Encore: When can I book shows?

[skittl1321]

I thought I would be able to book Choir of Man 90 days out. I checked yesterday and it wasn't available. Today I'm at 89 days and it wasn't available.  Does this mean it filled up without me noticing it at all?  

 

Is Comedy Club only bookable online?  

 

New to NCL, and finding all the prebooking for such a limited amount of entertainment very stressful. I'm used to seeing a show every night on older cruises, and am super stressed!

[MacGuffin3]

I thought I had heard 21 days out somewhere.

[hallux]

Non-Haven and Bronze, Silver, Gold Latitudes status can book at 21 days before the cruise.  Haven or Platinum and higher Latitudes members can book at 26 days before the cruise.

[skittl1321]

Thank you! I will mark 21 days out! I appreciate the help.

[cruiseny4life]

18 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

New to NCL, and finding all the prebooking for such a limited amount of entertainment very stressful. I'm used to seeing a show every night on older cruises, and am super stressed!

There will be plenty of other shows you don't need to book. You'll just need to get in line for them: comedy, magicians, illusionists, Cavern Club. I'm not 100% sure what exactly Encore has, but it's a wide variety. You'll be able to get into a show every night. Try not to stress over it. Vacation is to relax. Just bring comfy shoes as you'll need to wait in line for a few of the shows. 

 

BTW, have a super amazing time! 

[skittl1321]

30 minutes ago, Agent999 said:

 

I'm sorry if I am being obtuse, but given that you are new to NCL, you haven't experienced this before. It is all new to you, so you shouldn't have any preexisting expectations. Why would this cause you to be "super stressed"? (and, FWIW, shouldn't the term be "very stressed"?)

 

I can have expectations of what I want a cruise to be like even if I haven't sailed the line.  My main plan for this cruise is to rest and see amazing scenery. I have no doubt it will actually just be wonderful no matter what it was.

 

But the reputation I knew of for NCL was that they had amazing entertainment. I knew they had high quality broadway shows like Six and Kiny Boots.  I see now that a lot of that has been cut, and needing to prebook, I am just worried I'll get boxed out of it and not be able to see a production show, which is often my favorite part of cruising- since there is only one of them on the ship.  

 

NCL hypes "freestyle cruising", but maybe that is just because it is a relaxed dress code? I've had to plan out which days I will eat dinner where, and also figure out before the cruise which day I can possibly see a show. Freestyle is more rigid than I realized.  I am still very excited to try a new line. 

 

 

As for "very stressed", I'm sorry I didn't choose the adverb that you prefer.

Using "super" as the adverb here is common enough slang that the dictionary mentions it. 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/super

 

[skittl1321]

7 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

There will be plenty of other shows you don't need to book. You'll just need to get in line for them: comedy, magicians, illusionists, Cavern Club. I'm not 100% sure what exactly Encore has, but it's a wide variety. You'll be able to get into a show every night. Try not to stress over it. Vacation is to relax. Just bring comfy shoes as you'll need to wait in line for a few of the shows. 

 

BTW, have a super amazing time! 

 

Thanks- that makes me feel a bit less worried about evening entertainment.  I don't mind waiting in line, and I'm solo, so I don't need to find a group of seats. 

[quagmire0]

We were about 12 days out yesterday when my wife discovered we could book Choir of Man tickets. 😄 Fortunately, they were still available.  One thing checked off the list for embarkation. 👍 I think I had given up checking, as I thought I had missed the pre-board booking window.  

[MacGuffin3]

39 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

There will be plenty of other shows you don't need to book. You'll just need to get in line for them: comedy, magicians, illusionists, Cavern Club.

any mimes? how long will the line be?
 

[Cruising Lynne]

22 minutes ago, MacGuffin3 said:

any mimes? how long will the line be?
 

Ha Ha Would anyone ever wait in line for mimes? I wouldn't go if you could walk right in. Luckily I have never heard of NCL having mimes.

[BirdTravels]

19 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

New to NCL, and finding all the prebooking for such a limited amount of entertainment very stressful. I'm used to seeing a show every night on older cruises, and am super stressed!

Not unique to NCL. Most cruise lines with big ships require you to book shows. Not sure why NCL would stress you out any more than Royal

[skittl1321]

Just now, BirdTravels said:

Not unique to NCL. Most cruise lines with big ships require you to book shows. Not sure why NCL would stress you out any more than Royal

I haven't cruised in a few years. Carnival I didn't book shows, and they had lots of different ones. (Maybe they are requiring booking now.) MSC isn't requiring I book shows.  My Celebrity cruise was small so they didn't have production shows.  I haven't gotten close enough to the royal cruise to start doing that either. 

 

I just didn't expect 'freestyle' to require so much advanced planning. This show is one thing I don't want to miss.  But now I know 21 days out, so it's all good. 

[MacGuffin3]

11 minutes ago, Cruising Lynne said:

I wouldn't go if you could walk right in.

Why not get into the spirit and "walk against the wind" right in.

[chillyw]

1 hour ago, skittl1321 said:

 

Thanks- that makes me feel a bit less worried about evening entertainment.  I don't mind waiting in line, and I'm solo, so I don't need to find a group of seats. 

 

Just off the Encore last week, they did take reservations for comedy, but it was only on the ship, in the social, after you boarded.

[laura85]

I hear you! I am also new to NCL and will be sailing on the Encore next month. At 31 days out I cannot book entertainment, I'll check back at 21 days out. I definitely want to catch most of the shows at least once. It sounds like they are offered multiple days and multiple times. So even if it requires some juggling, I bet you will get to see everything you want.

[MacGuffin3]

 

On 7/12/2023 at 10:16 AM, chillyw said:

Just off the Encore last week, they did take reservations for comedy, but it was only on the ship, in the social, after you boarded.

We’re the comics funny? Worth booking?

Edited July 13, 2023 by MacGuffin3

[chillyw]

18 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

 

We’re the comics funny? Worth booking?

 

I only caught one show (not both) but didn't enjoy it.  They used several cliche jokes you've heard tons of times before.

 

Comedians on cruise ships are hit and miss and change out often though.

[MacGuffin3]

1 minute ago, chillyw said:

Comedians on cruise ships are hit and miss and change out often though.

I figured.  Maybe I will jump up behind the mic, do some crowdwork, and try to get my trip paid for.