MEP Vacations Alaskan Cruise 2024 (2025)

31/08/2023

Hello Everyone!!! We finally have less than a year to go! If you are interested in making payments towards your trip, please reach out to me at 920-538-2114 or [email protected]
We should be able to start looking at air within the next month or so.

You can also create an account at www.ncl.com in order to explore the ship, research excursions, add packages, and so much more.

30/08/2022

Another choice for your specialty dining

Teppanyaki (Deck 6); $29.95: Another of the line's signature restaurants, Teppanyaki is the place for Japanese hibachi meals cooked in front of you by chef's performing tricks with the food and their cooking utensils. The meal includes a starter of miso soup and a small salad, an entree of chicken or vegetable yakiudon, seafood (shrimp, scallops, calamari), filet mignon, and vegetable teriyaki or a combo such as chicken and shrimp, filet mignon and shrimp, or chicken and filet mignon. For dessert, you can choose from green tea cake or fresh fruit sashimi. Come hungry and prepared for lots of banging (of utensils) and shouting from your fellow diners. Reservations are critical as there are just nine or 10 seats around the 11 grills and they fill up fast.

25/08/2022

One of your specialty restaurants

Texas Smokehouse Q (Deck 6); a la carte: Familiarly referred to as "Q," this new-to-Norwegian eatery offers Texas-style barbecue in a down-home setting featuring wooden tables and chairs, wagon-wheel-style lighting fixtures and wait staff wearing lariat boleros. The a la carte menu is sizable -- come with a big appetite because you're going to leave stuffed! Starters (called Texas Teasers) include Tex-Mex style tortilla soup ($3.99), deviled eggs ($2.99), Q's chopped salad ($6.99) and fried green tomatoes ($3.99), among many others. The most popular main course is the Pit Master Platter ($24.99), which features a quarter pound each of brisket, pork spareribs, jalapeno and cheese, sausage and smoked chicken, all served with coleslaw, chunky potato salad, beans and jalapeno-cheese cornbread.

Can't handle that much meat all together? Each is available as a separate entree, along with beef short ribs, pulled pork, turkey breast and broiled citrus-honey salmon. All are served with the same sides as the platter. Main course entrees run from $11.99 to $17.99.

As if all this wasn't enough, there are lots of sides to choose from. Our favorite, hands-down, was the sweet potato smothered in pecan honey butter and cinnamon. Other baked potato options are available, as are baked beans, wavy fries, corn on the cob and mac 'n' cheese ($1.99 to $3.99).

It's hard to imagine anyone could have room for dessert after all that food, but for those that do, there are six options (each $4.50): banana pudding, peach cobbler a la mode, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, bread pudding and a massive warm chocolate brownie a la mode.

Q is only open for dinner.

24/08/2022

The Observation Lounge (Deck 15): For a lighter breakfast or lunch, head to The Observation Lounge where you'll find several identical food stations. Breakfast selections include a variety of cereal, yogurt, fruit and pastries. For lunch, there's a DIY salad bar, a selection of premade salads, a few finger sandwich choices, deli meats and cheeses and three or four desserts.

22/08/2022

Another Free dining option.......

The Local Bar & Grill (Deck 7): This midship, 24/7 pub-style eatery is popular all day long. Occupying the space (both literally and culinary) that the line's signature O'Sheehans' Neighborhood Bar & Grill does on all other NCL ships, The Local is a casual place to get food all day long. Its central space, right above the atrium means you can hear all the activity, games and music that's held there throughout the day. The dining venue is divided into two sections; the one nearest the bar has high tops for four and six people, while across the corridor are standard tables, as well as comfy booths for up to four people. The menu is much the same with standard pub dishes for lunch and dinner. Appetizers include hot buttered, baked pretzels, a half-dozen chicken wings (buffalo, smoked barbecue and sweet Korean chili barbecue sauces), and turkey and white bean chili, among others. There are several burger and hot dog options and sandwiches are grilled cheese, a Reuben and the Rachel (turkey breast on cranberry sourdough bread with apple coleslaw and Swiss cheese). There's also fish and chips, turkey potpie, baked ziti and a tortilla bowl. There are only three dessert options (carrot and walnut cake, apple pie a la mode, and raspberry swirl cheesecake).

