Random NCL questions (Encore)

[skittl1321]

1. The soda package in the app says it includes bar juices, online it does not.  Can I order a pineapple juice from the bar and have it included? 

2. If I have already purchased it, what time after boarding can I use the thermal suite? 
3. Lots of early reports show that the Encore had rowing classes in the gym. Do they still have those? 
4. Is it rude to sit at a buffet table and draw/color if it isn't during a crowded meal time (I'd never do this at lunch, not that a table would even be found...)?  Is there anywhere else on the ship that has a good table height I could go sit at?  What about the waterfront? 

[skittl1321]

Thought of another one- I heard NCL lets you connect to Cruise Critic for free. Is that still true? How do I do that?  I only have 150 internet minutes, so I thought a live review would be a good way to let my kids at home (and all of you...) know what I am doing.

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

1. The soda package in the app says it includes bar juices, online it does not.  Can I order a pineapple juice from the bar and have it included? 

2. If I have already purchased it, what time after boarding can I use the thermal suite? 
3. Lots of early reports show that the Encore had rowing classes in the gym. Do they still have those? 
4. Is it rude to sit at a buffet table and draw/color if it isn't during a crowded meal time (I'd never do this at lunch, not that a table would even be found...)?  Is there anywhere else on the ship that has a good table height I could go sit at?  What about the waterfront? 

1. I don't know.

2. From my experience, it has always been one minute after sail away time.

3. No clue.

4. I don't see any issue with this in the buffet. Just be aware of your surroundings. If the place starts getting packed, maybe pack up and move on for a bit. Waterfront has low tables, like a coffee table type table. You can probably find a table in the library with a decent sized-table. 

 

27 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

Thought of another one- I heard NCL lets you connect to Cruise Critic for free. Is that still true? How do I do that?  I only have 150 internet minutes, so I thought a live review would be a good way to let my kids at home (and all of you...) know what I am doing.

Yes they do. Using the app, look for the free website link. Go to it and connect to Cruise Critic. Your experience may be good or bad. Mine has always been bad with the free connection to Cruise Critic. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

 

1. The soda package in the app says it includes bar juices, online it does not.  Can I order a pineapple juice from the bar and have it included? Yes

2. If I have already purchased it, what time after boarding can I use the thermal suite? Sailaway. They will be parading hundreds of people through the Thermal Suite until then,,,, trying to sell more passes. 
3. Lots of early reports show that the Encore had rowing classes in the gym. Do they still have those? 

Recent class list. There are rowing machines in the main gym and in the spin room.

4. Is it rude to sit at a buffet table and draw/color if it isn't during a crowded meal time (I'd never do this at lunch, not that a table would even be found...)? 

no

Is there anywhere else on the ship that has a good table height I could go sit at?  What about the waterfront? 

All of the waterfront restaurants (Cagney's, Los Lobos, Ocean Blue, Onda) that have tables that are available until dinner time. Color away. 

 

 

Recent photos of the Encore

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, skittl1321 said:

Thought of another one- I heard NCL lets you connect to Cruise Critic for free. Is that still true? How do I do that?  I only have 150 internet minutes, so I thought a live review would be a good way to let my kids at home (and all of you...) know what I am doing.

Just connect to the ship's wifi. You will be able to use the NCL app and connect to a limited number of sites without logging onto the internet. 

 

Putting out a few text updates a day is a good use of your time. 

 

Maintaining a live post like the one above takes me about 5-8 hours a day while on vacation. Uploading photos is very slow and there are times when everyone is on the wifi that getting to the internet is very painful. And there is the time it takes to collect stuff the post. I take 2500-3000 photos and screen captures per cruise and have to sift through them to build the live post.  

Edited September 22, 2023 by BirdTravels

[skittl1321]

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Just connect to the ship's wifi. You will be able to use the NCL app and connect to a limited number of sites without logging onto the internet. 

 

Putting out a few text updates a day is a good use of your time. 

 

Maintaining a live post like the one above takes me about 5-8 hours a day while on vacation. Uploading photos is very slow and there are times when everyone is on the wifi that getting to the internet is very painful. And there is the time it takes to collect stuff the post. I take 2500-3000 photos and screen captures per cruise and have to sift through them to build the live post.  

Thanks for your comments!

No, I do not plan to do a live review to rival yours.  More updated while I am on the ship, the days events, food, menus; but not every thing about the ship.  So it's useful for cruise critic members; but also, a way for my family to check in, since I won't be able to call the kiddos.

 

(I do plan to take a few thousand photos, that's pretty typical for us on a cruise. Got a memory card a day ready!)

[eileeshb]

6 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

1. The soda package in the app says it includes bar juices, online it does not.  Can I order a pineapple juice from the bar and have it included? 

2. If I have already purchased it, what time after boarding can I use the thermal suite? 
3. Lots of early reports show that the Encore had rowing classes in the gym. Do they still have those? 
4. Is it rude to sit at a buffet table and draw/color if it isn't during a crowded meal time (I'd never do this at lunch, not that a table would even be found...)?  Is there anywhere else on the ship that has a good table height I could go sit at?  What about the waterfront? 

#1 freshly squeezed/pressed juices are not included except for breakfast but processed/bottled juices that they have at the bars for mixing drinks are included, hence the seeming contradiction.

[skittl1321]

15 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

#1 freshly squeezed/pressed juices are not included except for breakfast but processed/bottled juices that they have at the bars for mixing drinks are included, hence the seeming contradiction.

Oh, I know fresh squeezed juices are not.  But the difference is that the word juice literally doesn't appear on the website, but does in the app.   (The app I think actually says bar juices)

[ICutTheCheese]

On 9/22/2023 at 10:00 AM, skittl1321 said:

1. The soda package in the app says it includes bar juices, online it does not.  Can I order a pineapple juice from the bar and have it included? 

2. If I have already purchased it, what time after boarding can I use the thermal suite? 
3. Lots of early reports show that the Encore had rowing classes in the gym. Do they still have those? 
4. Is it rude to sit at a buffet table and draw/color if it isn't during a crowded meal time (I'd never do this at lunch, not that a table would even be found...)?  Is there anywhere else on the ship that has a good table height I could go sit at?  What about the waterfront? 

Those do not look random to me!  🙂