An encore cruise on the Encore August 27-September 3 2023. A live trip report!

[justhappy]

They announced that the ship is cleared and we can disembark at 7 am. We are off the ship by 7:10. The ramp off the pier is super steep due to being low tide when we arrive. Once at the top of the ramp there is a detour to walk through to reach the shuttle bus. They used shipping containers as covered waiting areas and covered walkways which I though was quite clever.

  The shuttle was just a quick 4 minute ride to a parking lot where you can purchase a ticket to ride a city shuttle into town or easily walk a nice sidewalk the short distance.

  Getting off early was a smart choice as many shops were open and the streets were empty for some great photos.

 We shopped and photographed the streets and  back to the shuttle for our free 4 minute ride back. We were back on the ship by

8:30. We dropped off our purchases and went to the theater where we had to be at 9:15 to be called to our excursion, the 10am White Pass Railway. 
 A short wait later we were led off the ship and back into the free shuttle past the rockslide area. We were dropped off again at the shuttle parking lot and led to line up a fence overlooking the marina.

by 10am we were on the train.

[justhappy]

After waiting about 15 minutes for train personnel to board all the passengers, we finally took off. Our train was not full and while in line several people with 11am tickets were allowed to go ahead and board our train.

  The seats were fairly comfortable and set apart so your knees weren’t jamming into the row in front of you.

 The conductor came through and collected tickets and we had a great time admiring the scenery and the information of the interpreter.

  When the train crossed into Canada it made a loop and came back around to head back to town. Because our car was not completely full we were able to move side to side as views dictated. The time went by very fast since we were enthralled with the scenery.

  At one point the train came to a complete stop and everyone was speculating on what the issue was.

  People were joking about how we would survive. I offered up my protein bars for the low low price of $10 apiece, but alas, we were soon moving again and the price began to drop the closer we got to town 🤣 

It seems the air brakes lost pressure and had to be repressurized.

[justhappy]

Once back in town at 1:15pm we stopped for lunch at Skagway Brewing Company.

We all enjoyed our Porters and IPAs and munched on bar food.

[justhappy]

After lunch we parted ways with our friends and joined our second excursion of the day, the Scenic Summit Excursion. 
It’s a 90 minute bus drive to the White Pass Summit in a very comfortable 26 seat bus.

The driver was a native Alaskan who had 30 years of tour bus experience with some amazing stories to tell. His father ran the lodge at Glacier Bay when he was a young boy, I can only imagine his stories and adventures.

 It was interesting seeing the train route from the other side of the mountain.

 

[justhappy]

After the bus tour we headed back to the ship by 5:30pm.
Dinner was at Q at 7pm.

We all thought the food was just ok.

The appetizers were all very good.

  The brisket was good according to DH, but the rest of us who had the pulled pork thought the meat was soggy and flavorless.

 The sides were ok and the dessert we all had was an experiment in using dried fruit that failed 😬

The smoked Peach Margarita was the saving grace.

Edited September 2, 2023 by justhappy

[drumming cruisers]

@justhappy

Loving your review. Is ship full? we were on Encore in June, and it had 4900 cruisers. plus crew. 

[justhappy]

18 minutes ago, drumming cruisers said:

@justhappy

Loving your review. Is ship full? we were on Encore in June, and it had 4900 cruisers. plus crew. 

I’ve been told by several crew we have 4500 passengers!

[justhappy]

After dinner we headed up to the Observation lounge and had a few drinks and spent some time chatting with our friends.

Then off to bed hoping for better weather than we had last year, which was cold winds and rain and very low clouds all day.

Glacier Bay Day dawns with some blue skies and a bit of a sunrise. There are some low clouds.

We went to Starbucks for our usual cup of Joe, then we headed to the Observation lounge where even though the Dailies stated no saving of seats, every lounger, couch, chair and most temporary plastic folding chairs set up for the day were covered with blankets, jackets and whatever crap that rude entitled people use to mark their territory.
We grabbed a few breakfast items and sat on plastic chairs till we finished our food, then headed back to our balcony where at least we would have some space.

[justhappy]

We went from partly cloudy to sailing into low clouds and fog as we entered Glacier Bay.  
Sunrise~

Edited September 2, 2023 by justhappy

[justhappy]

We decided to bundle up and head out to deck eight on the waterfront with our friends. By 8 am they had the bow of the ship open but it was cloudy and cool and not to many people were out there then.

