Detailed Review of Encore (1-19-20 to 1-26-20)

[dshefter]

We just enjoyed a fabulous week aboard NCL’s newest ship, the Encore. For background, this was my 14th cruise overall and fourth with NCL, having previously sailed on the Pearl, Gem and Escape. I am 54 years old and sailed with my wife, who celebrated a birthday aboard the ship, and our 16-year-old daughter. We had a balcony stateroom on Deck 13.

My initial thoughts upon boarding were, “Wow, this ship is massive.” It reminded me of the Escape on steroids. In some ways, the design was similar in terms of the public areas on Decks 5, 6, 7 and 8. Some things were different as the Kids’ clubs were down on Deck 5. The Encore also has a Go Kart track and Laser Tag, which was not on the Escape (it had a Ropes Course and Spice H2O, an area that has drawn a lot of conversation on Cruise Critic and other boards).

The lack of space around the pool is a valid complaint. Chairs are literally on top of one another, and on sea days, it was a sea of humanity. Thankfully, we purchased Vibe passes. It gave my wife and I a piece of mind, even if meant paying $209 and having to get on the ship early to procure one of the 300 available passes. I’m not sure when this area sold out, but my guess is you had to be among the first three or four groups. We spent $179 to have Priority Access, which allowed us to board the ship with the Platinum, Platinum Plus and Ambassador guests. It gave us a chance to get to the Q Restaurant in time to purchase the passes.

Vibe, by the way, is a separate area on Decks 19 and 20 for anyone 18 and older. My only beef with the area is the lack of a small pool. NCL could have designed one on Deck 20 to go along with the two hot tubs on Deck 19, the bar area (Deck 19), two showers (Deck 19) and mister (Deck 20). Bar service was great and we never dealt with the mass of humanity in the pool area.

Embarkation was as quick as I remember for a cruise. Once security opened at 10 a.m., we had our cards and were in the lounge area within 10 minutes. They don’t even take your photo anymore. They glean the image from your passport.

For those who don’t want to fight the crowds, you can eat lunch at Taste or Savor on embarkation day. Food, on a smaller scale, can be found in the Observation Lounge on Deck 15. By the way, the Observation Lounge is the most underrated section of the ship. A great place to relax, have a drink and get awesome panoramic views. You can get a continental breakfast here each day as well.

We ate dinner in all three main dining rooms (Taste, Savor and Manhattan), which offer the same menus. Each night, there are different offerings, along with everyday staples such as Caesar Salad or NY Strip steak. We also paid for three nights in one of the specialty restaurants. We chose Onda by Scarpetta (Italian), Ocean Blue (seafood) and the Food Republic (Asian). We originally booked LeBistro (French), but got an email from NCL three days prior to departure that they had to cancel the reservation due to the restaurant being booked the entire week. NCL gave each of us $50 in onboard credit. I called NCL well before our scheduled departure to make restaurant reservations. You can also book once you get on board in Teriyaki restaurant on embarkation day.

All three specialty restaurants were terrific, as was the service. Each of our waiters went into detail what the SDP included. There are some items that have additional upcharges such as lobster and tiger shrimp and crab cakes. It’s too bad NCL no longer has a lobster night, but we understand that times have changed and so have the costs for such luxury food items. It doesn’t make or break our cruising experience.

The Garden Café also is quite spacious and a great spot for breakfast. There are plenty of egg/omelet stations. We also enjoyed breakfast in Taste/Savor, where I could get a bagel and lox. We did not use room service, which was available with our Priority Access.

Before we departed, I heard plenty of complaints regarding the service and crew. What cruise were they taking? Virtually every crew member we encountered was friendly and courteous. We never saw the cruise director, Roberto, but I hardly care about such things. I care more about great service in the restaurants and bars, and at customer-service desks. I always live by the motto: Treat those how you would like to be treated. Put yourself in their shoes. They are tireless workers serving 4000 people. We always make it a point to say please and thank you and ask how their day is going. Little touches go a long way.

