This review is 4 cruisers (myself, DH, DS, and DBIL) cruising the Eastern Caribbean on the Norwegian Bliss in January 2019. We cruised out of Miami and stopped in Tortola, St. Thomas, and the Bahamas. Both parties chose the Ultimate Beverage, dining, and free airfare packages. We all have Platinum or Platinum+ status so our offers also included 2 additional dining choices and free laundry for each cabin. My DS and DBIL stayed in a Haven aft suite while we stayed in a balcony midship cabin. First let me tell you that this is an amazing ship with many new amenities for the larger Norwegian Cruise Line ships. The decor has been tastefully done with unique artwork throughout. I found myself stopping abruptly to admire the many wonders of the ship.
Airfare – All 4 in our group took advantage of the free airfare package. We opted to fly into Miami a day early for a nominal fee. We did not take advantage of the transportation on arrival but we did take the NCL bus back to the Miami airport after disembarkation. We spent the night before the cruise at the Hilton Garden Inn in Miami South Beach.
Embarkation – We arrived about 11:00 a.m and had no wait for embarkation. We immediately headed to Taste for lunch. Since it didn’t open until 12 noon we decided to have a drink at the bar. There was only 1 bartender and we waited 20 minutes without being waited on so once Taste opened we headed in without drinks. Just know on embarkation many are getting their 1st drink of the cruise so all bars are very busy.
Disembarkation – Since our flight didn’t leave Miami until later afternoon we opted to disembark around 9:00 a.m. One could disembark front or aft of the ship. We came down the aft elevator and were immediately directed into a line. We followed the line through the casino and into the main dining room. We were processed through immigration on the ship so once cleared with luggage in tow we headed to the curb without any wait. We always carry our luggage both on and off the ship. We boarded the transportation bus and were on our way to the Miami airport. Our driver was informative and resembled a tour guide for our roughly 20 minute ride. We flew American Airlines and did not get in the long AA line curbside by the bus drop-off point but chose to take the elevator upstairs and checked our bags through the Priority line with no wait. We than had to wait for our 4:30 p.m. departure time so we found lounges through loungebuddy.com
Our Cabin – 12246 Balcony Cabin – We found little difference from the midship balcony cabins on the Bliss, Breakaway, and Getaway. The balcony appears a little larger on the Bliss but we cannot confirm this. The balcony furniture was a light tan and the room was decorated in neutral tones of grey and tan. The shower has no foot bar and this is a pet peeve of mine on ships and hotels. The water is very hot in both the shower and sink so test it before entering the shower. The cabin included queen bed, 2 night stands, wall mount flat screen TV, refrigerator, coffee maker, makeup area with mirror and stool, closet with shelves and area to hang clothes, safe in the closet, full length mirror, and couch. Our steward Romeo was probably the best we’ve had on a cruise.
Behind the Scenes Tour – If you have status of Platinum or above you can participate in this tour complimentary. So far we have been on tours for Breakaway, Getaway, Escape and now the Bliss. Sign up is at the Cruise Next desk on day 1 and the tours usually occur about 9:00 a.m. on day 2. On most ships you get to see the back theater area, laundry area, galley and sometimes frozen food area, and parts of the crew area. It’s fascinating to see any Behind the Scenes tour so take advantage if you have the opportunity. Note you must have closed toe shoes to participate in the tour or they will turn you away.
Observation Deck – This area is on the 15th deck, just below the buffet, at the bow of the ship with panoramic views on 3 sides (port, front, starboard). I can see how enticing this area would be on the Alaskan cruises with floor to ceiling glass windows. This is our new favorite area of the cruise ship. There was ample comfortable seating, bar, designated restrooms, multiple light food and drink stations, stage area with presentations and nightly entertainment, and the best inside relaxation opportunity for large groups. There were lounge chairs, couches, tables and chairs for dining, swivel chairs, and huge conversational pit areas. We ended up having lunch here on numerous days with a variety of salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Note this would not be a good place for children to eat since the menu is not kid friendly. Whether it was a light lunch, a late night drink to piano music, or an afternoon for scones and tea this by far captured the essence of cruising.
