Dining On Norwegian Bliss: A Food And Restaurant Guide

Norwegian Cruise Line offers Freestyle Dining, a departure from needing a set dining time and table. I took a solo cruise on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska and share my thoughts on its food offerings and Freestyle Dining experience.

Norwegian’s app and the Freestyle Daily printout show which venues are open and at what times. I only wished the app would show the menu for the main dining rooms. There’s no reserving a dining time unless eating in a specialty restaurant.

The main restaurants are Manhattan on deck 7 and Savor and Taste on deck 6. While the decors are different, the menus are the same. I chose to eat most of my meals at Taste and Savor because there was rarely a wait. Plus, I preferred the more intimate atmosphere and quieter venue.

What’s Inclusive

Besides the three sit-down restaurants, the Garden Café on deck 16 offers buffet-style dining. The selections were repeated, but finding a table was problematic most days after getting food. It opened at 7 am on sea days but from 5:30 am to 6:30 am on early morning port days.

A small section carried gluten-free bread, rolls, and snacks. It also had different types of milk, such as soy, lactose-free, almond, and plant-based milk. The buffet closed at 9:30 pm each evening and there was no late-night option here.

The Local Bar & Grill was the busiest spot onboard. It served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you have midnight cravings, this is the go-to spot for wings, pizza, and more. This venue did not allow guests to order food and remove it from the restaurant.

Its proximity to an event area created a hustling spot at all hours. I ate breakfast and lunch there, and the service was always fast. The menu was simple, the portions tiny, and the food didn’t have great presentation. However, it’s a great venue when in a hurry to eat before disembarking on a port day.

The American Diner on Deck 17 offers traditional diner food. All the food is complimentary, and only the milkshakes cost USD 7. It was busy, and service was slow compared to other venues.

This venue is outside, so I recommend wearing a coat during the off-season in Alaska. I ate there on my Ketchikan port day and was surprised there was a 20-minute wait for a table.

I tried the chicken sandwich, but there was some confusion over my order so it took forever to arrive.

The Observation Lounge at the bow deck 15 had snacks, sandwiches, fruits, and beverages.

Solo And Studio Guests

If you’re cruising solo as I was, the studio lounge also had snacks and drinks. One of the benefits of this lounge was the specialty coffee machine.

While specialty coffees on the ship and at Starbucks incurred a fee, coffees in the studio lounge were complimentary. They included:

• Espresso.
• Double Espresso.
• Café Crème.
• Americano.
• Cappuccino.
• Café Latte.
• Expresso Macchiato.
• Latte Macchiato.

Previously, the studio lounge had self-serve machines with wine and other alcoholic beverages. Drinks were purchased using your keycard. These machines have been removed, maybe due to abuse?

Haven Suite Guests

Guests booked in the Haven have access to the exclusion Haven Restaurant. Dining in the Haven is more upscale, with both an indoor and outdoor space. Expect better quality of food and service.

The outdoor patio was only used during our port day in Victoria because it was too cold in April in April.

Specialty Restaurants

Norwegian Bliss has several specialty restaurants. They offer a variety of cuisines from French Bistro to traditional Steakhouse. I cruised solo, and it was interesting that the app did not allow me to book a meal for one.

Here are the offerings:

• Cagney’s Steakhouse – prime cuts of beef, lamb chops, and seafood dishes.
• La Cucina – An Italian Ristorante with classics such as pasta, pizza, and Tiramisu. 
• Food Republic – Sushi and a mix of Asian dishes for sharing.

• Le Bistro offers an elegant French dining experience. This venue was the only one with a dress code.
• Palomar – This was recently added in Jan 2025 during drydock. It’s a seafood venue, but the menu was limited for the USD 60+ tax fee.
• Q Texas Smokehouse – Texas BBQ menu with beef, pork, chicken, smoked sausage, shrimp and salmon.
• Teppanyaki is a shared table experience where the food is cooked in front of you. This is part meal, part entertainment. I’ve eaten at this dining venue on other ships, and it’s always fun.

I liked the location of the Food Republic, with large windows overlooking the ocean. If you like sushi, this venue is a must-try.

I had previously eaten at La Cucina and Cagney’s, and the food was always outstanding. This time around, I couldn’t decide which specialty restaurant to try.

So, I ordered the “Taste of Specialty” meal in the main dining room one evening. It’s similar to the “Taste of Royal” on Royal Caribbean but with a higher price tag of USD 50 plus 20% tax.

The four-course meal includes one course from Cagney’s, Le Bistro, Ocean Blue, and La Cucina. I found this meal disappointing, and the lamb was so over-salted that I couldn’t eat it.