Then there are the people who moan and groan about NCL “nickel-and-diming” its guests. Are there a lot of extra fees for things like go karts and laser tag? Yes. But do your research. Not once was I forced to take part in these activities. To me, there are plenty of other free things to do on the ship. Do research on the ship before you leave. Budget for “extras.” The go karts are worth $15. You get eight minutes and it’s a lot of fun. My wife and daughter actually went back again for a second session. They had no problem making a reservation. They also enjoyed the laser tag. I thought the Escape Room was a waste of time and money.  But you live and learn.

I did think the $9.95 cost to text and phone people on board was well worth it. I kept in touch with my family throughout the cruise as well as our friends who came along. Download the App and follow the instructions once you get onboard. The internet also worked very well. I paid $178 for unlimited use for the entire cruise. Was able to post items to Facebook, check email and get news/sports updates with ease. My daughter was able to log in to her school network to do some homework.

For smokers, there are only a couple places to puff cigarettes, which has created a lot of negative buzz. I don’t have an issue with this because a majority of people don’t smoke. Even the casino near my home has divided up the area for smokers and non-smokers, leaving more room and machines for the non-smokers. When I go to Vegas, I can’t smoke cigars at most blackjack tables. You live with it. The Encore has a very nice cigar lounge where cigarettes are verboten. I also had excellent bar service from nearby Maltings while I enjoyed my stogies. The room could be a little bigger (seats about 16), but I never had an issue finding an available leather chair.

We are also people who don’t go to a lot of the after-dinner parties, so I can’t comment on things like the Glow Party or other nighttime parties. We did see several shows, including Choir of Man, Kinky Boots and the comedians. Both shows were terrific – we thought Choir of Man was slightly better. Those boys can sing. The two comedians were entertaining; Bob Zany was better than Warren. Bob interacted well with the audience. We saw both their family and adult (18 and over) shows.

You do have to book your comedy shows either in The Social, NCL app or using your stateroom TV. Easier to just go to The Social on embarkation day. We got every show we wanted. I admit, having to book all of the’ shows can be a bit hectic. We have always just showed up and walked into comedy shows. But again, with this many passengers, you’ll have to have some way to keep track of the numbers.

Because NCL decided to add its private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, to our itinerary about a month prior to departure, our port time in Tortola was cut by 4 hours. That was disappointing, but we found GSC to be a nice island. We did a wave runner excursion that I would recommend. We also booked a Premier Cabana, which accommodated eight people. We shared it with another family of 4 that came along with us. It is $404 with a 10 percent discount for being a Latitudes member (I was Silver for this cruise). San Juan, to me, was a complete waste of time. First of all, we were there from 5 to 11:30 p.m. All you can really do is explore bars and restaurants in Old Town. We also stayed on the boat in St. Thomas (we had been there many times), except for an hour of shopping. The boat was a ghost town and we were able to do the water slides and enjoy the pool sans the crowds. We signed up for the Jost Van Dyke excursion but because I was one of later reservations, it was canceled because the company only could accommodate a small amount of people due to our short stay in Tortola. So I went into town and bought some Cuban cigars at Little Denmark, and my wife and daughter got a spa treatment.

I had no issues with our balcony stateroom (13896). Everything in the bathroom worked just fine and the bed was comfortable. The balcony itself was small, but not worth complaining about.

I did trivia a couple of times and I must say the questions were hard. I do wish NCL would have some more specific trivia categories like sports, geography, etc. We did not do any of the pay activities such as bingo or Deal or No Deal. Just don’t see the value in them. I also didn’t spend any time in the casino. My wife lost $150. There are plenty of tables and slot machines, plus an enclosed area for cigarette smokers (no cigars).

As for the water slides, there are two up on the pool deck and if you want to avoid the lines, use them on a port day. The Ocean Loop is phenomenal, but some people got stuck, presumably for not using the proper technique. I didn’t have an issue. It was super-fast and fun. The Aqua Racer is an inner-tube water slide that is slow. Great for young kids. To use the Ocean Loop, you have to be at least 120 pounds and remove all items such as watches, jewelry and Fit-Bits. Check the Daily or App to find out when these slides are in operation.

