Travel Tips for Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship

Our experience on Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship

We recently went on a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise on the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship. The cruise ship departs and returns to Los Angeles, with stops in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. Our departure date was November 5, 2023.

This isn’t our first cruise experience. However, it was the first time cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line. The Norwegian Bliss is without question the largest cruise ship we’ve ever sailed.

The Bliss has room to accommodate over 4000 passengers and 1700 crew members. I’m pretty sure that our boat sailed at full capacity. At least, it felt like it was at capacity.

After spending one week on the Bliss, we learned a lot about this cruise ship. I’m excited to share the top Norwegian Bliss tips we learned. 

We only visited Mexico on this cruise. However, many of these Norwegian Cruise Bliss travel tips are applicable to the ship. So it won’t matter if you are sailing to Mexico, Alaska, the Caribbean or the Panama Canal.

In this post, we share our experience on the Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship. 

Pick your location of stateroom carefully

Be careful when booking your stateroom location to ensure you get the best location for your needs. When booking you have the option to select where you want your room. You’ll want to consider a number of factors including noise, ship movement, and proximity to services.

Your options on the Norwegian Bliss cruise are AFT (back), Mid-Ship, and Forward.  

Our room was 14116. Which means floor 14 and closer to the front of the ship. Since we were near the forward part of the ship, we didn’t have many people walking past our stateroom door so that kept noise down. Mid-Ship you will have more people walking by your room which could cause more noise.

You will want to consider what is above you. Above us is the observation lounge so we heard the odd chair move, but the observation lounge is a very quiet space. 

We found the ship movement more noticeable in the AFT so our preference is mid to forward.

If you are on an end of the ship, it means you will have a bit more walking to get to your room down the long hallways.

If you are prone to seasickness, pick a higher floor and mid-ship. It will be your best spot. If you don’t like noise, I would stay away from areas that are directly below busy areas like the pool area. And if you need proximity to services, pick a stateroom by the elevators so you don’t need to walk down long hallways.

One final question you should ask yourself is: Should you book the port (left when facing forward) or starboard side (right when facing forward)? For our cruise to Mexico, I liked having the port side. I found we often had the best views like when entering into Cabo San Lucas.

Can you bring wine or champagne on the Norwegian Bliss?

Guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board at the start of your cruise or at any port. When bottles are brought on board a corkage fee will be charged according to the below bottle sizes:

• 750 ml Bottle: $15.00 USD
• 1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00 USD

Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship are subject to the same fees.  Guests do not need to pay the corkage fee if they have the beverage package but you will still be required to declare and show your wine or champagne.

If you bring any other alcoholic beverage on board the ship staff will keep it for you until disembarkation.

Do you need the drinks package on a Norwegian Bliss Cruise?

There isn’t a straight answer to this question. The answer is that it really depends.

I booked our cruise as part of a promo so Connor and I didn’t have any extras included (no beverage package and no included specialty dining).

When you book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines, normally you have the option to add on the Free at Sea package which includes the unlimited drinks package, free specialty dinking, free wifi, and free excursions. 

Before sailing I looked at how much it would cost to add the drinks package and it was almost $1000 US for myself because of the promo deal I booked. I didn’t think it was worth it since I knew I wouldn’t be drinking over $100 a day.

However, if you like specialty drinks and plan to drink a lot, then it would be worth the expense.   

Waterslides and go carts have weight and height limits

The Norwegian Bliss offers guests a lot of activities and amenities. But if you booked the Norwegian Bliss for its waterslides and go carts, you’ll want to be sure that you can actually use them.

The Aqua Racer waterslide with the tubes is very kid friendly. Connor weighs 60lbs but isn’t very tall and he was able to go by himself in a single tube and with me in the double tube. There are scales and staff do check your weight.

The Ocean Loop has a high weight minimum and I saw adults turned away because they didn’t weigh enough.

The requirements for the Norwegian Bliss Aqua Racer Waterslides are:

• Minimum Height 40”
• Minimum Weight: No minimum
• Maximum Weight: Max weight cannot exceed 300lbs/136kg for both solo and double tube riders

The Ocean Loop waterslide is more intense and includes a drop and a loop that people need to make it around.

The requirements for the Ocean Loop Waterslides on the Norwegian Bliss are:

• Minimum Height 48”
• Minimum Weight 120lbs/54Kg
• Maximum Weight 300lbs/136kg

The Norwegian Bliss Speedway also has requirements for both weight and height.

