LIVE from the ENCORE- Jan 28-Feb 4th

[BermudaBound2014]

We are sitting in the boarding area waiting to embark on the lovely Encore for a whirl around the Caribbean.
 

We just debarked from the Carnival Celebration and dragged our luggage down the pier. This port is a total cluster with the marathon. According to our celebration group page, it took 2 hours to get an Uber and another 90 minutes to get to the airport. I believe it.

 

The parking lots are full because last weeks people can’t get out to make room for this week.  The bridge is closed for the marathon and we just got a text that they closed down the tunnel too. I suspect that is due to traffic. In the 30plus years I have been cruising, I have NEVER seen a port this busy. Not even close. It’s 11:13 and people are still getting off the ship. We are grateful to just wait this out in nice air conditioning. The lions game doesn’t start until 6:30 and that’s all we care about today.

 

Little background for perspective. I started cruising in 1987. It was a high school graduation gift. You can do the math. I’ve cruised over 50 times on just about every single cruise line and several that have long gone bankrupt (shout out to defunct Regency, Dolphin, and Commodore Cruise lines). I have zero brand loyalty and will sail any ship/any size if the value is there. I’ve sailed everything from inside cabins to Yacht Club and have never met a cruise ship I didn’t like. 
 

I did a very mild live from the Celebration. For a ship with starlink I could not get logged into cruise critic to upload photos along the way. Hopefully the net will flow faster on the Encore. 
 

I’ll be doing side to side comparisons for those interested. From here I’ll be flying to San Diego to board the Koningsdam for a 35 night cruise to Tahiti so three totally different experiences one right after the other. This should be interesting. 

 

If you are interested in my Celebration live here is a link. It’s weak. I’ll try to improve.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2986539-liveish-carnival-celebration-january-21-28/#comment-66787873

 

Sailing into Miami this morning on the Carnival Celebration-

 

Edited January 28 by BermudaBound2014

[BirdTravels]

Have a wonderful cruise!  

 

We are planning (not booked yet) two trips on the Encore this year. 

Edited January 28 by BirdTravels

[vacation44]

Will definitely be following along and read your Celebration comparison.   We board the Encore two weeks from today.

 

Have a wonderful second part of your vacation!

[BermudaBound2014]

It’s noon. No sign of boarding. Also no chairs left. This place is jam packed standing room only. 

[BermudaBound2014]

We are onboard with drinks by 1:30. Not bad considering there is a still a total cluster outside. Several people from our group that debarked this morning missed their flights. Uber is at a premium of $75 to get to the airport. At this time taxis are cheaper, if you can get one.
 

The marathon is this same weekend every single year so plan accordingly. I wasn’t worried because we were just doing a S2S, but I way underestimated the crowds nor did I anticipate it would delay embarkation. 

Headed straight to the brew house to claim seats for both games. Bartender said he did not know if they could show the games (seems a bit off). He assured us that sometimes the brew house can’t show them when the games are on the big screen. Again, seems way off. Whatever - we claimed some seats outside at the lido pool. Apparently the game will be shown here. We are parked. 
 

unfortunately the game AND the sail away celebration are scheduled at the same time, same place, with a band playing. It shouldn’t effect the lions game since we don’t start until 6:30, but id be pissed if I were a KC or RAvens fan. No one on board can confirm that the game will be showing anywhere other than ty lido big screen (did I mention that seems off)?

 

In comparison, the celebration embarkation was a solid 10. Ncl was a 3. Very chaotic and disorganized. They call up group numbers but we watched people with group number 22 board when they called us (group number 4). iMO- If they are going to give group numbers they should check group numbers. In fairness, our Celebration embarkation did not compete with the marathon so there’s that.

 

Hubby told me to tell you that the lagunitis  on tap is on point. 🙂
 

 

 

[Knights on the Beach]

I found you here and can't wait to follow along! 

[princess76021]

I'm here!!  Thanks again 

Hugs from Texas

[vacation44]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

unfortunately the game AND the sail away celebration are scheduled at the same time, same place, with a band playing. It shouldn’t effect the lions game since we don’t start until 6:30, but id be pissed if I were a KC or RAvens fan. No one on board can confirm that the game will be showing anywhere other than ty lido big screen (did I mention that seems off)?