Ports and Excursions
Tortola and Virgin Gorda Baths – Our first port day was Tortola and all 4 in our party booked the Virgin Gorda Baths tour through the ship at $99 per person. With NCL status we receive a discount for our excursions. For this excursion you will need good water shoes, bathing suit, towel, water for drinking, and a camera. Do not bring a large bulky backpack or anything you would not want to get wet or sandy. Once the Bliss was docked we were instructed to disembark and walk to the end of the pier. We were directed to a large ferry and within a few minutes we were off for about a 30 minute ride over to Virgin Gorda. There is a bathroom on the ferry but I would recommend you relieve yourself before the trip because it’s a bumpy ride. We were greeted by multiple open air transport vehicles once on VG and we were quickly on our way to the baths. There was no confusion and everyone was very polite. We arrived at the baths about 9:30 am and were told to meet back in the same location at noon for our return. We walked down an easy hike to baths and beaches. We walked around the beach and spent a little time in the water. There are no chairs, restrooms, or any conveniences at the first beach. This is where a towel and water shoes will be appreciated. After our beach time we proceeded to hike up a very challenging area through the baths. You will need sturdy gripping shoes, be in shape, and have limited items to carry. This part of the hike is very challenging with minimal head room at times, ropes to help pull you up rocks, and very tight areas. After the excursion you will feel like an accomplished hiker. The exit to the hike brings you out to another beach area with a small bar for limited food and drinks (alcoholic and nonalcoholic), restrooms, and a few vendors. There are also lockers and an area to wash off your feet. There is a small beach where you can swim, snorkel, or just relax. The final hike takes you back up to an area with a restaurant, shops, restrooms, and our complimentary rum punch. We boarded the vehicles again to head back to our ferry. After our ride back we returned to the ship for lunch. The entire excursion cost roughly $400 for 4 people and was wonderful. I don’t think we would do it again but we all agreed it was worth the one time visit.
St. Thomas – All aboard was at 2:30 p.m. so we opted for a quick walk around the port shops before lunch and some time on the sun deck. We tried going to Spice H2O but it was closed for a private function which greatly annoyed us since this was our only attempt at relaxing in the adult only area. We did find 2 chairs on the very crowded and loud deck above the pool area.
Bahamas – Our daily flyer included a statment by the US State Department on warning tourists of crimes in the Bahamas. We have visited Nassau on many ocassions and include cautionary behavior as we do in all ports. We decided to take a bus out to Baha Mar and headed out to find the bus stop. We were only 2 blocks off but I want to mention that a woman stopped her car in traffic to help direct us and a security guard for a church walked us to the bus station. We boarded bus 10A on about a 30 minute ride to Baha Mar for $1.25 each. The bus was crowded but everyone was extrmely helpful and polite. The bus driver dropped us off as close as possible to Baha Mar and gave us directions about getting the bus back to the port. Baha Mar was a magnificent beachfront resort with very few poeple. We spend a few hours in the casino and exploring the gardens before returning to the ship.
Onboard Eating
Lunch at Taste – This restaurant is on the 6th deck and is included at no charge. You order from the menu and are served in typical restaurant style. Our waiter was very polite and promptly took our order. We’ve learned that you can make minor changes to the menu so we ordered our sandwiches on different bread. The menu for breakfast and lunch was the same menu every day. We need to think about asking for a totally different menu since it has not changed in many years. Our appetizers and drinks came out quickly but it took 50 minutes to get served our sandwiches. Once our drinks were gone we were never asked if we wanted another drink. Our water was filled only once. Our dirty appetizer dishes sat in front of us for about 25 minutes before being removed. Cold fries were served instead of potato chips and the waiter gave me back the wrong keycard after serving our drinks. The other passenger and I exchanged our cards. At best Taste can be a hit or miss with foods and servers. We’ve had fantastic service all the way down to awful. Know embarkation is a busy time and try to be polite and patient with your demands.