The requirements for the Norwegian Bliss Speedway are:

• Maximum weight 265 lbs
• Maximum height 82”
• Minimum height 55”

Kids who are below the height requirement can ride in a double cart however they aren’t able to drive. They will only be the passenger.

Some ports on Norwegian Bliss require a tender 

Sometimes ports don’t have a dock or a dock large enough to accommodate the Bliss. This means you’ll need to tender to shore.

What is a tender port?

It’s when there might not be a dock and the ship needs to anchor off shore and you take small boats from the ship to the shore.

Why is it important to know if you may need to tender on a cruise ship?

For those who have mobility issues or need to bring a stroller, it’s important to plan ahead. Plus, it takes more time to tender to and from the ship so you want to be mindful when booking excursions.

We had to tender in Cabo because there is no dock. Some older guests had a bit of trouble getting on and off the tender due to the waves. There are staff available to help, but it was a bit difficult with stairs and waves.

Here is a list of tender ports for Norwegian Cruise line.

Meals in the restaurants take a long time. Expect to wait.

If you’re looking for a quick meal, the observation lounge has snacks and the Garden Café (buffet) has lots of options. However, if you want to dine in one of the ship’s restaurant, expect the dining experience to be slow. Plan for 1.5 hours per meal.

I found the food to be very good, but I found the service to take a long time. My favourite restaurant is Taste.

They don’t rush you to eat which is nice, but it also means that the whole meal process takes a while especially if you have starters and finish with dessert.

We ate in the Manhattan room on the first night, but I found the service to be very slow. We then tried Taste, and I found it to be our best option. And they often sat us next to the window.

The service at Taste was notably better than the Manhattan. I also preferred the smaller room and the location on the ship.

Kids meals at Norwegian Bliss restaurants is the same every day

The meals in the main dining rooms for adults change daily. However, the kids meals stayed the same throughout the cruise and it was a limited menu. Options for the kid meals on the Norwegian Bliss were:

Burger and Fries, Hot Dog, Chicken noodle soup, Mac and Cheese, Chicken Tenders, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and cheese and pepperoni pizza. 

Of course, kids can order off the adult main menu and that’s what we mostly did after Connor ordered the chicken tenders and they were very dry and not very good.

I was surprised that the menu didn’t change for kids, so if you’re traveling with children this information is good to know.

There are quiet areas on the Norwegian Bliss to escape the crowds 

The Norwegian Bliss Cruise ship is a large ship with over 4000 passengers so many areas can be very busy. However, I was able to find quiet areas on the ship and Connor and I even had the hot tubs to ourselves a few times in the evenings. 

Our favourite place to eat breakfast was the Garden Buffet but the seating was very crowded. However, in the mornings if you go out on to the pool deck the ship has extra seats set up and even coffee available. It was quiet and it had nice views. 

The Observation Lounge is another area that’s not very busy. During the day, you can find various snacks.

If you want a minimal breakfast, it’s another good option for quiet eating.

Bring a refillable water bottle

Buying water on the ship is expensive and it’s not included in the beverage package.

Bring a refillable water bottle (my favourite is Stanley and you can find them here) because there are lots of places to refill your water bottle including the buffet, the Observation Lounge, and various juice and water stations around the ship.

Please don’t refill directly into your bottle. Use the provided cups and then pour the water into your refillable bottle.  

If you wish to purchase water you can pre-order it through NCL and different water packages are available. The water to purchase on the Norwegian Bliss is Flow Water. Example prices are:

Dealing with allergies on the Norwegian Bliss Cruise

Our son is allergic to dairy (requires an epi pen) and on the first day we found it a little hard to order food for him as the servers kept telling us there’s lots of cross contamination for the food. At first it felt like there were limited options for him in the restaurants.

The next day when we were struggling for food options, the employees in Taste told me that we can order for the next day and a special meal would be prepared for just him.

For the rest of our cruise we ordered his dinner meals ahead of time. We normally ate breakfast in the buffet, lunch was mostly off the ship, and every dinner we ate in the restaurant. But if we wanted, we could have pre-ordered for breakfast, lunch and dinner at any of the restaurants.

Each evening before finishing our dinner, we would be given the next day’s menu. We picked similar options off the menu but ones that would be a bit more kid friendly. For example, one evening there were meatballs on the starter menu and there was a pasta option for the main course so we asked for pasta and meatballs.

They also made the most delicious dark chocolate dessert that Connor loved.

Go to dinner early to avoid disappointment (especially on days at sea)

Included restaurants and specialty restaurants on the Norwegian Bliss need reservations. Prior to boarding I had pre-booked all our meals at the included restaurants, but I could only get the Manhattan room.

