Encore to Alaska 7/21-28, 2024 Trip report

[Calicoskies1234]

We were a group of 6 adults on the Encore to Alaska July 2024. We had a truly spectacular trip! I can honestly say every moment was breathtaking, amazing, fun, delicious or restful, not a single bad moment. Well, one…my hub made my Starbucks coffee wrong.  That’s ok, I fixed it by only ordering mochas all week lol.  Thank you to those who answered my questions here and helped my planning. All the plans went perfectly! I came off looking like a professional tour guide!

We were all very fortunate that our flights, happening one day after the GLITCH, were not impacted, more than mine having a 3 hr delay. We spent Saturday in Seattle.  Dropped luggage at hotel, ordered a Lyft to Seattle Center. We would have used Metro, but Chihuly had a private event closing it at 4pm and it was already 230pm. Traffic for the Lyft guy was awful, took us 50 min. Visited Chihuly Glass Gardens and the Space Needle. Chihuly was peaceful and lovely. The needle was extremely hot long line that almost got the best of me then I got to the part with misters. I’m glad we did it, but I never need to do it again. It was SO HOT, 85ish, sunny, humid, streets packed for Bite of Seattle Fest. Ate lunch at Dicks, I didn’t like. Greasy and dirty place that had been recommended not by CC. Loved the monorail, wish it were longer. Ended in Westlake where we rode the Metro back to airport, 40 min ride, then our free airport shuttle to the hotel. Country Inn and Suites SeaTac. Not fancy, but very comfortable, clean, very good hotel breakfast, and very kind helpful staff. Only $170/ night. We reserved Seattle Express shuttle for trip to pier. That operation runs very smooth. Highly recommend. 

Embarkation was 11:30, almost zero wait or lines. On ship by 1215 I think.  Muster first, then lunch in Taste. First lunch on ship set the tone for the week.  Almost every meal all week was really good, very good or just good! Did a taste test of Cosmos with reg booze and then with Grey Goose. It makes a dif! We were finishing lunch maybe 230, got announcement cabins were ready. We were all aft, mine 12310 balcony. Other 2 couples inside cabins across the hall. I loved our cabin! The balcony was huge! We called it a 6-butt balcony because all 6 of us adults could line up at the railing. The bathroom was nice size, good shower too. Our cabin stew found us, introduced himself, Kolmang. We asked for 2 add’l chairs for balcony. There were 2 patio chairs plus lounger.  He brought 2 nice padded seat desk-type, not wheelies, chairs within 30 min. Very helpful! We all hung out on balcony watching Seattle slip away. Then took a bit to decompress and freshen for dinner. 

Dinner Sunday was Cagneys. I was cruising with 5 first timers. We all loved our meals except two of us didn’t like the truffle mashed potatoes. All in all, dinner was smashing success. We told our server we were trying to see Beatles 730 and he made sure to get us done in time. The Beatles Invasion was fun. I’m an avid Beatles fan so I was skeptical. Once I got past the goofiness of their looks it was a fun singalong. The musicianship and vocals were quite good, esp “George” on guitar, it’s just very tough imitating the greatest iconic band of all time. “John” looked very much the part including mannerisms and accent. They made some jokes to let you know they were in on the goofiness. We made a point to see all 4 shows in the theater, never made it to the Cavern. After the show it was water views on the 6-butt balcony. Slept like babies. NCL beds are firm which I love, the bedding smells so good, feels so good. You get tucked in with that comfy duvet and the ac running cold, it was a very good sleep. 

Monday we breakfasted together at Taste/Savor. I can’t tell them apart so will refer them as TS. I loved the sit-down service at breakfast. Like the cloth tablecloths, napkins, glassware. It’s very special and feels vacation-y. We are a chatty bunch and loved reviewing plans or solo escapades at brkfast. The little baskets of pastries became a treat every morn with fruit. I didn’t like the brkfast potatoes but everyone else did. Always had good crispy bacon. We used the seaday to learn the ship. Search out good sitting spots. Met for lunch in buffet. My hub and I only did that once and declared we are NOT buffet ppl at all. The other 4 did some other meals in buffet and generally liked. It was chaotic, lots of competing smells, no real order, ppl just jumping in-out of places. Crowded, noisy, and sorry but …kids. That night dinner was in TS. I had made all our dinner resv once on board using the app. We saw Choir of Man at 10pm and that was a really fun show! We all enjoyed this show very much. We ladies saw a repeat show later in week. 

Tues we pulled into Juneau with cold steady rain.  Brkfast and lunch both at TS. We enjoyed all the meals there very much. We dressed in our snappy rain gear and hats, packed our go-bags. We had a private whale watch tour set with Jayleen’s. Just us 6 on a cute little Searider.  Disembarking ship was a bit of a cattle call, but we found our tour van very easily. Jeremy was a fun guide! We all had a blast riding on what he called “heavy chop” and saw several whales including a mom and calf. My husband has a gimbal handle for his iPhone. He spent most the ride hanging on at the back open deck and filming. I think he thought he was filming an epi of Deadliest Catch!  He got great footage, got very wet and he had the biggest grin the whole time. All of us did. Highly rec Jayleen’s for whale watches. Tour ended 7pm, we skipped downtown as still a steady rain. Got back to ship, grabbed Starbucks and sat for dinner at TS. Was an earlyish night as we had alarms set for Skagway. While on whale boat I got a call from Chilkoot informing that our 8 hr Yukon trip had to cancel due to a rockslide that happened. He was able to rebook us on just the van portion, so we felt lucky. He said we were the first group he called and we got some of the last openings available. 

