My first NCL cruise: A solo trip on Encore to Alaska review.

[skittl1321]

This review is a bit late, because I think the Encore has already left Alaska for warmer waters, but I was on the 10/8 sailing.  It was my first cruise on NCL, and the first time I have cruised solo.  

 

On past cruises, I've done extensive reviews with tons of photos, but this cruise I honestly just relaxed, so until I get through the review, I am not really sure how thorough this will be...  I did not take notes like I usually do, and I didn't film videos. 

So, let's get started.

 

Me: I am a 41-year old living in Iowa. My family took a cruise on the MSC Seascape this summer (it was amazing!), and previously I have sailed on the Carnival Spirit (way back in 2008, when Carnival still had lovely 'fine' dining), Triumph, Freedom, and Magic (the cruise on the Magic earned the Walmart of the Seas reputation, the food was horrible, the service bad, and the ship just seemed to always be smokey, so we left Carnival...), and on the Celebrity Xpedition (not really a Celebrity experience since it really is an expedition based small ship.)    I've always been curious about NCL, as I heard they had amazing Broadway shows, and a really relaxed ship feel.  Way back pre-pandemic it seemed like NCL had a lot of extra pay options (but really EVERYONE has gone that way), so we never booked them, as I like an 'all in' style-fare, and I felt like "freestyle" would mean a lot of planning.  I really like a set dining time where I don't have to make reservations or know what I want to do on a specific day.  (I did the my time dining once on carnival, and the waits and service were such a disaster...so I was nervous going into NCL.)  I decided to take a solo cruise because I just needed some down time from work and family, and I just love cruising.  I also really really wanted to go to Alaska, as, prior to this cruise I have the remaining states on my "reach all 50" list:  Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.  My husband had been to Alaska, so going without him wasn't going to cause jealousy issues!

 

 

 

Booking the cruise:  In the summer when I was just so overwhelmed (and also before we even went on the family cruise), I decided I needed something.  I went on NCL's website, they had a good deal, I didn't even think about it, asked my husband, and booked.  I should have maybe done more research...  like compare prices on different lines?  Or think about the itinerary?  I did comparet the Bliss and the Escape, and I thought Glacier Bay National Park sounded good, so I went with Escape. I waffled on the balcony vs. solo cabin for awhile, but decided a balcony in Alaska is an essential. The fare advertisement said it was reduced solo fare, but my cabin came to the same amount whether I was trying to book it for 2 or for 1, so not sure what the fine print of that offer was.  I got free at sea, declind the drinks package, because $22 a day for tips is more than I have ever spent on drinks (I don't drink alcohol), got 2 free dining, the 150 minutes of wifi, and the $50 off shore excursions.

Pre-planning: I was right. The "freestyle" approach had me a nervous wreck.  I booked, then used the chat feature to cancel, then rebooked, then cancelled, about a million different restaurant reservations. (Why can you not cancel yourself?)  I researched every available option. I combed through menus, watched youtube videos, looked at blog posts.  I just could not decide.  In the end, I went with Los Lobos and Food Republic as my restaurant options.  I still kind of wonder if I should have gone to Cagney's and Le Bistro, but the decision was made!  Continue reading to find out if it was a good one. 

Because I was a solo, I decided it would be easier to book NCL shore excursions, and I was trying to pick inexpensive options because this trip was already costing a fortune.  In the end I settled on the Mendenhall Glacier and Gardens tour and then a ticket for the Mount Roberts Tram in Juneau, Rock Climbing and Rapelling as well as the Ghosts and Goodtime Girls tour in Skagway, the Rainforest Island Adventure in Ketchikan, and a walking tour in Victoria.   The "free shore excursions" is actually a good perk for a solo, as $50 off each of these excursions meant it was cheaper to book with the ship than off the ship for everything I compared. (I assume NCL gets you when you have to book the rest of your family on the excursion...).   The tram in Juneau and the walking tour of Victoria were free tickets, and the Ghosts and Goodtime Girls was only $20.  The other tours, even with the discount, were still expensive excursions, quite honestly.  Alaska is $$$.

