A list of random observations and candid reflections from a 15-day Panama Canal sailing aboard the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship.
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Table of Contents
- 1 My NCL Bliss Itinerary
- 2 About This Post
- 3 The NCL Bliss Cruise Experience
- 3.1 • Full ship bookings create traffic jams.
- 3.2 • There may not be much time in ports.
- 3.3 • There is a shipboard culture of noise.
- 3.4 • The observation lounge is a great hangout.
- 3.5 • There is a promenade and a library.
- 3.6 • Guest services will jerk you around.
- 3.7 • Closely monitor your onboard account.
- 3.8 • Dining quality is consistently good, if not great.
- 3.9 • Cookies are available, but you have to ask for them.
- 3.10 • There is no dining dress code.
- 3.11 • Access to good drinking water can be a challenge.
- 3.12 • Stateroom doors open out.
- 3.13 • Stateroom outlets cover all the bases.
- 3.14 • Free stateroom movies are a thing of the past.
- 3.15 • Bliss Theater productions are superb.
- 4 Other Norwegian Content on Backroad Planet
- 5 I Would Love to Hear From You
- 6 Pin this Post!
My NCL Bliss Itinerary
A Panama Canal itinerary was my reason for booking a cruise on the NCL Bliss. Full transits through the Panama and Suez Canals had been on my bucket list for years, and because I live in Florida, I always assumed that I would sail the Panama Canal first.
But it didn’t happen that way. A year earlier I discovered a Suez Canal transit on an NCL Jade Athens to Dubai itinerary for a great price, just two weeks before it sailed.
For months I tracked solo balcony stateroom rates on several Panama Canal itineraries, and when the NCL Bliss price dipped into what I considered a reasonable range, I booked.
The NCL Bliss Panama Canal itinerary from Miami to Los Angeles ultimately included ports in Cartagena, Colombia; Panama City; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.
Prior to my booking, the itinerary had included ports in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, but those ports were eliminated for whatever reason. This was a typical Norwegian maneuver I will address in an upcoming post.
The NCL Bliss belongs to Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class of ships and launched in 2018. I did not realize until after boarding that the Bliss was virtually identical to its sister ships, the NCL Encore I had sailed to Alaska, and the NCL Escape I had sailed through the Caribbean. I have yet to sail Breakaway Plus sister ship the NCL Joy.
Although Breakaway Plus ships are similar in design, my onboard experiences were not. When I cruised to Alaska on the NCL Encore, there had been 2,106 guests aboard, and there had been 2,284 guests onboard my NCL Escape Caribbean cruise. On the NCL Bliss Panama Canal itinerary, there were 3,840 guests out of a 4,004 guest capacity. More about this later.
About This Post
This post is not an exhaustive manual, like our guide to Viking ocean cruises, or a critical assessment like our Island Princess or MSC Cruises reviews. In fact, many aspects of sailing the NCL Bliss are not addressed here at all.
This post is also not a Panama Canal itinerary guide or shore excursion review.
Instead, this post is a listicle of first-hand observations regarding the NCL Bliss cruise ship and the Norwegian brand.
While aboard the NCL Bliss, I recorded in-the-moment notes based on my experiences. Upon my return home, I further elaborated my reflections for publication in this post.
The NCL Bliss Cruise Experience
The NCL Bliss has its positives and negatives like all ships. But all things considered, I had a wonderful time completing a full transit on the Panama Canal and exploring ports on this itinerary.
• Full ship bookings create traffic jams.
There were 1,500+ more guests aboard the NCL Bliss than there had been on my NCL Encore and NCL Escape sailings. The increased population greatly impacted the availability of onboard facilities and activities.
The first few nights of the cruise it was virtually impossible to get into the Manhattan Room without a reservation. Long lines of hopeful diners extended out the entrance and into the elevator corridor.
Fortunately, I did pretty well getting seated without reservations at the Taste and Savor dining rooms as a guest willing to either share a table or dine solo. Even so, meal service was often very slow.
During certain hours the Garden Café was a madhouse. At breakfast one morning, a guest noticed me looking at my phone and asked whether I was finished so he and his wife could have my table.
Bliss Theater shows were packed, as well. Guests with reservations who did not arrive at least thirty to forty minutes prior to the shows would have difficulty finding seats together and to their liking.
Approximately 300 guests were members of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire marching band. It was a different environment with so many young people onboard. However, they were all perfectly-behaved with zero evidence of spring break misconduct. They also performed four shows in the Bliss Theater to their newfound adoring fans.
