Hi everyone! My wife Julia and I just finished our 7-Day Alaskan Cruise on the Norwegian Bliss. I wanted to take a bit of time and recap our trip and share some insights on our week, and hopefully, inspire you to book your next Alaskan sailing with our team.
This is my first time back to Alaska in over 12 years! I went with my family on an NCL ship back when I was in college - little beknownst to me that my Dad was working for the better part of the trip, I have fond memories of watching the sea planes land and having morning coffee with my Mom. Julia and I have had Alaska on our travel list for some time now - this was her first trip to Alaska and we’ve been planning this with Grueninger Gold since last August.
A bit of an aside before we get started - Alaska is an absolutely breathtaking, and beautiful place. At any moment, you can stop, look at the untouched mountains, and be in awe at the world around you. I do think Americans take Alaska a bit for granted - when I talk to friends who aren’t from the US, going to Alaska always finds its way on their bucket list. Fortunately for us, it can be very accessible, and an awesome trip when planned well.
Our turnout for this trip was great! We had 50 total guests in our group - our biggest Alaska group ever! We feel so fortunate to be well supported as new business owners. I’ll break down our trip day by day, with a few extra notes at the end
Julia and I flew out of Ft. Wayne, to Minneapolis, then finally to Seattle. We opted to get in a day early because neither of us can handle the stress of missing a sailing (that’d be a tough look with 50 passengers).
We stayed at the Kimpton Palladium in downtown Seattle, and walked and toured the city. We visited Pike Place Market, had some great oysters at a Happy Hour at Half Shell , then walked around Bell Town and made our way up to the Chihuly Garden & Glass. After spending a bit of time seeing some beautiful glass art (he’s famous for what you see in the Bellagio ceiling installations), we made our way to a sushi spot called Shiro’s Sushi, and had an omakase style dinner. Omakase is a set menu that allows you to try a bit of everything - I’d never done it before, let alone had truly great sushi. It was a great way to start the trip!
Seattle is a fun city - if you have a chance to get in early, I’d strongly recommend it.
Julia and I got up early (quite early with the time change), and went for a run on the boardwalk, and finished at an extremely tasty french bakery for pastries at Le Panier at Pike Place Market I would consider the bakery a ‘can’t miss’ and a great way to start the trip.
Around noon we started making our way to the ship, and boarded at our pre-selected time of 12:30. If there is one significant upgrade to the cruise experience in the last 10 years in my opinion - it’s the check-in process. Because so much of the check-in happens on your app well before you board, it makes for a very smooth experience getting on the ship. It took us maybe 10 mins to check-in, and I don’t think we ever waited in a line for more than a minute.
After getting settled and unpacked, Julia and I walked around the ship, and went to the Cavern Club on Deck 8 for a Welcome Reception that was exclusive to our guests. I had a chance to visit with our guests, see a few faces I haven’t seen in some time, and our team from the casino introduced themselves and let our guests know about events going on in the casino that week.
Christa, Joyce, and everyone that’s apart of the casino team were incredibly helpful that night and all week - I feel confident knowing our customers are being taken care of in the event that I’m not able to assist, or be on a sailing.
Julia and I are what the Baby Boomer generation would clearly define as ‘Millenial Foodies’. I will design my entire day around a meal, which could be of little or no interest to some, but if you like to eat, I’ll do my best to cover what’s on the ship.
We ate at Palomar for dinner that evening - which was a Mediterranean Seafood restaurant. Portions were small, but you can order as much as you’d like, and I was very impressed with the quality. I’d consider it ‘lighter fare’, but one of the ‘can’t-miss’ meals on the ship. Palomar is considered ‘specialty dining’, and is not included in the base package. As part of our More at Sea package (included for all guests in our groups), we used one of our dining credits towards this meal.
Julia and I woke up early (again), and grabbed coffee and headed back to our room. We had a nice quiet morning, and eventually made our way up to the gym. Julia and I are training for a half marathon, and with the way I eat on vacation, I need literally every step I can get.
That afternoon we read, watched a show, grabbed a drink, and made our way to the Manhattan Room for our group dinner. This reservation is typically first come first served, but the casino team had reserved several tables for our group so that we didn’t have to wait.