Breakfast is also served here, a fact many people forget making it a quiet place for a sit-down meal. On the menu, you'll find an express option, which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and assorted pastries; a country platter with fried or scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms and hash browns; homemade corned beef hash; made-to-order omelet, French toast and hot oatmeal.

20/08/2022

Garden Cafe (Deck 16): Norwegian's buffet is located high up on Deck 16 and offers both indoor and outdoor seating, the latter of which is located close to one of the ship's main pools. Seating is plentiful, though it can be difficult to find a spot during peak hours (noon to 1 p.m. on sea days, 8 to 9:30 a.m. on port days). Stations are situated throughout the space and while generally speaking they're the same on both sides, there seemed to be a few stations in the middle that only appeared once. Even after a week onboard, we found we still wandered around scoping out our options to make sure we found everything.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available here, as are evening snacks.

Breakfast is the usual a.m. fare with eggs (including omelet stations); bacon and sausage; French toast and pancakes; cereal, yogurt, oatmeal and fruit; and juice stations offering apple juice, orange juice and a cranberry cocktail juice. Water, tea and coffee are also available.

Lunch serves up a wide selection of choices including burgers and hot dogs (turkey and veggie burgers are available upon request), pasta and pizza, hot favorites (fish sticks, lasagna, grilled veggies, etc.), Indian and Asian specialties, and a salad bar.

Dinner is similar to lunch, with a carving station added in (baby back pork ribs, roasted turkey, beef brisket). On any given night, you might find barbecue-braised short ribs, two-bean chili con carne, vegetable burritos, country-style turkey scaloppini and a grilled vegetable medley. Sides could include steamed vegetables, fingerling wedges with Parmesan cheese, and fried or steamed rice.

Desserts at lunch and dinner include a selection of some eight hard ice cream and sherbet flavors (including sugar-free choices), cookies (chocolate chocolate chip, yum!), pastries and cakes. There are also DIY soft ice cream machines with chocolate, vanilla and swirl.

19/08/2022

Free Dining

The Manhattan Room (Deck 7), Taste (Deck 6) and Savor (Deck 6): Norwegian Bliss has three included-in-the-cruise-fare main dining rooms. Taste and Savor are the two smaller venues, located directly across from each other, and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while the Manhattan Room is a much larger space and is open only for dinner. All are stylishly decorated and have a relaxed dress code.

Vegetarian, gluten-free and spicy items are marked accordingly on the lunch and dinner menus.

The breakfast menu is sizable, offering enough variety to satisfy most tastes. For those in a rush (either on a port day or with some activity they want to get to on a sea day), there's the Express Breakfast, which features scrambled eggs with country potatoes and baked beans, as well as a choice of breakfast meats. Hearty entrees include huevos rancheros, biscuit eggs Benedict, and vanilla pound cake French toast. Other options include a selection of fruit, yogurt, cereal (cold and hot), baked goods, eggs (scrambled, omelet, Benedict), bagel and lox, pancakes (chocolate buttermilk, yum!), waffles and French toast. (Gluten-free pancakes and French toast need to be ordered the day before.)

The lunch menu doesn't vary and is available every day. Appetizer choices include, but are not limited to, roasted tomato soup, spinach Caesar salad, Cajun shrimp salad, popcorn shrimp and chicken nachos. Main meals are fish and chips, Spanish frittata, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, roasted leg of lamb and fried chicken. There's also a tuna sandwich, Philly cheesesteak, grilled Cajun grouper sandwich and classic cheeseburger. A small selection of desserts is also available.

The dinner menu isn't much bigger than the lunch menu but entree choices change each night. Appetizers, many of which do repeat, might include two to three soup choices (French onion, cream of cauliflower, cheese tortellini), three salad choices (Caesar, mixed garden, grilled iceberg wedge), bruschetta, seared swordfish carpaccio and smoked mozzarella ravioli with lobster cream sauce.

