It's time for some Mojitos - NCL Encore Live Review Sept 4th 2021

[aubreyc1988]

6 hours ago, coastcat said:

It always just depends, doesn’t it? I tried Onda - fabulous bread, even more fabulous appetizers (octopus)… and a badly overcooked fish entree. Looked pretty, was inedible.

 

I’d still book Onda on my next Encore or Spirit cruise, though. The bread was served with an eggplant dip. I ate the entire bowl. I don’t like eggplant. That’s how good it was. 

 

Right now I’m on Majestic Princess. If this ship comes anywhere near Encore, I’d be sorely tempted to make a beeline to the NCL ship. It’s day 3 of my first Princess cruise and it’s already clear that it’s not a good fit for my style. Also, they only serve one kind of mojito here. 

We are on Bliss together tho on Oct 24th, right? Too bad about only one kind of a mojito! It's 4pm local and I haven't had a mojito yet, need to go rectify that situation pronto!

[Wink87]

On 9/5/2021 at 10:06 PM, chefchick said:

Huh?  We are boarding next week!  Entertainment is, IMO, NCLs strong suit…I was excited that all the shows were back.  Can anyone confirm why?

Just checked what's available for entertainment on my Sept 25 departure and kinky boots is not listed. Choir of man is, but says book on board. I am bummed.

[aubreyc1988]

On 9/5/2021 at 6:12 PM, Wink87 said:

Looks like your sea is a little choppy tonight.

it was a little bit, but has been smooth since then

[aubreyc1988]

21 hours ago, lotsofkids said:

Thank you very much for sharing your cruise with us. I am loving all that you post. Your packing skills and organizing are absolutely top notch! I am on the Encore's 9/18 sailing and you just reminded me to take my portable charging brick! (tks!)

So sorry the shows are canceled....but I love your attitude, so I know you will continue to have a marvelous vacation.

I do have one question about that incredible Prime Rib.....was that offered on the first night/Saturday??
I would hate to miss that if I had a specialty restaurant booked. That deserves to book my dining AROUND that! LOL.

It was the first night! And thanks for following along, I think as long as you understand that things can change a lot onboard, you will have a great time 

[chefchick]

38 minutes ago, Wink87 said:

Just checked what's available for entertainment on my Sept 25 departure and kinky boots is not listed. Choir of man is, but says book on board. I am bummed.

Kinky Boots hasn’t been listed on the app or online to book for quite a while and COM always was….so, (nothing has really changed).  
 

aubreyc1988, have any updates been given as to WHY no entertainment this week?  Are there any replacements?  Hope you are having a good time btw. 🥂

[FlGoodShips]

48 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I will go look for that onboard tonight, so look for it later tonight

Thank you. Just the pictures on the wall are fine.

Again,  thank you and have fun🍸

[illinigirl87]

Just wondering what time did you arrive in Icy Strait Point yesterday? I know the 9/11 departure still shows a 1 pm arrival on 9/13 but they have been arriving late.

Edited September 8, 2021 by illinigirl87

[Kellerfox]

2 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

OK here for a recap! Cruise Critic will not work on my browsers on my phone, plus the internet on the ship has not been great

 

Yesterday was Icy Strait Point. We walked to Hoonah and back, checked out the small town there, talked to a local artist making a commissioned Totem for the city.  I sort of wish we would have done an excursion, but everything was pretty expensive so it is what it is. 

 

Today is Glacier Bay, which has been beautiful! We saw a few small calving, but nothing like what I saw in 2019. Great weather, a bit cold but dry the most part. Went to take a nap, when I opened my eyes and looked out the balcony I saw a ORCA and about lost my mind trying to get out to my balcony to look at it. Very cool!

 

We have ONDA tonight, very excited for it!

 

 

Thanks for the play by play of your trip! I can’t express how appreciated it is. 

 

Question: Are the pictures you posted above the closest the Encore gets to glaciers in Glacier Bay (lovely pictures by the way!)? Does it do a 360 so that all balconies get a view, or do you need to be on deck to ensure a view?