The Manhattan Room is a beautiful, large, and bustling room where people tend to dress up a bit more than other restaurants. We had a great meal with our guests! I really enjoy getting the chance to catch up with everyone, and everyone seemed to enjoy getting to know each other a bit more.
I thought the food in the Manhattan Room was great, and it’s open to all guests (dining package not required). It does fill up quickly, so plan to arrive early or potentially wait a bit.
My recommendation for a Day at Sea: Enjoy the amenities of the boat. If you want to listen to a podcast or watch a show, remember to download it before you’re at Sea and have no cell service (I learned this from experience)
We arrived to Sitka around 10AM and had the better part of the afternoon free. Julia and I found a nearby hiking trail, hiked for about two miles on a very nice trail, found a cool trail that went up the side of the mountain, found fresh bear scat, then immediately turned around to the nice trail. We probably should have been carrying bear spray regardless, but what’s hiking without a bit of a thrill knowing you could get eaten by a bear at any moment. I did see a Golden Eagle (and many many Bald Eagles), which is always a thrill for me.
We hiked for around 7 miles, then headed our way back to town.
We ate lunch at Coldwater Bar and Grill, and opted for the $39 Halibut fish and chips over the $21 Cod fish and chips. Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve known the difference and should’ve gotten the cod. I don’t think there’s many ‘good’ deals on food in town, and while I’m not searching for a deal, I’ve gotta call out price gouging when I see it. $39 won’t break the bank, but that’s an absurd price for the maybe .1 lb of Halibut we got.
We walked town a bit and headed over to Ernies (link), where we met a super kind bartender, and talked with someone from town for a bit. The topic seems to always come up with locals, but they told us they were ‘pro-cruise’ in their town and that most folks were. They shared an interesting insight that they’ve seen what happens when the cruises aren’t around (during Covid), and know how much it supports the city.
Sitka also makes the majority of their income from fishing (nearly 80%), and only 20% from cruising, so they’re not entirely dependent.
Sitka’s a small town, with a few nice trails near the port. Personally, I’d recommend finding a trail, or enjoying the town for the day. I don’t think you ‘have’ to do an excursion here by any extent.
We checked out a book store where Julia got a post card for her grandma, and we headed back to the ship.
That night we ate at Food Republic, which is an asian-fusion specialty dining option. The food was great! I’d highly recommend it. We sampled a bit of everything and really enjoyed it.
Sitka recommendation: I’d consider an excursion as ‘optional’ - you can have a really nice day staying near the port, hiking a bit, and visiting the town.
We arrived to Juneau very early, and headed out to meet up with our tour guides from Liquid Alaska, who took us on the Mendenhall Glacier Ice Adventure Tour.
Our group of 10 headed to Mendenhall Lake, where our guides outfitted us with some very excellent outfits, and we canoed across the lake to Mendenhall Glacier. I’m glad everyone showed up, or the canoeing would’ve been much much harder!
Our guides Mason and Jordan did a great job of telling us about the Lake and the Glacier, and one small thing that I did notice with our group compared to other tour companies, was that they brought nice gloves for us, as well as rain gear (which we didn’t need, but helped keep the wind off of us).
These are the small details that make the difference between an average tour company, and a great one. It ended up being fairly chilly, with 20 mph winds. The gloves were needed and we were thankful to have them.
We made it to Mendenhall Glacier, and walked around a bit so we get a closer look.
Then we heard a deep, thundering boom, and turned around to see the Glacier was calving! This is a rare event, and happens when the Glacier falls into the lake. You also get a chance to see how deeply blue the ‘fresh’ glacier is. I think Julia and I had a once in a lifetime moment, and even the guides were freaking out with how cool it was.
We canoed back (with a tailwind, thankfully), and made our way back to the ship.
There’s many excursion options in Juneau, most focused on the Mendenhall Glacier (Hike, canoe, or even helicopter). There’s attractions in the town, and while I don’t think you ‘have’ to do an excursion in Juneau, I think you should. The Mendenhall Glacier is beautiful and breathtaking - there’s not many other opportunities to get as close to a glacier as you can at Mendenhall.