Cagney’s – We used our Platinum dinner for this restaurant. We were unable to make reservations online so we went directly to the restaurant for available times. We were easily accommodated with reservations at 8 p.m. for the night requested. We let our server know we had a 10 p.m. show so our meal was expedited and we were finished within an hour. Thanks to the fantastic server for making this happen. We also showed up about 15 minutes before our reservation and was seated immediately. If you like steak this is your best option on board.
Food Republic – This is an ala carte restaurant that serves Asian fusion food. We have eaten at Food Republic on the Escape so we were familiar with their menu. You order through an iPad on the table. We ate here on our first night and there were very few others with only a few other tables taken. The food came quickly and everything was delicious. Our service was super and this will definitely be on our list for other cruises.
La Cucina – This is Bliss’ Italian restaurant located on deck 8. Just as you get off the aft elevators head towards The Cavern and the entrance is to the right. If you see the wine cellar you’ve gone too far. What used to be an easy reservation restaurant has turned into a busy location. We had 7:45 reservations but weren’t seated until 8:10 pm. There were many open tables but they had not been cleaned and it appeared the manager was trying to help by cleaning tables. The wait staff was also overwhelmed because we waited another 10 minutes to get drink orders – no big deal. We ordered calamari, antipasto, salad, and risotto for appetizers. For dinner we ordered osso bucco, veal marsala, and steak. It took over an hour for our food to arrive and our waiter kept apologizing. We finished about 9:40 pm. We cannot complain about service when we felt it was a lack of staff trying their best to please an entire hungry restaurant. So would we go back – yes.
Le Bistro – We used our dinner package for this meal. The restaurant is located on the 17th deck near Margaritaville with wonderful views along one side. The restaurant is about the same size as on the Getaway, Escape, and Breakaway without the cafe portion. The menu was the same except our favorite appetizer (seafood Napoleon) was missing. That’s OK we ordered the baked onion soup and it was perfect. 3 of us ordered the lamb and 1 ordered the scallops. Our wait staff was very attentive and our meal was out quickly. We arrived for a 6:15 p.m reservation and we were done by 7:30 p.m. and that included deserts and coffee. If you have the opportunity we highly recommend this restaurant. Know there is a dress code so leave your shorts and flip-flops in your cabin.
The Local Bar & Grill – This took the place of O’Sheehan’s on other ships. It’s located on the 7th deck just beyond the casino. There are a few different options from O’Sheehan’s but basically the menu is similar. We ordered the wings, blue burger, Coney Island hotdog, white bean chili, Ruben, and soft pretzels. The food was solid as was the service. I believe this is the best burger you can get on the ship but others may debate its Margaritaville. This is complimentary where the other is additional cost.
Los Lobos – This restaurant is next to Cagney’s on the 8th deck. It has Mexican food and took the place of Moderno on other similar ships. We order table side guacamole, queso fundido, and quesadillas for appetizers Complimentary chips and salsa were also served. 2 ordered tacos al pastor and 2 ordered enchiladas. The food and service were good. Our waitress seemed a little confused during when ordering but everything came out as requested. We chose the ala carte option and were told at the end of the meal their service (entire ship) was not working so we needed to check the TV later for charges – no big deal.
Q – This is new to NCL with a restaurant on the Bliss. It’s Texas barbecue and all the fixings. We didn’t have reservations but were seated within about 10 minutes. We enjoyed “Perfect Margaritas” at the bar while waiting. We ordered the sample plate (brisket was dry), ribs, and 1/2 chicken. There were 4 different sauces to choose from for our meat. The sides that came with the meal were small but the additional sides were large enough to share. Around 8:15 p.m. a country western band began playing with many cruisers came to enjoy the music rather than eat. We left so I can’t comment if there was dancing. It wouldn’t be our first choice but it was a solid meal and we would return on another cruise. We enjoy the variety of not eating in the dining room each night.
Teppanyaki
We had 7:15 p.m. reservations and they took us right in when we arrived. It’s always a fun and entertaining meal and our chef John didn’t disappoint us. We were served edamame, miso soup, and salad for appetizers. We ordered fillet, shrimp, and scallops. The service was marginal, the food was good, and the chef was amazing.
