Encore / Live / Solo(*)- Dec 1-8-2019...

[sid_9169]

We wanted to check out more of the beach, so we gathered our belongings and walked down towards the Soggy Dollar.

 

Oh, I forgot. Before we left Seddys, I wanted to write on their wall. They have a tub full of markers, but all the good ones like black and red were used up. I got stuck with brown and blue, so it didn't really turn out great. Plus, I was standing on a barstool...

 

[sid_9169]

We made it down to Soggy Dollar, and as usual, there was a line at the bar. Surprisingly, it took less time to get a drink here than the last place. Their very efficient like that. Like I said earlier, the painkillers here were good, but not great. At least not the one I had. There was nothing wrong with it, but at the same time, it didn't change my life.

 

A couple of pictures of the new Soggy Dollar. The original was blown away by the hurricane in 2017...

 

They're big supporters of the law enforcement community here, and people bring patches from their departments and put them on the ceiling...

 

[sid_9169]

Pretty soon, those drinks made their way through my system, so you can probably guess what happens next... If you guessed "take a photograph of the restroom" give yourself ten points...

 

Oh, and since we're at the beach, I'm barefoot... Of course, the floor of the restroom is covered in sand, as well as a mixture of probably a thousand strangers urine. I just decided to let my OCD go for a moment, and just walked right in.

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by sid_9169

[sid_9169]

I wanted to take a swim, so we found some people at a table to look after our bags. One of the small cruise ships there was a German ship. I believe it was called Europa or something like that. Anyway, all the passengers were German, so there were a lot of people wearing speedos there... We found some honest looking Germans to watch our stuff while we went in for a swim.

 

The water here is just magnificent, but your swimming right up against a wall of catamarans, and also the dinghys that come back and forth to the shore. The water was very nice, and there aren't really any waves here, so I decided to walk out into the water with my phone and take some pictures. I really wanted to get that shot, but at the same time, I didn't want to drop my $600 phone in the water. It claims to be waterproof, but I have no intention of testing it. I just decided to go out just for a minute and try to get a couple of shots...

 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by sid_9169

[sid_9169]

 

[dgladis210]

First time posting. Been riding with you on this trip.  I am on the 1/5 sail date.  Looking forward to it even more now!!

[sid_9169]

It was getting close to our pick up time, so people started gathering at the other end of the beach. It was the only clear area where the catamaran could get up close. They told everyone to line up above the top water line in case the boat surged forward with the surf. I somehow ended up being the very first one back on the boat, even though there were about ten people down there before me. On the way back, I didn't really take any pictures until we were approaching the Encore... I was sitting in the exact spot that I was on the way over, which was right next to Captain Claudia. We talked about the different types of charter customers that she has to deal with sometimes. About the different islands of the BVI. Richard Branson, and the few islands that he owns there. She said he sometimes hangs out at White Bay, and he's a very approachable person, and an all around class act.

 

I would definitely recommend visiting here with the Rebel Yell if you ever find yourself on an NCL cruise to Tortola. I wish that I would have had time to wander over to my favorite roti spot in Road Town, but we were cutting it close on time already. Plus we had already eaten, and had Ocean Blue on the agenda for tonight...

 

We made it closer to the dock, and soon I would be back on board for the final journey back to Miami... I wish I could figure out a way to stay on another week, but I think I'm going find myself several pounds heavier when I get home already.

 

 

[sid_9169]

Tug or no tug? I prefer tug...

 

 

[sid_9169]

Well, that's probably going to wrap it up for tonight... Yes, I know it's only 9:40, and I've had about a hundred hours of sleep this week already. Some people, when they go on a cruise like to stay out late, or all night, even... Well, I'm not that guy... I go to bed relatively early at home already, so when I'm day drinking and getting sunburned, I like to just crash and enjoy it. Sleeping is probably one of my favorite things to do in life anyway...

 

Till tomorrow... Thank all of you for being here, and I still have a lot to get to in the next couple of days... Santa will be bringing each and every one of you a thank you card when I get home...

[deedle7544]

I mean, a little tug....🤣

 

Couldn't resist!  Great review!!!!

