do this again, would not recommend it.

 

Ship Tour.  I have done this tour on other ships, signed up for this one to be with our friends/family who had not experienced it.  Left much to be desired.  It is inspiring to see what the galley staff does, but this was downplayed, as was the provisioning.  Just a quick walk into the cooler.  Why not tell us how many meals are served daily, how many rolls baked, how many eggs ordered, etc.  It  could have been much better.  Our "2 hour" excursion lasted 90 minutes.  Enjoyed the theater dressing room and environmental services area.  Everything we visited was sparkling clean.  Those laundry workers deserve all the accolades.  Why not tell us how many table clothes, napkins, towels they launder per day.  It would make their work even more appreciated. Would have gotten much more for our $79 on other ships, I believe.

 

Havana:  OK, very talented dancers.  Poor/non-existent plot.  We were seated way down front, and those performers worked hard, sweating and breathing hard.  Props to them.

 

Buffet:  Not bad.  We never had too much trouble finding a seat, but we ate in small groups.  Soft serve ice cream was a hit with kids, I had good omlette every time I ordered.  Coffee and some dishes not consistent.  We only had breakfast and lunch here.

 

Comedy Club:  we say 2 adult performances at 10pm.  The first was a young man.  His material was gross and uncomfortable.  I was prepared for R rated humor, but his stuff was not funny.  However, the second performer was great.  Still R rated, but not off-putting.  I think he had more experience than the younger guy and knew where the lines of good taste were.  The introductory comedian was very entertaining.

 

Stair/Elevator:  we are patient people, so no complaints here.  Walk up two, down three.  Wait for an elevator.  Go up before you go down.  You are on vacation, people.  Chill out.

 

 

REALLY NOT TOO GOOD

 

THE ATRIUM:  great bar, very friendly service.  If you don't know, the Atrium is the heart of the ship, and what happens here resonates to several decks above.  Guest services in the area where Deal or No Deal ($$$ extra charge) is going on.  Really??  Trivia: on other ships, held in a smaller quiet venue.  Teams encouraged.  Answers checked.  "Prizes" awarded.  Not on Bliss.  Too loud,  too crowded. Not a happy place.  Especially compared to other ships.

 

MDR:  our biggest disappointment of the cruise.  We are NOT foodies, enjoy all kinds of food.  However, for 5 meals of 10 people, can count on one hand the number of dishes we liked.  Biggest problem seemed to be serving dishes at the proper temperature.  Everything was just warm, or partly warm, on serving.  We liked cauliflower soup, Crab/shrimp cakes, prime rib.  Every prior cruise I have been on has shrimp  cocktail as an everyday item, as is creme brulee.  Neither available in the MDR on Bliss.  The first night, my son inquired about shrimp cocktail, and was told to go to Cagneys if he wanted it.  Really??? All we paid for this cruise and that is your answer about shrimp cocktail?  Unacceptable.  Not a big item, I know.  We can live without shrimp cocktail.  But it is that uncomfortable NCL cost saving thing again that irks me.

 

WHAT WE DID:

 

Please, please consider booking the NCL excursion  Tracey Arm.  We cruised on a smaller boat to South Sawyer Glacier.  It is magnificent.  The boat is comfortable, great viewing area, binoculars in every seat, snacks, drinks.  We got within 1/4 mile of the glacier, traveling through an ice field to get there. Saw bald eagles, humpback whales, sea lions, seals, and mountain goats. even served a glacier ice margarita!!  This view so surpassed the Glacier Bay day.  Please, save your pennies to take this cruise.

 

Tour of Ninety Nine Tours in Skagway.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60877-d2173634-Reviews-Trail_of_98_Tours_Private_Skagway_Tours-Skagway_Alaska.html.  We reserved a van for our Skagway day.  Michelle was our driver and I can not say enough positive things about her.  She was flexible, able to  take last minute suggestions, and met the children's needs.  She had a scavenger hunt arranged for the kids, as well as games and challenges for them.  We went into Yukon.  She took photos.  Kids enjoyed the stop at the dog camp.  Petted 4 week old pups.  Frolicked with 4 month old pups.  Went on a "sled" ride with the dogs straining at the lease excited.  Owner of the camp and her husband have both been in the Iditerod Race. Absolutely beautiful scenery.  We had taken the train on our last Alaskan trip, and this was just as exciting.