After our first dining experience at the Manhattan room we weren’t overly impressed with the service, so when dinner opened at 5PM each evening we went to Taste. Even though we didn’t have reservations at Taste they seated us and we always had a very enjoyable dinner.

If you have a big group, this might not be possible. On this cruise it was only Connor and I so it’s likely easier to seat 2 versus a large group.

One of the days at sea we lost track of time, and we went to dinner closer to 6:30PM. I was initially told they were fully booked but because we had eaten each night at Taste, they knew us and graciously found a spot.

If it’s a sea day you will have more trouble getting reservations so book ahead. Depending on your status when you book your cruise, you can start booking restaurants about 3 months prior to getting on board your cruise.

You do need reservations for the specialty meals. I don’t suggest you try to walk up unless you absolutely need too but be prepared to wait and possibly be told there’s no space.

You can buy a Starbucks unlimited drinks package on the Norwegian Bliss

If you love Starbucks you’ll want to consider Norwegian’s Unlimited Starbucks Package. The cost is $12.95 per person per day plus 20% gratuity. If you plan to drink more than 2 drinks a day, you might find this package worth it.

The Starbucks package does not include canned or bottled drinks, food, and merchandise and it’s not included with the Norwegian’s beverage packages. 

Starbucks is available on a number of the Norwegian cruise ships including, the Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Getaway, and Norwegian Sky.

You can also order Starbucks espresso drinks in the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants.

Starbucks gift cards are accepted, and you can choose to use the app to pay onboard if you don’t by the Starbucks drink package. 

Pack your bathing suit in a carry-on for your embarkation day

Getting on the ship was a fairly straight forward process but I should have packed our bathing suits in a bag to carry on.

We arrived at the Los Angeles port around 10am and it was already busy. I had my printed luggage tags ready and there were lots of port employees wanting to take our bags. Don’t worry about bringing a stapler since the people taking the luggage had one I could borrow.

I noticed others had luggage holders like this that I thought was very handy to put the luggage tags in.

We followed the signs to check-in where we got a group number card (we were group 8) and our key cards that we would be using for everything on the ship. The seating got full quickly, so Connor and I found a space on the floor to give others the seats.

We waited in the terminal for about an hour before they started calling the first groups. A new group was called about every 5-10 minutes and we started to boarding about a half hour after the first group was called. Our boarding process started around 11:45.

Getting on the ship was easy. We walked up a gangway and onto the ship.

What I didn’t realize is that our room wasn’t accessible until at least 3:00pm. Luckily our room on the 14^th floor was one of the first to be allowed in but our bags didn’t arrive to the room until 5:00PM in the evening. We didn’t carry anything on the ship with us, other than important documents like our passports.

Once on the ship, we walked around and explored. We had lunch, registered for the Splash Academy (kids club) and bought the arcade package. But it was a beautiful day and Connor really wanted to go swimming and I didn’t bring his bathing suit in my carry-on so we had to wait until our bags were delivered to our room.

Next time, I will ensure we bring our bathing suits and sunblock on board with us (and not leave it in our checked bags) so after exploring the ship we can enjoy the pool.

Bring an international USB adaptor

We travel with lots of devices so it’s important we have the ability to charge them. On the ship, there are only 2 USB adaptors and they are located by the bed. If you are like us and have a lot of devices that need to be charged, we highly recommend you bring an International USB charger.

This one is our favourite and we bring it on all our trips.

Pick your departure flight times carefully

I initially booked our flights leaving LA at 3:00PM. However, our flights got cancelled and re-booked for 12:30 PM.

The NCL portal says that we can start disembarking around 7:30AM so I thought this still would be plenty of time to get to the airport for our international flight to Canada. But we don’t fly out of LAX often and I forgot that it’s always a good idea to have extra time.

The cruise ship offers a transfer to the airport for $25 US per person. When I talked to guest services they said as long as I get off first, I would have plenty of time to get to the airport.

Make sure you always know the ship time

This is tip is very important. Always know the ships time and confirm before getting off.

The Norwegian Bliss always arrived and departed on ship time which is sometimes different than the city location. Therefore, it’s important that you always know the ship time and plan your port activities accordingly. The cruise ship will leave without you if you are back on board in time.

Unfortunately, our disembarkation was delayed by over an hour. The ship could not let people off until it was authorized to do so. This meant everyone wanted to be first off the ship and the lines were crazy. Elevators were packed with people and luggage. It was chaos.