 

I also waffled extensively about a soda package.  As I said earlier, I declined the drinks from free at seas.  On my Carnival cruises, I had never purchased more than 2 total drinks all cruise (usually virgin strawberry daquiris!), but I always brought a 12-pack of soda on. Xpedition, drinks were included and I didn't have many.  Seascape drinks were included, and I had a lot of soda.  With just me, and no allowable carry-on, I wondered if it was a good time to go on a soda detox. Let me tell the next part of the story, then I will get back to this... 

I also waffled extensively about the thermal suite package.  So many reviews said this was the BEST part of the ship.  And I LOVE a good hot tub.  But OMG, it's so expensive. 

So anyhow, I manifested both of these into being by talking to my parents about my cruise, my plans, how I was thinking I might want both of these things but they cost a lot and I just wasn't sure.  Well, my Dad venmoed me the money for both, told me I had to return it if I didn't buy them.  So thank you Mom and Dad for my soda package and thermal suite.   The soda package, I would get again on a solo cruise.  I would not get it on a family cruise where everyone needs the package. That would be a water and buffet juices only cruise.  But it was worth it as a solo.  I think in the end I probably had 5-6 sodas more over the course of the cruise past where I "broke even", drinking 3-4 daily, but without the package, I probably would have only had one a day, and it was just more relaxing to not worry about it and just get a drink with my meals, and whenever I felt like it.  And honestly, paying ala carte would have been very demotivating because they don't even pour a full can into the glass. That's an expensive soda.

 

More about the thermal suite later. 

Flights: Booked with points from American Airlines. I was shocked it was only 22,000 round trip from my regional airport to Seattle. That is one of the cheapest flights I've ever had. I connected through Phoenix and had an 8-hour layover on both ends.  I flew in two days early and out the day after the cruise because our airport is a nightmare (evidence: husband was supposed to fly to Cozumel today, and it was cancelled;  Our trip to catch the Xpedition in Ecuador, we had a 3-day buffer, and arrived the morning the charter plane from Quito was leaving to Baltra, barely making it.) and a day early isn't always the buffer you would hope for.

Pre/Post cruise hotel: I chose Coast Gateway hotel, and got a great rate.  I arrived in Seattle on Friday, and flew out on Sunday, so I had 3 total nights in the hotel. 

I promise more photos in the next post!!!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Host Kat
Per OP's request.

[skittl1321]

Also, precruise someone asked on this board who the officers were. I never figured that out. So that is one question I can't answer, but happy to take questions!

[Ellis1138]

I was really confused at first, because the Escape was in New England/Canada and doesn't have Los Lobos on it, but then I saw your photo with the Encore, which is a sister ship to the Escape.

 

I'm glad you gave freestyle a try and hope you wound up liking it. Also glad your parents chipped in for the thermal suite. So very worth it, IMO.

 

I'm looking forward to more!

[bluesea777]

Hey!! The ship is called ENCORE not Escape 😁

 

 

 

[skittl1321]

So the travel day! 

My flight was not until 7 am, which is a late start for when I usually fly out (always have a connection to make!) so my family dropped me off at 5 am.  The kids usually wake up just a little after that, so they seemed fine making the drive to the airport, and were happy to give me hugs.  I watched the sunrise as I waited to get on the plane. 

 

There were no issues at all with the flight. I watched Mamma Mia!, which I won't do again, but it was one I hadn't seen before, so it kept me occupied.  Question- how old was Meryl Streep supposed to be? She seemed like she was late 50s or 60s? But the movie made it seem like she had an unexpected pregnancy when she was really young; but wouldn't she have been mid-30s when she had her daughter?  I was so confused by the timelines.  

Anyhow, I got to Phoenix, and had a delicious breakfast taco.  It was nearly $20 for breakfast, but it ended up being the only thing I ate all day, so well worth it. And one of the best airport breakfast offerings i've had.  The waiter misheard me ask for "tap water" (as I didn't want to pay for bottled water), and brought out a cup of "hot water".  Really really hot water. I burned my tongue on it.  But also, once I finished my meal, and it had cooled down, I drank it, because I didn't want him to feel bad, and would prefer he think I'm just weird and order plain hot water.