 

In Ketchikan, we did the very touristy Lumberjack Show.  Please book on your own, not with the ship, save $$$.  https://alaskanlumberjackshow.com/. You know it is a "tourist trap", but it doesn't matter.  We  are tourists, and this is fun!.  We also had some VERY expensive( especially considering the source) king crab at Annabeles.  Good, sweet meat.

 

SUMMARY:

 

It was a good cruise, but what made it good was family and celebration.  If NCL offers a great price reduction to a place that appeals to us, we will sail again.  If not, consider us one time cruisers.

 

Would love to hear you comments.

 

RNCheryl

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

Loved your review, it was indeed objective. We have always enjoyed AK cruises - living in Portland OR it is the nearest place to cruise. Our daughter and her husband were also just on the Bliss and also enjoyed their cruise. They had issues with their show reservations and missed all of them. I guess I like the Jewel size ships and their two shows/night no reservations needed - and plenty of bars with decent entertainment. 

 

Having done the Tracy Arm Explorer out of Juneau I have to agree that it tends to be better than Glacier Bay - Sawyer Glacier was the only one that calved for us back in 2012.   

 

I rode the train from Skagway to Carcross with a bus return through Chillkoot Tours - had a great time with only 5 of us in the van

 

Even back in 2002 AK was an expensive cruise compared to say the Caribbean - tours are also more expensive as most of the operators need to make a year's worth of profits in a few short months.

 

We will see what happens but I would book the Jewel one way (or B2B with two weeks in-between) or the new Sun itinerary over either the Bliss or Joy. 

[tomservo]

Great review! Alaska on the Bliss/Joy is on my list. 

[newmexicoNita]

On 7/15/2019 at 8:40 PM, RNCheryl said:

I consider Celebrity my favorite cruise line, and have enjoyed cruises on Princess and RCL.  First try of Norwegian, chosen for a multi-generational Alaskan cruise to celebrate our 50th anniversary.  We chose the Bliss for its child program and enticements.

 

SEATTLE

Stayed at the Mayflower Park Hotel. We traveled with an old friend from college; we have been on many, many trips together and are comfortable staying together.  We had a room with a living area, bedroom with 2 queen beds, two bathrooms and two closets.  Staff was very friendly and helpful.  Room paid for with CC points!  https://www.mayflowerpark.com/

 

Best things:   Savor Food tour of the Pike Place market, which included an informative history of the market, back to the Japanese occupant time.  Absolutely great chowder and cheese, donuts to please the kids.  Our tour guide was Liz, from a long time farming family in the area.  https://www.savorseattletours.com/  The market was CROWDED as was all of Seattle with cruise passengers descending.

 

We booked a combination Space Needle/Chihuly ticket.  https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/visit/plan-your-visit. No way would I ever stand in that Space Needle line again, but would visit Chihuly every chance I got.  Family with kids in our group also enjoyed the Aquarium and MoPop museum.

 

Delightful dinner and show at Jazz Alley https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/.

 

We have friends who live in the area, and they took us for a beautiful ride up to Snoqualime Falls with a delightful lunch at Salish Lodge.  Being from south Florida, the huge, fragrant trees were much enjoyed.

 

OK, on to the ship.

 

Embarcation was a breeze.  No complaints at all.  Once on the ship, went directly to 6th floor:  Teppanyaki to confirm dining reservation, and Social to book comedy club, GoKarts and Prohibition.  Wait was long, but I was Tour Leader, and took one for the team!!

 

VERY GOOD THINGS:
 

The crew.  I have never had a more pleasant, smiling, helpful experience.  Steward was Succor.  He introduced himself the first day, and next day knew our names.  We didn't ask anything special from him, and I didn't notice any extras he gave us, but I appreciate his work.

 

The text-phone app.  We used this all the time with our large group of 10 in 5 cabins.  Sometimes a delay in texts being sent.  It was great to remind the group of scheduled activities, time to meet for a meal, and to arrange a spontaneous game of Spoons or cards.

 

Jersey Boys.  We gave seen this show on Broadway and in Las Vegas.  This performance was every bit as professional.  We were in the Internet Cafe early in the cruise, and our "helper" was the actor who played Nick Massi.  Super friendly and not hard to look at, either!!!

 

The Beatles cover band.  Saw them once in the theater and once in Cavern Club.  The audience was into it!  Great fun. (My grand daughters don't know who the Beatles are.  I have failed. 😞

 

Teppanyaki:  our anniversary dinner.  Good show, good food, great service.  Kid friendly.  They were helpful in reserving our party of 10.