Tip – use the elevator to go up to the top floor first, then come back down. Otherwise, you won’t get on an elevator going down for a very long time. You get off the ship on floor 7.

It took us over an hour to get off the ship. We also should have taken a taxi, but I had pre-booked the transfer through NCL. The transfer took a very long time to get the bus filled and loaded with luggage. Then there is LAX traffic, and you need to wait as the bus drops everyone off at their terminals. Of course, we were terminal 6 (one of the last drop-offs).

We did make our flight, but it was a very stressful morning, and I don’t recommend flights any earlier than 1:00PM.

Bring your ID and ship card every time you get off the ship

NCL gives you a card which acts as payment on the ship as well as documentation. Bring these items off the ship at every port since they are scanned to get on and off. However, you should also bring valid ID (passport or driver’s license) when getting off the ship.

I wasn’t always asked, but a few times we were asked for extra identification to get back on.

Also, in the unfortunate case if you were to miss the boat (it does happen!) you’ll need ID to catch a flight to your next port to re-join the cruise.

Is the unlimited arcade package on the Norwegian Bliss worth it?

I searched this question a lot before getting on the ship. I knew that the unlimited package only included the green swipe readers but I didn’t know how many games were actually included.

The cost for the unlimited arcade package on the Norwegian Bliss is $175 US.

To answer the question, I did think the unlimited arcade package was worth it for my 10 year old. If his brother had joined us, they both could share the card so it would have been even more valuable.

I played lots of games with Connor. As long as you don’t do more than 3 swipes in 3 minutes, you can play as long as you want. If you do accidently swipe more than 3 games in 3 minutes the card is temporarily suspended for 15 minutes (however this never happened to us).

If you buy the unlimited arcade package for the Norwegian Bliss, what is included?

Multiple different race car games and motorcycle games are included. As well as, Halo (2 person option), Pirates of the Caribbean (2 person option), Jurassic Park (2 person option), Basketball, Gun shooting, Star wars, Guitar Hero, air hockey, virtual reality simulator (you can ride a virtual roller coaster). And there is 2 person Mario Cart driving game where the indoor bowling is located.

Each game is at least $1.99 per play so the cost can add up quickly.

We loved the 2 person games and played a lot of Jurassic Park and Pirates. We could use the same card and when one of us died, we swiped to be back in the game.

I did feel our port calls were pretty short. Often, I felt rushed to get our activity done and get back on the ship. We would like to go back and stay for a while in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo at a resort.

Overall, we had a great time. We liked the Norwegian Bliss, the room, the food and the activities. I would recommend the ship and cruising with Norwegian.

Bring your own medication for both kids and adults

The Norwegian Bliss cruise does have a medical center onboard located on deck 13. It is accessible to passengers and crew members 24/7. However, medical services are not included in the price of the cruise, and passengers are responsible for any medical fees incurred.

You may be able to get medication at one of your ports. For example, getting medication in Mexico in very easy. But, we always travel with a pack of medication for both our kids and us because when you need it, you often need it immediately. 

Before going on any cruise, I also suggest visiting your doctor ahead of time and getting seasickness pills or patches in case you do find yourself feeling unwell due to the ships movements.

The Norwegian Bliss is big, but you still feel the ship moving. Connor didn’t feel well the first night at dinner (we had to leave early to go laydown), so it was nice knowing that we could go back to our room and use the seasickness medical I brought for him. It worked and by the morning he felt much better. 

The medication we always bring with us is:

• Benedryl
• Epi Pen (we have allergies in our family)
• Tylenol (chewable pills)
• Advil (chewable pills)
• Pepto (chewable pills)
• Cortisone cream
• Thermometer
• Seasickness pills and/or patches
• Gravol

Bring medicated cream if you have sensitive skin

Connor has sensitive skin. The ships hot tub and pools made his skin react and he had itchy irritations after using the pools and hot tubs. However, I suspect it was mainly the hot tubs causing the reaction.

I bring medicated cream with me, so I had lots on hand to help ease the irritation. After using the pools and hot tubs, I put the cream on Connor and his irritation was always gone by the next morning. It would have very uncomfortable for him if I didn’t have the medicated cream with me.

Did we like the Norwegian Bliss and would we sail it again?

Yes, we did like sailing on the Norwegian Bliss, and I would sail on the ship again and with Norwegian Cruise Lines.

We like cruising. We like the idea of visiting a few different locations while having the ability to get back on the boat at any time and your room travels with you so you don’t need to pack up each day.

Do you have questions about Norwegian Bliss Cruise Ship? 

Leave us a comment below and we’ll do our best to answer.