Breakfast – By far our favorite breakfast choice is Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. It’s located on the 17th deck just off the walking track and stays open until 10:00 a.m. When the weather permits you can sit out with perfect Caribbean views and a nice breeze. Breakfast is complimentary and limited compared to the buffet. It does include eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, specialty breakfast sandwiches, danishes, cereals, oatmeal, fruit, coffee, juices, and more. Another good choice is the observation deck for a continental breakfast.
Buffet – We had limited visits to the buffet but found the food choices similar to any other NCL ship. Crew kept up with cleaning tables and keeping food replenished. Our favorite was the noodle soup at the Asian station. A shout out to the desert crew who kept my husband supplied with oatmeal raisin cookies.
Walking / Running Track – This was our biggest disappointment of our cruise. We were so excited to see that the size of the track that appeared almost double the size compared to other similar ships. The track is on the 17th deck and we like to walk in the mornings anywhere from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. On our first day at sea we arrived to the track around 9:30 am only to find it covered up with lounge chairs. After once around single file, we realized it wasn’t going to work. We headed down to the waterfront on deck 8 only to find other walkers with the same solution. So on our next sea day we headed up to the track around 8 a.m. and it was clear of chairs until about 9:00 a.m. so we were able to walk for about an hour. The track was also open on a port day until all aboard.
Race Track – 3 out of the 4 of us participated in the race track (I had a fanny pack and was turned away). It’s on the 18th deck and costs $10 for 8 laps. Everyone said it was fun and worth the experience. The cars go surprisingly fast and you can be knocked so take note if you have any underlining medical issues. If you are in a party of adults having fun know there could be smaller kids with you on the track that may get in the way so be patient.
Sun Decks – We generally are not the sun deck type but on day 5 we decided to hit the sun before lunch. Spice H2O (adult only) had few people but towels were on all the chairs by 9:30 a.m. We found a great covered spot on deck 17 that had a bird’s eye view of the pool and slide area. It was quiet and far enough away from the music to enjoy it and be able to talk. As we walked the track earlier we noticed many lounge chairs with towels and clips waiting for their occupants. It’s annoying to us who do not partake in this ritual. Although we did not take advantage of the slides many kids seemed to be having fun. We rarely ventured into the adult pool or hot tubs due to the crowds.
Waterfront Deck – You can stroll the waterfront on the 8th deck. There are many comfortable chairs and couches for lounging, eating areas for restaurant, the gelato shop, binoculars, bars, and more to keep you entertained. In the morning you may see walkers or others enjoying a cup of coffee, in the afternoon it’s filled with readers and gamers, and nighttime brings out the diners. We love this relaxed area of the ship and it’s never too crowded like the pool areas. Many were sky gazing one evening watching the lunar eclipse from this deck. On occasion you may see a few whales swimming as we did on this cruise. The captain described them as frisky as they were spouting and jumping out of the water.
Casino – The casino is on deck 7 and has been divided into smoking and nonsmoking. Only those actively playing are allowed to smoke. There are machines and tables in both areas. There were many payouts and the machines seemed to hit frequently. A Cruise Critic group sponsored a fun slot pull on day 2. You are either into the casino or not and that’s your choice.
Bars – There are so many bars onboard to fit anyone’s palette. If we had to pick a favorite it would be the bar on the observation deck. Connie took exceptional care of us and showed us outtanding customer service.
The Jersey Boys – We had seen this show in Las Vegas but we still made reservations. This is a must see show when on the Bliss. The show was filled with very talented singers and dancers telling the Frankie Valli story. Make reservations and go to the theater 30 minutes early to get prime seats and drinks. The theater fills up quickly.
Prohibition – This was performed in the Social Comedy Night Club on the 6th deck. The cost is $36 per person and it included 5 drinks. The show centered around a madam and her ladies of the evening in New Orleans the night before prohibition would be enforced. Thus, we all had to drink the remaining liquor. The drinks included Moscow Mule, Old Fashion, Mint Julep, Whisky Sour, and Sea Captain. They were served throughout the performance simultaneously to the entire audience. The cast loved audience participation so if you don’t want to be touched, flirted with, or put on stage sit in the middle of the row. The show was very entertaining with provocative dancing, singing, and adult humor. The performers were very talented young ladies. I’m not a big bourbon or whiskey drinker didn’t finish all the drinks. It was all worth the $36 for an hour of high energy entertainment. It’s not for the kids so leave them supervised in the cabin.
