A few years ago, I decided to try one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Breakaway Plus Class ships, the Norwegian Bliss! Before that, I had only sailed on the Norwegian Getaway.
Whether you’ve cruised a hundred times or it’s your first time planning a cruise vacation, you’re sure to discover incredible things onboard every ship that will wow, surprise, and thrill you! Guests are guaranteed to discover at least something they love on board every cruise ship.
At the same time, there may be things you really dislike about a particular ship. That’s the beauty of the cruise industry — there’s one to fit every traveler’s taste, style, budget, and preferences
Overall, I thought that the Norwegian Bliss ship offered an atmosphere of relaxed sophistication that fit very well into Norwegian Cruise Line’s "Freestyle" mantra. However, the disembarkation process was chaotic.
In this article, I'll dive into all the things I enjoyed and disliked during my first Breakaway Plus Class sailing aboard the Norwegian Bliss.
Norwegian Bliss Facts
The Norwegian Bliss ship was built in 2018, but she recently received a refurbishment in 2025, giving this vessel a new sparkle that is sure to last for years to come. During her recent dry dock, new venues and staterooms were added, along with general upgrades to public areas. For example, a bigger Cagney’s Steakhouse replaced Los Lobos.
Norwegian Bliss is one of NCL's biggest ships, measuring 168,028 gross tons and 1,094 feet in length. The ship is capable of accommodating up to 4,004 guests at double capacity, with an additional 1,716 crew members.
This ship is large and has plenty to do, see, and explore onboard. This vessel features 20 bars and lounge spaces, 4 complimentary dining locations, and over 10 specialty dining venues. Guests will have copious amounts of dining options to choose from while onboard, able to accommodate every style and taste.
Norwegian Bliss Cruise Activities
When Norwegian Cruise Line introduced their Breakaway Plus Class, it introduced some revolutionary and unique onboard activities to the cruise line industry.
One of the most thrilling activities is the Speedway. On Norwegian Bliss, it's called the "Bliss Speedway." The two-level race track costs extra — either $15 for a 10-minute race or an unlimited pass for around $199 — but it's definitely worth it.
Another important consideration is that guests must be 265 lbs or less in order to ride and are not permitted to bring cameras or phones with them into the race cars.
Another unique onboard activity is the outdoor Laser Tag course located on the top deck of the Norwegian Bliss. During my sailing, the activity cost $9.95 for both children and adults, per game.
This laser tag arena is probably the most themed I have seen, especially on a cruise ship. We witnessed many families, adults, and teenagers enjoying this activity. I believe this would be a fun and interactive activity for guests to try out during their voyage.
Pool Areas and Water Slides
Norwegian Bliss has one of the most intense water slides that I have ever experienced at sea! Ocean Loops is a thrilling slide that extends over the side of the ship. This attraction features a vertical free-fall drop and two gravity-defying loops that guests are propelled over after the floor drops out from under them.
One of the most interesting facts about this slide that we witnessed is that not every guest actually makes it over the loops! Often, the force of the launch is not enough to fully propel guests over the gravity-defying loops. When I spoke with a crew member about why this happens, they said it was because it's necessary for guests to keep their legs crossed in order to decrease the friction their bodies cause as they go down the slide and over the loops.
When I tested out this breathtaking waterslide myself, I did indeed discover that if you keep your legs crossed, you are sure to zoom quickly over the loops!
That said, there wasn't a posted schedule of the slide's operational hours. Sometimes, in the middle of the day, the slides would be closed for what seemed to be no explanation. It would have been nice to know the exact operating times and when they might open back up.
Moving on, something I appreciated onboard the Norwegian Bliss was the multiple main pools and the copious amount of public hot tubs available for passengers to enjoy.
On the main pool deck, passengers can find two large pools. One is designated as adults-only, and one is designated as child and kid-friendly. Both of these pools are about the same size.
Additionally, there are not two, but seven public-use hot tubs onboard! Four of these can be found above the main pool area, one can be found on the Sun Deck, and two can be found in the Spice H2O venue onboard at the very back of the ship. Some of these hot tubs were open later into the evening, until around 11:00 p.m.
Norwegian Bliss Entertainment
During our particular sailing, the Norwegian Bliss had two of the best Broadway-style shows that I have seen on a cruise ship: "Six" and "Jersey Boys."
As someone who loves history, I was very excited to be able to see "Six" — and it did not disappoint. This show was fabulous, and even my travel partner, who isn't the biggest history buff, said that they thoroughly enjoyed this show as well. "Jersey Boys" was an equally entertaining performance that lasted nearly two hours. This show featured incredibly talented performers.
Along with the wonderful talent, the music in both shows was amazing, and they were conducted with great precision and incredible professionalism!
Unfortunately, NCL scaled back its entertainment, and neither of these shows is offered aboard Norwegian Bliss anymore.
Norwegian Cruise Food: Dining on the Norwegian Bliss
Norwegian Bliss had a great selection of buffet food, which was some of the best I have yet to see on a larger-sized cruise ship.