As much as I enjoyed the Panama Canal transit, I was extremely disappointed with the amount of forward deck space available to guests. The only forward deck space allocated to nearly 4,000 paying guests was on Deck 9 accessed through a long hallway on Deck 8. Unless you were able to worm your way to the front of the crowd, it was impossible to get a decent picture of the locks without dozens of mobile devices in your frame.
Early on the day of transit, I scouted around the ship to find other available forward deck space. On Deck 19, I found the entrance to The Haven private Sun Deck that wraps around the bow. I peeked through the crack and saw that it was virtually empty. I understand Haven guests pay the big bucks for privacy, but perhaps on the day of the Panama Canal transit, the space could be opened to other guests, as well.
Taking everything into account, the NCL Bliss does not have adequate facilities and crew to comfortably accommodate guests when booked at capacity.
• There may not be much time in ports.
The Panama Canal transit was an amazing experience, but unfortunately there was limited time to explore most ports on the itinerary. It may not be this way on every NCL Bliss sailing, but on my cruise the time between port clearance and the all-aboard in most ports was only a few hours.
This is also a marketing issue I will address in a forthcoming guide to cruising with Norwegian.
• There is a shipboard culture of noise.
I understand that people cruise for many reasons and that you cannot please everyone. So please receive this observation in the spirit with which it is intended.
Although the NCL Bliss is not a party boat and the Panama Canal itinerary is not a booze cruise, there are many onboard spaces to accommodate that crowd. I am not a sun worshiper, so I do not hang out on the Sun Deck. But the few times I have passed through en route to another location, I couldn’t get away quick enough. The blasting beats, pounding bass, and shouting DJ made me want to run.
The atrium on Deck 6 is home to guest services, the ship excursion desk, the CruiseNext desk, the Internet Café, Starbuck’s, and the Atrium Bar. With its large screen, it is also the venue for ongoing trivia games, dance classes, demonstrations, and countless other loud activities.
You would think with so many customer relations desks in the atrium that it would be important for involved parties to hear one another. I cannot tell you how difficult it was to communicate with ship staff over ambient sound effects and a cruise director staff member shrieking into a microphone. On my rare visits to the atrium, I would take care of my business quickly and then flee.
I would walk past bars blasting live or canned tunes compounded by the din of chattering guests overtalking the music in an attempt to be heard. I know it is the culture, but I just don’t get it.
And you can forget a relaxing morning in the Garden Café. Breakfast is served with a side of blaring techno-pop.
Fortunately, there is at least one peaceful onboard public space.
• The observation lounge is a great hangout.
The observation lounge on Deck 15 is a peaceful refuge, especially in the early mornings. This public space with ceiling to floor picture windows wraps around the bow of the ship and occupies more than one-third of the entire deck’s space.
There is a great vibe there. It is mostly quiet even when a great many guests are present. The space is serene with lots of cozy nooks. Light classics may or may not be softly playing. It is a great place to watch the sunrise in comfort. Multiple food stations are stocked with all the makings of continental breakfasts, light lunches, and snacks.
The observation lounge is a great space, I tell you!
• There is a promenade and a library.
Regular Backroad Planet readers know that promenades and libraries are highly-important cruise ship facilities to me, and I report the inclusion or exclusion of them on all my cruise ship posts.
Technically, the NCL Bliss has a traditional covered promenade with guest access on Deck 7. This promenade has a linear passageway on both port and starboard sides of the ship, but they do not connect around the bow nor the stern. Lifeboats are also stored along both sides of the Deck 7 promenade, and they do block views of the ocean.
Breakaway Plus class ships also have a design feature called The Waterfront that allows bars and restaurants on Deck 8 to offer outdoor dining and socializing.
An open-air promenade circumnavigates Deck 8, and this is where most guests walk during days at sea. I prefer traditional promenades because I like protection from the elements, but I discovered the solution is to walk laps on the shady side of the ship.
The NCL Prima, the first of six ships in Norwegian’s new Prima class, features an upscaled waterfront design called Ocean Boulevard.
Deck 17 of the NCL Bliss also has an open-air jogging track.
I was reading David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas, a 617-page epic account about the creation of the Panama Canal during this sailing, so I was not in need of books. I did, however, discover a fine library poorly situated on Deck 6 of the NCL Bliss directly behind the noisy atrium.
• Guest services will jerk you around.