🙂

 

I thought of that when I realized the Super Bowl will also be around/same time as our sailing.   Two years ago we watched it on the lido deck on the Joy but it was set up for everyone to watch it as sail away was the previous day.  And it was also a near empty ship.    Please let us know how it works out and if it was shown in the DBH (if you find out).

[BermudaBound2014]

42 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

I thought of that when I realized the Super Bowl will also be around/same time as our sailing.   Two years ago we watched it on the lido deck on the Joy but it was set up for everyone to watch it as sail away was the previous day.  And it was also a near empty ship.    Please let us know how it works out and if it was shown in the DBH (if you find out).

Will do for sure!! I asked the question here on CC few weeks ago and people responded it would be on the big screen in the atrium but crew told us no to the big sceen and only the tiny screens at the atrium bar.

 

NCL did better than carnival because at lease they have one game location listed in the app. I just find it hard to believe it isn’t playing at multiple locations. Perhaps the crew has been directed to send everyone to the lido. I’ll check it out for you. 
 

I’d rather watch it outside so this is a win for me, but the site lines aren’t great. 
 

So far table service here at the lido during the early game has been infinitely better than table service at hero’s bar during last weeks game where service was literally non existent from 11 am until the end of the bills/kc game. I had to bus my own tables but here the guys are on it. 
 

They called rooms ready at 2:30 which I thought was reasonable. 
 

Current situation -

 

Edited January 28 by BermudaBound2014

[JoeTec]

I was on the Encore the 14th - 24th. We watched the wild card games at the casino bar

[BermudaBound2014]

@vacation44 we never gave up our seats at the pool so sorry, I didn’t check out the other venues.

 

The crew did have enough sense to cancel the sail away party and let the game just play on. The T.V shut down for the last 5 minutes of the KC game. I’d have lost my mind if that was my team. 
 

Sadly, No lead is ever too big for the lions. It was a very difficult loss for us but today we are choosing to celebrate the best season we’ve had in my lifetime! We have 4 rookies going to the Super Bowl (shout out to LaPointe). Brad Holmes is a recruiting savant and our average age is around 23. We WILL be back.

 

Ok- now for something other than football… cruise ship comparisons. I should note that everythingI mentioned is first world problems. I list the the pros and the cons (imho) to help people make a decision about which cruise would best meet their needs.
 

Like I said earlier, I have never been on a bad cruise (including one that was hit by a barge in Jamaica ripping a huge hole in the hull or the one caught in the perimeter of class 4 hurricane). I love cruising. With that, I don’t think glowing reviews do anyone any good, including the cruise line. 

 

Service- so far this area is a HUGE win for NCL. During the playoffs last week there was zero table service for over 8 hours. The dishes piled so high I had to bus our own table to be able to set down a beer. The bar had 2 bartenders and the line was five deep. Got the wrong beer. The venue was grossly understaffed.

 

Last night during the game there were no less than 10 servers walking around and you couldn’t set down a glass long before a busser was there to remove it. Nothing piled up on the tables and getting drinks was fast and efficient. 

 

Same with breakfast this morning. No wait (there was a ninety minute wait for breakfast on the first sea day on celebration). Service was super fast, coffee continuously topped off. Food came hot. So, same breakfast arrival time (9:30 am). Same first sea day. Same type of venue (main dining room). Totally different experience. Another big win for NCL. 

 

Celebration wins in terms of the room lay out. We have insides on both cruises because my 35 nighter to Tahiti plus 2 months afterwards in Maui blew through my 2024 travel budget.  We needed an inexpensive way to get out of Michigan in January and these two cruises fit the bill. 

 

There were four closet sections on celebration. We have one tiny closet that also has the only shelving built at a 90 degree angle making it challenging to use both the hangers and the shelves.  Bad design imo. Our balcony cabins on getaway, breakaway, and epic did not have this design so it’s an interior thing. We do like the electronic lights for do not disturb, etc… and the bathroom is actually larger than Celebration, but the shelving in there is  much narrower. Overall, for an inside room, carnival functions much better (and the room was cleaner). 
 

