What can you do in 36 hours on a cruise ship? We were guests of Norwegian Cruise Line to experience the new Norwegian Bliss. In a cruise from Long Beach to nowhere, we did as much as we could in the little time we had.

See the Cabins

We were assigned a balcony stateroom on Deck 12. We saw about 10 different categories of rooms, including the solo Studio Cabins and Lounge, and The Haven suites and their private lounge and pool. I thought the staterooms on this ship were small, even the suites.

Studio Lounge

Explore The Activities

The Bliss has a couple of new fun things to do: laser tag and go karts. These cost money, but not much. It’s smart to make reservations as soon as you board the ship to get your time slots.

The fitness center is large and has space for yoga classes and TRX equipment.

The pool area is also large and the water park has a play area for kids and two water slides. There is also an adults only lounge area with hot tubs aft.

We spent some time in the casino-lots of slot machines and tables. The majority of the casino is non-smoking, and there is a closed in smoking section.

We loved the Mandara Spa-lots of treatment options and the hydrotherapy area is nice. There’s a Himalayan Salt Room and an Snow Room, along with steam and dry and wet saunas.

See the Shows

The Bliss has several production shows and comedy performances. We saw Jersey Boys and The Beatles.

It would be a good idea to book the shows you want to see as soon as you board. The Cavern Club is the venue for The Beatles cover band shows and I think it’s first come first served.

Eat and Drink

Restaurants:

We tried the Garden Cafe- it’s the huge buffet with many stations- open from early til late.

Mini buffet in the Observation Lounge

The Manhattan Room, Taste and Savor: The main dining rooms are more like restaurants than usual cruise ship spaces. They share the same menu each day. The Local Bar and Grill is also complimentary and open 24/7.

Specialty restaurants (extra cost) are numerous. French, Italian, Mexican, Sushi and BBQ, steakhouse and more are represented. Also the first full-service Starbucks at sea is here.

Our meals in the complimentary spaces were pretty good: lobster and steak, lamb chops, also a good burger and fries. Good desserts were the chocolate volcano cake and the key lime pie.

We enjoyed the Wine Cellar Wine Flight.

We didn’t have much time, but we packed in as much as we could to get to know this ship.

Good to Know:

There are digital screens in the hallways near the elevators on every floor. You can get directions to any space on the ship from where you are, and make reservations for restaurants, shows and activities. We found this very easy to use. You can also do this from your stateroom TV.

On a normal cruise, you should be able to book shore excursions and as many specialty restaurant reservations and shows that you can before you get on board. This will save you disappointment on your cruise. 

Spend time in the Observation Lounge. On Deck 15, forward, this was my favorite part of the ship. There are floor to ceiling windows on three sides and many comfortable places to sit. There is a full bar there, and several buffet stations for light foods all day long.

This ship is one of the largest at sea: 4004 passengers, double occupancy. This ship is good for those who like all the extra activities that come with a large ship. It’s also good for solo travelers, and for those who would like a high-end experience with private spaces. It’s also good for people who want a variety of food on their cruise-this line has more types of restaurants than just about any other cruise line.