Live from Encore TA

[Single Cruiser]

11 minutes ago, dshefter said:

Do you think they cut the public Sun Deck space in order to get people to pay for Vibe?

Most definitely yes.  

[gatorchinsky]

Loving your honest review and opinions and all the photos.  She does seem like a beautiful ship but definitely has faults.  We had the Encore booked for this Thanksgiving week but cancelled and switched to our favorite the Escape.  I still can’t get over the lack of public deck space on the top decks.  I can’t wait to hear from those on the Thanksgiving cruise.  That pool deck will be a nightmare!

[Single Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, gatorchinsky said:

Loving your honest review and opinions and all the photos.  She does seem like a beautiful ship but definitely has faults.  We had the Encore booked for this Thanksgiving week but cancelled and switched to our favorite the Escape.  I still can’t get over the lack of public deck space on the top decks.  I can’t wait to hear from those on the Thanksgiving cruise.  That pool deck will be a nightmare!

I’m back on Escape next year.  If offered the same itinerary on say Escape, Bliss and Encore I’d pick them in that order! 
 

[Shidah]

Laser tag is best played indoors anyway.  Not sure why they wasted so much room with that on the top deck.  I like the option of laser tag, since I think it is a blast, but I would put it interior to the ship on one of the lower decks.

[js]

21 hours ago, expectthebest said:

Kinda looks like wiring and conduit fell out of the ceiling when they were considering a chandelier and NCL said ‘just keep it that way... we are done here... carry on” lol

 

 

I really didn't have an opinion about this, although the ones on the Away ships are much nicer, but when I saw a picture of it in red, it almost made me sick looking at it and maybe I have a disgusting mind, but it shouldn't be turned red.

Sorry LOL

 

[Single Cruiser]

Laundry was back, washed and pressed within 24hrs! 

[js]

Thank you very much for your review. I loved spending the week on the Encore LOL
We are booked for August 2020 since we didn't want to have to fly since there are seven of us in the Haven.

 

Is the Guns and Rojas band a cover band that plays Guns and Roses? I will be in my glory!

Thanks.

 

[ceilidh1]

Thanks for your honest review/thoughts. I've been following both you and Doug as I've been eagerly awaiting Encore coming West. However, nothing has wowed me about the ship so far and I find I agree with all of the "negatives" you mentioned. It's disappointing - I love Bliss and thought Encore would be a step up from it. Now I'm thinking I will stick with Bliss or maybe give Joy a try!

[Shidah]

1 hour ago, js said:

 

I really didn't have an opinion about this, although the ones on the Away ships are much nicer, but when I saw a picture of it in red, it almost made me sick looking at it and maybe I have a disgusting mind, but it shouldn't be turned red.

Sorry LOL

 

I will make anyone a wager that it is not the finished product.  The material is torn, overlapped, dirty in some areas.  

[Single Cruiser]

6 hours ago, js said:

Thank you very much for your review. I loved spending the week on the Encore LOL
We are booked for August 2020 since we didn't want to have to fly since there are seven of us in the Haven.

 

Is the Guns and Rojas band a cover band that plays Guns and Roses? I will be in my glory!

Thanks.

 

they do all rock .  From Nirvana to Quo and Depeche Mode.   Anything with a good guitar rift .

[Single Cruiser]

4 hours ago, Shidah said:

I will make anyone a wager that it is not the finished product.  The material is torn, overlapped, dirty in some areas.  

Apparently it’s to represent plastic pollution in the seas 🤷‍♂️

[Single Cruiser]

So we had a great passenger led “Oktoberfest” event this afternoon in the DBH,  it was great fun and lots dressed up with prizes for Steiner lifting contests etc.  
 

 

 

And our star master of ceremonies and blogger @TheDougOut with his better half.

 

[Single Cruiser]

The bad news is that apparently we are not to get a nice warm welcome to America.  Instead after sail in on Sunday we are hearing USA CBP wants to turf us all out into the freezing streets of New York and no one is allowed to reboard until all passengers have left!

 

Apparently this is because they won’t work on the Monday which is a public holiday in USA!

means all including elderly, infirm, kids thrown out for 4-5 hours.

 

Welcome to America!

 

TBH something like this happens most TA to USA mainland.  Into St Thomas no issues but both Miami and NY hours of waiting, 

 

 

[CazV]

1 minute ago, Single Cruiser said:

The bad news is that apparently we are not to get a nice warm welcome to America.  Instead after sail in on Sunday we are hearing USA CBP wants to turf us all out into the freezing streets of New York and no one is allowed to reboard until all passengers have left!

 

Apparently this is because they won’t work on the Monday which is a public holiday in USA!

means all including elderly, infirm, kids thrown out for 4-5 hours.

 

Welcome to America!

 

TBH something like this happens most TA to USA mainland.  Into St Thomas no issues but both Miami and NY hours of waiting, 

 

 

 

That sucks! 😞 

[jennmaybe]

Is there a list anywhere that tells us which dining venues and activities are complimentary?

 

I apologize if it is out here somewhere and I have missed it.

[jennmaybe]

Yes, Monday here in America is Veterans Day. This is the day in which we honor all of our Veteran military personnel.  It is a federal holiday and all of the government will be closed.