Prior to sailing, I called NCL and booked an airport transfer from the Los Angeles cruise port to the airport. At that time I gave the agent my flight information, and she took my credit card payment over the phone.
After my NCL Bliss cruise was well underway, a letter was delivered to my stateroom and a voicemail was left for me to contact guest services. When I returned the call, the guest services agent asked to verify the time of my return flight out of Los Angeles. The ship was scheduled to arrive in port at 7:00 AM, and my flight departure time was 11:03 AM.
At that point, the agent canceled my transfer, informing me that they were not providing transfers for flights with departures before 12:00 PM and that they would issue a credit for the charge to my onboard account. Their only consolation to me was that there would be plenty of taxis at the port.
As it turned out, I was the first person off of the ship at 7:20 AM and was able to grab an independent rideshare with three other people to the airport, arriving before 8:00 AM.
All’s well that ends well, but if my flight time did not qualify for a transfer, why did the NCL phone agent book it in the first place? This situation was not as serious as the time Princess Cruises canceled my flight home from Copenhagen without notification, but I can’t seem to forget that NCL pulled the rug out from under me.
• Closely monitor your onboard account.
I realize this tip applies to all cruises, but two scenarios from my NCL Bliss sailing effectively prove this point.
When I checked my account the day after my airport transfer was canceled, the refund had still not been credited to my account. However, the daily service charge and CruiseNext certificates I purchased had been charged. I returned to guest services and met with an agent who attempted to explain everything to my dissatisfaction. He told me that I did not need to keep checking my account.
As if.
I responded, “Oh yes, I do!” He concluded my inquiry, stating that the credit would appear shortly. I kept checking my account until it eventually did.
There was a 48-hour (+/-) period before and after the canal transit when the ship’s WiFi was either not working or extremely slow. I waited in line to consult with the Internet Manager, and he said the outage was affecting all systems due to an onboard hardware issue.
Because I had purchased an unlimited WiFi package, he said my account would be credited for at least two days. The credit did not show on my account for several days after WiFi service was restored, and I ended up visiting guest services two or three times to inquire. Eventually, a $50 credit appeared on my account.
• Dining quality is consistently good, if not great.
Upon completion of my sixth NCL cruise within the past year and a half, I maintain my assertion that NCL dining is the the best of the mainstream lines I have cruised.
The NCL Bliss has three complimentary dining rooms that all serve the same menus: The Manhattan Room, Taste, and Savor.
Although there were occasional mishaps, such as the sausage biscuit and sawmill gravy, most dishes were quite good and often great. Appetizer soups were creamy and delicious and salads were fresh and flavorful. Menu entrees were varied and offered something for everyone. Desserts were satisfying, as well.
Huevos rancheros, chicken parmigiana, and risotto quickly became some of my favorite menu items.
The Garden Café buffet offers an excellent selection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner food choices, as well as themed cuisine nights. As I mentioned previously, the issue with the Garden Café was the overpopulation and not the quality of food.
Of all the Garden Café made-to-order stations, I really liked the noodle bar.
I have dined at virtually all of the NCL specialty restaurants, and Cagney’s steakhouse remains my favorite. The crab cake appetizer and 8 oz. filet never fail to satisfy my palate.
• Cookies are available, but you have to ask for them.
For some reason, when I cruise, I become a cookie monster. Viking and Princess and Royal Caribbean all make cookies readily available at their buffet dessert and pastry stations.
NCL does not.
It’s not that they don’t bake cookies. They do. But you have to ask for them. I don’t know why, but they keep them hidden, either in the kitchen or on trays inside rolling carts. When I figured it out, I was able to enjoy delicious double chocolate, chocolate chip, macadamia, and oatmeal raisin cookies.
• There is no dining dress code.
Apparently there is now no dress code for Norwegian restaurants. Just two weeks previously, while sailing the NCL Dawn, I got the impression that the dining dress code may be in transition. That report is recorded here.
On Day 2 of my NCL Bliss sailing, the following passage was printed in the Freestyle Daily:
“What do you feel like wearing tonight? Feeling a little glamorous? Maybe just some comfy khakis and polo? With Freestyle Cruising, there is no formal policy, so you’re free to wear whatever you wish.”
I am a shorts and t-shirt kind of guy. It is my standard wardrobe because it is comfortable to me. I don’t wear tank tops, muscle shirts, or shirts with tacky images or slogans. I wear solid-color fitted t-shirts, nice cargo shorts, and leather slide sandals. I understand that this is not appropriate dress for formal nights on Princess cruises, but fortunately it is now acceptable attire for all NCL dining venues. That make me a happy NCL cruiser!