 

I walked a lot of the airport, and because I am so super cool spent a lot of the layover diamond painting. And reading.  My kindle was packed with old favorites for the trip.  

Our plane was delayed 30 minutes because they said that it had to come over from the maintenance hanger and the cabin temperature was 114 degrees, and they couldn't board us until it came down.  I was fine with that. It was a 100 degree day in Phoenix, so I was concerned it would still be scorching when we boarded, but it was quite lovely in the cabin, and the delay wasn't unreasonable (since I didn't have another connection...)

 

Got to Seattle without furthe issue, and was amused by the indoor airport bike parking.

 

My bags were ready after about a 5 minute wait, and then I easily followed signs across the entranceway road to where courtesy shuttles pick up.

Coast Gateway has you go to any of the shuttle huts, and then call to tell them which one you are at.  I called to ask them which one they picked up from when I was walking, and they told me just pick one then call them. So once I got to one, I called, and then it was about 10 minutes total waiting to get onto the shuttle. There was a couple on the shuttle who were carrying a grocery sack and a banana, so I assume they were coming back from the light link rail, and not that they just got off an airplane.  Coast Gateway runs a 24-hour shuttle and it was so easy to use.

Check in was quick with no line. 

I had a queen room. 

It was small. I'd call it "new york size".  But it had a comfy bed, a desk, a tub and shower (at first I thought it was a half tub, but it actually extends back hidden behind the wall). 

 

They had starbucks coffee in room (I did not drink it.) There was also a microwave (I always travel with popcorn, so that was my dinner), and a mini fridge. 

 

Despite being right next to the airport, I never heard any plane noise at all. 

 

 

Coast Gateway also included a breakfast in the morning, standard choices- waffles, bagels, sausage, boiled eggs, some cereals.  I had waffles in the morning and they were good.  

The location could not be beat, walking distance to the light link rail, 5 minute drive on the shuttle from the airport. 1-hour light rail ride to downtown, 30-minuteish shuttle to the port.  

I paid $125/night for the two nights before my cruise, booked directly through the hotel (they had a special stay 2 night's rate), and $150 per night after my cruise, booked through Orbitz.  My only complaint about the hotel was the pillows were awful.

[skittl1321]

OMG, I got the ship name wrong...  That's embarassing. 
 

I typed Anthem at first, because that is on my mind as I am planning next summer's cruise, and I was like "no, that's wrong", and then racked my brain, and I should have looked at my pictures.

 

I'm an idiot... I asked a moderator to change it, but feel free to point and laugh at me in the meantime.

Edited October 26, 2023 by skittl1321

[fastpitchdad]

The best feature of the Coast Hotel is that is shares a parking lot with Sharps Roaster 🙂 . 

[skittl1321]

7 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

The best feature of the Coast Hotel is that is shares a parking lot with Sharps Roaster 🙂 . 

I got a coupon for a free appetizer during my second stay, but I never went over.  Maybe that was a mistake.

[fastpitchdad]

Just now, skittl1321 said:

I got a coupon for a free appetizer during my second stay, but I never went over.  Maybe that was a mistake.

 

I live in Seattle and Sharp's is in my top 5 favorite restaurants. 

[skittl1321]

Just now, fastpitchdad said:

 

I live in Seattle and Sharp's is in my top 5 favorite restaurants. 

Well, next year when I go to Alaska again (fingers crossed...spoiler alert on how the cruise went), I will make sure to visit!

[Russiamomm]

Loving your review!  We were on the same sailing,  can’t wait for the rest!  
 

And I have to admit I did chuckle on the confusion on the name of the ship.  😂

[skittl1321]

Alright, so, now in our story we are on the pre-cruise day of the NCL ENCORE, which oddly, is not the same ship as the Escape. Glad we got that established early on.  (On the ship, I never once forgot the name...so I do not know what was going through my head yesterday.)

 

Anyhow, pre-cruise day, I kind of just wanted to stay in bed all day, but having never been to Washington (woo hoo! 1 state down, 5 to go to hit 50), I felt like I needed to go out and explore Seattle.  I did not even hit the smallest tip of the iceberg of what Seattle has to offer, but I had a good day. 