Classic (i.e., available everyday) entree choices are grilled New York strip steak, breaded flounder filet, herb-crusted rotisserie chicken, shrimp and mushroom Alfredo, carved whole-roasted pork loin and three-cheese baked ziti.

Other main course options might include linguine with little neck clams, braised beef brisket, chicken cordon bleu, grilled lemon-pepper shrimp, eggplant parmigiana, almond-crusted red trout and a vegetable burrito.

The dessert menu always features a changing selection of cakes, pies and other pastries, as well as ice cream (vanilla and chocolate), and a fruit plate or cheese and cracker plate. We particularly recommend the Kahlua creme pie and warm chocolate volcano.

18/08/2022

Restaurants
A-List Bar - Cocktail Bar*
Atrium Bar - Atrium Bar*
Bar - Pool Bar*
Cagney's Steakhouse - Steakhouse*
Coco's - Sweets*
Dolce Gelato - Gelato*
Food Republic - Asian Tapas*
Garden Café - Casual
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville At Sea - Margaritaville*
La Cucina Italian Restaurant - italian*
Le Bistro French Restaurant - French*
Los Lobos - Mexican*
Maltings Whiskey Bar - Wiskey Bar*
Mixx Bar - Cocktail Bar*
Ocean Blue - Seafood*
Open-Air Garden Café - Casual
Q Texas Smokehouse - Southern BBQ*
Savor Restaurant - American
Skyline Bar - Clubby Bar*
Starbucks - Coffee Bar*
Sugarcane Mojito Bar - Cocktail Bar*
Taste Restaurant - American
Teppanyaki - Japanese*
The Bake Shop - pastries*
The Cellars Wine Bar - Wine Bar*
The District Brew House - Brewpub*
The Haven Outdoor Restaurant - Suite Guests
The Haven Restaurant - Suite Guests
The Humidor Cigar Lounge - Cigar Bar*
The Local Bar & Grill - Pub
The Manhattan Room - American
Waves Bar - Pool Bar*
* May require additional fees without the drink or dining packages

17/08/2022

You'll find plenty of loungers for tanning and napping around the pool on Deck 16, as well as one deck up.

Two other sun decks are for adults only. The free adults-only Spice H20 is located on Deck 17 and features two hot tubs and a bar, while the extra-fee adults-only Vibe Beach Club is on Deck 19, and features one hot tub and a bar. Passes to Vibe are $99 per person for the full weeklong cruise or $25 per person, per day. At Vibe, you'll find extra comfy loungers and clamshells.

All of Norwegian Bliss' main service desks (reception, excursion, loyalty and Next Cruise) are located on Deck 6 in the atrium. There's even a desk specifically to deal with onboard credit questions or to apply Norwegian Cruise Line gift cards to your account.

You can also make dinner reservations at a table placed in the atrium or use one of six internet terminals in the ship's nominal Internet Cafe. (That spot is also where you go for any help with your Wi-Fi or internet package.)

15/08/2022

All of Norwegian Bliss' attractions for thrill-seekers are located on its outdoor decks.

Bliss features a two-level, nearly 1,000-foot-long electric go-kart racetrack. Ten people can be on the track at once and, for $9.95, you get to zip around eight times. It's not a bumper car attraction as crew will repeatedly tell you and bumping other drivers is prohibited (though it does happen). Instead, it's meant to be a race-style experience though there's no actual race and no winner or loser. The go-karts can go up to 30 miles per hour but you can take it slow if you like (though you're more likely to get bumped if going slow as someone tries to speed their way around you).

An open-air laser tag course (Deck 20) is open during the day and into the evening, when cool lighting gives the space a more out of this world feel. The cost is $5 and you get two five-minute sessions during that time. Reservations are recommended. There are no age or height restrictions, participants simply need to be able to hold their own laser gun.

Also on the upper decks are two water slides (both Deck 17) and a kids' splash area (Deck 16). Not for the faint of heart, the high-speed Ocean Loops free-fall water slide drops riders into two heart-pounding loops: both extend over the side of the ship and have sections of see-through tubing. Riders must be taller than 48 inches, and must remove all jewelry to go on. Swim skirts and shirts can slow you down or even stop your progress in the slide, so are not recommended.