• Access to good drinking water can be a challenge.
Clean, safe drinking water sustains life and should be provided free of charge to all guests on every cruise. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Drinking water flows freely in NCL bars and dining rooms, but fresh potable water is not delivered to staterooms in a carafe like it is on Viking.
Some guests have no problem drinking tap water from their stateroom bathrooms. Although I have on occasion resorted to ship tap water, I don’t feel comfortable drinking it. I question ship plumbing sanitation, and many times the water is heavily chlorinated and tastes horrible.
Water sales are a key part of Norwegian’s onboard marketing plan, and they attempt to increase sales by inhibiting free access to drinking water. The self-serve water dispenser in the Garden Café has a sign that states: “Please do not refill water bottles here,” and the Freestyle Daily repeatedly reminds guests that bringing water onboard is prohibited. There are always water sales tables set up near the ship exits when guests are disembarking for shore excursions.
Bottled water is often freely distributed to guests while on shore excursions. When returning to ship, I always put the bottled water in my daypack before it goes through the security scanner. Never once has my water been confiscated. I have also witnessed other guests taking insulated refillable water bottles through security.
Because bottled water was not part of the beverage package on my previous Caribbean sailing, I resorted to carrying a Diet Coke back to my stateroom every evening, although I was pretty sure wholesale prices on sodas would be more than packaged water. A situation arose between bartenders regarding canned Diet Cokes as part of my beverage package. I won’t repeat that saga here, but you can read about it in my NCL Dawn post.
I encountered a similar situation aboard the NCL Bliss when ordering a can of Diet Coke and a glass of ice. At first, the bartender told me that cans were not included in my beverage package. Then he called his supervisor, and was instructed to give it to me. The bartender told me to come by his bar every night, and he would take care of it, which I did and so did he. I still felt like crew was accommodating me as an exception rather than revising a stupid policy.
Cruisers deserve free water for all!
• Stateroom doors open out.
This may be the most unexpected observation ever, but NCL Bliss stateroom doors open out.
While occupying my stateroom, I am in a perpetual state of undress. This is never an issue with inward-opening cabin doors. If a crew member knocks at my door, or if there is a shipwide announcement being made, I can crack open the door and hide behind the door without exposing myself to the world.
This method does not work with an outward opening door. Think about it.
• Stateroom outlets cover all the bases.
On the NCL Bliss, there are plenty of stateroom power outlets, although they may not be located where you would like. In my bathroom, there was an electric shaver-only dual outlet discreetly positioned on the underside of a fluorescent light fixture. The outlet accommodated my electric shaver charger, but not my electric beard trimmer.
A bank of 110 and 220 volt outlets is located along the top of the stateroom dressing table, and a hair dryer is stored beneath the desk.
Although there are no bedside electrical outlets, there are old-school USB outlets for nightstand mobile device charging. Hopefully future ship builds will also include the much faster USB-C charging outlets.
• Free stateroom movies are a thing of the past.
NCL has a reputation for being the most commercial of the mainstream cruise lines. They heavily market products and services before, during, and after a sailing.
Every evening when I returned to my stateroom after dinner, I would find a wealth of Freestyle Daily advertising inserts and special invitations to give Norwegian even more of my money. All of them ended up in my stateroom trashcan, a huge waste of paper.
NCL’s newest nickel-and-dime tactic involves the Netflix-style entertainment interface on stateroom TVs, and I unwittingly witnessed the implementation in real time.
Two weeks prior to my NCL Bliss sailing, I completed a Caribbean itinerary on the NCL Dawn. While sailing the Dawn and on all previous NCL cruises, stateroom movies had been complimentary. By the time I boarded the NCL Bliss, all movies had become pay-per-view with yellow “BUY NOW” banners across the thumbnails.
I am a reader, and books keep me entertained on cruises. I suggest guests forego purchasing movies and enjoy other forms of onboard entertainment. You will enjoy movies like Top Gun Maverick much more at home on your widescreen HDTV than on a tiny stateroom screen. I am not lying when I say the TV on my Cartagena excursion bus was larger than the TV in my cabin.
• Bliss Theater productions are superb.
One of the features I love most about Norwegian’s large ships is that they invest in Broadway-quality productions.
The best shipboard show I ever saw was Summer: The Donna Summer Musical featuring American Idol alum Kimberley Locke aboard the NCL Prima.