Edited November 8, 2019 by jennmaybe

[CazV]

4 minutes ago, jennmaybe said:

Is there a list anywhere that tells us which dining venues and activities are complimentary?

 

I apologize if it is out here somewhere and I have missed it.

 

Here you go... dining info: https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/cruise/norwegian-encore/dining

Edited November 8, 2019 by CazV

[atanac]

9 minutes ago, Single Cruiser said:

The bad news is that apparently we are not to get a nice warm welcome to America.  Instead after sail in on Sunday we are hearing USA CBP wants to turf us all out into the freezing streets of New York and no one is allowed to reboard until all passengers have left!

...all including elderly, infirm, kids thrown out for 4-5 hours.

 

This is a real hassle as last year after arriving in San Francisco after leaving Canada the same issue happened on Bliss.. Everyone had to clear before they would allow anyone back on. We were out for around 4 hours and decided to return for lunch. There were hundreds waiting inside the terminal wanting to reboard but some passengers actually hid because they didn't want to leave. We heard later one couple was sick and asleep in their bed and they didn't want to leave the ship at all.

We gave up after sitting inside for a couple hours and just went back into the city for a very late lunch.

 

 

 

[jennmaybe]

Thank you CazV!!

[dutch50]

My DH and I will be cruising on her for a B2B on December 1st. We are not ones to spend a lot of time on the pool deck. Have spent years enjoying the poolside fun and games but there are still lots of other venues to enjoy on this ship. Not disappointed in the new deck changes as we love other options. We love the observation lounge where we can spend some down time reading. The buffet there has great eats.  Also, the bar is a great place to have an afternoon drink and enjoy the view. We love the Cellars pre dinner and maybe a show after dinner. Love the shows!! Our last stop for the night is the observation lounge bar for our favorite espresso martinis. Had to pay an extra $3.90 on the Bliss but, well worth it to us. Have been on more than 30 cruises and every ship has it’s plusses  and minuses. The way to love every one is to have an open mind , let those crew members that are trying their best to make your Cruise a great experience know that you appreciate and respect them and go with the flow!! You really have to try hard to have a bad cruise. So ....ready to board this ship!!! 

[Single Cruiser]

So whilst the talk of the bars tonight was this ludicrous idea of immigration.  One couple with a young child in a chair who would be in bed normally past 7.   One solo lady saying she didn’t feel safe alone in a strange foreign city like NY as they reckon not enough space to stay in the cruise terminal/shed building! 
 

Really putting a downer on the cruise.  To top it off rough seas have returned and some have retired to their beds.

 

we had dinner reservations at Cagneys tonight from 20:30 not knowing it overlapped the first showing of Kinky Boots.  We have that booked for the matinee show at 1PM Sat which in turn Means we miss @TheDougOut Ryder hiccup game.   

[Peachypooh]

1 hour ago, Single Cruiser said:

So whilst the talk of the bars tonight was this ludicrous idea of immigration.  One couple with a young child in a chair who would be in bed normally past 7.   One solo lady saying she didn’t feel safe alone in a strange foreign city like NY as they reckon not enough space to stay in the cruise terminal/shed building! 
 

Really putting a downer on the cruise.  To top it off rough seas have returned and some have retired to their beds.

 

we had dinner reservations at Cagneys tonight from 20:30 not knowing it overlapped the first showing of Kinky Boots.  We have that booked for the matinee show at 1PM Sat which in turn Means we miss @TheDougOut Ryder hiccup game.   

The Manhattan Cruise terminal is like a big warehouse. If you are only half full you might just might all fit in there.

 

[imlulu]

NYC is a great city any time. Is it that you have to clear and reboard or you can actually go into the city once cleared?  For 3-4 hours, I would hop over to Hell’s Kitchen (close to cruise terminal) and have some dinner, drinks, and dessert. Hope you enjoy your time in NYC. Thanks for your cruise review and  safe travels home.

[Shidah]

I agree, there are plenty of cabs right across the street, and 3-4 hours in the greatest city in the world is a dream.  Heck, go to Broadway and catch a play.  I feel much more safe in NY than half the ports I have visited on western carribean cruises.  Plus the the terminal is huge.

[KeithJenner]

I think the point is that having to deal with this isn't ideal, and it can be quite difficult to plan for.

 

I know from experience that immigration when entering the US from a Transatlantic can take a long time. On the Escape it took about two hours of queueing to just get off the ship.That's potentially a big chunk out the evening.

 

Personally, I think I would try to get off as soon as possible and head into the city for a few hours as suggested, but would be doing this accepting that it is likely to cost me a not insignificant amount of money (drinks are free onboard, NYC price in the city), and will miss the last night onboard. Being a TA where you tend to get to know a lot of other passengers (usually more than on other cruises), this disruption to last night would be a disappointment.

 

And I am saying that as someone who knows NYC quite well, and is very confident travelling by myself. I haven't got a young child for example. It's really easy to say how relatively safe NYC is, but that doesn't necessarily help those passengers who are less comfortable on their own.

 

You obviously have to make the best of it, and it may work out OK, but it certainly isn''t ideal and I can imagine that it is a major concern to some.