That afternoon, we cruised through the Endicott Arm to see the Dawes Glacier. Julia and I shared a bottle of champagne on our balcony and enjoyed a nice afternoon, and reflected a bit on how this can be a pretty great job at times. We had an awesome day.
That evening, we had dinner at Le Bistro, which is a French cuisine specialty dining option. I had a wonderful Coq Au Vin, which I have to say was my favorite meal I ate all week.
Julia and I went down to the casino to see our guests for a bit, then called it a night.
Juneau recommendation: Book an excursion that gets you to the Mendenhall Glacier - it’s worth the cost!
The next morning, we arrived at Icy Strait Point. Icy Strait Point is a small town that offers a few gift shops, and a gondola ride to a scenic view. There’s also a zipline and while it looks fun, it does make playing slots look like an affordable hobby - we’d heard the zip line runs at about $175 per person for a 90 second ride.
Julia and I opted to walk to the next town over (about 45 min walk along a very nice scenic boardwalk) to a small town called Hoonah, where we grabbed breakfast at a place I’d recommend to anyone called The Fisherman’s Daughter (https://maps.app.goo.gl/GeVHJckqkFEAvcEJ7), and eventually lunch from a food truck called Oso Gordito (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Qdm6wmncNQCDWE6g6)
A very kind local saw us heading to a trail, and told us there’s so many bears on the island, we’re out of our minds if we even think about hiking. Icy Strait Point does have a 4:1 bear to human ratio, so we decided to stay in town.
I’ll be frank, while it was a very scenic port, there isn’t much to do. Some guests opted for a whale watching excursion (~$300 per person), we looked at an ATV excursion that we didn’t end up doing ($380 for a 90 minute rental - yikes), and also looked at a 3 hour kayak excursion (again, $180 per person).
Again, I know you’re rarely going to find a deal on an excursion, but these prices were too high for our interest in the activities.
We had a nice morning walking around and enjoying the scenery. Icy Strait Point is a breathtakingly beautiful place, and I saw dozens, and dozens of bald eagles.
That night we had dinner at La Cucina, then visited the casino to meet a few guests, and called it a night because we had an early day at Ketchikan the next day.
Icy Strait Point recommendation: Take the $50 gondola ride, spend a bit of time at the top of the mountain, come back down, walk to Hoonah for a meal, then head back to the ship. ‘Whale watching’ is offered at many, if not all ports. If you’re interested in doing that type of excursion, this is the port to do it. If none of these are of interest, get a deal on the spa and have a day at sea at port.
Julia and I got up early (or so we thought!) to head off the ship to Ketchikan. Our time in port was from 6AM to 12:30PM.
Unfortunately, NCL docks at Ward Cove, which is 6 miles from downtown Ketchikan. They built this dock so they would have a guaranteed birth in Ketchikan (docks downtown are limited and competitive). The shuttles are free, but a bit of a hassle to deal with. Ketchikan is worth the effort, as the town offers many attractions (Lumberjack show, the Salmon Ladders, hiking, restaurants).
Julia and I were off the ship at 7:45, and made it to town by about 8:30. After grabbing a quick breakfast sandwich, we walked to the Salmon Ladder, then went off to hike for a few hours.
We found out that morning that the last shuttle to go back to Ward Cove leaves at 11:30 AM - but you can take a taxi if needed. Not wanting to deal with the taxis, we opted for the shuttle, and were back at the pickup area a little after 11, where we waited in line for about 30 minutes.
We wished we would've had a bit more time in Ketchikan, or gotten up a bit earlier. The city offers so much for everyone, and we felt like we had a few hours to tour before we had to make it back to the shuttle. It was enough time in port to shop around and grab a meal, but unfortunately not enough time for a full outdoor activity and lunch like we were hoping.
I took the experience as a learning opportunity to be a bit more aware of the time in port in the future.
That night we had dinner at Cagney’s, then visited the casino to meet a few guests. I had a ribeye with a side of truffle fries that was delightful - and a 7 Layer Chocolate Cake I would call both heavenly and sinful.
Julia and I were up and at it, and walked the ‘walking path’ for a bit, before heading down to The Waterfront at Deck 8 to walk a bit more. We had coffee l, reflected on the week, and talked about how we can continue to improve our cruise offering at Grueninger Gold.