However, the second-best show ever was the NCL Bliss production of the Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys. Cast members left it all on the stage with an unforgettable moving performance.
There was also an excellent production of the Broadway musical Six.
For whatever reason, both of my reserved production show dates on the NCL Bliss were rescheduled. I cannot stress enough that you do need reservations, and you do need to arrive at least thirty minutes prior to showtime to find good seats.
There were many other entertainment options aboard the NCL Bliss, some better than others.
Other Norwegian Content on Backroad Planet
Be sure to check out the following NCL reviews and travelogues on Backroad Planet. Or click here to access all of our ocean cruise content.
- Cruising with NCL: An Insider Guide
- 13 Things to Know About the NCL Jade Cruise Experience
- 15 Things to Know About the NCL Dawn Cruise Experience
- 9 Reasons to Book an NCL Prima Cruise
- My NCL Alaska Cruise: A Norwegian Encore Travelogue
- My NCL Middle East Cruise: A Norwegian Jade Travelogue
- My Eastern Caribbean Cruise: An NCL Escape Travelogue
Click here for hotel booking options on TripAdvisor!
I Would Love to Hear From You
I enjoy dialogue with Backroad Planet readers, especially when they share off-the-beaten-path destinations and useful travel tips. Have you ever sailed aboard the NCL Bliss? If so, I would love to hear about your experience. I invite you to leave your comments and questions below, and I always respond!
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Retired from a 35-year career as a middle school teacher, Howard enjoys spending his time on anything that includes mountains, waterfalls, dachshunds, gospel choirs, books, classic movies, autumn, sandhill cranes, Florida springs, rain, gloomy days, log cabins, abandoned sites, unearthed history, genealogy, documentaries, To Kill a Mockingbird, castles, cathedrals, Civil Rights history, cold sheets, National Park Passports, quotes, Reba Rambo, Dionne Warwick, most things Apple, all things British, Jesus, and lists.
And on a random note, Howard is a fourth cousin once removed to Truman Capote.
Just read your insider guide to NCL and learned a lot! Am in the process of buying NCL stock to get the onboard credits for our Alaska trip in October and our January/December trip through the Panama Canal.
Then, from there I saw you had been on the Bliss from Miami to Los Angeles which is the itinerary we are taking, so I read your review.
I really appreciate you taking the time to do this. As a newbie to cruising, these tips are invaluable.
Thank you for your kind words, John! Glad to help, and bon voyage to you!
Sailing in December on the Bliss 15-day Panama Canal trip. Looking for shore excursion suggestions. Any suggestions, positive or negative, would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi! I explored on my own in most of the ports, but I would highly recommend the excursion to Antigua (UNESCO) from Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. I booked the transportation-only excursion, but I am sure there are guided excursions, as well.
Have been cruising for 25 years. Balcony stateroom on Bliss, sub par.
I have traveled on the Norweigan Pearl, Jewel, and Bliss, and truly enjoyed each and every one. The Bliss to Alaska in August was full, but pleasant. The food and shows were excellent, and the crew were very attentive to our needs. While I do prefer the smaller ships, the Bliss was worth every penny. Loved the observation deck also. Wish the weather could have been better in some of the ports, but enjoyed it none the less.
Thanks, Carol, for sharing your experience sailing the NCL Bliss! Because I love the Jade, I am hoping to sail the Pearl and Jewel someday soon.
We were on the same cruise Howard, and I found your observations spot on.
Having a bottle of water for shore days and a can of soda not included in the beverage package was ridiculous. Soda is my coffee in the morning, and I want to have it in my stateroom refrigerator when I get up. I felt like I had to sweet talk various bartenders to get my Diet Coke each night. My husband was able to have a coffee pot in the room and didn’t have to beg for his morning caffeine.
The noise in the atrium area was very distracting when there was an activity going on, and it discouraged us from eating in The Local as much as we might have if there was an activity going on at that time. But it was nice to have access to 24-hour sit-down meal service.
The Internet outage was unfortunate, but also unacceptable for a ship of that size. I had the 300-minute package and it had to be reset twice for me during the cruise, leaving me unconnected for several days while I found a time I could wait in line a half hour for the Internet manager to reset it for me.
Also, we were traveling with a group of 10 friends and used the app for messaging. They charged $10 per person to participate in the messaging and about a third of the time messages didn’t go through so it was not reliable. If you’re going to offer an app, make sure it works and don’t charge extra. Another example of nickel-and-diming that they do.