I found it odd that none of the specialty restaurants opened for lunch on a sea day during my Alaska cruise. This was a miss on Norwegian’s part. While I was told they are sometimes open for lunch, they didn’t offer a scaled-down menu with a lower price.

So, if they open on your cruise, expect to pay the dinner fee.

Main Restaurant Dining

There is no real dress code to eat in the dining rooms. As someone who always dresses for dinner, I felt out of place amongst those in jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies.

My dinners in Taste and Savor were decent but not outstanding. I have food allergies and have had some bad experiences on previous Norwegian ships with wait staff serving me things I was allergic to. It’s the reason I didn’t sail with Norwegian for 11 years.

I’m happy to report that policies have changed. A restaurant manager must take and retrieve food orders for guests with allergies. They order food choices one day in advance.

Norwegian Freestyle Dining does not include formal or dress-up nights like its competition. They also don’t serve complimentary lobster or Baked Alaska in the 49th state.

The portion sizes were much smaller than other lines, which I liked. I don’t like food waste and prefer a small helping. Those with large appetites may need to order more servings to satisfy their hunger.

Night One

I started with the shrimp cake, which was moist and had a great flavor. Norwegian Cruise Line served breaded flounder fillet as a signature dish each evening. I chose it as my first entrée. It was good, and I liked the smaller portion size. I skipped dessert most nights or had a fruit plate instead.

The dining room has five “classic entrees” served each evening. They consisted of New York Strip Steak, Breaded Flounder Fillet, Herb-crusted Chicken, Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo, and Three Cheese Baked Ziti.

Night Two

The prawn and vegetable Provence starter was the best appetizer of my whole cruise. It was nicely presented and I could have easily eaten a second. My leg of lamb entree was tough and disappointing. Poached pear dessert completed my meal.

Service on the first two nights was excellent. My meals arrived quickly and were hot.

Night Three

My choices for night three were Waldorf salad, Bang Bang Chicken and Bananas Foster. Since I’m lactose-free, ice cream was replaced by vanilla sorbet.

The dessert was the highlight as I found the chicken overcooked, although the sauce had a nice flavor.

Night Four

My picks for this evening were Asian noodle salad with grilled chicken, Lemon pepper shrimp, and vegan chocolate cake. The noodles in my appetizer were tough. The chef cooked the entrée to perfection and gave it good flavor, though it needed a bit more sauce.

Service was slow this evening and for the balance of the cruise. I overheard someone say that the ship had all new staff, so it may have been the reason.

Night Five

The fifth night produced one of the best meals of my cruise. The Ranchero beef mini tostadas and the Chinese-style BBQ pork were delicious. I finished with apple cobbler with sorbet.

Night Six

Nothing on the menus thrilled me, so it was the night I chose the “Taste of Specialty.” The meal consisted of four courses from four different specialty restaurants. I liked that each course had three options and not one set meal.

All three desserts contain milk or cream, so my four-course meal became a 3-course instead. My two appetizers were good, but you really can’t go wrong with a shrimp cocktail and the goat cheese croquette salad.

The biggest disappointment was the braised lamb shank. Like many other meals on the ship, the food was over-salted.

Night Seven

Like the previous night, nothing on the menu thrilled me. So, I started with a salad and chose the herbed roasted chicken. This was a staple offered each evening and was very good. I wish I had tried it earlier on the cruise.

Salmon was never offered once on my cruise. I found it odd since it’s a popular choice for Alaska sailings. Instead, there were less desirable choices such as tilapia, hoki, Boston bluefish, and walleye. Prime Rib was another item that never made the menu in 7 days.

Room Service

Room service was available 24/7, although I didn’t try it. It incurred a fee of USD 4.95 + tax. Continental breakfast was available from 6:30 am to 10 am. It consisted of yogurt, cereals, pastries, beverages, and juice.

Hot items included a ham and cheese omelet, spinach and tomato omelet, and cinnamon raisin brioche French toast.

After 10 am, the fee jumps to USD 9.95. The all-day menu was extensive with salads, fruit plates, cheese plates, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts. I liked the fact that they had a kids’ menu too.

My Overall Thoughts On Freestyle Dining

Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus class vessels offers great Alaska cruises for families. With its go-kart track, Observation Lounge, studio cabins, and many dining venues, it caters to families, couples and solo travelers.

While I’m not a big fan of freestyle dining due to food allergies, I can see why most guests favor it. Overall, my dining experience on Norwegian Bliss was a letdown. Food selection was mediocre with a few standout appetizers. Many dishes were over-salted and overcooked.

What the Norwegian Bliss lacked in food, it made up with its outstanding entertainment. The Jersey Boys, Beatles Experience, and Icons shows were fantastic and worth seeing again.