 

I started off by walking to the light-link from the hotel, a very easy walk.  Apparently I give off an air of knowing what I'm doing, as 3 different couples asked me how to buy tickets.  Here's my question for locals- at no time were these tickets checked, or scanned, or anything.  Is it indeed an honor system, or did I do this wrong? I did pay, so I feel OK about it.  

The ride was super easy, and I got off at Westlake Station.

I then went to Pike's Place Market, as I think this is a requirement to say you went to Seattle. I took this photo to prove it. 

 

I walked around the flower stalls for awhile and took a few photos, but not nearly as many as I wanted, as I wasn't buying so it felt a little rude, and it was super crowded so I didn't want to back up stalls.

 

Absolutely gorgeous, and good prices on flowers.  I liked the "yes, you can take plants on airplanes" signs.

There was also a huge amount of gorgeous handmade pieces, but many booths asked you to not take photos (makes sense, they don't want their art replicated.)

 

There is also a big shiny pig, who tourists seem to rub his nose and ears.  Being from Iowa, I appreciated the pig. 

 

I also really loved the murals on the walls as you walk down to the harbor. 

 

I did a bad job of being a tourist and did not see fish being thrown.  Not really liking the smell of seafood, after viewing flowers and crafts, I didn't seek it out. I also was not at all hungry, so I didn't get anything to eat at various stalls.

I did go to the waterfront where I saw the Bliss.  

The weather was about 45 degrees when I left the hotel, and said it would be 60, so I went with warm joggers, a fleece jacket and a t-shirt.  Despite being in Seattle, I chose not to bring a rain jacket with me.   Well, let me tell you, warm joggers was a mistake and I should have gone with cooler hiking pants.  It was SO HOT.  It did only get to about 65, but there was no wind, and it was so sunny, I was practically melting. 

 

The waterfront was really pretty, but also, very industrial.  I just sat and relaxed for awhile, it was just so nice to be off work. 

So, as I left the waterfront, I sought out somewhere to get a drink. I really wanted a smoothie, but I actually wasn't able to find one. I ended up finding a really delicious rootbeer, at the cafe attached to the Seattle Museum of Art.

 

I had waffled quite a bit about what to do with my day- and Chiluly Gardens or Seattle Art Museum were on the top of my list. In the end, I decided to go to the art museum.  It was truly fabulous.  After about 20 minutes of wandering, a docent tour started, so I joined them. It was about 75 minutes and told a lot about the curation of the exhibits and some of the information behind the pieces.  After that, I spent another hour or so at the museum.

I think my favorite pieces were the Aboriginal exhibit.  

 

I also really love geometic art like this:

 

and I was super amused because I thought this woman had my haircut...or perhaps I had hers...

 

Following this, I was famished, so I went to Noi Thai.  I apparently thought I was already on a cruise, as I couldn't decide on an entree, so I ordered two. (Oddly, I never actually did that on the cruise...)

The drunken noodles were AMAZING, the pineapple fried rice was OK.

 

The presentation on both was excellent.

I then found my way back to the hotel, I loved this mural, which I think may have been a child care facility.   I actually found a rail station closer to where I was that was much easier to navigate, and way less crowded than where I left off from, so it was a very chill ride back to the hotel.

 

For dinner, I had my leftover drunken noodles, and because I'm really really cool and exciting and love fabulous nightlife (sarcasm here), I spent the night diamond painting and watched youtube (That's a Cruise with Ben and David video...).

 

[fastpitchdad]

43 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

 

 

I started off by walking to the light-link from the hotel, a very easy walk.  Apparently I give off an air of knowing what I'm doing, as 3 different couples asked me how to buy tickets.  Here's my question for locals- at no time were these tickets checked, or scanned, or anything.  Is it indeed an honor system, or did I do this wrong? I did pay, so I feel OK about it.  

The ride was super easy, and I got off at Westlake Station.


 

 

No, they sometimes have people to check tickets but usually do not (I have never seen anyone check tickets). 