I totally agree that the observation lounge is the hidden gem of the ship and we spent many hours there enjoying the view, the quiet, the snacks, and the comfy couches.
This was our first NCL cruise, though we are very experienced cruisers. Not sure if we’ll choose NCL again, but we did have a very nice time on this trip.
Hi Cheryl, and thanks for sharing your experiences from our cruise!
It is interesting that you and I had very similar observations. In fact, I think your description of the beverage package issues is even more illustrative than mine. Great point about the atrium noise carrying into The Local. I showed up at the Q Texas Smokehouse for dinner one night, but when I heard the loud band situated so close to the tables, I left. When dining, music should be background, not in your face. Thanks for mentioning the messaging app fee and unreliability. I may include that in an upcoming NCL post.
Like you, in spite of everything, I still enjoyed our cruise. I even have another NCL back-to-back itinerary booked for next month. Thanks again for visiting Backroad Planet, and my best wishes for safe, enjoyable travels in the future!
We are going to Alaska on the Bliss on July 15, 2023. I couldn’t find any info on the messaging on board. Where is that located on their tabs? I guess I’ll chat with them. I would like to have messaging service to text my husband if we lose each other on board.
Hi Pam, and thanks for reaching out! I am sure guest services can help you with this app function once you are on board.
Our experience on the Bliss was so very much different, but at the same time I can understand why you had the experience you had. We did a 7-day in Alaska in early October and part of the reason we picked this sailing was the hope it would be quieter. And this was realized.
The ship was apparently about 50-60% full, and this made everything so much easier. Taste / Savor / Manhattan Room, we could walk in whenever we wanted (party of two). Comedy show reservations were pretty easy, and you could show up 15 minutes before the big shows Six and Jersey Boys and get reasonable seats easily. Seating was never full. We only went to the Garden Café twice. While seating and crowds were far more sane than your experience, it still felt hectic, so we reverted to Taste and Savor.
Our cabin was on Deck 15, and in the chilly weather the observation lounge was our hangout. We also did something we never do, and booked a weeklong pass for the thermal spas. So we had a week of thermal pools, quiet hot tubs, steams, salts, and saunas. We normally spend more time ashore, but this time we were mostly content to enjoy relaxation on the boat. While I am not sure it’s worth the cost, we really did enjoy the quiet in the spa.
So overall I end up agreeing with all elements of your review. Even though we had none of the lines or issues you saw, I could certainly see how doubling the people would be a huge issue. We always got the days we wanted for specialty restaurants and the go-cart, but options were somewhat limited.
Hi Stephen, and thanks for a sharing a detailed account of your NCL Bliss experience! As I mentioned in my review, I did a 7-day Alaska cruise in early October aboard the NCL Encore, a sister ship to the Bliss. On that sailing my experience was much like yours. Friends gifted me a day pass to the spa for my birthday. I appreciated their kind gesture, but unfortunately I tend to get bored hanging out in spas. My best to you, and thanks for stopping by Backroad Planet!
Another thoughtful review. Thanks! I’ll stick with Viking.
My husband, adult daughter, and I were also on your cruise. It was our 44th cruise, but only our third on Norwegian, having two NCL cruises in Hawaii under our belt. It will be our last NCL cruise, mostly because of some of their policies.
Like you, we booked a transfer bus to the airport at the end of the cruise. When we got our NCL air flights, our trip back to the east coast was on the red-eye. Not wanting to sit at the airport all day, we booked a private excursion that would drop us at the airport later in the day. So we canceled our bus transfer two weeks before the cruise even began. We were told there would be no refund because we waited too long!!! (Yet you could book a transfer three days before the end of the cruise.)
Also, when we booked, my husband and I each received three free meals to any of the specialty restaurants. When we tried to use one for our daughter, we were told that wasn’t allowed and they charged her a la carte.
We didn’t like that they changed some of the times in the port leaving earlier than originally scheduled. We had a private tour planned in one port which had to be shortened at the last minute lest we miss getting back to the ship on time.
We also lost minutes on our package for the Internet. Although promised, the minutes were never replaced.
And what is it with no life jackets in the cabins? We were told if the ship were to sink, you would get your life jacket at the lifeboats (If you made it that far!)
It’s a shame that NCL has made us feel this way since the ship was beautiful and the food and entertainment were superb. This one bad experience was enough to turn us against NCL.
