Better Alaska ship Bliss or Sun

[jbrooksodh]

Looking into booking an Alaska cruise.  Two itineraries caught my eye with similar pricing.  Thoughts on Sun vs Bliss?  New to NCL so looking for any information/reviews etc.  Thanks!

 

[complawyer]

since the bliss is a much much newer ship, it should probably be your 1st choice. we were on the bliss last july for a 7 day alaska cruise and it was a beautiful vessel. plus the lounge is amazing with great views and extremely spacious. terrific place to have a drink, some hors d'oeurves and just kick back and chill.

[www3traveler]

Is the Bliss a round trip 7 day cruise and the Sun a 9 or 10 day round trip from Seattle?  Can you do a longer cruise?

 

For me there would be on question: The Sun.  She is a small ship but a wonderful ship.

 

The Sun has a forward Observation Deck and an outside balcony in front of it.

 

Look at your cruise itineary map, the Sun should sail the body of water between the Eastcoast of Vanacouver Island and the mainland of Canada (the lower portion of the Inside Strait).  That is a beautiful cruise.  The Bliss will sail out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the Pacific Ocean before turning North to Alaska.

 

Whatever ship you choose enjoy.

[Yo Adrienne]

Your choice should really depend on what it is you're looking for from an Alaskan cruise...cause these two ships...and their respective itineraries will give you very different experiences. 

 

We've been on the Sun to Alaska twice (most recently was in May of 2022)...but have never done the Bliss, so can't provide info about a comparison between the two. 

 

But, what I can tell you is that the Sun is a smaller, older ship.  You wouldn't find the same bells and whistles (racetrack, waterslides, megashow entertainment, etc.) as you would on the newer, megaships.  Also, the Sun doesn't have an actual Haven.  So, if any of those things are what you want, you will be disappointed on the Sun.

 

I can also tell you is that we absolutely love the Sun (and the Jewel, for that matter).  The food, service, and crew were phenomenal.  Despite being an older ship, it's beautiful...and very well-maintained...!

 

Also, we prefer cruises that are longer than 7 days...and the Sun offers those...! 

 

One way to help you decide would be to take a look at the various itineraries offered...and see what the ports and port times for each of the cruises are.  That can make a huge difference in your shore excursion choices.  And that can make a big difference in which ship/itinerary you'd prefer.

 

Regardless of which ship/itinerary you choose, cruising Alaska is amazing...!  We've done 7 Alaskan cruises over the years...and are already dreaming of our next one...! 

 

And as www3traveler says..."Whatever ship you choose...enjoy...!" 

 

 

 

 

[mingo]

The Sun is one of our favorite ships.  We were on the Sun in Alaska and had the aft balcony cabin.  The balcony was 1/2 ship width!  Great cabin.

 

We also were on the Sun for a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise.

[BirdTravels]

On 1/22/2023 at 10:51 PM, jbrooksodh said:

Looking into booking an Alaska cruise.  Two itineraries caught my eye with similar pricing.  Thoughts on Sun vs Bliss?  New to NCL so looking for any information/reviews etc.  Thanks!

 

I would highly recommend the Bliss.

 

While you are there to see Alaska, you also spend a lot of time on the ship getting to Alaska and each night moving between ports and enjoying Alaska (remembering that sunset is around 10:00-11:00 pm).

 

The Sun is one of the smallest and oldest ships in the NCL fleet. It is very comfortable, old school cruising.

 

The Bliss is one of the newer NCL ships, purpose-built for sailing Alaska. The Bliss has a huge Observation Lounge with floor to ceiling windows (which would stretch over 1/2 the length of the Sun) to enjoy Alaska in a climate controlled environment; heated pools and water features; heaters in outdoor eating areas; large outside Waterfront with sofas and chairs for enjoying Alaska. You also get the features of a bigger ship - lots of restaurants, lot of entertainment, lots of bars. 

[WillCruiseForMoney]

On 1/22/2023 at 7:51 PM, jbrooksodh said:

Looking into booking an Alaska cruise.  Two itineraries caught my eye with similar pricing.  Thoughts on Sun vs Bliss?  New to NCL so looking for any information/reviews etc.  Thanks!

 

Looking at your profile, your favorite cruise line is Royal Caribbean.

If you prefer their smaller ships pick the Sun.  If you prefer their larger ships pick the Bliss.

[bonvoyagie]

If the itinerary includes Skagway, the recent issues with the railroad dock limits the number of mega ships that can dock there. The Bliss may divert to another port while the Sun can use the other docks.

 

Our first AK cruise was on the Sky in 2003, the Sun was also doing AK cruises both ships out of Seattle on went to Sawyer Glacier the other to Glacier Bay.

 

As to sailing the inside of Vancouver Island, only the Spirit and Jewel do this route, all Seattle cruises go out the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and on the outside of Vancouver Island.

[deliver42]

The docking problem in Skagway should be fixed by next season.

[PATRLR]

I'd be looking more at the itineraries than the ships.  

Are the two itineraries that similar?  If they really are, then it comes down to whether you want all the bells and whistles that Bliss has or not.  

 

I second Bird's thoughts on Bliss - the Observation lounge is a game changer, IMO, especially for Alaska.