We headed back to the waterfront and eventually the mountain peaks began to peek through the clouds. 
  Bar service via rolling carts offered hot cocoa and coffee plus optional spirits to warm you up.

The farther into Glacier Bay the more the  fog and clouds began to lift.

Then we began to Ooh and Aww.

we started to see a lot of sea otters swim by. By the time we got to Marjorie and Grand Pacific Glaciers the sky had cleared and it was just beautiful.

At that point we headed back up to the bow but it was so crowded and I’m so short so we headed back to the waterfront. But we grabbed some salmon chowder to take with us. 
This chowder is so rich and so creamy, I love it.

Edited September 2, 2023 by justhappy

[justhappy]

The ship spent a full hour at Marjorie and Grand Pacific doing a slow 180 back and forth. We were lucky to watch 3 calvings and then hearing the huge booms that followed.

The clouds were starting to lower again and after the ship started heading out we were soon back in dense fog. We felt lucky to had had the glorious weather while it lasted.

 We went back up to the Observation Lounge where the Park Rangers were still answering questions and had a table of artifacts on display.

 They were serving the Salmon Chowder there so of course we had to get another serving!

 That ended up being our lunch. And a very good one.

 We went to the Park Ranger presentation in the Encore Theater at 1pm. It was very informative and I really appreciate the Park Service being there.

I’ve grown up camping and going to National parks since I was 5 years old and I’ve come to appreciate all the National Park Service personnel and their dedication to protecting and preserving our wildlife and wild places.

They do it for the love of nature because they sure aren’t paid enough to survive on!

 

 

 

[justhappy]

Having gotten up so early and having sinus issues AGAIN! I took sinus medicine and took a short nap.

Dinner was in Ocean Blue.

 We had an excellent meal and way too much food. I’m sad to report that wonderful bread service that we had as recent as April has been replaced by your French bread that is served in all the restaurants. 
Shades of Blue Riesling is my favorite.

[amygutman]

11 hours ago, justhappy said:

We decided to bundle up and head out to deck eight on the waterfront with our friends. By 8 am they had the bow of the ship open but it was cloudy and cool and not to many people were out there then.

We headed back to the waterfront and eventually the mountain peaks began to peek through the clouds. 
  Bar service via rolling carts offered hot cocoa and coffee plus optional spirits to warm you up.

The farther into Glacier Bay the more the  fog and clouds began to lift.

Then we began to Ooh and Aww.

we started to see a lot of sea otters swim by. By the time we got to Marjorie and Grand Pacific Glaciers the sky had cleared and it was just beautiful.

At that point we headed back up to the bow but it was so crowded and I’m so short so we headed back to the waterfront. But we grabbed some salmon chowder to take with us. 
This chowder is so rich and so creamy, I love it.

As the kids say "I Cant EVEN"... those photos are stunning. It sounds like you are in heaven!

Warmest Amy

[justhappy]

2 hours ago, amygutman said:

As the kids say "I Cant EVEN"... those photos are stunning. It sounds like you are in heaven!

Warmest Amy

Heaven with those views and not being in 100 degree heat for a week!

[justhappy]

After dinner we wandered the ship then decided the gambling gods required another offering.

Slots were tight. The only person I saw winning was a woman who was betting $25 dollars a spin. At that amount it doesn’t take much to win a jackpot amount over $1200. But at $25 a spin you go through $1200 in 48 spins.

 She said this was her 4th straight week on the ship. I bet Casinos at Sea loves her.

Off to bed shortly after as we have Ketchikan the next day and have to be off the ship and in line for our excursion at 7:15am.

It’s what DH has been waiting all week for, The Bering Sea Crab Fishermans Tour.

[justhappy]

Still waking up way to early we made our way to Starbucks for our usual and then to The Local. At 6:15am most every table in the Local was occupied and even the overflow area across the floor. We weren’t particularly hungry after the seafood feast at Ocean Blue last night but knew we needed to eat something so we both just ordered a fruit bowl.

Sorry not fruit bowl photos 😬

  The ship was cleared for disembarking at 6:30am and we were headed off by 6:45am. The line to get off was not crowded at that time.

   I was impressed by the Ward Cove complex and the amount of items for sale inside. If you’re looking for a souvenir they have it all there. Even huckleberry treats of all types.

After one last bathroom visit and shopping around a bit we were in the Excursions line at 7:10 am.

