Live from NCL Encore 12/26

[favoritevacation]

1 hour ago, wildcat63 said:

Booked for Jan 9 cruise.

Are you aware of any guests contracting Covid during the cruise?

The ship does not make any announcements of that information. There is no mention of a pandemic. Just signs around the ship reminding you to wear your mask. We were on celebrity in October and Covid information was fully disclosed. I do believe that this ship is still yellow on the CDC chart- meaning they have cases, but less than 1%. 

[favoritevacation]

1 hour ago, big al said:

Is the Vibe Beach Club open? 

 

Big Al

Yep! Vibe is open!

[limeyalchemist]

20 hours ago, favoritevacation said:

Do you know what restaurants were open when you first got onboard?  We try to avoid the buffet when boarding...usually Local Bar/Grill and one complimentary restaurant is open thefirst day.

 

I just checked….

in addition to the buffet and local…..

savor and taste are open 12-2

and the observation lounge is open 11:30-5:00

 

Remember - our check in time was 12-12:30. We did not get on the ship until 3:30! 

 

Very much appreciated, thanks…please keep sharing any tidbits…

[limeyalchemist]

6 hours ago, favoritevacation said:

Yep! Vibe is open!

Do you happen to know how much a pass is to Vibe Beach Club?

[big al]

1 hour ago, limeyalchemist said:

Do you happen to know how much a pass is to Vibe Beach Club?

I think the daily rate is like $99.00, BUT the weekly pass ( much better deal ) is like $229.00..there are also 2 & 3 day passes...we are going to try & get 2 for us..at least a 3 day, if not the whole week...since there is no adult Spice H20, the Vibe club becomes more appealing IMO...

[chillyw]

We had a code announcement earlier on deck 8 (didn't hear which one). We made a bat turn and are hightailing it towards San Juan right now.

 

Assuming it's medical. Wishing the best for whoever it is.

 

 

[favoritevacation]

8 minutes ago, chillyw said:

We had a code announcement earlier on deck 8 (didn't hear which one). We made a bat turn and are hightailing it towards San Juan right now.

 

Assuming it's medical. Wishing the best for whoever it is.

 

 

Hi Chillyw! We were eating dinner at Cagneys on deck 8  tonight when they had the medical code announcement. Confirmed  by the maitre’d. The captain just announced that a crew member is being sent by helicopter to San Juan medical center!!! No more details - than to not use flash - if taking pictures. Not to distract the pilot! 

[TAMUPhD]

9 hours ago, favoritevacation said:

Yes. Todays hours are 

galaxy is open 2-9

laser tag open 5-9

speedway open 2-9

 

be sure to make a reservation for the speedway- I was surprised that as soon as we got on the ship, late, there were not many spots available! Husband has a 3pm reservation today! 

Thanks for the information you are providing.  We will be on the Jan 16 sailing.  does one just go to the speedway and/or laser tag to make a reservation?  Is there any walk-up opportunity for the speedway?

[chillyw]

9 minutes ago, favoritevacation said:

Hi Chillyw! We were eating dinner at Cagneys on deck 8  tonight when they had the medical code announcement. Confirmed  by the maitre’d. The captain just announced that a crew member is being sent by helicopter to San Juan medical center!!! No more details - than to not use flash - if taking pictures. Not to distract the pilot! 

 

Oh wow, thanks for the info!! I heard the captain come on but couldn't hear the announcement. Appreciate it.

Edited December 31, 2021 by chillyw

[favoritevacation]

The helicopter is hovering outside our balcony! A little scary in the middle of the ocean! I hope they tell us what is going on!!! The ship is more or less standing still and the helicopter is parallel to us….. moving slowly  toward the front of the ship. 

[favoritevacation]

[favoritevacation]

I will update if we get information. But I will say that the helicopter circled us 4 or 5 times and is now hovering again- pretty close. He is landing again! I sure hope they tell us what is going on- if not I will be sure to ask…..if anyone hears anything about what’s happening please chime in!!!!

