My first NCL cruise was a complete failure

[Mitchelle]

Just got back from an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Bliss, and it was the most disappointing cruise I’ve ever been on .

I’ve only sailed with Carnival before and wanted to try something new, especially since Carnival gets a bad rep sometimes. So, I thought I’d see for myself.

The studio room I stayed in was nice and updated, and I liked the studio lounge. But, little did I know, the studio lounge would be the only place I could ever find open seating .

On Carnival, there’s always plenty of seating—almost anywhere on the ship, you can find a spot to relax and enjoy the view. But on the Bliss, it felt like the only place to sit was the overcrowded observatory deck, where people were hoarding seats all day. It got so bad they started pulling out folding chairs .

The Garden Café was closed from 3 PM to 5 PM, so even more people flooded the observatory deck. There was barely any seating when it came time to eat . It felt like that chaotic rush to find a seat on embarkation day… but for seven days straight.

Carnival offers lots of free, tasty options like pizza, tacos, and burgers . But on the Bliss, the food was subpar, and if you wanted to try the “fancier” restaurants, you’d have to pay extra—only to find that the food was still mediocre .

Overall, the vibe on the ship just wasn’t great. Service and guests alike didn’t seem friendly at all .

Honestly, I’m glad I tried something new, but I won’t be sailing with Norwegian again. Carnival, here I come!

[Adele]

That is the benefit of cruises. Follow whichever path suits you best. Stay with them if you adore Carnival.

[Alain]

When we traveled on the Bliss, I liked to sit outside on the promenade on deck 8. I sat at the bar or on the lounge chairs and brought my warm clothes. Although I enjoy the cold, I can understand why some people might not.

[Banice]

@Alain We were always on the move doing stuff on the Bliss, and I’m always standing at the casino tables. So finding places to sit wasn’t an issue for us. Overall I like it a lot, but I see how it gets a bit overcrowded in some areas. For example, the Bliss is a bigger ship than the Getaway, but for some reason, their Atriums were identical in size. So on the Getaway, there were few people standing to catch shows at the Atrium, and most nights we got front row seats. On the Bliss, it was usually very crowded, so they resort to bringing out folding chairs and it’s still crowded. Although I don’t have any complaints about my NCL cruises. Food is just sustenance to me anyway, and something to absorb the drinks.

[Camilla]

@Banice I agree; the Atrium was really noisy while I was on this Bliss Alaska cruise. It seriously took away from the presentations and games. Another issue was the availability of elevators. Much better than the Norwegian Pearl I went on last year

[Candy]

@Alain The “Waterfront” on deck 8 is my go-to place on NCL. Comfortable lounge furniture in the open air (but all covered against either sun or rain), facing the ocean, a bar on either side, and roaming bar servers who remember me and what I like. And somehow always only a handful of other people out there using the lounge areas. It’s honestly a near-perfect situation. I can be comfortable relaxing and reading a book, or if I feel like socializing, I belly up to the bar and chat with people there. I very strongly dislike crowds, but I’ve always been able to avoid them.

I accidentally booked the Bliss during kids spring break last year so it was over capacity and had a ton of kids running around, but it seems my personal schedule is like having a reverse-commute at rush hour. I’m a person who is happy to eat somewhat earlier or later than standard meal times. Also helps that I have no desire to be around a pool deck or atrium events.

All this to say, everyone prioritizes different things, but if you explore a bit and are flexible the Bliss is a great ship even when bursting full.

[Dacosta]

I’ve been on the Bliss, Encore, Gem and Epic and never had any of these issues.

[Dorea]

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Alaska on the Bliss. I had the most incredible time. The cuisine was good in my experience as well. I returned to the buffet and ordered something else because I was not happy with everything I had. During that time, they also close the buffet in order to clean it in between services. We dined at four restaurants and two of the three MDRs. The cuisine at those was excellent throughout. The only place on our fully booked cruise where I was unable to get a seat was on the observation deck on the way to Dawes. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it.

[Gordon]

I agree with most of your points, having taken Caribbean One out of Miami in May.

[Grande]

@Gordon Likewise. NCL was alright, but I don’t think it was a significant improvement over Carnival—there were definitely stronger places than poorer ones. In my opinion, the mainstream lines are more similar than dissimilar and basically just boil down to personal preference (which mass-produced foods suit your particular palette, which activities/areas you emphasize).

[Hudson]

I want to launch my own cruise line and want to convert an outdated Navy frigate into a high-end cruise ship. Do you know how I should approach this?

[Jemmy]

@Hudson Make spinning suites out of the turret mounts.

[Jayden]

Despite being a brand-new, exquisite ship, my 2017 trip on the Bliss was the worst I’ve ever taken. I’ve been on a Norwegian cruise previously, but I won’t do it again. There was nowhere on the ship to appreciate the tranquility or the scenery because there were so many kids and the food and service were clearly below quality.

[Jordan]

Oh wow. We saw you in port as we disembarked the Luminosa!

[Mboks]

It felt like everyone was in a nasty mood. The ship’s crew and passengers were not at all cordial.

Some of your grievances seem to stem more from your dislike of that particular ship than from a problem with the cruise line in general. Any cruise line could experience problems with this. However, both times I’ve gone on NCL, I’ve also encountered unfriendly crew who seemed to be in a foul attitude. Additionally, I’ve discovered that the food is generally of lower quality than what I’ve eaten on other lines. Food is personal and can varies greatly even within the same ship on different trips, but that’s what I’ve found.

[Meech]

I was on NCL Encore for an Alaskan.

It was a full ship but not at max capacity. I think they said there were less than 400 kids on board. So a lot more rooms were double occupancy instead of triple.

I found that the outside seating was heavily under utilized. There were often times I would go on deck 8 and only see one or two other people. I always was able to find seating but it was just seating for two. I saw some larger groups seriously struggle with seating.

I did find out that the Encore currently has the largest observation deck. Bliss apparently has been remodeled to add more rooms. I couldn’t imagine since the observation deck was always crowded. From 5am to 11pm at night there were always groups of people hanging out there.

I was also a bit disappointed in the main dining room menu. Majority of the nights the selections just never interested me. I ended up eating at the buffet the majority of the time. And the buffet food was just ok. There were one or two things I tried that wasn’t for me. But majority of the time I enjoyed the food. Though I wouldn’t really call myself someone who is a fan of fine dining, so I might be biased.

I think if I did an Alaskan cruise on a full ship again I would definitely save up for a balcony. Just to have a guaranteed spot during the middle of the day to get a good view.

[Nidal]

Yes, we have taken numerous cruises with both large and little cruise lines, and NCL has earned a place in our opinion close to the bottom of the list.

[Salish]

Thanks for the review. Glad you shared. It’s one reason I enjoy this s/r.