Live from the Encore - USB and other answers

[raphael360]

Hi Everyone,

We just departed Sydney on the Encore today.  We've sailed dozens of times on Odyssey class ships but this is our first time on the Encore class.  So far we're loving it but still getting use to the differences. 

The suite is updated and more user friendly with a MUCH bigger TV/entertainment center.

No smoking permitted in the suites, e-cig or otherwise

Number of USB ports - none, zero, zip, na-da.  Bring your own

Many more 110/220 outlets spread around the room.  Very nice

 

Very happy to be on board after 23 hours on airplanes to get here. More to follow :)

 

[rols]

Looking forward to your comments as you cruise and do have a wonderful time. 

 

One of the small improvements I noticed on the Encore is that the veranda door closes slowly enough for you to actually walk through it carrying something. All previous ships we'd travelled on which had balconies at all, the door closed the second you let go of it, well less closed than slammed shut. It was a small thing, but surprisingly welcome. 

[BasandSyb]

Looking forward to your comments. We had our first Encore trip at Christmas. We have not been interested in trying the larger ships (we are tragics for the 3 little ships - heavy sigh), but the chance to getaway came up. We did have a lovely time and must do a review. I note the cruise reviews prior to ours had a lot of poor comments.

 

Overall, the decision to cruise on her again would be influenced by the itinerary (hot weather O class more deck space) and whether we were travelling with friends (O class). It was very nice and we loved the sushi addition. Some of the layouts were plus (Colonnade stations and second deck, TK Grill and bar, observation bar), some minus (MDR; the retreat; club bar - soon to be rectified). Was very surprised no USBs in the rooms (just a little thing) - thought they had been installed and crawled around for 15 mins doing a search on arrival.

Enjoy and please share your views.

 

[rols]

2 hours ago, BasandSyb said:

very surprised no USBs in the rooms (just a little thing) - thought they had been installed and crawled around for 15 mins doing a search on arrival.

 

The lack of USB was another odd design decision on that ship, they have been ubiquitous for years and Seabourn has retrofitted them to some (all?) of the O class and installed them on the Ovation, yet they were left out on Encore and will I gather be fitted at some point in the future. I sometimes wonder whether the designer of the latest Seabourn ships has ever been on a ship, or in a hotel room. Apart from the convenience it's safer and more efficient to have built-in 5v USB sockets than a bunch of 110 and 220v power supplies on extension cords dangling from every socket. 

[OceanPatter]

We will be boarding the Encore in Auckland, so will be following your cruise with interest!

[raphael360]

On board USB chargers are really a non issue I think. The Encore has several well placed AC outlets around the suite.  These AC outlets have 1 x 110 USA plug and one European 220 plug each.

Apple (and almost all new) USB chargers are 110-220 volts auto switching. Being a electrical engineer for 45 years AND a apple resaler, I always highly recommend to my customers to use their own trusted high quality USB chargers when ever possible.  I would never use an unknown USB charger provided by hotels nor would I use ones provided on a cruise ship, train station or a horse when I have my own. I can’t imagine anyone getting on a plane to fly to their cruise without their chargers in tow.   But that’s just 45 years of repairing high end medical electronics talking. 

[raphael360]

21 hours ago, OceanPatter said:

We will be boarding the Encore in Auckland, so will be following your cruise with interest!

Except for some high seas, everything has been seabourn excellent.  So far😀

[Catlover54]

2 hours ago, raphael360 said:

On board USB chargers are really a non issue I think. The Encore has several well placed AC outlets around the suite.  These AC outlets have 1 x 110 USA plug and one European 220 plug each.

Apple (and almost all new) USB chargers are 110-220 volts auto switching. Being a electrical engineer for 45 years AND a apple resaler, I always highly recommend to my customers to use their own trusted high quality USB chargers when ever possible.  I would never use an unknown USB charger provided by hotels nor would I use ones provided on a cruise ship, train station or a horse when I have my own. I can’t imagine anyone getting on a plane to fly to their cruise without their chargers in tow.   But that’s just 45 years of repairing high end medical electronics talking. 

 

 

That would be a very interesting looking horse . ..

 

We fly with two Apple chargers for each kind of device, because  we learned the hard way that ‘two is one and one is none’, which some of you may know from other contexts

 

Main disadvantage is of course  the extra weight

[airtana]

Question, can you please let me know if the Patio Grill has rolled out the Earth and Ocean in the evening for dinner on the Encore yet.  We will be joining the ship in Bali in April and are hoping to try the new venue, have heard very great commments about it.