That evening at 8PM, we arrived to Victoria, British Columbia. We walked into town to get a drink a the bustling Fairmont Empress (https://maps.app.goo.gl/x8ZcKqLgwYQ3GNN59), then went out for ice cream at Better Acres (https://maps.app.goo.gl/amfXUmBXVKrtNZmbA). I had the best waffle cone I’ve had in my entire life! The person at the counter asked if I could wait 30 seconds so she could make a fresh waffle cone. I’ve never said ‘yes’ faster.
Julia and I got up early and hit the road - we had a slightly earlier flight, and opted to take a taxi to the airport.
It was around 1AM that morning when I realized how much the time change affected me! I slept well that night, and am finishing up this blog as I watch Scottie Scheffler shuffle his way to a win in Portrush.
I have to say, I was very impressed by what was offered with the casino. I’ve heard some criticism that the casino feels small at times, but I’d always rather see a casino that feels lively, than one that’s too big and feels dead.
The casino host team is absolutely wonderful, and guests always have easy access to ask any questions they may have. The casino was always clean, well supported, and always a good time. There’s a game for everyone on the floor. And to answer ‘how are the machines?’ - I had a customer hit for over $10K on the first night - the handpays are out there!
The NCL Bliss first sailed in 2018, and underwent renovations in early 2025. I was seriously impressed with the renovations - if you told me the ship was a year old, I’d believe you. The best way to note renovations is to look closely at a few things, whether it be a hallway, elevator, or entry way - every time I checked, I was impressed with how clean and well maintained everything was.
If you really want to take your cruise to the next level, I’d recommend spending a little extra money on additional nights of specialty dining. Specialty dining is around $50 per person at each restaurant.
The buffet was pretty standard for a cruise ship - lots of food stations, though not a ton of variety. The two other main restaurants, Taste and Savor, were not our favorite meals on the ship but we would eat at them again.
A power-ranking of dishes I had, and where I had them
Julia and I didn’t do any shows - we usually are in / around the casino at that time. Our guests really enjoyed Icons and Jersey Boys. The Cavern Club had a Beatles cover band each night which we heard was an awesome time. They cover a different album / era each night - it’s a cool concept so you aren’t seeing the same show each night
NCL offers guests a ‘BOGO Air’ offer. You pay for one plane ticket, and NCL pays the other. I’ll go through the pros and cons of this offer.
I’d consider the pros fairly obvious - NCL covers the cost of the ticket, which can range between $400 and $800 depending on where you fly from. NCL manages the ticket on your behalf, which some guests prefer. The cons are that you have no control over the flight schedule, or itinerary. This means you could be taking red-eyes on one leg, or both. We had a few guests taking red-eyes on the return, which means that after disembarking at ~10AM in Seattle, they were in Seattle until their 10PM flight. That’s a long day. When you factor in the cost of meals in Seattle for 1-2 additional days, and whatever value you put into not having a red-eye, I think its worth evaluating the cost benefit of the offer
Also, you may get initially booked on an ‘ideal’ itinerary, then be rescheduled closer to the flight - again, it’s up to their discretion what they do with your flights and the tickets.
If you don’t mind not controlling your itinerary, and want to save a few hundred dollars, the BOGO airfare deal is a great offer. I think I’m biased because my wife and I are both travel agents, and I’m on the road enough as it is - I’d rather pay to control my itinerary.
Your Room key doubles as your Players Card, which is what you use to get on and off the ship. Having 1 card that does everything is a nice convenience they’ve implemented over the past few years
Where i don’t think it’s quite important on a Caribbean cruise, I’d recommend paying the upgrade cost to a balcony room if you don’t qualify for it with your play. We had poor weather our first day at sea, and the public areas (Observation Lounge) were quite full throughout the sea day. Our second day at sea we had great weather, and the weather was nice enough to sit on the top deck outside. I do think the balcony makes the ‘Endicott Arm + Dawes Glacier’ afternoon a much more enjoyable experience.
Below are just a few pics I got from our balcony.
Absolutely - everyone needs to go at least one, but only if you book it through our team!
Hope you enjoyed - as always, give us a shout with any questions you may have.