 

My wife and I sailed Glacier Bay on a smaller HAL ship in 2019. The HAL ship got incredibly close to Margerie Glacier (half a mile - ish) and spun 360 for about an hour. That was 5 or 6 complete spins. When booking our Sept. 25th Encore and Glacier Bay trip I just assumed we would be having the same experience… but now I’m worried it can’t get as close due to its size. It will be an awesome (and much needed) trip regardless, just trying to make sure we align our expectations with reality.

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Kellerfox

[TardisDance]

13 minutes ago, illinigirl87 said:

Just wondering what time did you arrive in Icy Strait Point yesterday? I know the 9/11 departure still shows a 1 pm arrival on 9/13 but they have been arriving late.

We have a whale watch with a local vendor and they said around 2:30 this past Monday which is the earliest arrival lately.  The vendor keeps updating and adjusting the time for our 9/15 arrival.  It’s sounds pretty hectic for the vendors.  I’m glad I didn’t schedule specialty dining since it’s going to be a late day potentially.

[Shellbelle28]

17 minutes ago, Kellerfox said:

Thanks for the play by play of your trip! I can’t express how appreciated it is.

 

Question: Are the pictures you posted above the closest the Encore gets to glaciers in Glacier Bay? Does it do a 360 so that all balconies get a view, or do you need to be on deck to ensure a view?

 

My wife and I sailed Glacier Bay on a smaller HAL ship in 2019. The HAL ship got incredibly close to Margerie Glacier (half a mile - ish) and spun 360 for about an hour. When booking our Sept. 25th Encore and Glacier Bay trip I just assumed we would be having the same experience… but now I’m worried it can’t get as close due to its size. It will be an awesome (and much needed) trip regardless, just trying to make sure we align our expectations with reality.

 

Edit: also realizing that ship size might not be the only factor… going later in the season = more ice in the water = can’t get as close.

 

Edit 2: Your pictures are also very nice, looks like a perfect day!

I think it also can depend on the time of year. If seals are calving, the Park Service limits how close ships can go. 

[Kellerfox]

2 hours ago, Shellbelle28 said:

I think it also can depend on the time of year. If seals are calving, the Park Service limits how close ships can go. 

That makes a lot of sense too!

[JYDCruise]

On 9/5/2021 at 7:45 AM, BeerMan007 said:

Shows:

   - Kinky Boots: in my opinion, at least 30 minutes too long. Singing, dancing, musical with drag queens.  

   - Choir of Men: sorry if this is not scheduled.  Fun, high energy show. I had low expectations for an all male cast, but a bar setting where they send free beer out to the audience before the show is a neat concept for me.

   - Magician: more comedy than magic, but I enjoyed the first short show.

   - Beatles: great music, but I enjoyed the Epic Beatles group more.  Paul should play left handed to be authentic.  Encore's George Harrison, while talented, bears zero resemblance to the Fab 4.  I didn't go to the Cavern Club for a show.

  

I never had much interest in seeing Kinky Boots on Broadway, so passed on this last week as well. I assume that they've cut some of the show, so if it's still too long  . . .

 

Choir of Man was excellent. While I liked the Beatles show, there was something lacking. They played well, but I just don't think their voices matched the Beatles that closely.

[aubreyc1988]

7 hours ago, Kellerfox said:

Thanks for the play by play of your trip! I can’t express how appreciated it is. 

 

Question: Are the pictures you posted above the closest the Encore gets to glaciers in Glacier Bay (lovely pictures by the way!)? Does it do a 360 so that all balconies get a view, or do you need to be on deck to ensure a view?

 

My wife and I sailed Glacier Bay on a smaller HAL ship in 2019. The HAL ship got incredibly close to Margerie Glacier (half a mile - ish) and spun 360 for about an hour. That was 5 or 6 complete spins. When booking our Sept. 25th Encore and Glacier Bay trip I just assumed we would be having the same experience… but now I’m worried it can’t get as close due to its size. It will be an awesome (and much needed) trip regardless, just trying to make sure we align our expectations with reality.

 

We did do a 360, but we didn't spend much time at Margerie. On the Bliss in 2019, I feel like we were in Glacier Bay longer but my memory could be wrong. It certainly did not take an hour to 360.  I would recommend viewing the glacier on the waterfront  vs sitting on balcony so you can see it twice, once on each side of the ship to have the ultimate time to see if any calving happens. Not much did this time, but every day is different!  They also open up the helipad area for everyone to walk around, which is cool because pretty much the only time passengers get to go there (also on Deck 8 so easy to go there while hanging out on waterfront) I think your experience on a bigger ship, well you are going to be further away. But I'm actually ok with it, as I think it's better for the glacier/wild life.  