The second water slide, the Aqua Racer, is not actually a racing slide, but instead requires participants to get into an inner tube to ride down the water slide in. Inner tubes are built for one or two people, who each must be at least 40 inches tall. One person going alone, or two people going together combined can weigh no more than 300 pounds. Special lighting effects change colors and patterns as you zip down the looping water slide tubing.

The splash zone features a tipping water bucket, water cannons, climbing structures and spray jets.

13/08/2022

Pools

Norwegian Bliss has two pools on the main pool deck (Deck 16), one shallower than the other and meant for kids, plus there are four hot tubs (two on each side) one deck up and cantilevered out over the edge of the ship.

Though there's no pool in the adults-only Spice H20 area, there are two hot tubs, as well as a waterfall and water jet feature with a ledge for sitting beneath or amid the spraying water. The extra-fee Vibe Beach Club has one hot tub.

12/08/2022

Mixx (Deck 6): Located in between the Taste and Savor main dining rooms, Mixx is primarily a place to meet someone for pre- and post-dinner drinks. Seating is only available at the barstools surrounding the square-shaped bar.

Atrium Bar (Deck 6): A central location to grab a drink on the way to somewhere else or for those hanging in the Atrium for all the daytime activities.

Social Comedy & Nightclub Bar: Used mostly by the drink waiters circulating through the ship's comedy and nightclub fetching drinks for people.

Skyline Bar (Deck 7): This is where casino players go when they want something to drink, or for anyone who wants to watch a sports match on the wall-sized screen. It's also not far from the Manhattan Room, making it a good place to pick up a pre-dinner drink.

The Local Bar and Grill (Deck 7): While primarily a restaurant, half of the eatery is situated near the bar making it great place to grab a drink and hang with friends. To the back of this side, you'll find two lanes of mini-bowling ($5 a game)as well as a handful of arcade games. There are no pub games.

The A-List Bar (Deck 8): Located in between Cagney's and Los Lobos, The A-List Bar is named after Norwegian Cruise Line's president and CEO, Andy Stuart. The new-to-Norwegian bar features a variety of cocktails. The bar's signature drinks, The Boss V & T (Grey Goose, Fever Tree tonic, orange bitter and mint) and Gunners G & T (Tanqueray gin, cranberry juice, Fever Tree tonic, fresh lime juice, lemon and juniper seeds), were designed by Stuart. The square-shaped bar is only open during dinner hours and has limited seating.

Sugarcane Mojito Bar (Deck 8): With indoor and outdoor seating on The Waterfront, this bar is the place to grab a flight of six sweet and savory mojitos ($19.95). Other Latin America-inspired drinks on offer include pisco sour, Saturn landing and wiki rum punch.

Humidor Cigar Lounge (Deck 8): The only place onboard to relax with a cigar, it's hidden at the back of Maltings Whiskey Bar.

Maltings Whiskey Bar (Deck 8): For those who like something a little stronger, the Maltings Whiskey Bar has a large selection available, with dozens of scotch, whiskeys and bourbons on offer. Whiskey flights cost $19.95 and feature three or four brands, depending on the flight. Whiskey- , scotch- and bourbon-based cocktails are also on the menu. Indoor and outdoor space along The Waterfront is available.

The Cavern (Deck 8): Situated next to Maltings and across from The Cellars is The Cavern, a replica of the Liverpool-based club where The Beatles got their start. One nights when The Beatles tribute band isn't playing, you'll often find one of the ship's house bands playing a gig. The bar offers the typical range of drinks.

The Cellars Wine Bar (Deck 8): Wine lovers will want to stop by The Cellars Wine Bar for a glass of their favorite Michael Mondavi vintage, plus many other vintners. Daily interactive educational wine seminars and tastings are offered here for a fee ($21.95) twice a day and include such topics as "Old World versus New World," "Wine and Cheese Perfect Pairings" and "Riedel Journey of Sense Workshop." When seminars are not happening, wine is available by the glass, bottle and in three-glass flights ($19.95). Four flights are offered, including "The Jet-Setter," which features one French and one Californian cabernet sauvignon and one Italian red blend. Three tapas-sized bites are available during dinner time: an antipasti plate ($5.99), calamari fritti ($5.50) and a mixed green salad with pear ($4.99).