A few minutes later we were led out to our shuttle ride into town.

Along side us a few hours later was the NCL Sun and at the downtown docks the NCL Spirit.

There were also 4 other cruise ships in town. Ketchikan was quite busy and as a result the shuttle ride took 45 minutes to get to Dock #3.

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by justhappy

[justhappy]

The shuttle bus driver gave us a mini history of Ketchikan during the drive which we appreciated.

We were led down to Dock #3 and onto the Aleutian Ballad. Everyone is able to pick their own seat but if you are among the last people on you’ll have to settle for what’s left, although all the seats looked to have a good view.

 The seats on the main deck are covered and have heaters built into the ceiling.

It was cool and cloudy this morning and once underway there is a bit of a breeze.

Captain David the owner of the boat welcomed everybody onboard and gave a short history of the boat and how it came to be an excursion. 
 There was a short safety briefing and we were off.

The boat has 5 heads and they are the cleanest I’ve seen on or off a boat!

 There is also a gift shop with a wide assortment of souvenirs and you can buy King Crab legs with melted butter by the pound or half pound.

Needless to say we left the tour with $350 dollars of souvenirs, $40 of that crab legs.

We saw several bald eagles but they didn’t try to go after the fish thrown their way as they have been feasting on pink salmon that are making their run right now.

We did see a pair resting on a rock and nesting in the trees.

They demonstrated line fishing and crab pot fishing  and also how they haul and retrieve the lines and pots . Everyone got a chance for several photo opps along the way.

[justhappy]

Yes that’s yours truly holding a snow crab and DH holding a crab that I can’t recall the name of. He’s also doing his best imitation hook throw.

We throughly enjoyed this excursion and I don’t think you have to be a fan of the show to enjoy it. The three guys leading the show were all experienced Crab fisherman with decades of experience in fishing the Bearing Sea and beyond. The personal stories they told gave us a great insight on just how difficult this occupation can be.

[www3traveler]

20 minutes ago, justhappy said:

Yes that’s yours truly holding a snow crab and DH holding a crab that I can’t recall the name of. He’s also doing his best imitation hook throw.

We throughly enjoyed this excursion and I don’t think you have to be a fan of the show to enjoy it. The three guys leading the show were all experienced Crab fisherman with decades of experience in fishing the Bearing Sea and beyond. The personal stories they told gave us a great insight on just how difficult this occupation can be.

I have family members who were killed in the Bering Sea Crab boat accident many many years.  Thier boat and their bodies have never been recovered.

[justhappy]

13 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

I have family members who were killed in the Bering Sea Crab boat accident many many years.  Thier boat and their bodies have never been recovered.

So sorry to hear this.

 Captain David did speak at length about the friends he had lost over the years.

The show did get the name the Deadliest Catch for a good reason.

[justhappy]

After another informative shuttle ride back to Ward Cove, we boarded the ship at 12:10pm. All aboard today was 12:45pm.

  We dropped our purchases off at our cabin and headed to the Local for lunch.

 We split an order of nachos and DH had a Reuben sandwich and I had a cheeseburger with fries.

 We then headed to deck 8 and walked to the aft of the ship to watch the sail away from Ward Cove. The skies had cleared and the sun was shining. It felt quite warm in the sunshine. 
The departure went past the 1:15pm time  listed and soon they were announcing for 4 individuals to please call or come by guest services. 
We departed about 10 minutes later. I don’t know if they made it back on the ship or not. Hope so.

We stayed on deck 8 reveling in the views, the marine traffic, the pink salmon jumping everywhere and the float planes overhead. We were trying to soak in all the beauty while we could.

 

[depplep]

That burger looks great! Can you tell me if they have the heat on in the ship at night? I'm wondering what to pack for the days onboard.

[justhappy]

1 hour ago, depplep said:

That burger looks great! Can you tell me if they have the heat on in the ship at night? I'm wondering what to pack for the days onboard.

They do have the heat on and it’s very comfortable on the ship. The only places I’ve been cold is on deck 8 when the outside doors are being used a lot and it gets chilly nearby.

The burger was very good, cooked medium.

[depplep]

Thanks, good to know. What restaurant was the burger from?

[justhappy]

7 minutes ago, depplep said:

Thanks, good to know. What restaurant was the burger from?

The Local, it’s the pub style restaurant on deck 7 midship.