[LatinaInTexas]

Following along as I'm really close to booking Alaska for next year and am thinking Bliss or Encore. Will be great seeing a detailed review, looking forward to hearing more🙂

[Grimix]

3 hours ago, fastpitchdad said:

No, they sometimes have people to check tickets but usually do not (I have never seen anyone check tickets). 

Sounds like the light rail in San Jose... 

[PhillyTravelBug]

I am loving this review! Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on NCL and the Encore.  Congrats on taking the step for a solo trip. I’m just about the same age and have wondered what a solo cruise would be like

[Russiamomm]

2 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

I am loving this review! Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on NCL and the Encore.  Congrats on taking the step for a solo trip. I’m just about the same age and have wondered what a solo cruise would be like

I’m loving it too!  I was on the same cruise.  Loving hearing about OP’s adventure.  
 

I’m also about the same age and did my first solo cruise two years ago.  Loved it!  Have done two since, as well as several with my Husband, son and/or a friend.  Any cruise is a good cruise.  If you can’t find someone to join you, just go by yourself!  

Edited October 28, 2023 by Russiamomm

[skittl1321]

I bet you thought this review would involve a ship...sorry, life got busy, and i have not had a chance to process many photos...but in today's installment- I board the ship!

 

I had originally planned to take the light rail into the city, and I still think that is a decent plan, but I figured with luggage, it was just going to be easier to take a shuttle. Since i was on my own, and only paying for one, it wasn't too expensive.

I booked with Seattle Express, reserved it the day before the cruise, and it was $50 round trip, hotel pick up and drop off (well, the drop off didn't work as promised, see more later, but I still highly recommend them).  I asked for a 9:00 pickup time, and was outside at 8:55, and their van pulled in right as I walked outside. 

I was the van's last stop, so there was just the back row of seats left. Everyone was on the Encore as there were no other ships in port, and we were all ready to go. The driver gave a nice mini-tour of the area we drove through, and pointed out the space needle as we drove by.  I felt better having seen it, since I didn't go during my seattle day.  I feel like seeing the space needle is required, just like the fish throwing, that I also missed.

Of course, that first view of the ship is always thrilling!

The shuttle took a lot less time than I thought it would, and I got to the pier about 30 minutes before my check-in time. No worries, no one was looking at check in times.  Seeing the pier building was as exciting as seeing the ship, it's so pretty!

Dropping off luggage was much more informal than other ports, almost suspect. It was a single guy taking bags, and putting them onto a conveyor belt.  Not like the lines of porters and luggage carts I've seen at every other port I've been to. 

In the first of many lines, we entered the building, and waiting a few moments to have it checked that we had a boarding pass. They held us here for a moment, because they said the security line was backed up.  No big deal, it was pretty chill.  Line number 2 was security. I had forgotten to empty my water bottle, so had to do that.  Line number 3 was for check in, and they handed you a boarding card.  All of this took me maybe 30 minutes, and then I had about an hour wait until boarding started.  Once boarding started they called numbers so quickly, they were on number 14 by the time we had managed to walk across the room (oops, sat on the wrong side). 

 

And then we were on the ship!!

The first thing to do was find my muster station, and it could not have been easier.  After the giant cluster that was MSC's muster drill (go to room to watch video, then everyone go to your station to scan your card; except no one could find their stations!) this was incredibly quick and pleasant.  I took a photo of the stairs to be silly- my kids were so jealous I was on a cruise, and MSC has those amazing Swarvoski crystal staircases, so I was trying to "prove" to them this cruise would be no good and they weren't missing anything.  (Uh, this cruise was amazing. They totally missed out. Suckers.)

 

Then I went to the local and had a cobb salad, no ham, and an loaded nachos.  I made a mistake on the cruise of never getting wings. I kept meaning to, but just was rarely hungry and never thought to go get them. I had really been craving wings in the run up and missed my chance. I'll need to go on another cruise.  The salad was lovely and fresh, but the nachos weren't for me.  I didn't care for the sports stadium style melted cheese, and the chips just got too soggy too fast.  

After lunch, I left the table, as I knew lots of people would want to eat, and found a spot in the atrium and read my book.   Everywhere along the way, embarkation waiting room, the local, the atrium, I found people to chat with, NCL cruisers are an incredibly friendly bunch. 