Comedians – We tried getting reservations on day 1 at 1:30 p.m. for any comedy show but all were completely booked. We did catch the 1 show in the theater and liked 2 of the 3 comedians.
Mandara Spa – All 4 in the group had treatments in the spa. My DH and myself chose the 55 minute Swedish massage, my DS had a deep tissue massage, and my DBIL had a hair cut and shave. My DH and I received $50 off coupons because it was our birthday month. There are 2 prices for the spa. One for sea days and one for port days. Port days are less expensive. With our coupon we could not combine it with any other offer so although it was a port day we were charged full price less the $50 coupon. An 18% gratuity was added to the price automatically. We were charged 18% on the full price before the $50 was deducted. We arrived at 10:50 a.m. for an 11:00 a.m. appointment. After filling out paperwork we waited in comfortable chairs as the Bahamas came into view. My DH was taken back for his massage at 11:06 a.m. and I was taken back at 11:15 a.m. We were both done by 12:10 p.m. and felt wonderfully relaxed. It was suggested by my therapist that I see the doctor for wrinkles and purchase about $300 of products for cellulite. This information came from my initial questionnaire so next time I will indicate I have no problems. I really don’t like the sales pitch after services but I’ve gotten used to it. What I really don’t care for is when I say, “No thank-you,” the pitch continues.
Advantages
- Observation deck!
- Beautiful new ship
- High energy entertainment
- Variety of eating choices
- Separate smokers area in casino
- Friendly and helpful crew
- Many activities
- Relocation of kids area to deck 5
- Le Bistro being relocated to deck 17
- Embarkation fast and easy
- Cleanliness
- Shaded bar area in Spice H20
- Waterfront deck had more seating
Disadvantages
- Large ships come with many cruisers
- Difficult to get reservations once onboard
- Everything extra has a cost
- Public areas marked “Private Function” for outside companies
- Walking/jogging track being covered with lounge chairs by 9 a.m.
- No foot bar in the shower
This was our 3rd cruise in 3 months and NCL Bliss is an awesone ship. We loved the Observation Deck and spent much time relaxing, drinking, eating, socializing, and more. We would highly recommend any cruise on the Bliss. There may be an Alaskan cruise in our future and I know where we will spend much of our time.
Airport Lounges – We traveled from Greenville Spartanburg to Miami airports and visited 3 lounges
Escape Lounge Greenville Spartanburg Airport – This lounge is located just past Chick-fil-A going towards the B terminal. It’s very clean and has a good selection of food and drinks for any meal. It’s the perfect quiet location to relax while waiting on your flight. This is a Priority Pass lounge so check their site for eligibility.
Viena Restaurant – We ate at Viena at MIA through Priority Pass while waiting on our flight back to GSP. The entrance is through the hotel at concourse E and on the 7th floor. This is a restaurant rather than a lounge. When you get off the elevator turn to your right and you will see the Viena sign. We ordered the Brazilian cheese bread, 3 flatbread pizzas, and chicken parmigiana. As Priority Pass members we all get $28 each to spend with no combining. Our waitress Daniela was friendly and scanned our passes table side. The cheese bread was yummy as was the rest of our food. This was a fantastic place to eat prior to your flight at the Miami airport.
American Airlines Admirals Club – This AA Admirals Club is in Concourse D by gate 15. Take the skytrain to stop #1. It’s open to all Admiral members + 1 guest. You can purchase access for $59. This is a very large lounge with comfortable chairs, quiet area, charging stations, drink station, showers, coffee station, kids area, business center with computers and printer, AA agents, TV viewing area, bar, and light food bar. There is enough seating that you don’t feel overcrowded. They also have departure screens for your connivence. This is a great lounge to relax while waiting on your flight.
2FitzCrew 