[big al]

Can you let us know about the Bahamas Health Visa situation..there seems to be some confusion about needing a Bahamas Health Visa to get off ?

[favoritevacation]

4 hours ago, big al said:

Can you let us know about the Bahamas Health Visa situation..there seems to be some confusion about needing a Bahamas Health Visa to get off ?

We are only going to Ncls private bahama island so I don’t think that any special rules or regulations apply. If the Daily says anything different - I’ll let you know!

[favoritevacation]

Just an update on last night…..the crew member that was airlifted to the hospital is doing better. 
 

lots of ship wide parties tonight! Happy New Year!! Stay safe, healthy and have some fun! 

[chillyw]

11 minutes ago, favoritevacation said:

We are only going to Ncls private bahama island so I don’t think that any special rules or regulations apply. If the Daily says anything different - I’ll let you know!

 

The info the concierge gave us for tomorrow's disembarkation did not have any special rules!

[classy_cruiser]

Were there any major entertainment cancellations? 

[favoritevacation]

15 hours ago, classy_cruiser said:

Were there any major entertainment cancellations? 

There were no performances of Kinky Boots. 

[favoritevacation]

On 12/30/2021 at 9:52 AM, wildcat63 said:

Booked for Jan 9 cruise.

Are you aware of any guests contracting Covid during the cruise?

Yes.  We were told that a family was moved to a lower floor because they didn’t feel well and tested positive on Thursday. The crew does not share information if asked if there are Covid positive cases on board. When I hear someone cough, I move to another place. I have a test scheduled on Sunday once we are home . Hopefully, I will be still be negative! 

[classy_cruiser]

Thanks for the update! Did you make it to st. Thomas, Tortola and GSC? 

[favoritevacation]

2 hours ago, classy_cruiser said:

Thanks for the update! Did you make it to st. Thomas, Tortola and GSC? 

Yes. We made all scheduled ports- starting with Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and then those you listed. 

[classy_cruiser]

2 hours ago, favoritevacation said:

Yes. We made all scheduled ports- starting with Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and then those you listed. 

That is awesome. Did you happen to hear if the crew on encore had boosters already? Wondering why they don’t seem to be as affected as the other ships. 

[favoritevacation]

13 minutes ago, classy_cruiser said:

That is awesome. Did you happen to hear if the crew on encore had boosters already? Wondering why they don’t seem to be as affected as the other ships. 

The crew will not talk about Covid at all. When asked  about covid - they say that’s private information. So, I don’t really know if the crew on board is affected. I will say that they wear their kn95 ALL the time - indoors and outdoors. 
 

I did speak with a musician on board and he said the crew is tested weekly and if the ship numbers are up, they are sometimes tested twice a week. He said the crew was negative for awhile, until one crew member turned positive, presumably from a guest. 
 

while this ship was in Alaska, they were not let off. Once they got to the Caribbean, they were allowed off. 

[chillyw]

24 minutes ago, favoritevacation said:

The crew will not talk about Covid at all. When asked  about covid - they say that’s private information. So, I don’t really know if the crew on board is affected. I will say that they wear their kn95 ALL the time - indoors and outdoors. 
 

I did speak with a musician on board and he said the crew is tested weekly and if the ship numbers are up, they are sometimes tested twice a week. He said the crew was negative for awhile, until one crew member turned positive, presumably from a guest. 
 

while this ship was in Alaska, they were not let off. Once they got to the Caribbean, they were allowed off. 

 

 

 They're also not allowed off at all ports, and they have limitations as to how far they can go at the ports they can get off at. Couple of the fun things I learned this week.

 

I can corroborate being told they are tested weekly. It was on Friday this week. Makes a lot of sense - 5 days after turnaround day, I have to imagine that's the most common time for crew to develop. Spreads among passengers then to crew day before or day of disembarkation.

 

 

[bluehorizonlover123]

just wondering do they provide bar soap in the cabins in addition to the liquid soap if we ask for this. also did they stop putting chocolates on the pillows for turn down?