The District Brew House (Deck 8): Beer lovers will find 24 beers on tap and 50 bottled beers to choose from, including craft beers from Redhook Brewery and Elysian Brewery in Seattle, as well as from Wynwood Brewing Company and M.I.A. Beer Company in Miami. The choice of beer covers all types, from lagers and pale ales to IPAs and stouts. The District is also the spot for funtastic piano entertainment. (If Jim Badger is the piano entertainer on your sailing, we promise you, you don't want to miss it.) In the back is a photo machine and a wall to put a pic of yourself up on for perpetuity.

Haven Lounge (Deck 17): This lounge is only for use by cruisers staying in one of the suites located within the ship-within-a-ship Haven enclave. It carries the usual array of wine, beer and cocktails.

Waves Pool Bar & Surf Bar (Deck 16): These two poolside bars are located on opposite ends of the pool deck.

Chill Bar (Deck 16): Order your favorite margarita to go at this bar that's part of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville at Sea.

Observation Lounge (Deck 15): A highlight of Norwegian Bliss is this massive, 20,000-square-foot lounge with 180-degree views spanning the entire forward section of the ship on Deck 15. It's an all-day quiet zone, though there's always the hum of conversation.

There are couches, upholstered loungers facing the windows, tables and chairs and comfy armchairs for sitting and reading, playing quiet board games or just napping. It's wonderfully comfortable and with free drink dispensers located in several places you never have to go far for a glass of water, lemonade or iced tea. There's also a bar at the front of the lounge for any other drink need.

Spice H2O Bar (Deck 17): Adults sunning themselves or relaxing in the Spice H2O area need go no farther than this bar for a selection of refreshing libations.

Vibe Beach Club Bar (Deck 19): Serves cruisers relaxing in the extra fee Vibe Beach Club.

11/08/2022

At Night

Beyond the shows in the Bliss Theater, nights on Norwegian Bliss are packed with live music and comedy shows. From sing-along piano music in the District Brewhouse to country and western in Q and rock covers from the ship's house band in lounges around the ship, there are plenty of places to listen to music.

A popular spot on the ship is The Cavern Club (Deck 8), a recreation of the famous Liverpool-based club where The Beatles got their start. On nights when the The Beatles tribute band performs, the space is packed to the gills.
For those who like to laugh or dance the late night away, the Social Comedy & Night Club on Deck 6 is the spot to hang out. A few times a week, it's a comedy club with a family-friendly show earlier (usually around 7 p.m.) and an adult show later on (about 9 p.m.) Around 10 at night it transforms into the ship's disco with a DJ spinning tunes until midnight or later if the crowd is good. Some nights are themed, for instance the 70s or 80s.

Also once or twice per cruise is the adults-only "Prohibition, the Musical," a racy show set in a New Orleans brothel the day before Prohibition is set to kick in. Featuring hits from the 1920s and 30s ("Let's Misbehave," "Makin' Whoopee," "Happy Feet") as well as five included cocktails (Moscow Mule, Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, Whiskey Sour and Sea Captain), the show costs $23.94and isn't a bad way to spend an hour.

The ship's casino stretches the entire middle section of Deck 7, and features a glass-walled smoking section and a small VIP room for high rollers. There are lots of tournaments throughout the cruise, particularly slot pulls.

10/08/2022

Daily Fun

As on all Norwegian Cruise Line ships, there is lots to do during the day on Norwegian Bliss, starting as early as 8:30 a.m. in the atrium with Morning Fitness Fun (essentially an aerobics class). From then on, there is some type of activity in the atrium every 30 to 45 minutes through the early evening. Examples of atrium activities include silly games; towel folding, fruit carving and cooking demonstrations; language lessons and circus trick and balloon twisting classes.

