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NCL Encore in Alaska July 2-9 Dailies

thedoc29ca

By thedoc29ca,
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amygutman "Live from...." Rare

amygutman

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7 minutes ago, thedoc29ca said:

Just retuned and scanned in the dailies…

Doc - Jul 8 2023 - 5-52 AM.pdf 11.17 MB · 0 downloads

@thedoc29ca This is wonderful!!!

We are on the (checks calendar) 74 day countdown to our Encore trip this is a wonderful preview. 

Did you love every minute? Can you spill a little about your experiences?

Warmest, Amy

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thedoc29ca

thedoc29ca

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We really enjoyed our cruise on the Encore. It was different than all of our previous Caribbean cruises.    We opted for one day pre cruise deviation. We lucked out with NCL Air and had direct flights and great times.    We flew out 7am from DTW via Alaska Air and we’re in Seattle by10am.  Our return flight left Seattle at 11:35 am.   Very fortunate to avoid the red eye.  
 

Pre-Cruise

We loved our pre-cruise stay in Seattle. We stayed at Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle. Approx $300.  Walking distance to Pike Place Market and light rail station to Mariners game.   If you can catch a Mariners game the garlic fries are a must but be prepared for them to stay with you.   We grabbed a light breakfast at Retro Cafe before catching an Uber to Pier 66.  
 

Embarkation

We had a 9:30-10am boarding group and it lined up early.  We are Platinum and started boarding around 11:15am.  

 

Boarding was on deck 7.  Went down to deck 6 by Taste to check in at our muster station.  Proceeded to The Social (Deck 6mid) to book Go Karts but they weren’t able to yet.  We did book some of the comedians.   Went to the Cruise Next Desk to register for the Behind the Scenes tour for Latitudes members.   Grabbed deck chairs, drinks, and ice cream.   Wore bathing suits onto the ship and had the main pool to ourselves for about an hour.    Interestingly no music on deck.  Seems to be a local noise ordinance. The Go Karts were ‘bookable’ via touch screen around 12:30pm.   
 

Food

Our best food experience on a cruise ever.  We had four specialty dining nights, 2 via free at sea and 2 from being platinum.  We did prebook specialty dining pre-cruise.  Los Lobos on the waterfront was superb.   Fresh Quac made table side was a highlight.   Cagney’s was great. Onda was surprisingly enjoyable despite us not being big seafood eaters.   We did two dinners one each in Taste and Savor and enjoyed them both.  We did not have a wait even without reservations.   
 

The Garden Cafe had lots of variety.  We particularly enjoyed the Asian station port side.  For omelettes in the morning using the stations further in had shorter lines.   The only gripe with the buffet was the crowds.  It did get busy at times.   Best milkshakes - American Diner.   Worth the upcharge.  

 

Entertainment

My wife adored Choir of Man.   I enjoyed the comedians but there was only one set per show which was surprising.   The live music around the ship is always appreciated. Get to the game show in the atrium early if you want to sit.  

 

Ship/Stateroom

We got a lot of use out of balcony, mid ship deck 14.   It was convenient to enjoy the unparalleled scenery.  Don’t forget to bring binoculars and keep them handy. We asked our room steward for blankets which came in handy.   The balcony was particularly enjoyable during the day in Glacier Bay.  We did go down to the bow which they opened up for pictures but spent the majority of time on our balcony.  The ship spins 360 at Marjorie glacier so no need to run around.   
 

The ship was it great shape.  Public areas were clean and modern.   We booked Thermal Suite passes for the week and found it well worth it.   Not sure we would do it on a warm weather cruise but it was nice to have a comfortable place to spend non port time regardless of weather.   Wished we had researched the benefits and preferred order to utilize the various rooms, steam, salt, sauna, loungers etc.    This was our first cruise without our kids and I’m glad they weren’t with us as there weren’t a lot of free things for them to do.   They would have enjoyed the go karts, laser tag and galaxy pavilion but they aren’t cheap.   There was no mini golf, rock wall or even a sports court and I know they would have missed those.   
 

