The Top Things you MUST do on the NCL Bliss!
The NCL Bliss is making her maiden Alaskan voyage of the year! Will you be joining her soon? If so, come along for a tour of the NCL Bliss cruise ship. Deck by deck we will discover all this gigantic city at sea has to offer!
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NCL Bliss Statistics
Did you know….?
- The NCL Bliss was built in 2018 and refurbished in 2021
- The ship holds 4,010 guests plus an entire crew
- The ship weighs in at a whopping 168,028 tons
- There are 20 decks
- This ship has a race track
A Deck-by-Deck tour of the NCL Bliss
Decks 1-4
These lower decks are for crew and for entering and exiting while in port. On embarkation and debarkation days you will use a higher deck.
Something to keep in mind, is when you are coming back in from a port and are able bodied, you will need to use the stairs. Elevators on Deck 3 and 4 are saved for people who must use them because they cannot go up and down the stairs. You can access elevators again once you are on Deck 5, but the line will be very long. With a ship this big, be mentally prepared to do a lot of stairs and walking!
Deck 5
This Deck contains staterooms, as well as all three kids clubs and the video arcade. To read about these items in detail see my previous post. We found staying on the 5th deck quite convenient on the aforementioned port days.
Continuing on our NCL Bliss tour…
Deck 6
One of the busier decks, Deck 6 hosts the…
- Savor and Taste Dining rooms (complimentary dining)
- Teppanyaki
- Q BBQ Restaurant
- Several Bars
- Guest Services
- The Atrium
- Starbucks
- The Library/Card Room
- Portrait Studio
- Art Gallery
- The Bliss Theater
- Comedy/Night Club
Once again, I’ve already done comprehensive write-ups on the complimentary and specialty restaurants on this ship. The links are:
Eating at sea- Complimentary restaurants on the NCL Bliss
Specialty Dining Choices on the NCL Bliss
Since two dining rooms, the atrium and the theater are all on this deck, it can become quite crowded during the dinner hour. The atrium is also quite small and is where several special games and presentations are held. Each time we came to one of these events, the crew had to add folding chairs to try and accomodate everyone. This made things like trivia games difficult to participate in. We learned quickly that if you wanted a seat where you could see what was going on, you needed to get to the atrium very early!
Deck 7 on our Tour of the NCL Bliss
This deck holds the third of the complimentary dining rooms- the Manhattan Room. It also is home to the Casino, the Local Bar and Grill, the Skyline Bar and the second floor of the Bliss Theater.
Outside the Local is a small corner with a few arcade machines as well as a mini bowling game. The bowling is $5 per game and uses small wooden balls. We actually had a fun time playing this! Despite there only being two lanes, we did not have to wait at all.
Deck 8
This deck is full of bars and specialty dining restaurants. You will also find…
- The Photo Gallery- If you download the NCL app you most likely won’t need to visit the gallery!
- More Staterooms
- Duty free shops
- The Bake Shop-Hardly open
- Dolce Gelato-We never saw this open on our trip
- The Waterfront- This is a really cool area of the ship. Several of the specialty restaurants offer outdoor dining. There are also several couches and seating areas available. Despite sailing on an Alaskan itinerary, we did hang out here for a bit one night. They have heat lamps to keep you cozy!
- The Cavern Club- This music club is home to the Beatles tribute band. On our sailing they also did a show in the main theater. If you are a fan of the band at all, it is definitely worth catching at least one show.
Decks 9-14
These decks hold various types of staterooms, including solo rooms and The Haven. The Haven is an elite level of stateroom that allows extra services. Deck 11 also holds the Studio Lounge, a place for solo travelers to meet and enjoy snacks and beverages.
Deck 15
This deck is more of the same as far as staterooms, however, over half of the deck is dedicated to the Observation Lounge. This lounge allows guests to have an 180 degree view of the water as they set sail. This is an especially coveted area of the ship during the Alaskan sailings when the scenery is out of this world. If you want a spot on one of the many loungers or chairs, be prepared to wake early and pounce as soon as a spot is available. The area is often filled with sleeping passengers who are camped out for hours.
The Observation area occasionally has snacks and also offers a bar.
Deck 16
Another hub of the ship, Deck 16 has the Garden Cafe buffet and the all important ice cream machines. Also found here:
- Pool Bar
- The Marketplace-A small shop featuring sundries, we only found this shop open once during our stay.
- Fitness Center
- The Mandara Spa and salon
My husband and I enjoyed a couples seaweed wrap and massage at the Mandara Spa. We had a gorgeous room with an even more beautiful view.
The prices for the spa are just like any other cruise spa I’ve seen-expensive. For us it was worth it for a moment without our kids! The masseuses did a great job and only tried to upsell us a few times…
- The Aqua Park -Officially listed as the Aqua Park and the Kids Aqua Park, this is one of the best features of the ship. Despite sailing to Alaska in early May, we still had a day that was warm enough for the kids (not the adults! I was in a sweatshirt!) to enjoy the park. It boasts:
- The Ocean Loops Drop Slide- both of my older kids attempted this and neither had the weight to make it through the loops. They had to exit out of the escape hatch!
- Aqua Racer Water Slide-A tube slide
- Hot Tubs
- Pool
- Kids slides
- Kids Splash Park with water guns and a tipping bucket
Deck 17
Deck 17 takes up only one half of the ship. It holds the American Diner and Le Bistro, both specialty restaurants. It also has two of The Haven’s largest staterooms, two Haven only lounges and Spice H2O. Spice H2O is an adults only area. It seemed to go unused on an Alaskan sailing, but I’m sure it would be packed in warmer climates.
Deck 18
Continuing on this deck are more of the large Haven staterooms, as well as the second floor of one of the Haven lounges. This deck also contains the Bliss Speedway.
My family was very excited for the Speedway, but sadly never got to go for a drive. The Speedway is weather dependent and was only open sporadically on our sailing. Per NCL’s website:
“Zoom around hairpin turns in excess of 20 mph as you race for the checkered flag on a thrilling, two-level race track in the middle of the ocean. All participants must be over 55 inches and not more than 265 lbs. Completely closed shoes are mandatory and loose items such as cameras, cell phones, etc should be secured. Charge is $15/person/ride.”
Deck 19
This deck features the second level of the Bliss Speedway racetrack. It also has another adults-only area, the Vibe Beach Club. The best part of the deck for my kids was the five-hole mini golf course. It is actually complimentary and if you can withstand the winds, a fun time!
Deck 20
Last, but not least, we finally made it to Deck 20! New since my sailing, NCL has added the Horizon Park area. It has lawn games and appears to be a cute place to gather and relax while enjoying the ocean breeze. Previously, this area contained Laser Tag.
A Floating City
As you can see by the deck-by-deck tour we just took, the NCL Bliss is a behemoth of a cruise ship. It is by far the biggest ship my family has sailed on and I can’t say we would jump back on to another of this size. While it has many things to offer, we spent so much of our trip waiting for elevators or avoiding the crowds by staying in our stateroom.
If you already have a trip booked on the NCL Bliss, don’t despair! You will have an excellent time! Do your research and adjust your expectations accordingly. Remember, cruising isn’t just about the ship, its also about the destinations!
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