Other daily fun includes two to three rounds of trivia (including a progressive trivia), bridge lessons and knitter meet-ups, as well as the 45-minute Escape the Big Top escape room experience, which requires teams of up to 10 to solve several riddles. (Clue: Pay attention to the patterns!) Reservations are required for Escape the Big Top, but it's free to do.

Extra-fee daily activities might include Canvas by U painting classes, bingo and wine tastings. And then there are the daily seminars, which cost nothing to attend but are designed to get you to buy something afterward; those include: camera seminars, art history lessons, spa treatment and acupuncture seminars, and port lectures.

09/08/2022

Entertainment & Activities
Theater

The Bliss Theater (Decks 6 & 7) is the spot onboard Norwegian Bliss for big-stage productions, as well as one-off shows by comedians, magicians, hypnotists and other guest performers.

The marquis show onboard is an excellent, full-scale production of the Broadway hit, "Jersey Boys," about the creation and careers of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Parents should note the musical does contain some salty language.

Another big-stage musical is Havana, a passion project driven by Norwegian Cruise Line's chairman and CEO Frank del Rio, who is Cuban born. Created for NCL by Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Warren Carlyle. he costumes and live band are excellent.

During the day, Bliss Theater might be used for movies, seminars and port lectures.

08/08/2022

With so many places to eat onboard Norwegian Bliss, you'd expect there to be some winners and some losers, but while we discovered which our favorite was (Q by a long shot!) we never did encounter a bad meal. Dining in the main dining rooms was just as good as in the specialty restaurants -- and, in fact, a few our favorite meals were in the MDRs.

Complimentary venues on Norwegian Bliss are limited to the three main dining rooms, which all share the same menu each day, plus the buffet and the 24/7 Local Bar & Grill. A light breakfast and lunch is also available in the Observation Lounge, and you can get quick bites at venues like Starbucks, the District Brew House and The Cellars (during dinner hours only).

Norwegian Bliss features The Waterfront on Deck 8, offering alfresco seating for several bars and dining venues, including Los Lobos, Cagney's Steakhouse, Ocean Blue and La Cucina.

08/08/2022

This is what we have been waiting for!!!! This is on Norwegian cruise lines, hoping the others will follow shortly!

For Sailings Beginning September 3, 2022 all travelers are invited to sail with us once again, regardless of vaccination status.*

Local regulations may have booster requirements to enter certain countries – make sure to check Travel Requirements by Country to understand country specific requirements.

For sailings embarking September 3, 2022 and beyond:
Guests age twelve and over will be allowed to board unvaccinated. Unvaccinated guests age twelve and over will be required to show proof of a medically supervised negative PCR or Antigen test taken no more than 72 hours prior to embarkation.
For guests age 11 years or younger, no additional protocols or testing requirements apply.

Local regulations may have different requirements to enter certain countries – make sure to check Travel Requirements by Country to understand country specific requirements.

08/08/2022

7-DAY CRUISE ON NORWEGIAN BLISS
Alaska: Dawes Glacier, Juneau & Ketchikan
from Seattle, Washington
One of the most scenic and thrilling cruises is Alaska, and this 7-day itinerary even includes Icy Strait Point and its wilderness experiences. Just outside of Juneau is where you’ll find the majestic Mendenhall Glacier. Walk the nature trails and explore the Visitor Center with its view of the Juneau Ice Field. Icy Strait Point is home to the largest Native Tlingit village in the state and its waters are teeming with wildlife, including orcas and humpbacks. Since every shop at Icy Strait Point is Native-owned, this is the place for authentic goods and handicrafts. Your last port is Victoria, the oldest city in the Pacific Northwest. With its green spaces and Victorian architecture, it is stunning. See Butchart Gardens and the stately Craigdarroch Castle.

Witness the magnificent Endicott Arm Fjord & Dawes Glacier.

Hug a husky puppy on a shore excursion in Juneau.

MEP Vacations Alaskan Cruise 2024

31/08/2023

30/08/2022

25/08/2022

24/08/2022

22/08/2022

20/08/2022

19/08/2022

18/08/2022

17/08/2022

15/08/2022

13/08/2022

12/08/2022

11/08/2022

10/08/2022

09/08/2022

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08/08/2022

08/08/2022

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