Finally, the ship did have some movement. I really felt it on Friday. I think it was because the captain was going full speed to make it to GSC on time from Tortola. I never got sick, but there were a few jolts. Otherwise, the movement was minimal. If you do have trouble with sea sickness, take along the appropriate medication.

So, would I sail the Encore again? Yes. She is a great ship with a great crew. But our next cruise is likely to be the Mediterranean on the Getaway or Dawn in 2021.

Feel free to send me questions or comments. Happy to answer them.

 

[McFins]

Thank you so much for your thorough review.  We are planning to go on the Encore in September to Canada-New England but have been concerned because of the of negative reviews.    Your review and and that of some others are making me feel better about it as we really want to try a new ship.

With respect to the ship movement/jolts....was there a lot of wind/waves at the time?  The reason I ask is because I can only recall feeling movement once on a mega ship...and that was when there were gale force winds....(perhaps I’ve  just been lucky).  Seems like folks speak of feeling movement on that ship more than they do on others and was wondering why.

Thank you again.  Glad you had a nice trip.

 

[biguntx]

Thanks so much for the review 

 

Sailing on the Encore on 02.02.2020

 

I appreciate positive minded providing informative reviews 

 

Thanks again 

[tx121]

Thanks for the review!

We will be sailing on the Encore this Sunday. One question, were you informed  the port times changed before the cruise or when you got onboard? Right now it says we will be in Tortola 8am-5pm. Was this also the time you were to be in this port? If our time is cut like your cruise was, that means we will only be there from 8am-1pm which seems like a waste. The only "full day" would be at the cruise lines private island. 😒

I really hope that we will still have a full day in Tortola. Like you said, San Juan is a waste since we only arrive there in the evening. St Thomas we are there from 6am-2:30pm. I didnt mind having half days at these ports since we have been there numerous times, but we were looking forward to exploring Tortola since we have never been there. 

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by tx121

[bkrickles1]

3 minutes ago, tx121 said:

One question, we will be sailing on the Encore this Sunday, were you informed  the port times changed before the cruise or when you got onboard? Right now it says we will be in Tortola 8am-5pm. Was this also the time you were to be in this port? If our time is cut like your cruise was, that means we will only be there from 8am-1pm which seems like a waste. The only "full day" would be at the cruise lines private island. 😒

I really hope that we will still have a full day in Tortola. Like you said, San Juan is a waste since we only arrive there in the evening. St Thomas we are there from 6am-1pm. I didnt mind having half days at these ports since we have been there numerous times, but we were looking forward to exploring Tortola since we have never been there. 

We were informed ahead of time of changes for 1/19 sailing but the changes were only to Tortola and the addition of GSC.

Tortola was changed from 8-5 to 6-2pm.

St. Thomas was a full day 8-6pm.

The times you're stating don't seem right so I'd check again in myncl.

[tx121]

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

We were informed ahead of time of changes for 1/19 sailing but the changes were only to Tortola and the addition of GSC.

Tortola was changed from 8-5 to 6-2pm.

St. Thomas was a full day 8-6pm.

The times you're stating don't seem right so I'd check again in myncl.

 I checked myncl and it looks like our cruise differs from the previous cruise where they swapped the days where we visit Tortola first and than St Thomas. So we will have a full day in Tortola instead of St Thomas which is great news! When I read the review I thought we had the same itinerary and St Thomas and Tortola would be early departures! Whew! 

[dshefter]

13 hours ago, McFins said:

Thank you so much for your thorough review.  We are planning to go on the Encore in September to Canada-New England but have been concerned because of the of negative reviews.    Your review and and that of some others are making me feel better about it as we really want to try a new ship.

With respect to the ship movement/jolts....was there a lot of wind/waves at the time?  The reason I ask is because I can only recall feeling movement once on a mega ship...and that was when there were gale force winds....(perhaps I’ve  just been lucky).  Seems like folks speak of feeling movement on that ship more than they do on others and was wondering why.

Thank you again.  Glad you had a nice trip.

 

My educated guess is the movement was caused by the ship going very fast to reach GSC in time and some wind/waves. When the boat was going slower, I hardly felt like we were moving at all.