Bar Service is another win for NCL. We have yet to wait for bar service whether bellying up or sitting at tables. NCLs has Starbucks where celebration has Java Blue. NCl has 4 baristas. cCl had two. I stand by my assessment that the Celebration was significantly understaffed in key areas

 

OK- enough for this afternoon. Currently sitting in Brew house. Hubby is pacing responsibly with Guinness. I threw caution to the wind and  am double fisting spicy passion mojitos. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by BermudaBound2014

[vacation44]

17 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@vacation44 we never gave up our seats at the pool so sorry, I didn’t check out the other venues.

 

The crew did have enough sense to cancel the sail away party and let the game just play on. The T.V shut down for the last 5 minutes of the KC game. I’d have lost my mind if that was my team. 
 

We would not have given up our seats either!    I think we will park ourselves on the pool deck a couple of hours before the game.    We can take turns wondering off.    We just have to pull ourselves out of the Vibe, which is our happy place, to go the ciaos of the pool deck.  

[DCGuy64]

Following along....just off the Celebration, now on the Encore and then on the Koningsdam? Wow, you are living the life!! 😁 Thanks for the "live from!"

[vacation44]

28 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Following along....just off the Celebration, now on the Encore and then on the Koningsdam? Wow, you are living the life!! 😁 Thanks for the "live from!"

Plus the two months in Maui afterwards!

[CaptainBazz]

We have been on the Encore before and are on again March 3rd...following along...would love to hear about the entertainment. Enjoy your cruise 😎

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Following along....just off the Celebration, now on the Encore and then on the Koningsdam? Wow, you are living the life!! 😁 Thanks for the "live from!"

Hi there! Glad to have you along. Yep, Celebration, Encore, home for 7 days, Koningsdam for 35 days and that debarks in San Diego. From there I will fly to the condo in Maui until May. I spend my entire retirement avoiding Michigan winters. It’s blissful. You’ll be there soon 🙂

[BermudaBound2014]

@vacation44 I recommend getting there as soon as you board and claiming your seats. Its prime real estate.

 

I may also recommend somewhere right on the edge of the covered ceiling and open sky. That way if it rains you are a scoot away from dry but you won’t get all the diesel smell you get on the more enclosed sides. Ask me how I know 😉 

 

I’ve had vibe passes before and they were awesome. Enjoy that peace. This ship really is missing something like that which is complementary. One pool for a ship this size is a recipe for chaos.
 

We REALLY enjoyed the serenity on Celebration. 18 and up.  The beds are super comfy. Shade or sun. There is a pool and whirlpool. Salad bar lunch with ample protein. A bar. And the entire area is complementary. Here are a few photos if interested in the comparison….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by BermudaBound2014

[DCGuy64]

17 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Hi there! Glad to have you along. Yep, Celebration, Encore, home for 7 days, Koningsdam for 35 days and that debarks in San Diego. From there I will fly to the condo in Maui until May. I spend my entire retirement avoiding Michigan winters. It’s blissful. You’ll be there soon 🙂

Pictures are lovely, thank you for them! Retirement is in the future, I wish it were closer but I still have 5 years to go. If I tried to retire now, one of two things would happen: my wife would kill me or I'd run out of money. I'd rather be alive and not penniless! 😅 Enjoy your cruise, it's nice tagging along, virtually. 😊 I hope you have a wonderful time.

[BermudaBound2014]

We ate at ocean blue last night and Rudy’s seafood grill three nights ago. So pretty much back to back. Both are seafood restaurants with similar menus. Reservations were both for 6:00 pm

 

The food was good at Rudis. The Hubster liked it more than me. But food was EXCELLENT at Ocean Blue. We both thought the food quality surpassed Rudis.

 

The problem came with the pacing of service. We had 7:00 reservations and a 10:00 show reservation for Choir of Men. At 8:00 we received the first appraiser. At 8:30 the bread came but we we were still waiting for 2nd appetizer (note, you can get 2 appetizers, 2 from the salad/soup section of the menu or one of each). 

 

At this point we mentioned to the server that we had 10:00 show reservations and from there the pace picked up a bit. We were out by 9:30. Two and a Half hours isn’t terrible, but I’m not sure how long we would have been waiting if we hadn’t let them know to expedite. The couple next to us said they were there 3.5 hours start to finish.