This ship has a well-laid-out and organized buffet. Plus, there's enough variety that everyone is sure to be satisfied. For example, there's a large selection of healthy choices and more indulgent options. Guests can select from a spread of daily specials and classic staples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
One of my favorite options at the buffet was the Indian section. The head chef on board the Norwegian Bliss was from India and took great pride in the selection of Indian food offered, particularly at the buffet.
Main Dining
Norwegian Cruise Line does an excellent job at offering several forms of complimentary dining to its guests — the Norwegian Bliss is no exception.
There are three main dining venues onboard: "Taste," "Savor," and "The Manhattan Room." As such, guests have the option to choose the atmosphere they most enjoy for their dining experience. It is important to note that all of the menus throughout the main dining venues are the same each night, and they rotate throughout the dining.
Out of the three, I preferred "Taste" and "Savor." These venues offer a more intimate atmosphere, making them feel more like a beautiful restaurant, rather than a large dining room. If guests are on a romantic trip or simply want to dine in a quieter space, I recommend these two complimentary dining restaurants.
Norwegian Cruise Line is well known for its Freestyle concept. This means that there are no assigned dining times for guests, allowing passengers to dine at any time and anywhere during the operational hours.
Ship Design
The Norwegian Bliss is similar in its decor and style to that of other Breakaway Class ships. Much of the layout of the Norwegian Bliss is similar to that of the Norwegian Getaway, which meant that it was relatively easy for me to find my way around this large ship.
This ship has a modern and contemporary design throughout, giving it a feel of relaxed and fun sophistication that is sure to appeal to a wide variety of passengers onboard.
Additionally, there are plenty of unique and themed areas and spaces to explore. From brewery-themed bars to a venue that specializes in Mojito cocktails, Norwegian Bliss has something to offer guests of every taste.
One of my favorite spaces is the Observation Lounge on Deck 15. This space features an extensive number of comfy chairs, lounge spaces, and spots for passengers to relax, as well as huge floor-to-ceiling windows. This venue also features small buffet areas for guests to enjoy snacks, tea, and coffee.
Another fun spot is the District Brew House, located on Deck 8. I found this venue to be a fun place to hang out at night, and I think it would be a great place to enjoy a drink with friends.
Finally, don't skip the Social Comedy and Night Club located on Deck 7. This is where you will find a lot of late-night entertainment, including comedians, DJs, and silent disco parties.
Norwegian Bliss Interior Cabin
On this voyage, we stayed in a standard Interior Stateroom. This room had a very modern design, featuring a larger bathroom for an interior room, complete with a sizable glass, walk-in shower.
Prospective guests do not need to worry about storage in their interior staterooms. There is plenty of storage built into these rooms that will allow guests to fully unpack and make their cabin truly their home on the sea.
One of my favorite things about NCL vessels, including the Norwegian Bliss, is the copious amount of outdoor spaces that allow guests to take in the beautiful ocean views.
In addition to The Waterfront, the Norwegian Bliss also features an adult-only area onboard called Spice H2O located at the very back of the ship with plenty of lounge chairs, hot tubs, a bar, and stunning views of the sea beyond the ship.
Harvest Caye has plenty to offer guests
Norwegian Cruise Line guests are the only passengers who can visit the cruise line’s private destinations: Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye.
During my NCL Bliss sailing, I had the opportunity to check out Harvest Caye. I found this private destination to be even more fun than I had anticipated! In fact, I'd argue that Harvest Caye could be an awesome overnight destination.
Harvest Caye is made up of white sand beaches and vibrant greenery. This small island lies just off the coast of Belize, and although it is a private resort-like island with a zip line, large pool with swim-up bar, and 6-acre beach, it does retain its Belizean character.
NCL Bliss Disembarkation
Disembarkation day is always sad and something that every cruise traveler dreads. However, cruise lines strive to make the debarkation process as painless as possible. For example, my previous disembarkation experience aboard Norwegian Getaway with Norwegian was relatively smooth. However, that's not always the case.
I'm grateful that our flight out of Miami, Norwegian Bliss's then-homeport, was later in the afternoon because it took us about two unexpected hours for us to get off the ship!
From the moment we exited our stateroom, we were met with huge and winding lines that never seemed to end. We have always disembarked our cruise ships at around 9:00 a.m., but in this case, I regret not choosing to get off at the earliest available time.
The lines to get off the ship wound guests all over the ship, until they finally culminated where the Norwegian Bliss was conducting security and port immigration checks on the ship itself. This was the first time that I had ever seen where they conducted the security checks for disembarkation onboard the ship itself. It was pretty safe to say that doing it this way made the process much slower than normal.
Norwegian Bliss Review: Should You Sail on This Breakaway Plus Class Ship?
If my above remarks do not already give it away, we had a wonderful sailing on board the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship! The food was tasty; I loved the modern design; and the theater productions were entertaining.
Norwegian Cruise Line has made some big steps with its Breakaway Plus Class — and it has expanded on these successes with its brand-new Prima Class.
Hayley Phillips
Hayley Phillips is a military spouse currently living in Florida and loves all things travel and travel planning.
