My family and I set sail on the very first official sailing of the Norwegian Bliss on 6/2/2018 to Alaska. We were honored to be a part of the amazing history being made as the Bliss entered Alaska as the largest ship yet. My family made up a group of 11, 7 adults and 4 children. Before we begin, this ship is considered a mega-ship. It is HUGE! One of the selling points of this ship is that is was designed with Alaska in mind. This is very apparent from the 20,000-square-foot Observation Lounge, which delivers striking views. It has been said that designers made this area to feel like it was a living room. Inviting guests to come in, relax, read, drink, snack, play board games, connect or disconnect with the world. This was an absolute high-lite of the ship! For those looking for a respite, the Observation Lounge truly delivered a tranquil environment. You almost get the feel that you are on a luxury cruise liner. We found this to be a great place for grandparents to retire for some peace away from the group.
Check out our full walk-through video of the gorgeous observation lounge.
The Bliss truly offers a very nice combination of luxury mixed with entertainment for adult and youth combined. There is a wonderful mix of entertainment such as Broadway caliber shows and the Beatles Cover Band to high energy fun with the Go-Carts and Lazer Tag. The Bliss offers a state-of-the art kids area for targeted ages which is inviting, yet did not fit the bill for the kids in our group. I will say that we made the error of sending them the first night and not following through with sending them any other nights. I spoke with another parent who mentioned that by night 3, her kids met friends and LOVED the clubs.
With that said, there was a slight shortage of things for families to do in the evening. The shows were not really family oriented. Neither Jersey Boys, nor Havana Nights proved to be appropriate or entertaining for a group or tween boys or a 7-year old girl. We did get a huge charge out of the Beatles Cover Band. They were so authentic that they made my mother in law cry!! This was a highlight of the cruise.
[maxbutton id=”11″ ]As for the extra activities, Go-Carts and Lazer Tag seem to be something that draws families to this ship. If there is one area that Norwegian needs help in, it is the ability to organize crowds. We had a reservation, yet waited over 2 hours to ride and after all of that, it was less than thrilling. Because of that wait, our group did not want to even attempt Lazer Tag. It is my hope that as the ship sails more, they figure out how to handle the reservations and crowds. I am confident they will get this worked out.
The food was a delight! We did not have a bad meal once. I would like to point out that we were on the free at sea offer and did the upgrade to the 3-free specialty dining options. This was a fantastic option! Unlike some competitors, there are a lot of free options on the Norwegian ship, you do not have to feel like you are dining in the same place each night if you don’t have the package. BUT, with the package, even better! My favorite place for the specialty dining was Cagney’s, this is Norwegian’s signature steak house..let me tell you, it delivered! I cannot believe we did not have to pay a dime for the food. As to the complementary dining, I loved the Manhattan Room. Not only was the food and service splendid, but the food was amazing! I would also like to point out the buffet. I am not a buffet person, but the food here was spectacular! Super clean, well stocked and so yummy! We loved going all of the way forward in the dining room to take in the views, we even saw a whale! If you are a super casual cruiser, The Local is fun, food is good and you get a view of the entertainment area as you dine. We ate here quite a bit! It was nice to be able to have late night dining here…kids LOVED the wings!
[maxbutton id=”11″ ]The beverages were splendid! We were on the free beverage package for our sailing. I did not expect to have top shelf or even decent choices when we were on the free package. I was totally wrong! We were given free reign of the menu from wines to beers…even at dinner. We enjoyed port wine, several beer options…it just needed to be $15 or under. If what you picked was over $15, then you paid the difference.
Some adult fun!
Just something I would like to point out. We truly enjoyed the casino. I did not expect to spend as much time there as we did. Not that we gambled a ton but we really loved the variety of gaming and enjoyed that it was in a location where the kids could roam freely and still have access to us. My brother in law did play and did win, so it is possible.
My final thoughts…
Norwegian does a fantastic job hosting cruisers! We will be back for sure! Enjoy some pictures of our trip!
Next, I will review Alaska for families..you will not want to miss this!
[maxbutton id=”11″ ]Contact us today to book your Norwegian Cruise and take advantage of the Free At Sea offer like we did. Call 877-825-6146 or email us at letstravel@thewdwguru.com.