The Observation lounge was a comfortable place to read, play cards and enjoy the scenery.  They provided light breakfast and snacks in the morning and afternoon
 

A quick note about the Ocean Loop water slide.   It is a lot of fun.  The surprising thing was being asked to have my bathing suit examined for any metal or plastic.  The grommets on my waist band of one suit and the plastic things at the end of my strings were not allowed.  I ended up going down in my basketball shorts.  

 

Service

Everyone was friendly, attentive and hardworking. 
 

Ports

A completely unique and new experience to our warm weather trips.  The scenery, wildlife, and excursions were a lot of fun.  
 

We did the Mendenhall/Whale watch combo in Juneau.  Glad we booked through the ship as we got back 5min before all aboard.  At Mendenhall I’d recommend the hike to Nugget Falls.   Whale watching was a favourite of my wife.    

 

White Pass rail excursion was our pick for Skagway.  We enjoyed the trip up.  The wait for the trip to start was a little long.   
 

We chose the UTV Excursion in Ketchikan.  No time to go into town as a result of docking in Wards Cove and the short port times.   One downside of the cruise is the short time in Ketchikan.   Not sure why the Sun is there until 5:30 and Encore heads out at 1pm.

 

We just walked around in Victoria.  Very scenic.   Fisherman’s Wharf was a highlight.  
 

 

Disembarkation

A little chaotic due to issues in the port.  Got the sense it was a labour issue with port workers.  Self disembarkation did not start until shortly after 8am.  People were understandably stressed particularly if they had early flights.   Sadly some chose to take their frustrations out on fellow guests or employees who were not responsible.   A little bit of patience would go a long way. 
 

Overall we really enjoyed this trip.   Very relaxing and a great way to celebrate our anniversary.  

 


 

 

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thedoc29ca

thedoc29ca

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1 hour ago, Molokai-Chuck said:

thedoc29ca ...

 

Would you happen to know the cost of doing the race cars ( go carts )?

Also cost of the laser tag.

 

Thanks...

Chuck

The Go Karts were $15 for 10 minutes.   We did not do the Laser Tag or Galaxy Pavillon.  There are weekly passes for all of these activities individually and as combos.  We did the go karts once and it was fun to be doing them on a ship.  Not sure I’d do them all week as they were not particularly fast and your speed is governed electronically. 

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thedoc29ca

thedoc29ca

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7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Thank you soooo much. I was just looking for this yesterday. We will be on the Encore next month and wanted to see what the Glacier Bay schedule was like. 

My pleasure.  I enjoyed several of your posts and your shared knowledge.   Felt it was the least I could do.  There were 3 Park Rangers that boarded  in Glacier Bay and their commentary and talks during the day were informative but not intrusive.   A nice touch.  

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chillyw

chillyw

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25 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Thank you soooo much. I was just looking for this yesterday. We will be on the Encore next month and wanted to see what the Glacier Bay schedule was like. 

 

I was on the same cruise.  A couple notes on Glacier Bay:

 

- Non-Haven Observation Lounge filled up EARLLLLY on that day.  I had some family members get there at 4:45 AM to get spots. 

 

- With the weather being so farm, we found the best spots were actually on the Bow, which they opened up for us, or at the Waterfront just outside The District.  We ended up walking out to the Bow to view the first glacier (which you can get to when it's open down the room hallway just next to The District), then coming back and going to the Waterfront.  Depending on warmth, I'd opt for that over Observation room.

 

- My family liked the presentation at 1pm in the theater (I skipped it), but it filled up as we were pretty much done with Glacier Bay at that point.

 

If I had to do it again, I wouldn't bother with the Observation Lounge and just go to the Waterfront.  The upside to the Observation Lounge is two park rangers hung out there, but one went to the Bow too, so you could go there and find out what you wanted.

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amygutman "Live from...." Rare

amygutman

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1 hour ago, thedoc29ca said:

We really enjoyed our cruise on the Encore. It was different than all of our previous Caribbean cruises.    We opted for one day pre cruise deviation. We lucked out with NCL Air and had direct flights and great times.    We flew out 7am from DTW via Alaska Air and we’re in Seattle by10am.  Our return flight left Seattle at 11:35 am.   Very fortunate to avoid the red eye.  
 

