The Norwegian Bliss cabins to avoid are mainly the deck 15 rooms directly under the deck 16 pool deck and Garden Café, deck 5 cabins below the dining rooms and Social Comedy & Night Club on deck 6, deck 9 cabins over the bars of the Waterfront, and the guarantee “Sail Away” categories, which can land you on deck 5. For most couples, the safest pick is a midship balcony on decks 10 to 13, with cabins above and below and the least motion.
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Norwegian Bliss launched in 2018 as the second of the four Breakaway Plus ships, and a dry dock in early 2025 added new balcony cabins, bigger Haven suites and a new top-deck lawn area. Her routes matter too. She spends summer in Alaska on Saturday round trips from Seattle, and in winter 2026–27 she sails from New York to the Caribbean and the Bahamas. In Alaska, the view matters most. On winter runs out of New York, rough seas are the bigger worry.
Norwegian Bliss cabins to avoid at a glance
| Location | Why it can be a problem | Who should skip it |
|---|---|---|
| Deck 15 midship and forward | Directly under the deck 16 pools, Kids’ Aqua Park, Waves Bar and, forward, the Garden Café buffet | Light sleepers, anyone who naps on sea days |
| Deck 5 | Below Taste, Savor, Mixx Bar and Social Comedy & Night Club on deck 6; shares the deck with Splash Academy and the arcade | Early sleepers, couples without kids |
| Deck 9 (and deck 8 cabins) | Above or beside the Waterfront’s bars and restaurants on deck 8 | Anyone who goes to bed before the bars close |
| Guarantee categories (IX, OX, BX, MX) | The ship picks your cabin, up to a day before sailing; Norwegian lists guarantee insides and oceanviews on deck 5 | Anyone with strong views on location |
| Forward cabins and forward-facing Haven penthouses | Most motion in a swell; open to wind | Seasickness-prone guests, especially in winter out of New York |
| Rooms by elevator lobbies, stairs and crew doors | Foot traffic, chatter and service carts | Light sleepers |
Deck plans change after dry docks, so check the current plan on Norwegian’s site before you book a specific room. Many of these rules apply across the fleet, as our guide to Norwegian Cruise Line cabins to avoid explains.
Noisy Norwegian Bliss rooms to avoid
Deck 15 under the pool deck and Garden Café
Deck 15 is the highest regular cabin deck, and most of what sits above it is busy. Deck 16 holds the pools, the Kids’ Aqua Park and the Waves pool bar in the middle of the ship and the Garden Café buffet at the front. Crew set up loungers and the buffet early, and sea days are busy from breakfast on. If you want deck 15, aim for the aft section, which sits under the Mandara Spa.
The 2025 dry dock added 24 balcony cabins and two Club Balcony cabins on deck 15 by taking space from the forward Observation Lounge, on the port side. They are new and well placed for views, but they sit under the buffet end of the ship and next to a working bar. Treat them with the same caution as the rest of deck 15 forward.
Deck 5 below the dining and comedy deck
Deck 5 is the lowest guest deck. Above it on deck 6 are the Taste and Savor dining rooms, Teppanyaki, the Mixx Bar and the Social Comedy & Night Club. On deck 5 itself you will find Splash Academy, Guppies, the video arcade and the Entourage teen club. That suits families with young kids, not early sleepers. Norwegian lists its solo insides and oceanviews, plus the guarantee inside and oceanview categories, on deck 5, so budget bookings often land here.
Decks 8 and 9 around the Waterfront
Deck 8 is the Waterfront, the indoor-outdoor promenade lined with bars and restaurants. The District Brew House and Food Republic are toward the front, The Cavern Club, Sugarcane Mojito Bar and Maltings Whiskey Bar are along the middle, and Cagney’s Steakhouse is at the back. Deck 8 also has some cabins, including the large-balcony rooms, and deck 9 cabins sit right above the Waterfront. Music and late-night crowds can carry up. If you want a lower deck for the price, deck 10 gives you a buffer.
The Speedway and the top decks
The Bliss Speedway is a two-level go-kart track at the back of decks 19 and 20, with turns that stick out over the sides of the ship. Below it are open decks and venues, not regular cabins: the waterslides, Spice H2O on deck 17 aft and the spa on deck 16 aft. So the karts are less of a problem than you might fear. They are electric, but they play engine sounds, and the area is lively while the track is open. In 2025, Horizon Park, a lawn-games and music space, replaced the old laser tag arena on deck 20. Light sleepers looking at the highest aft balconies or aft-facing Haven penthouses should ask how close the room is to the track.
Lifts, stairs and service doors
Rooms next to elevator banks are handy but busier. Unmarked spaces on the deck plan are usually crew areas or pantries, which can mean carts and door noise at odd hours.
Obstructed views and lifeboats on Norwegian Bliss
This is one area where Bliss does well. Norwegian doesn’t sell an obstructed-view category on this ship, and the lifeboats sit low on the hull, around the Waterfront level, well below most balcony decks. Forum regulars generally say bad views are rare. The rooms to check are the lowest balconies on decks 8 and 9, which can look down onto the Waterfront’s roof and walkways.