Hi Joni, and thanks for sharing your personal experience from our cruise! Comments from seasoned cruisers like yourself always carry weight with me. NCL’s airport transfer fiasco is such a double standard, and guess who it benefits. I cannot say I am surprised that your daughter could not use one of your specialty meals. I had a similar experience while cruising the NCL Jade. A fellow-cruiser with a specialty dinner for two invited me along. I ordered something that involved an additional charge. When the check arrived, the waiter would not charge the difference to my onboard account because the dinner was on my friend’s check. Policies such as these are downright stupid and only serve to anger guests. I agree the last-minute port schedule changes were maddening. Regarding the Internet, I eventually got my two-day credit because I had purchased an unlimited plan and I was persistent. I was told that the accounts for guests who had a limited minutes would be reset to zero. I am sorry yours wasn’t. Thanks again for sharing your story, and bon voyage on your future sailings (not with NCL).
As far as the filling of water bottles at the drinking station, it was explained to me that it is a health issue. To bypass this, just fill one of the cups provided and then pour the contents of the cup into your bottle.
Hi Todd, and thanks for sharing this! It did cross my mind that filling water bottles directly at the station could be a health issue. Somehow I still get the feeling that water sales also has something to do with it. Better worded signage would clear it up for me.
We were on this same cruise, first time on NCL. We originally booked a balcony room, but were awarded an upgrade to the Haven (for a price). Bidding on upgrades was a first for us, and I’m not sure I like bidding for an upgrade. I would rather know a price, and if I can afford it, I will pay for it. I can, however, say we were extremely happy about getting into the Haven after seeing the number of people on the ship and the few experiences we had with the general population. I think we would have pretty much the same review as you if we were in our original room.
We ate most times in the Haven restaurant, but with the menu never changing we decided to try some of the complimentary dining options. One night we went to the Manhattan Room. There were so many people in line that we ended up back in the Haven. We tried the buffet a few times for lunch and dinner. After fighting for a seat, we again ended back in the Haven. The specialty dining options were very good (Cagney’s, Los Lobos, La Cucina). The Q Texas Smokehouse was so-so. The ribs were good. That’s about all I can say. We did not like the potato salad, the peach cobbler, or the pecan pie. Will not return there.
The shows were great! Jersey Boys and Six. The male comedian was good and kept us laughing. The female – eh. The magician was also very good.
In regards to your comment about opening the Haven to view the locks, the forward facing area of the sun deck is not as large as you may think. The available space was 2-3 deep with Haven guests viewing the passage. There really was not enough room to add any more people.
If we were to cruise on another large NCL ship, we would have to be in the Haven. There were just too many people on board for our liking to be comfortable.
Thanks for sharing your NCL Bliss experience in such detail, Carol! You are the second or third guest to mention that the Haven restaurant menu never changed. That is truly surprising! If I had paid for the Haven experience, I would have expected at least nightly specials. I appreciate your clarification about the viewing area on the Haven sun deck. I admit my assessment was made from behind a closed door. After reading your review of the Q Texas Smokehouse, I feel better about having missed it. I actually went there one evening, but when I heard the live band so close to the tables, I knew I would not be able to dine in peace. My best to you and your future travels!
Howard, the wife and I are long time Norwegian cruisers and were on this Panama Canal cruise, as well. While we agree with many of your observations, we felt you were far too kind when it came to some of your observations.
The public venues, from the theatre to the atrium, to the comedy club, to the bars, and almost everything in between, were far too small for a ship of this capacity. I have never been on any NCL ship which required longer than a twenty-minute wait for seating at one of their main dining rooms without having reservations. We actually had to wait over thirty minutes one evening despite having reservations. The food quality and timeliness of service, even at Cagney’s, was at best only adequate on this cruise, which was very surprising.
The highlights of our cruise were the time spent in the observation deck, the cookies, and the shore excursion we took which left at 5:30 AM on a ferry which transited the “old canal locks” back to Lake Gatun before boarding a bus to return to the ship.
The Bliss has been scratched off our list for any future cruising. This was our second cruise on one of NCL’s larger ships, and while we enjoyed the Encore to New England and Canada a few years ago, we will concentrate strictly on the smaller ships in the future to hopefully encounter less crowds, less noise, and more enjoyment.
The stage shows, for which we could never get reservations, and other entertainment can be seen at much better venues without being on a cruise ship. The BluGold band and the exceptional young people who were with the band that we encountered were a bright spot and we were lucky enough to get in to one of their performances. Thank you for such a detailed and honest review.