[hallux]

The Bliss is a BEAUTIFUL ship, don't get me wrong.  I'd sail on her again in a hot second.  I'm thinking my next cruise (after the one I have booked for March) will be Alaska, but I want to visit Vancouver again and spend a couple days so I'm probably looking at booking a cruise on the Sun.

[www3traveler]

31 minutes ago, hallux said:

The Bliss is a BEAUTIFUL ship, don't get me wrong.  I'd sail on her again in a hot second.  I'm thinking my next cruise (after the one I have booked for March) will be Alaska, but I want to visit Vancouver again and spend a couple days so I'm probably looking at booking a cruise on the Sun.

The Jewel and the Spirit will also be sailing out of Vancouver this Summer.

[agrimm01]

Sun for the Inside passage.  Bliss for the beautiful observation lounge.

[jbrooksodh]

Appreciate the responses.  

 

Sun has a nine day itinerary that looks amazing. We've done Radiance twice, so did like the smaller ship in Alaska, but do like larger ships elsewhere.  Bliss looks to be a better ship from the cruise aspect, but we go to Alaska for Alaska, not ship functions.

 

 

Choices, choices!

[kjquilts]

I love the Sun and Bliss and have sailed on both of them more than once and will do so again.  For the better Alaska itinerary I'd choose the Sun in a heartbeat.  Spirit is also sailing Alaska this year .... smaller ship with much smaller staterooms but also beautifully renovated.

 

Go to YouTube and search NCL Sun Tour.  One of the first options is a 39.26 minute very comprehensive video done by Danny approximately 3 months ago.   He also very recently posted videos of various stateroom categories.  The Sun is a comfortable classic beauty with good sized staterooms, the Great Outdoors on the stern and a forward facing Observation Lounge with access to a deck outside of it.

 

There are lots of videos on the Bliss.  My favorite things on the Bliss are the wonderful Observation Lounge, the promenade deck, the entertainment, the many restaurant choices. 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by kjquilts

[www3traveler]

45 minutes ago, jbrooksodh said:

Appreciate the responses.  

 

Sun has a nine day itinerary that looks amazing. We've done Radiance twice, so did like the smaller ship in Alaska, but do like larger ships elsewhere.  Bliss looks to be a better ship from the cruise aspect, but we go to Alaska for Alaska, not ship functions.

 

 

Choices, choices!

Check the itinerary map for each ship.  Are any sailing from Vancouver up the Inside Passage (body of water between Vancouver Island and the mainland of Canada??  To me, one of the best parts of the cruise for beautiful scenery.

 

Two other considerations: (1) How many days can you be gone including the number of days to and from either Seattle or Vancouver?

                                               (2)  From your home which airport has better flight connections (SEATAC -Seattle or Vancouver and what is the difference in price??

[hallux]

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

(2)  From your home which airport has better flight connections (SEATAC -Seattle or Vancouver and what is the difference in price??

If the price difference is enough and one wants to sail from Vancouver, a flight to Seattle and a short train or coach trip up to Vancouver is also an option.

[sunkey1]

Another thing to keep in mind is whether you want to get to a port with 4000 passengers (Bliss) or 2000 passengers (Sun). The majority of the ports are pretty small and you really notice those extra couple of thousand people.

[jbrooksodh]

Well we took the plunge and booked Sun for June 17, 2024!  Very excited.  Just a short 501 wait!  Thanks again to everyone who put in their two cents!

 

[fastpitchdad]

I would do the Bliss because I like the Thermal Spa on an Alaska cruise. 

[phillygwm]

I've been on the Bliss and loved it. There's a huge Observation Lounge with a great bar, which is especially nice in Alaska.

 

I've not been on the Sun but have been on Sky.  It was probably my least favorite ship.  The only reason I'd consider Sun is if it offered ports that couldn't be offered on Bliss.  Those smaller ships can fit where large ones cannot. 

 

However, this is really a matter of personal preference; a lot of people feel just the opposite.

[Yo Adrienne]

18 hours ago, jbrooksodh said:

Well we took the plunge and booked Sun for June 17, 2024!  Very excited.  Just a short 501 wait!  Thanks again to everyone who put in their two cents!

 

Hope you were able to afford a balcony cabin/suite...but if not, the Spinnaker Lounge is great...!  And be sure to pack so that you can put on "layers"...cause even in June, it can be cool and rainy...!  

 

Enjoy...! 🙂 

[BirdTravels]

On 1/27/2023 at 2:33 PM, sunkey1 said:

Another thing to keep in mind is whether you want to get to a port with 4000 passengers (Bliss) or 2000 passengers (Sun). The majority of the ports are pretty small and you really notice those extra couple of thousand people.

Not really. And you will never be the only ship in port. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by BirdTravels

[eileeshb]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:56 PM, BirdTravels said:

Not really. And you will never be the only ship in port. 

 Perhaps true in June, but for my October sailing Bliss will be alone in each port as the other ships arrive different days on those last couple of sailings for the season. 

[SomewhereGirl]

I wouldn't pick Bliss just for the observation lounge (the non-Haven one) because it can only fit so many people.  People camp out there.  I was on the Encore to Alaska soon after the restart in 2021.  Ship wasn't sailing full.  I can't imagine what it would've been like full.  Luckily I'm not one to just sit around.  Great views out on deck, weather permitting.  Bliss is a big beautiful ship with lots of energy.  

 

Edit: I missed the part where you picked Sun.  

Edited February 4, 2023 by SomewhereGirl