 

Here is a big shout out for the Canadian air rescue team and the staff and crew of the Bliss.  Captain announced that a passenger needed to be evacuated to a full service hospital on our way to Victoria.  Crowds gathered in the OBservation Lounge.  It was miraculous to observe.  Son and husband got the whole thing on film.  Those rescuers are Heroes to me.  Let us hope the patient was helped in time.  They also air lifted a member of his family.  All this done without the helicopter landing on the ship.

 

The in room account of charges on your TV.  Easy to verify each day's charges.  No surprises at the end of the cruise.

 

Bars:  good service every where we went.  I had downloaded the NCL bar menu with recipes prior to the cruise and sent it to all our family.  Everyone did their homework and had a list of "Must Try Drinks"  Consensus seemed to favor Rebellious Fish, Aprol Spritzer, Painkiller, BBC, pina colada, milk shaky drinks, and good old Captain and Coke.

 

Observation Lounge:  good, if limited, buffet choices, a great bar, and views not to be believed.  Lots of spaces for families to play games, couples to find a nook.

 

Go Karts:  much more fun that I anticipated.  I am a very sedate driver, and to let it rip on the turns of the course was a blast.

 

Laundry:  dirty clothes left on the bed at 9 AM, clean clothes returned at dinner time.

 

 

ONLY SO-SO

 

Prohibition.  I had anticipated much more.  We made the mistake(?) of going right after dinner.  They serve 5 drinks in an hour's time.  Singing and dancing was good.  Very small venue with poor sight lines.  Will not do this again, would not recommend it.

 

Ship Tour.  I have done this tour on other ships, signed up for this one to be with our friends/family who had not experienced it.  Left much to be desired.  It is inspiring to see what the galley staff does, but this was downplayed, as was the provisioning.  Just a quick walk into the cooler.  Why not tell us how many meals are served daily, how many rolls baked, how many eggs ordered, etc.  It  could have been much better.  Our "2 hour" excursion lasted 90 minutes.  Enjoyed the theater dressing room and environmental services area.  Everything we visited was sparkling clean.  Those laundry workers deserve all the accolades.  Why not tell us how many table clothes, napkins, towels they launder per day.  It would make their work even more appreciated. Would have gotten much more for our $79 on other ships, I believe.

 

Havana:  OK, very talented dancers.  Poor/non-existent plot.  We were seated way down front, and those performers worked hard, sweating and breathing hard.  Props to them.

 

Buffet:  Not bad.  We never had too much trouble finding a seat, but we ate in small groups.  Soft serve ice cream was a hit with kids, I had good omlette every time I ordered.  Coffee and some dishes not consistent.  We only had breakfast and lunch here.

 

Comedy Club:  we say 2 adult performances at 10pm.  The first was a young man.  His material was gross and uncomfortable.  I was prepared for R rated humor, but his stuff was not funny.  However, the second performer was great.  Still R rated, but not off-putting.  I think he had more experience than the younger guy and knew where the lines of good taste were.  The introductory comedian was very entertaining.

 

Stair/Elevator:  we are patient people, so no complaints here.  Walk up two, down three.  Wait for an elevator.  Go up before you go down.  You are on vacation, people.  Chill out.

 

 

REALLY NOT TOO GOOD

 

THE ATRIUM:  great bar, very friendly service.  If you don't know, the Atrium is the heart of the ship, and what happens here resonates to several decks above.  Guest services in the area where Deal or No Deal ($$$ extra charge) is going on.  Really??  Trivia: on other ships, held in a smaller quiet venue.  Teams encouraged.  Answers checked.  "Prizes" awarded.  Not on Bliss.  Too loud,  too crowded. Not a happy place.  Especially compared to other ships.

 

MDR:  our biggest disappointment of the cruise.  We are NOT foodies, enjoy all kinds of food.  However, for 5 meals of 10 people, can count on one hand the number of dishes we liked.  Biggest problem seemed to be serving dishes at the proper temperature.  Everything was just warm, or partly warm, on serving.  We liked cauliflower soup, Crab/shrimp cakes, prime rib.  Every prior cruise I have been on has shrimp  cocktail as an everyday item, as is creme brulee.  Neither available in the MDR on Bliss.  The first night, my son inquired about shrimp cocktail, and was told to go to Cagneys if he wanted it.  Really??? All we paid for this cruise and that is your answer about shrimp cocktail?  Unacceptable.  Not a big item, I know.  We can live without shrimp cocktail.  But it is that uncomfortable NCL cost saving thing again that irks me.