On an Alaska sailing, a balcony is worth paying for. The 7-night Seattle round trips include a day of scenic cruising in Endicott Arm to Dawes Glacier, where you’ll want to step outside without fighting for railing space. On an inside budget, use the Observation Lounge on deck 15 forward, with its 180-degree view and full bar. See our guide to the best time to cruise Alaska for how the season affects the weather and wildlife.
Small cabins, studios and seasickness
- Studios: the Solo Studios on decks 10, 11 and 12 measure about 99 sq ft and have no ocean view, but they come with keycard access to the Studio Lounge on deck 11, a handy place to meet other solo travelers. If you need storage for a long trip, the solo balconies on decks 11 and 12 are roomier.
- Standard insides: most insides are about 135 sq ft. That is fine for two, but tight for families of four, even in the Family Inside category.
- Connecting rooms: great for families, but the connecting door lets more sound through than a solid wall. Couples can ask for a non-connecting room.
- Seasickness: book midship on decks 9 to 11 and avoid the forward-facing penthouses and high forward rooms. This matters most on winter sailings from New York, which cross open Atlantic water before reaching warm weather. In Alaska, much of the route is sheltered, but the sea day out of Seattle can be bumpy.
Best cabins on Norwegian Bliss by budget
Balcony
Standard balconies run from about 214 sq ft, including the balcony, and cover decks 8 to 15. For the best mix of quiet and stability, aim for midship on decks 10 to 13. Aft-facing balconies on decks 9 to 15 give you wake views, which are great for leaving Seattle or sailing past glaciers. Skip deck 15 aft-facing rooms if you want the most distance from the top-deck slides.
Club Balcony Suites
Club Balcony Suites, Norwegian’s mini-suites, start at about 249 sq ft on decks 8 to 15. The same rules apply: skip deck 15 under the pool deck and deck 9 over the Waterfront.
The Haven
The heart of the Haven sits forward on decks 17 and 18, around a courtyard with its own pool, restaurant and the two-level Horizon Lounge. After the 2025 refit, the Premier Owner’s Suites on deck 18 have three bedrooms and around 1,459 sq ft. The Courtyard Penthouses and Family Villas are on decks 17 and 18. The aft-facing penthouses are stacked on decks 9 to 15, and the forward-facing penthouses are on decks 9 to 13. They are great rooms but well away from the courtyard. The aft ones have the best views, and the forward ones feel the most motion. The adults-only Vibe Beach Club sits on deck 19 forward, above the Haven area, so ask which courtyard suites are closest to it.
Best value overall
A midship balcony on deck 10 or 11 is hard to beat. Prices change week to week, so compare fares in our 2027 cruise deals roundup before you choose a category.
How Norwegian Bliss compares with her sister
Bliss and Norwegian Encore share the same basic layout, from the Waterfront on deck 8 to the Haven forward on 17 and 18, and both gave part of the Observation Lounge to new balcony cabins in recent dry docks. The differences are mostly at the top of the ship and in where they sail. Bliss swapped laser tag for Horizon Park, while Encore turned hers into a new Spice H2O, and Encore’s Speedway is longer and wider. Both spend summer in Seattle, but Encore winters on the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles. Read our guide to Norwegian Encore cabins to avoid for her specifics.
If you’re also looking at the newer Prima Plus ships, see our Norwegian Aqua cabins to avoid guide and our roundup of the newest NCL ships you can book right now. For rules that apply on any ship, read 13 cruise cabin locations to avoid at all costs.
FAQs
What is the best cabin on Norwegian Bliss?
For most couples, a midship balcony on decks 10 to 13 offers the best balance of quiet, stability and price. If you can stretch the budget, a Haven Courtyard Penthouse on decks 17 or 18 gives you the ship’s most private space.
Which Norwegian Bliss cabins are the noisiest?
The deck 15 cabins under the pool deck and Garden Café, the deck 5 cabins below the dining rooms and comedy club, and the deck 9 cabins above the Waterfront’s bars are the most likely to be noisy.
Can you hear the go-kart track from cabins on Norwegian Bliss?
Regular cabins aren’t directly below the track. It sits at the back of decks 19 and 20, above the slides, Spice H2O and the spa. The highest aft-facing rooms are the most exposed, so light sleepers should check before booking one.
Does Norwegian Bliss have obstructed-view cabins?
Norwegian doesn’t sell an obstructed-view category on Bliss, and the lifeboats sit low, near the Waterfront. Low balconies on decks 8 and 9 can look down onto the Waterfront, so check those before booking.
What side of Norwegian Bliss is best for Alaska?
On a Seattle round trip, the ship heads north and returns south along a similar route, so each side gets its turn. A midship or aft-facing balcony matters more than the side, and the Observation Lounge on deck 15 is the best free spot on glacier day.