Thanks Dave, for sharing your experiences aboard the NCL Bliss in detail! Knowing that you are longtime NCL cruisers adds even greater depth to your assessment. Your excursion through the old Panama Canal locks sounds fascinating. I will have to look into that as a possibility on a future visit. I agree with you that the smaller ships are much better. I am partial to the NCL Jade, but I hope to sail other smaller ships, as well. Best wishes to you, your wife, and your future adventures!
I was on the same cruise, as well, and your assessment is pretty spot on. Food was excellent no matter where we ate. The observation deck, and in my case the Deck 8 quiet area were my favorites! The shows were superb!
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Cathy! I did not know there was a quiet area on Deck 8, but I am happy you found it.
I was on the same cruise. Loved it! This was my second NCL cruise, the other being the Breakaway.
I thought their shore excursion choices offered a wide variety of things to choose from, and the ones we chose were excellent!
My favorite place on the ship apart from my balcony cabin was the observation deck. A definite “go to” place.
Your review was good. Helpful for those wondering. Thank you for taking the time to write it up.
Hi Denise, and thanks for your kind words! I am happy to hear that you had a wonderful experience on our NCL Bliss cruise. I typically explore cruise ports on my own, but I can say I was fairly satisfied with the two shore excursions I booked for Cartagena and Antigua. It would have helped to have a few more hours in port. Thanks for stopping by Backroad Planet, and best wishes for you future adventures!
We were on the Bliss through the Panama Canal with you. This was our first cruise so it was a learning experience.
I think the thing that surprised me the most was the almost lack of attention to food allergies. We have an extreme dairy intolerance in our family, and the majority of the time when we asked for an alternate dessert or ingredients, we were told they had nothing/no idea. I was really amazed they did not have any form of allergy menu available at all of the restaurants, including the buffet. We did have a few amazing waiters/staff who did go above and find something for us at Savor and the Local.
Thank you for including the Blugold Marching Band in your review. I know the kids had a great time performing on the ship. – A BMB mom
Hi Barbara! I am surprised to hear that there were few to no dessert alternatives for guests with dairy intolerance. Virtually every meal servers asked whether I had any food allergies. I guess that was just meant that was as a precaution but without alternatives. Hopefully you were able to include this feedback on your post-cruise evaluation. Thanks for sharing this information, and please convey my highest praise and gratitude to the Blugold Marching Band kids!
We also were surprised that although every waiter in a restaurant asked about food allergies, there was no information on the buffet. So that became more of a challenge, and made it difficult for my husband to make food selections. But in the restaurants they did check with the chef once they took your order and were very careful about modifying in accommodating your menu selections.
Great detailed summary. We were on the Bliss Nov ’21 and July ’22. The November trip out of LA to to the Mexican riviera was at low capacity, as it was the first time the ship cruised post pandemic. Very comfortable with the low numbers. The next July was Seattle to Alaska and was a totally different story. Way too many people, and that’s the one we wound up contracting Covid and were isolated the last 2 days and 3 days in Seattle. It was like night and day with the population difference and turned out miserable for us. I have to agree with the entertainment, though. Having seen three different Broadway performances, we were in heaven.
Hi Susan, and thanks for sharing your experiences aboard the NCL Bliss! I agree with you completely that the greatest factor in determining cruise satisfaction is the number of guests on board. When ships are booked near capacity, the chances for bad experiences are greatly increased. And yes, the Broadway shows rock!
We were on the Bliss at the same time as you and enjoyed reading your review. I pretty much agree with your assessment. We did not make our reservations for the two main shows early on the cruise and never got to see either one. That was a disappointment for sure. We felt that there just was not enough going on for a ship with that many passengers. We did a lot of relaxing on the observation deck, our personal favorite spot. Oh yes, and we did discover the cookies too, had them every day!
Hi Chris and Dave! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about our NCL Bliss sailing. Even though I understand cruisers have different experiences, it is rewarding when my reviews receive confirmation from fellow travelers. I am sorry you did not get to see the Broadway shows. Jersey Boys was an especially good production. That said, I am pleased to learn that you enjoyed relaxing in the observation lounge and discovered the covert cookies.
We were on the Bliss also. We share your feelings about the trip. We have cruised the last three times on Viking and loved it. We went on this cruise because of friends. But not again. Sailing with 4,000 of my closest friends is not for us.
Hi Jim, and thanks for sharing your thoughts! Viking is my favorite cruise line, as well. I would cruise with them more, but they rarely offer competitive solo rates like Norwegian. Best wishes and safe future travels to you!