Pre-Cruise

We loved our pre-cruise stay in Seattle. We stayed at Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle. Approx $300.  Walking distance to Pike Place Market and light rail station to Mariners game.   If you can catch a Mariners game the garlic fries are a must but be prepared for them to stay with you.   We grabbed a light breakfast at Retro Cafe before catching an Uber to Pier 66.  
 

Embarkation

We had a 9:30-10am boarding group and it lined up early.  We are Platinum and started boarding around 11:15am.  

 

Boarding was on deck 7.  Went down to deck 6 by Taste to check in at our muster station.  Proceeded to The Social (Deck 6mid) to book Go Karts but they weren’t able to yet.  We did book some of the comedians.   Went to the Cruise Next Desk to register for the Behind the Scenes tour for Latitudes members.   Grabbed deck chairs, drinks, and ice cream.   Wore bathing suits onto the ship and had the main pool to ourselves for about an hour.    Interestingly no music on deck.  Seems to be a local noise ordinance. The Go Karts were ‘bookable’ via touch screen around 12:30pm.   
 

Food

Our best food experience on a cruise ever.  We had four specialty dining nights, 2 via free at sea and 2 from being platinum.  We did prebook specialty dining pre-cruise.  Los Lobos on the waterfront was superb.   Fresh Quac made table side was a highlight.   Cagney’s was great. Onda was surprisingly enjoyable despite us not being big seafood eaters.   We did two dinners one each in Taste and Savor and enjoyed them both.  We did not have a wait even without reservations.   
 

The Garden Cafe had lots of variety.  We particularly enjoyed the Asian station port side.  For omelettes in the morning using the stations further in had shorter lines.   The only gripe with the buffet was the crowds.  It did get busy at times.   Best milkshakes - American Diner.   Worth the upcharge.  

 

Entertainment

My wife adored Choir of Man.   I enjoyed the comedians but there was only one set per show which was surprising.   The live music around the ship is always appreciated. Get to the game show in the atrium early if you want to sit.  

 

Ship/Stateroom

We got a lot of use out of balcony, mid ship deck 14.   It was convenient to enjoy the unparalleled scenery.  Don’t forget to bring binoculars and keep them handy. We asked our room steward for blankets which came in handy.   The balcony was particularly enjoyable during the day in Glacier Bay.  We did go down to the bow which they opened up for pictures but spent the majority of time on our balcony.  The ship spins 360 at Marjorie glacier so no need to run around.   
 

The ship was it great shape.  Public areas were clean and modern.   We booked Thermal Suite passes for the week and found it well worth it.   Not sure we would do it on a warm weather cruise but it was nice to have a comfortable place to spend non port time regardless of weather.   Wished we had researched the benefits and preferred order to utilize the various rooms, steam, salt, sauna, loungers etc.    This was our first cruise without our kids and I’m glad they weren’t with us as there weren’t a lot of free things for them to do.   They would have enjoyed the go karts, laser tag and galaxy pavilion but they aren’t cheap.   There was no mini golf, rock wall or even a sports court and I know they would have missed those.   
 

The Observation lounge was a comfortable place to read, play cards and enjoy the scenery.  They provided light breakfast and snacks in the morning and afternoon
 

A quick note about the Ocean Loop water slide.   It is a lot of fun.  The surprising thing was being asked to have my bathing suit examined for any metal or plastic.  The grommets on my waist band of one suit and the plastic things at the end of my strings were not allowed.  I ended up going down in my basketball shorts.  

 

Service

Everyone was friendly, attentive and hardworking. 
 

Ports

A completely unique and new experience to our warm weather trips.  The scenery, wildlife, and excursions were a lot of fun.  
 

We did the Mendenhall/Whale watch combo in Juneau.  Glad we booked through the ship as we got back 5min before all aboard.  At Mendenhall I’d recommend the hike to Nugget Falls.   Whale watching was a favourite of my wife.    

 

White Pass rail excursion was our pick for Skagway.  We enjoyed the trip up.  The wait for the trip to start was a little long.   
 

