10 Things We Loved About Cruising To Alaska On Norwegian Bliss

It's not often I get to travel with my long-time partner, so it was great she could come along on a trip we'd talked about for years. With me working some of the time, we soon found a comfortable meeting point in the Observation Lounge.

This massive 20,000 square foot space on Deck 15 was the highlight of the ship for many. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer 180 degrees of enclosed viewing, absolutely perfect for early or late season Alaska cruises when it's cool on deck, or any time the weather is inclement.

There are several coffee stations and self-serve light breakfast and lunch options are available. There's also a large and often busy full-service bar. Add comfortable chairs, couches, tables, charging ports and a welcoming décor, and you've got a place as popular as the pool deck on a Caribbean sailing.

Where does Norwegian find such wonderful people to crew their ships?

On Bliss, the short answer is the Philippines, Indonesia, Saint Lucia, Zimbabwe - and about 30 other countries. But that doesn't account for how well they do their jobs.

The level of hospitality is high throughout the cruise industry, but the staff and crew on Norwegian Bliss were outstanding. We talked to many people during the cruise, and all of them had nothing but praise for the people who kept their drinks and bellies filled and the ship sparkling.

We had the pleasure of experiencing four specialty restaurants on Bliss. Cagney's Steakhouse, seafood purveyor Ocean Blue, Los Lobos for Mexican cuisine and Le Select Bistro for a trip to France. They were all meals you'd lay out at a pile of cash for at home, presented beautifully and served with panache.

Le Select Bistro was a standout for many Bliss guests we spoke with. The atmosphere was elegant, the classic French cuisine elicited appreciative moans, and the service was exemplary. Oh, and a large pod of humpback whales swam by the ship during dinner, causing nearly all the guests to abandon their plates and flock to the windows.

One of the great pleasures of cruising is the view from a balcony stateroom. But I've never entered my cabin and gasped -- as I did more than once as Norwegian Bliss sailed north to Alaska and back to Seattle.

An early season cruise meant it was too cool to spend a lot of time on the balcony, but the ever-changing vista of forests and snow-capped mountains rising from the sea made for an awe-inspiring backdrop.

Opening the curtains in the morning brought a thrill of anticipation, and Alaska never failed to deliver. Neither did the stateroom, which efficiently stored all our stuff and boasted a very comfortable bed, couch and vanity space and shower/washroom.

Delivered in 2018, Norwegian Bliss is the newest ship in the NCL fleet -- and she's low-mileage too, one benefit of the pandemic pause. She still has that new-ship feel and the 16 bars and lounges aboard offer diverse choices for cruisers to enjoy custom cocktails, wines, beers and whiskeys.

We enjoyed the al fresco Spice H2O on aft deck 17 when the sun made an appearance. The Maltings Whiskey Bar on deck 8 has a comfortable, clubby feel and guests can do testing flights to sample from the wide world of malt spirits. The Cavern, a replica of the bar the Beatles put on the map in Liverpool, is a great spot to hear a Fab Four cover band, or other musical acts.

At the Sugarcane Mojito Bar, we enjoyed a demonstration of custom cocktail creation. We were also intrigued to learn about a project that's part of Norwegian's Sail and Sustain program, aiming to reduce food waste. Produce that was previously discarded - like pineapple rinds and cucumber peels - are being used to create syrups, extracts and bitters that are used as cocktail flavour enhancers.

As one fellow guest said to me as we sat in the Observation Lounge: "I've run out of words to express how beautiful Alaska is." I just nodded. I was fresh out too.

Norwegian Bliss took us to places we'd never get to otherwise. Like Glacier Bay, where you would have to travel at least 80 kilometres in any direction to find any sign of Western civilization.

Alaska is wild and elemental, vast and domineering. It makes a 4,000-passenger cruise ship look small. Sometimes it's otherworldly. When the bow was opened for guests to view Glacier Bay and the ship did a slow 360, there was an almost church-like quiet as guests took in a view that was nothing but water, ice, snow and rock.

Yet Alaska is full of life. We saw both humpback whales and orcas, sea otters and bald eagles. We met local people, some of them native Tlingit, and they seemed to have in common a rugged self-sufficiency and individualism, which made for great conversation. And boy did they talk - after two lousy years, those in the tourism business were just as hungry for conversation as they were for cash.

We had the pleasure of meeting the latest cast members of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning Broadway show produced for the first time at sea on Norwegian Bliss.

Tracing the true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, the show is a guest favourite, and it was easy to see why - it's no stripped-down shadow of the original production. The singing, dancing and technical production was first-rate.

The best part: we know what theatre tickets cost and the fact it's included in the cruise fare speaks to cruising's value.

Norwegian Bliss stopped at Juneau on this itinerary, but will begin visiting Icy Strait Point this month. We took a trip in a 49-seat boat from Juneau to check out the facility, which has seen some $80 million in investment over the past few years, including a brand-new gondola that takes guests up a mountainside for incredible views of the sea below.

Owned and operated by Huna Totem Corporation, Icy Strait Point is Alaska Native owned-and-operated and all its profits directly support the local community. The vast majority of staff live in Hoonah, Alaska's largest Native Tlingit village. For me, it was hands down one of the most fascinating and compelling cruise ports I've ever seen.

Huna Totem says it is "dedicated to providing a one-of-a-kind experience for each visitor by sharing Alaska's natural beauty and infusing it with our local Native culture." Visitors can choose from a variety of adventurous tours on land and sea, explore a restored salmon cannery and sample local cuisine and brews.

Icy Strait Point is renowned for its exemplary responsible tourism practices and has received numerous awards. Its owners have been stewards of the land for centuries, and they appear to be making every effort to show off the beauty of their home without destroying it.

The jumping-off spot for Norwegian Bliss Alaska cruises is Seattle, where we enjoyed an overnight at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic prior to boarding, and a full day exploring on return with a stay at the also-lovely Mayflower Park Hotel. Both were built in the 1920s and make for a comfortable and atmospheric stay.

We used a Seattle CityPass to visit the Seattle Aquarium, which was extraordinary, and the Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP), a great experience for lovers of pop culture, including music, sci-fi and fantasy films, indie video games and more. The pass offers admission to five attractions, with other choices including a ride on the Space Needle, a visit to Woodland Park Zoo, a harbour cruise and a tour of Chihuly Garden & Glass.

On a sunny Saturday on the eve of May, Seattle was thronged with locals and visitors alike. We loved exploring Pike Place Market, which as well as offering glorious spring flower bouquets and alarmingly large seafood, had some really interesting and esoteric shops. We also discovered a fantastic Thai street food restaurant called Bangrak Market.

There were about 2,400 guests aboard the 4,000-capacity Norwegian Bliss on the first Alaska sailing of the season from Seattle. That number will grow as peak season approaches. It was my third cruise since the industry reopened, and each has felt a little more comfortable and less restricted.

The Bliss cruise felt almost back to normal. Perhaps 20% of guests chose to wear masks in public spaces, but there was no pressure either way. Some stores ashore in Seattle and Alaska ask customers to wear them, so it's wise to keep one handy.

On the ship, buffets are largely self-service again, but everyone is encouraged to do the 'washy-washy' before eating. The ship's crew are constantly cleaning and sanitizing - well, they always were - but perhaps now with a little more gusto.

So yes, cruising felt almost normal again on Norwegian Bliss. But it also felt better than normal, because everyone - guests, crew and port dwellers - were so damn happy to see each other again.