 

I also went up to the Garden cafe for an ice cream. I did a quick walk around and didn't find the scooped ice cream, but found the soft serve.  I will say, this is one place MSC won- their soft serve was like really good ice cream, not ice milk; but it also isn't available free to adults, only with kids drink packages, so I was at the mercy of my kids to let me have ice cream, so point to NCL, I could have all the ice cream I wanted. (And I wanted quite a bit of it...)

 

After my ice cream, I walked around the decks just a bit, gave the drop slide a few scared looks (my kids dared me to do it), and sat down in the sun until the rooms were ready.

[skittl1321]

The rooms were called, and it would probably be helpful to the readers if I knew when that was, but I don't...  It wasn't a super long wait though, totally pleasant to get lunch and then read.

I had waffled a lot about getting a studio, to save money, or a balcony.  I went with the balcony. When I booked, it gave me room 8142 and no other choice.  Since it wasn't a guarantee rate, I called to ask them why I couldn't select a room, they said there were no other rooms left in the category.  There were plenty of balcony rooms left on the ship when I booked, but all were higher priced due to location.  I was nervous as this one was right above the main theatre, a potentially noisy location. 

And yes, it did turn out very noisy. I would not book this room if I had a family of young kids or was a light sleeper.  I heard every sound from the cavern club and the theater. I could make out what songs the beatles were playing it was so loud, and had a constant bass of the theater.  Honestly, I didn't have a problem sleeping through it, but during daytime rehearsals, it was a little much.    I am also someone who spends a lot of time in my cabin, some people would be out so much they wouldn't notice it.  No early morning noise though, so nothing woke me up.  

The location was otherwise wonderful.  Yes, I went up to deck 16 a lot, so took the elevators there, but it was central to so much dining, and so many great locations to go sit and have a drink, the mojito bar ending up being my favorite.
 

For Alaska, this is 100% the right choice, I think. 

 

 

The room was a very standard cruise ship balcony room. 

The couch was nice and spacious. I don't think I ever sat on it, but my stuff sure did!
There was a stool under the counter so it made a great desk area. The bed was comfortable, and the pillows were decent.  

 

The bathroom was also about the same as every other cruise ship bathroom.  I do prefer the cruiselines that have doors instead of curtains, so I liked this. I only used this shower once though, as I tended to shower in the spa.  It did NOT have the bar to set your foot on when shaving, which was inconvient. It's a nice addition.

 

 

The room had plenty of space for my things, being by myself, but no drawers.  I really would have appreciated some, but just kept things in their packing cubes.  With a family though, drawers would REALLY have helped.  I didn't bring my standard over the door organizer, and for one person, that was probably OK, but would bring it with my family for sure.  I also had a ton of magentic hooks which I didn't think would be used as much on this cruise as in the carribean where we hang swimsuits, but I had my fleece, my raincoat, my hat, my scarf- lots of things to hang up from the wall to make them easier to find, since the shelves quickly got messy (i'm a bit disorganized) without any drawers available. 

 

Strangely, I didn't take a photo of my balcony with the chairs and table. It wasn't a very large balcony, but it also was bigger than I expected as people complained a lot about how small the balconies are.  There were 2 chairs and a little drinks table.  I had plenty of room to stretch my legs out, but honestly, because of the cold, most of the time I was out there I was standing to take photos, and then going back into the room. 

My balcony was NOT an obstructed view, but it's probably worth showing what the view is.  I think obstruction just means facing forward.  However, because of the bend in the ship, if I turned towards the bow, I saw cabins, and if I looked down, I saw the waterfront. 

Also note, that because of the light pollution from the waterfront, it isn't possible to take star photos. That's OK, I'm a mediocre photographer anyway, but my husband would have been bummed. 

 

After settling into the cabin, it wasn't long until sailaway.  I decided to go up to the top decks and enjoy the sunshine, as it was a beautiful day in seattle.  

Of course, a gorgeous view of the space needle.

 

And a few sailboats enjoying the day.