 

WHAT WE DID:

 

Please, please consider booking the NCL excursion  Tracey Arm.  We cruised on a smaller boat to South Sawyer Glacier.  It is magnificent.  The boat is comfortable, great viewing area, binoculars in every seat, snacks, drinks.  We got within 1/4 mile of the glacier, traveling through an ice field to get there. Saw bald eagles, humpback whales, sea lions, seals, and mountain goats. even served a glacier ice margarita!!  This view so surpassed the Glacier Bay day.  Please, save your pennies to take this cruise.

 

Tour of Ninety Nine Tours in Skagway.  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60877-d2173634-Reviews-Trail_of_98_Tours_Private_Skagway_Tours-Skagway_Alaska.html.  We reserved a van for our Skagway day.  Michelle was our driver and I can not say enough positive things about her.  She was flexible, able to  take last minute suggestions, and met the children's needs.  She had a scavenger hunt arranged for the kids, as well as games and challenges for them.  We went into Yukon.  She took photos.  Kids enjoyed the stop at the dog camp.  Petted 4 week old pups.  Frolicked with 4 month old pups.  Went on a "sled" ride with the dogs straining at the lease excited.  Owner of the camp and her husband have both been in the Iditerod Race. Absolutely beautiful scenery.  We had taken the train on our last Alaskan trip, and this was just as exciting.

 

In Ketchikan, we did the very touristy Lumberjack Show.  Please book on your own, not with the ship, save $$$.  https://alaskanlumberjackshow.com/. You know it is a "tourist trap", but it doesn't matter.  We  are tourists, and this is fun!.  We also had some VERY expensive( especially considering the source) king crab at Annabeles.  Good, sweet meat.

 

SUMMARY:

 

It was a good cruise, but what made it good was family and celebration.  If NCL offers a great price reduction to a place that appeals to us, we will sail again.  If not, consider us one time cruisers.

 

Would love to hear you comments.

 

RNCheryl

 

 

I have to say, even though I may disagree with you on some issues I think your review was to the point and very objective. We all have different ideas on what make a vacation good or what makes for a good cruise experience. 

 

I agree about the atrium: NCL has started using the area for too many things and it is very noisy. As for the buffet, I am not a huge buffet person anyway and certainly NCLs is not at the top of the list. The MDR, we only eat there a few times per cruise for dinner so have absolutely no complaints. I am sorry you will not become an NCL loyalist as we much prefer them over Princess for so many reasons: yes, the friendly crew is the number 1 reason and the cabins would be number 2. We are not even fond of Princess food. We do like Celebrity. 

[graphicguy]

Thanks for the review.

 

It seems Celebrity and NCL are being compared and contrasted a lot recently.  As you would imagine, the experiences one has, in large part, is reflected in what they know and like.

 

For example, the information you were seeking for the behind the scenes tour is available.  You just have to ask.  I did the behind the scenes tour on the Escape recently (similar in size to the Bliss).  I asked how many eggs they used.  The number of 7,000 dozen sticks in my brain. I do remember someone asking about how many towels, table cloths, etc they used.  Don’t remember the number, but I do remember them saying the average time they use sheets and towels was two months.

 

Lots of info available and they’re willing to provide it if you ask for it.

 

The biggest difference between your favorite Celebrity and NCL is that Celebrity is much more formal and laid back.  Not a bad thing, as Celebrity has lots of fans given the amount of ships they sail.  It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I wouldn’t sail them again as it doesn’t fit what I expect or want in my cruise experience.

[Isabella Benjamin]

Great review and I agree with a lot of it.

 

We enjoyed the Prohibition show.  We were seated pretty close to the front, though.  There was no way I was going to drink all 5 of those drinks, but I found two of them to be pretty good.  

 

I'm going to go back to see The Beatles next cruise if it's available.  When we saw it the whole thing was kind of ruined by some teenage girl standing right in front of my chair and dancing the entire show.  She was the only one dancing, and her father thought it was just fine.  

 

Deal or No Deal can be exceptionally loud and kind of annoying if you aren't an audience member.

We saw the comedy show on either the first or second night and he was just awful.  Some guy from Canada, don't remember his name.  

 

It's great that you gave NCL a try, especially with a big group!

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your comments.

Glad you enjoyed the cruise.