[dshefter]

2 hours ago, tx121 said:

Thanks for the review!

We will be sailing on the Encore this Sunday. One question, were you informed  the port times changed before the cruise or when you got onboard? Right now it says we will be in Tortola 8am-5pm. Was this also the time you were to be in this port? If our time is cut like your cruise was, that means we will only be there from 8am-1pm which seems like a waste. The only "full day" would be at the cruise lines private island. 😒

I really hope that we will still have a full day in Tortola. Like you said, San Juan is a waste since we only arrive there in the evening. St Thomas we are there from 6am-2:30pm. I didnt mind having half days at these ports since we have been there numerous times, but we were looking forward to exploring Tortola since we have never been there. 

 

Yes. The news came about a month prior to sailing. It was about two weeks later that excursions were posted. Tortola went from 8 to 5 to 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Have a great cruise. 

[novanoto]

I completely agree with this review! We were on this sailing as well and had a great week. Service and staff from top to bottom were excellent...my wife and I commented to each other a few times that we couldn't for the life of us figure out how people on prior sailings had issues with the staff. I think people just look for things to complain about. 

 

As for the movement and motion, I agree...that Friday got interesting at times. Combination of winds and high speeds make for some rocking of the horizon...side to side and front to back. But at no time did we feel that we were going to be sick from it. Just was interesting up at the Vibe with the winds! 

 

Cheers to a great week! 

[dshefter]

16 minutes ago, novanoto said:

I completely agree with this review! We were on this sailing as well and had a great week. Service and staff from top to bottom were excellent...my wife and I commented to each other a few times that we couldn't for the life of us figure out how people on prior sailings had issues with the staff. I think people just look for things to complain about. 

 

As for the movement and motion, I agree...that Friday got interesting at times. Combination of winds and high speeds make for some rocking of the horizon...side to side and front to back. But at no time did we feel that we were going to be sick from it. Just was interesting up at the Vibe with the winds! 

 

Cheers to a great week! 

Thank you. It was tough to come home to temps in the 30s! We had a blast. Can't wait for our next NCL cruise, likely in 2021 to the Mediterranean. We have CruiseNext certificates to use within the next four years.

[novanoto]

3 minutes ago, dshefter said:

Thank you. It was tough to come home to temps in the 30s! We had a blast. Can't wait for our next NCL cruise, likely in 2021 to the Mediterranean. We have CruiseNext certificates to use within the next four years.

 

Same here across the board. We're in Chatham (Morris County) and it wasn't that fun getting off the plane on Sunday. I guess it could have been worse and could have been in the teens like it was when we left...but still. 

 

We too got CruiseNext certificates and I'm already getting antsy to see where we'll be headed next! 

[dshefter]

Just now, novanoto said:

 

Same here across the board. We're in Chatham (Morris County) and it wasn't that fun getting off the plane on Sunday. I guess it could have been worse and could have been in the teens like it was when we left...but still. 

 

We too got CruiseNext certificates and I'm already getting antsy to see where we'll be headed next! 

Don't live too far from you. We are in Stewartsville (near Phillipsburg). I work in Liberty Corner, N.J. Definitely Mediterranean for us (Greek Isles, Croatia and Montenegro, Italy). Either the Getaway (10- and 11-day sailings from Rome) or Dawn (7-day from Venice). Can't go wrong either way. Just a matter of time/price. One is a larger ship. 

[novanoto]

7 minutes ago, dshefter said:

Don't live too far from you. We are in Stewartsville (near Phillipsburg). I work in Liberty Corner, N.J. Definitely Mediterranean for us (Greek Isles, Croatia and Montenegro, Italy). Either the Getaway (10- and 11-day sailings from Rome) or Dawn (7-day from Venice). Can't go wrong either way. Just a matter of time/price. One is a larger ship. 

 

Ha, small world...not far at all. Plenty of companies I work with (insurance-related) in Liberty Corner, so I know it well. 

 

Yea, either of those Mediterranean itineraries would serve you quite well. It's all beautiful over there! 

[Lisalk12]

Thank you very much for the review. We still be aboard in June!  Can’t wait.