We chose the UTV Excursion in Ketchikan.  No time to go into town as a result of docking in Wards Cove and the short port times.   One downside of the cruise is the short time in Ketchikan.   Not sure why the Sun is there until 5:30 and Encore heads out at 1pm.

 

We just walked around in Victoria.  Very scenic.   Fisherman’s Wharf was a highlight.  
 

 

Disembarkation

A little chaotic due to issues in the port.  Got the sense it was a labour issue with port workers.  Self disembarkation did not start until shortly after 8am.  People were understandably stressed particularly if they had early flights.   Sadly some chose to take their frustrations out on fellow guests or employees who were not responsible.   A little bit of patience would go a long way. 
 

Overall we really enjoyed this trip.   Very relaxing and a great way to celebrate our anniversary.  

 


 

 

@thedoc29ca Thank you so much for the informative review. What a great insight into the ship and the sights. It is very appreciated and am so glad you had a good time. 

Warmest, Amy

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thedoc29ca

thedoc29ca

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3 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

According to your dailies you didn’t get to Juneau until 4pm on day 3.  Our booking said 2, wonder if there has been a change. Seems quite late to do much there.

We did arrive around 4pm.  All aboard was quite late.  Did a combo tour Mendenhall Glacier and whale watching through the ship.  

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MacGuffin3

MacGuffin3

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52 minutes ago, debagk said:

Do you know if they served prime rib in the main dining room and if yes, on what day it was served on?   

 

According to the dailies, and what I've heard happens on other NCL ships, is that it was night 1 right as they pull out of Seattle!

Do you care to join me in a contest, how many slices of prime rib and how many martinis can we consume before midnight?

Edited by MacGuffin3
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chillyw

chillyw

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18 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

According to your dailies you didn’t get to Juneau until 4pm on day 3.  Our booking said 2, wonder if there has been a change. Seems quite late to do much there.

 

It did change, they pushed back our whale watching tour a couple hours, but daylight is so long it didn't matter.

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quack2

quack2

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On 7/13/2023 at 1:35 PM, chillyw said:

 

I was on the same cruise.  A couple notes on Glacier Bay:

 

- Non-Haven Observation Lounge filled up EARLLLLY on that day.  I had some family members get there at 4:45 AM to get spots. 

 

- With the weather being so farm, we found the best spots were actually on the Bow, which they opened up for us, or at the Waterfront just outside The District.  We ended up walking out to the Bow to view the first glacier (which you can get to when it's open down the room hallway just next to The District), then coming back and going to the Waterfront.  Depending on warmth, I'd opt for that over Observation room.

 

- My family liked the presentation at 1pm in the theater (I skipped it), but it filled up as we were pretty much done with Glacier Bay at that point.

 

If I had to do it again, I wouldn't bother with the Observation Lounge and just go to the Waterfront.  The upside to the Observation Lounge is two park rangers hung out there, but one went to the Bow too, so you could go there and find out what you wanted.

 Nothing beats being outside.

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janice2348

janice2348

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Thank you so much for posting this. We are considering the Encore for Alaska in 2025.  Did you find the ship to be overcrowded?  We usually sail on smaller ships so we are a little intimidated by its size.
 

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise! 

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chillyw

chillyw

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7 minutes ago, janice2348 said:

Thank you so much for posting this. We are considering the Encore for Alaska in 2025.  Did you find the ship to be overcrowded?  We usually sail on smaller ships so we are a little intimidated by its size.
 

I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise! 

 

It was definitely crowded, but it was also July 4th week.  Prime weather, prime holiday, prime crowds.  I did the Bliss when it was brand new in Alaska in October, and way less crowded, but the weather was awful and you couldn't see anything.

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mustcruise1217

mustcruise1217

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Thank you for posting! I have been torn between NCL Encore and HAL but since I am traveling with kids we decided to just go with NCL this time. Seeing stuff we would want to do on the dailies really makes me feel better about our choice. We also saw the HAL dailies and while I love the itinerary there was nothing I’d look at and want to do. 
 

I’ve seen a few post about people staying overnight in the observation lounge or waking up super early to claim chairs for the whole family. Not sure I’d be into that so nice to know about heading to the waterfront for glacier viewing.

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