 

They also had coffee/coffee with booze/some bakery items out on the waterfront in the morning, but no blankets so bring your own! It will be cold most likely. 

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

7 hours ago, illinigirl87 said:

Just wondering what time did you arrive in Icy Strait Point yesterday? I know the 9/11 departure still shows a 1 pm arrival on 9/13 but they have been arriving late.

We were early, I believe...and we took our sweet time coming in...maybe got in at 2? I also only waited like 5 min max for gondola and no line for getting off the ship or anything. Everything has been very orderly. But like I said,. we are pretty easy going. 

 

Tomorrow in Juneau we have a 9:30AM excursion doing gold panning, then if time allows a. quick walk around the town if they let us. 

[aubreyc1988]

8 hours ago, chefchick said:

Kinky Boots hasn’t been listed on the app or online to book for quite a while and COM always was….so, (nothing has really changed).  
 

aubreyc1988, have any updates been given as to WHY no entertainment this week?  Are there any replacements?  Hope you are having a good time btw. 🥂

Besides that one tv screenshot someone posted (Which I never saw), nothing has been said about it. 

 

Also, my TV is the worst ever. Not only is it super slow loading anything, but it also tries to make me watch the muster drill all the time. My husband figured out how to bypass it, but it is annoying doing it everytime we turn on the TV, so we don't really read announcements and such on there. 

 

According the rumors on the ship, several members of cruise director staff (including Silas) are in quarantine so could be that show members are too, but these are rumors and NOT facts. 

 

and yes, having a blast even with no shows. We certainly have been doing lots of interesting events. We did this game show called "Eliminator" which was...probably the worst game show I have ever participated in. So hard to describe why it was so bad, just take my word for it. But I know the entertainment staff is doing their best, so I participate when I can even in the weirdest of things haha

[aubreyc1988]

We have arrived early in Juneau, no one has been let off yet but wow, so beautiful! Have been here before but it always look so mystical! 

[aubreyc1988]

ONDA was great. I didn't get any photos of my husband's food, but he got octopus which he said was ok, branzino which he said was fabulous. I got margherita pizza (decent), spaghetti (wow so delish) and tiramisu (delish)

 

Service has been so good and so fast because there are only 2300 people on board.  Don't stress about finding reservations to dinner, there has always been lots of empty tables all week. 

 

I got this drink called Getaway which was mojito-esque, very light and crisp. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by aubreyc1988

[Nancy2C]

Thank you so much for the info and helpful photos.  I'm following on next cruise. Anyone commenting on studio solo area, as this is my first solo. So wanted to have a way to meet others but with protocols, wondered if all studio gatherings were cancelled?

[DCGuy64]

Thank you, @aubreyc1988! Photos are awesome, as are your descriptions of basically everything!

[KAYKAY121]

On 9/5/2021 at 2:33 AM, aubreyc1988 said:

Day 1 Recap: 

 

Wow, what a beautiful day!  I met up with some lovely CC members and old friends from past sailings, had many mojitos, walked around the Encore, enjoyed a quick one hour nap, went to buffet, saw the opening night magic show and gambled a little, all on 2-3 hrs of sleep! 

 

Some thoughts:

 

Everything with the flight/transfer/testing/check in went super smooth. Any hiccups that were present in the first sailings seem to be taken care of.  I will say I probably will never fly in the day of the cruise again, just because in order to get the first flight out of the airport, you have to get up SUPER early and kind of starts off your cruise with being SUPER exhausted.  I definitely prefer flying in the day before and being well rested, but it was cool to try to "day of" approach. I finally braved it and now I am going back to my usual. 

 

We ate in Taste for lunch which was very good, had the buffet for supper which was meh, and we ate a few apps at The Local (mac and cheese and pretzel bites) which were not good.  The liquid cheese on the mac and cheese had split and tasted BLEH, and the pretzel bites were just hard and the cheese had zero flavor. But hey, it's free and that is OK, but hopefully tomorrow will be better for food (we do have reservations at Ocean Blue) I mostly get kinda of meh about blah tasting food because it's got to be worth the calories, you know?!?!