 

Choir of men was a great show. NCL does entertainment better than most lines. Sad they are cutting back so much. We will miss burn the floor this trip. The choir boys mentioned they will be in Australia in March so I have a feeling their current contract here is ending soon. Entertainment has always been NCLs niche and I hope they can find a way to continue offering premium entertainment while balancing the debt.

 

From there it was the brew house. Piano player/guitarist. Sing along. Ended promptly at midnight. In fact most bars close at midnight. 

 

No doubt this ship goes to sleep before Celebration. At midnight the only bar open was Atrium and the only entertainment was a movie in the atrium in the big screen. We are missing the late night vibe. Carnival really does “fun” better in the sense they offer lots more entertainment choices all day, which then run late into the weee hours. We can adjust. First world problem. Just mentioning it for those who are looking for a bit more energy late night. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hubby is the pescatarian- I believe we have eye teeth for a reason 🙂

Edited January 30 by BermudaBound2014

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

 

Sorry if I missed it! What are the white caterpillar looking things? 

[schmoopie17]

4 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Sorry if I missed it! What are the white caterpillar looking things? 

They're white caterpillars. Yum...

[DCGuy64]

Wow, that seafood looks scrumptious, esp the scallops. Yum, yum!

[vacation44]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

@vacation44 I recommend getting there as soon as you board and claiming your seats. Its prime real estate.

 

I may also recommend somewhere right on the edge of the covered ceiling and open sky. That way if it rains you are a scoot away from dry but you won’t get all the diesel smell you get on the more enclosed sides. Ask me how I know 😉 

 

I’ve had vibe passes before and they were awesome. Enjoy that peace. This ship really is missing something like that which is complementary. One pool for a ship this size is a recipe for chaos.
 

We REALLY enjoyed the serenity on Celebration. 18 and up.  The beds are super comfy. Shade or sun. There is a pool and whirlpool. Salad bar lunch with ample protein. A bar. And the entire area is complementary. Here are a few photos if interested in the comparison….

 

 

 

Thank you for the suggestion.   I really did not want to spend our first afternoon on the pool deck, but I also want my husband to have a good seat to watch the game.   I am thinking if we board early (as priority status), make our platinum tour reservation and have our traditional first lunch at the Local, we should still be good for two decent seats.   Two years ago on the Joy, it was a near empty ship so there was not an issue getting a good seat anytime.

 

We are huge vibe fans and will not cruise without passes on any ship that has a Vibe.   Before being able to buy them online, our success rate was 100%.   However, the pictures you showed of serenity look very relaxing and more impressive to me than the Haven sundecks we have been on.   

 

Hope you are having a wonderful time and thank you for all of the updates. 

[BermudaBound2014]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Sorry if I missed it! What are the white caterpillar looking things? 

Calamari- that is the grilled fisherman’s platter. Hubby asked to exchange rice for fries but they forgot both. There was so much food no reason to add a starch. 

[BermudaBound2014]

50 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Thank you for the suggestion.   I really did not want to spend our first afternoon on the pool deck, but I also want my husband to have a good seat to watch the game.   I am thinking if we board early (as priority status), make our platinum tour reservation and have our traditional first lunch at the Local, we should still be good for two decent seats.   Two years ago on the Joy, it was a near empty ship so there was not an issue getting a good seat anytime.

 

We are huge vibe fans and will not cruise without passes on any ship that has a Vibe.   Before being able to buy them online, our success rate was 100%.   However, the pictures you showed of serenity look very relaxing and more impressive to me than the Haven sundecks we have been on.   

 

Hope you are having a wonderful time and thank you for all of the updates. 

Our embarkation was delayed due to the Marathon. We were boarding group four. Headed first to brew house then to the pool deck. I’d say we got there within 30

minutes of getting on the ship and the place was already very full.
 

Ymmv, but there is absolutely no way we could have gotten lunch and then gotten any good seats. They were long gone within an hour of embarkation. I may recommend grabbing your spot first thing. I skipped lunch and Bob just went to the lido buffet while I held the seats. 
 

This is your competition at kick off….