[LuvCruiSun]

Tortola looks amazing! Thank you for all your amazing pics!

[Katxx]

Im on the 12/8 sailing and really appreciate the review!

[Hogladyrider]

Love JVD.

[debenson0723]

Great review as always.  If you get a chance and see Jovo again (maybe in the Haven bar?) can you ask him how long he will be on the Encore?  I have sailed with him twice on the Bliss and would love to see him again. Thanks so much...safe travels.

[herdingdogmom]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

On the way back, I didn't really take any pictures until we were approaching the Encore... I was sitting in the exact spot that I was on the way over, which was right next to Captain Claudia. We talked about the different types of charter customers that she has to deal with sometimes. About the different islands of the BVI. Richard Branson, and the few islands that he owns there. She said he sometimes hangs out at White Bay, and he's a very approachable person, and an all around class act.

 

Beautiful pictures.  It is so nice to see the recovery after the hurricane.  We were on the Rebel Yell 3 years ago.  Is that a new catamaran since the hurricane?  It looks a bit fresher than I remember but about the same size.

 

 

[JandPB]

JVD is a bucket list destination for us. This has been another fantastic journey. 

[threewide]

On 12/2/2019 at 10:00 AM, sid_9169 said:

Artwork outside Food Republic.

 

 

I'll have to remember not to there, with a hangover!

I'm late to the party, but what the hell, i only have 44 days to go!

Great work Sid!

[bina]

Sid,

 

thank you for taking along at each port, I am now inspired to take the unbeaten path when I travel.

 

The food and drink porn is also top notch 😊😊

[Slainte57]

Gorgeous beach, mouthwatering food pOrn and delicious looking drink pictures.

Enjoy the rest of your time on board!

[sid_9169]

I'm thinking about doing Food Republic for lunch today...

 

[sid_9169]

I wish the website could just put the text and pictures in the order that I placed them... And, I don't have any idea how that blue text got there.

 

The elevator lobbies are really nice, and the new style of carpet is fresh...

 

[bkrickles1]

10 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Well, that's probably going to wrap it up for tonight... Yes, I know it's only 9:40, and I've had about a hundred hours of sleep this week already. Some people, when they go on a cruise like to stay out late, or all night, even... Well, I'm not that guy... I go to bed relatively early at home already, so when I'm day drinking and getting sunburned, I like to just crash and enjoy it. Sleeping is probably one of my favorite things to do in life anyway...

 

Till tomorrow... Thank all of you for being here, and I still have a lot to get to in the next couple of days... Santa will be bringing each and every one of you a thank you card when I get home...

Thanks for the review, especially the pics and comments for the Escape to JVD excursion. I just sent some of your pics to my 19yo daughter and she's excited for the whole experience. The "Rebel Yell" looks great!

I'm sailing Encore 1/19 and doing that same excursion, except I'm doing the early time slot.

Did you happen to catch a glimpse of "Hendo's"?

I believe it's to the right of "Soggy" and I think that's going to be my family's spot when we go.

I know both places have loungers in front of their establishments and we plan on grabbing a few of those during our stay.

I figure all the places are pretty close together, so I'm sure we'll wander around and try a few.

Thanks again and continue to enjoy your last couple of days.

[luvcruzing]

Great job, Sid.  Thanks for taking us along.

 

I’m assuming the water wasn’t very deep getting off the Rebel Yell so that you could keep your phone and other belongings dry?

[sid_9169]

The area across from the Social that has traditionally been Le Bistro has been replaced with Coco's chocolates and ice cream.

 

All the away class ships feature this round ottoman at the aft of deck 6... Lots of people like to take pictures here. That's my coffee on the floor, modeling...

 

The Manhattan Room MDR... They're about to have an art auction, so I couldn't get a decent picture. Also, I haven't been to the MDR for dinner all week, only lunch on embarkation day...

 

Skyline Bar... Never went there...

 

[sid_9169]

18 minutes ago, luvcruzing said:

Great job, Sid.  Thanks for taking us along.

 

I’m assuming the water wasn’t very deep getting off the Rebel Yell so that you could keep your phone and other belongings dry?

Yes, it's about knee deep...