 

Because it takes so long to get out into international waters, casino didn't open until around 9:30-10pm. Normally I'd hit the slots for a few hours, but we were so tired I only played 2-3 games and my husband played Pai Gow for about 20 minutes before we called it quits for the night.  I told him "my eyes are literally burning, so I know I just have to call it". It's sad, because there is SO much I want to do tonight, but tomorrow is a brand new day. Hopefully I can sleep in and party all night long tomorrow. We did end up 80.00, which for 20 minutes of play is great! Although tomorrow will be a different story I am sure haha!

 

Choir of Man will not be playing on this weeks cruise due to "technical difficulties".  It's fine, I'd watch a crew member roll silverware on stage, I am just so happy to be onboard! 

 

Earlier I said "Most passengers were great". I am going to elaborate on the few "not so great" passengers, so that people reading this can be like "ooooh ok I won't do this".  I don't think the passengers who did this were trying to be rude or obnoxious, they were just a little clueless....OOOOKAY so here goes. At three different occasions at three different bars, I overheard passengers next to me asking the bartenders questions about the crew that tested positive on the prior weeks sailing.  Some of the questions were just downright awful, like "were they thrown overboard" or "Omg I hope you aren't positive", "Do they send them back to their country if the test positive?", all sorts of bizarre questions like this  When the bartenders were obviously very uncomfortable with these questions, especially since they might know these crewmembers, but people kept bombarding them about it, saying give us all the details, how sick are they, etc.  I don't know where these passengers live, but you would think they have 0 community spread by how they were reacting about this to these poor bartenders.  So please, respect the crewmembers/passengers who tested possible, NCL is following proper protocols, contact NCL headquarters or someone at guest services if you have more questions.  Sorry to get on my soapbox but it was SO hard to not say anything to these people at the bar while I was there, but I felt terrible for the bartenders who were put in a tough spot. 

 

ANYHOW, off my soapbox now and onto more fun cruise stuff. Meet and mingle tomorrow, more drinks and gambling, hoping to spot some wildlife perhaps, and Ocean Blue tomorrow! I believe we have a show booked, but can't remember what.  I will also load todays Dailies tomorrow morning. I can't do it tonight because they are on my husbands phone, husband is asleep and I'd get in trouble if I messed with his phone LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Soapbox is fine. The vaccine, like the flu vaccine is not going to end any virus (just sayin).  NCL is requiring full vaccination and testing. They are going beyond what is required to slow the spread. Glad your first day was amazing.  Your packing tips are great. Enjoy.  I am so jealous. just 109 days to go. 

 

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, Nancy2C said:

Thank you so much for the info and helpful photos.  I'm following on next cruise. Anyone commenting on studio solo area, as this is my first solo. So wanted to have a way to meet others but with protocols, wondered if all studio gatherings were cancelled?

When I was on Encore (August 7), all solo activities were in place. We had daily meetings hosted by the effervescent Brenda, group dinners, and the usual snacks & beverages available 24/7 in the Studio Lounge. 
 

Honestly, except for the requirement to wear masks in ports, the protocol changes were unnoticeable. 

[graphicguy]

@aubreyc1988...thanks so much for taking time out of your vacay to post.  It takes a lot of time.

 

You're making me look forward to sailing in a few weeks.

 

 

[JYDCruise]

3 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

ONDA was great. I didn't get any photos of my husband's food, but he got octopus which he said was ok, branzino which he said was fabulous. I got margherita pizza (decent), spaghetti (wow so delish) and tiramisu (delish)

 

Isn't it amazing how delicious a simple spaghetti with tomato sauce can be?

[creosotegirl]

Are the entertainers at the bars still performing?  Have you found one or two whom you really enjoyed?  If the major shows are still cancelled next week, I may just hang out in the bars.

[fsujewelz]

I read somewhere what you can get blankets

bu asking at the towel stand by the pool. Is that true? 
 

I appreciate your packing tips for the week, I too will be doing a carryon and backpack instead of a large suitcase. All about the packing cubes and maximizing space!