 

Is there anything than a reflection of sun on the water as you head out to the ocean?

 

The activity I had planned for the night was the spa raffle and solo meet up, so I decided to look slightly less like a slob.  I didn't win the spa raffle (but really, the money won wouldn't even pay a full treatment, so you end up spending more anyway.  Later in the cruise, my cabin steward gave me a $50 coupon, it said "happy anniversary" on it, but I think he was just being nice...  I decided not to use it, as treatments just cost too much.)  After not winning, I headed to the mojito bar. The group was probably about 20 people, and we all introduced ourselves and said where we were from.  I didn't end up going to any other meetups, just always doing something, and then the one day I tried to go there wasn't anyone to open the door to the studio lounge, so it just didn't work out.  I'm glad day 1 was in the mojito bar; as I did see many of these people throughout the cruise and it was nice to know people.

The solo groups had standing tables for 10 at 6:30 in each of the MDRs, so I joined a group that was heading to the manhattan room. (Glad I looked all fancy).

 

I got the Brushetta, which was amazing and I had it a ton.

 

And the beef sirloin medallions. The french fries were EXCELLENT. The sauce was well flavored.  The beef, though I asked for it to be cooked medium, was dry and tough to chew. I gave up after one medallion.  We don't eat beef at home, so I was really looking forward to steak on the cruise (a highlight of my summer cruise), so I was super bummed. This was not the only bad steak I had.  😞

 

Dinner took a long time, so I skipped dessert. 

I was tired, so I went ahead to bed for the night.  The next day was a sea day. Although I went to bed in calm seas, I did not wake up in them!

[skittl1321]

On 10/28/2023 at 11:00 AM, PhillyTravelBug said:

I am loving this review! Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on NCL and the Encore.  Congrats on taking the step for a solo trip. I’m just about the same age and have wondered what a solo cruise would be like

Solo cruising is amazing!

I love cruising with my husband. I really enjoyed cruising with our kids.  I have another family cruise scheduled. But OMG, solo cruising- it is phenomenal.  I didn't have to worry if someone else wanted to go to dinner at the same time as me, if I planned the 'right' shore excursions, if my husband thought I was getting too much ice cream, if I was being too boring because I wanted to take a nap, if the kids had sunscreen on, etc.  It was just 100% what I wanted to do.

Also, I am a super talkative introvert, and I found that there were always people to talk to, and to hang out with (might depend on cruiseline); but when I wanted to have nothing to do with other people, also 100% an option.

And NCL's freeestyle dining was perfect, because I could just go to the MDR whenever I wanted and get a table for 1 and I never had to wait, and there was no issue with eating on my own; but as mentioned, the solo program also had tables reserved if people wanted to go eat together.  

[Ellis1138]

6 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

And the beef sirloin medallions. The french fries were EXCELLENT. The sauce was well flavored.  The beef, though I asked for it to be cooked medium, was dry and tough to chew. I gave up after one medallion.  We don't eat beef at home, so I was really looking forward to steak on the cruise (a highlight of my summer cruise), so I was super bummed. This was not the only bad steak I had.  😞

 

 

 

I hope you'll see my post to you in time to save the rest of your steaks. Or that someone else going on NCL will see it and avoid the leather steak problem.

 

I had this issue on the Escape; the sirloin medallions the first night, which I had asked for "medium rare" came out very well done. I told my waiter, in a polite way, that I couldn't eat it when it was cooked like this. So, it was sent back and after a second attempt, the medallions came to me as medium rare and delicious. This also happened with the sirloin on another night. Sent it back and got better steak. 

 

I don't make a Karen-style fuss about it. I just ask nicely. So hopefully this could help someone else to know that you don't have to accept the unacceptable well done steaks.

[skittl1321]

Just remembered, one of the reasons I skipped dessert the first night is because service was taking a very long time, and in addition to not being that hungry, I also didn't want to wait- because I wanted to head to the thermal spa.

 

So I ended the night with some time in the thermal spa.

 

I'll use this update to comment on that.

