We chose this cruise because we have cruised the eastern Caribbean many times with P & O, flying directly to Barbados. Cruising from NYC to the Western Caribbean offered something different, with a different cruise line and a very different demographic on board. The Bliss is a lovely ship but, as others have noted, there are simply too many people for the on-board facilities.

Rather than attempt a complete review of all the facilities, I would like to focus on certain features of the current offering from NCL, both good and bad.

Firstly, the Free at Sea promotion, where customers get the choice of two out of five packages. The Premium Beverage package is a must have, and it works well. The limit per drink is about $15, compared with the rather more stingy $9.99 on the Celebrity Classic Drinks package. In fact, so many people were on the Premium Beverage package that the barmen were run off their feet, and there were nowhere near enough drinks waiters. Also, in the last couple of cruise days the ship had actually run out of most varietals of white wine - tough luck if you don't like Chardonnay. Read more