The thermal spa, was really really nice. Especially for Alaska in October where it was chilly outside. 
I spent at least an hour there every day.  I LOVED the pool (especially that waterfall jet on my shoulders, though I think that would have been better if I was a bit taller and it could hit a little more of my back), I enjoyed the hot tub a ton. First time I've ever been in a hot tub on a cruise, as the outdoor ones always were too crowded people soup for me.

I gave the sauna and steam room a try, and neither was for me.  The sauna just way too hot, and the steam room I felt like I was suffocating. But after all my soaks in the pool, I'd go to the sanarium- which was fabulous, a less hot sauna!  That also helped me dry out my swimsuit! 

Most days I spent some time on the heated loungers, but they weren't my favorite.  They were really uncomfortable. The bends in them didn't fit my body at all (I'm 5'0" tall), so I had to have a towel roll under my back to not be in pain from the angle. I also just didn't find them to be that warm, so I would usually keep a robe over me like a blanket.  I bet with a warm fleece blanket on top, it would be nice.    But I kept thinking "I need to do this because I paid a ton for this thermal suite!"

I also tried the salt room a few times, but it also wasn't a very comfortable place to sit. I think the idea of that is the salt in the room really dries your sinus cavities out, thus, helping with respiratory issues.  

I went into the snow room once, but always forgot shoes, so didn't really use it.  Usually, my plan was instead to walk across the open deck before getting into the forward elevators, so I had time to cool my body down.  The one time I forgot to do this, by the time I got back to my room I was so painfully hot that I had to lay down outside on the balcony to cool down. I thought I was going to pass out. 

So, overall, the thermal spa was probably one of my favorite parts of the cruise.
It was just SO chill in there. So calm and quiet, never that crowded. I had brought a cover for my kindle, so I'd sit or stand in the pool or in sit in the hot tub or a lounger and just read. I read like 7 books on this cruise.  It was just amazing.

It wasn't until near the very end of the trip that I found the amazing showers in the back corner of the thermal suite- with body sprayers and a great rainfall shower. They were out in the open, so obviously a swimsuit on kind of shower, but there was shampoo and bodywash, so I tended to just wash my hair here and take a nice warm shower for a few minutes.

BUT- the price was so high; $379 for a 7-day cruise.  If it hadn't been given to me as a gift, I just cannot see myself paying that.  So, unfortunately, if I cruise again, I think I won't be doing this.  I'll miss it, but not $50+ a day miss it...   

I do understand why the price is so high. They have to capacity control it. And they obviously want to maximize revenue while they do that.  And I do greatly appreciate that they don't just sell, sell, sell, and then allow the room to become a crowded mess. It was a really wonderful area of the ship. 

 

 

Really, the only thing I'd change is to have a swimsuit dryer in the locker room. 

Also, huge shout to the crew with the sysphean task of keeping the room dry. Especially on the days where water was just flying out of the pool every time the ship moved. 

And, in my next post, I'll talk about the rough seas of the first sea day, but here's a video to show the thermal spa pool (I tried to keep the people out of it, so kind of a weird angle).

This was SO MUCH FUN.  Like a wave pool and a hot tub in one.  You HAD to hold on, or you'd go flying across the pool.  In the bubble area, I didn't stay long as I was honestly worried I'd be injured; but in the main pool area, it was just a blast.  (The deck pools were closed.)

Watch or skip to the middle/ end- that's the big wave.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by skittl1321

[schmoopie17]

On 11/1/2023 at 6:23 PM, Ellis1138 said:

So hopefully this could help someone else to know that you don't have to accept the unacceptable well done steaks.

If ever there was a misnomer, it's well-done steaks. A well-done steak is never "well done".

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by schmoopie17

[Ellis1138]

Wow! I loved the thermal spa too (and knew about the Car Wash tropical shower from day 1) but for my 7 day sailing, it was $299 on the Escape. High, but not totally ridiculous. I also made sure to use the thermal suite on embarkation day the minute it opened, because I also had the "I have to get my value out of this". 

 

$379 is bordering on outrageous for 7 days.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Ellis1138

[JamesIowa]

2 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

BUT- the price was so high; $379 for a 7-day cruise

I checked my invoice twice, $379 is what I paid for a 15 day sailing in Dec.