Wed morn met for group breakfast TS, our tour time had changed to 930 so we could linger before leaving ship. While at breakfast I get a 2nd call from Chilkoot. The Highway also now closed from the rockslide. Canceled tour and nothing else available. We stopped at the excursion desk and Eziz was able to get us booked on the shorter train ride (3hr) so we got those tix and were grateful we had an excursion!  I’m guessing these seats were blocked out for NCL and Chilkoot could not sell to us? We had time to explore town before getting to the NCL lineup for the 1230 train. We were the first group in line meaning we got the very last seats in the very last car! Our viewing platform had no train blocking our filming. It was beautiful up there. Most of the fog had lifted. We enjoyed the ride and the historic info. One of my fave parts was seeing the original White Pass foot trail. Harrowing adventure. We are sure it wld hv been beautiful going all the way to Carcross tho.  Once off the train, the cold rain started. We went back to ship having seen Skagway in the morn. Dinner later in The Local, good Sammies and hot fries. Soup was served barely warm but was good soup. We had several very good soups at MDR this week. 

Thursday was our fave day. Glacier Bay is stunning. Having a 6-butt balcony to view in private was perfect. Had breakfast near window in TS. We did run up to Obs Lounge, it was full, noisy and warm. We visited the bow when at Marjorie then beelined back to the balcony. We spent most of the next 6 hours there, splitting up for meals. That night dinner was in Manhattan. It’s very nice in there but not cozy with windows easy to look through like in TS. I’m not mentioning meals bc they were all yummy, everyone left feeling good. I do recall lots of MDR steaks being enjoyed by our group. My fave was the mousse desserts, esp the choc orange. 

Up early Friday for Ketchikan, brkfast in buffet. They opened early6am. The food was fine, and we were beating the crowd. We found Ward Cove easy to navigate, we had 30-40 min to shop there before our tour time. We all had bags of goodies to stuff in our backpacks. We did the NCL Totem Bight/Lumberjack Show. We found the tour guide process very easy to understand, our guide was very conscious of the fact everyone knew abt the fam of 9 NCL abandoned. We had clear instruction to ride the same bus, with same driver, and same group. Did the show first. Yes it was hokey and silly and geared just for non-Alaskans but it was also very fun! Totem Bight our guide Alex told all kinds of history and stories, it was really interesting and we loved it. He was a very good storyteller, involved his group often, and lots of humor. We missed seeing any of the town sadly.  Got back to Ward Cove and now it was a crowded madhouse. Glad we shopped early. This evening my hub and me dined solo at Teppanyaki. This was my least enjoyed meal all week. The chef seemed bored and uninterested. The rice and veg were good.  The shrimp good. The chicken was tough and woody, steak not tender. My cocktail was warm. Tea cake was really yucky. 

Sat night we did not get off ship at Victoria. We had our 3rd dinner in Manhattan. We did some presentations in theater: last Beatles, comedy duo, Engineer chat. I did some shopping on board, ring for me, Starbucks espresso Alaska cups for gifts, keychain and magnets. 

To sum up, the 2 comedians were pretty funny. Can’t recall names exactly but Ryan Bellesomething and Tim Hoonsomething.  Beatles Invasion were good singalong sessions, they enjoyed playing the later cuts. Choir of Man was excellent. All the food mostly really good. Drinks mostly good. Service and crew were all more than excellent. I made sure to leave thank you note $$ to Kolmang who made our cabin a home all week. Also filled out 14 hero cards. Observation Lounge is a great space until it’s full then it’s noisy and warm. Coco loco mojito was my top fave drink. 3 of our 6 have COVID now, but it won’t stop me from vacationing. We’ve already booked cruises 2025 and 2026. We found lots of the public seating uncomfortable unless you gathered pillows. 

I will work on posting pics tonight. 

Lori
 

[Calicoskies1234]

What mountain is that in distance? In air above Seattle. 

[Calicoskies1234]

Chihuly and a shot from the Needle.  The pic of my screen on phone is from 2003 Bellagio ceiling. It’s where I first learned of Dale Chihuly. 

Edited August 4 by Calicoskies1234

[Calicoskies1234]

Cabin 12310, aft. One of the best seats on the ship. Goodbye for now Seattle. 

[Calicoskies1234]

Beatles Invasion, dif timelines. Choir of Man. 

[Calicoskies1234]

Jayleen’s Whale Watch, we grinned the whole time. The boat over my shoulder is our ride. 

[Calicoskies1234]

Train in Skagway. Rear seats, rear car!  Pic of original foot trail White Pass

Edited August 4 by Calicoskies1234

[Calicoskies1234]

Glacier Bay

[Ellis1138]

8 minutes ago, Calicoskies1234 said:

What mountain is that in distance? In air above Seattle. 

I wanna guess it's Rainier? That's the closest mountain to the area and directly Southeat of SEA.

[Calicoskies1234]

Lumberjacks, Totem Bight, nap, Coco Loco mojitos 

[KansasTexan]

I'm pretty sure that mountain you asked about is Mt Rainier. So pretty on a clear day. Great review! I stayed in the aft balcony one floor up 2 years ago. I enjoyed the cruise and the ship so much I have another booked for this September but will be in a studio solo cabin. I know I'll be out on the waterfront deck most of my time on board. I was last time.

[debenson0723]

Nice review and photos...glad you had a great time! Encore to Alaska is a fabulous cruise. 

[azappraiser]

On 8/4/2024 at 2:43 PM, Calicoskies1234 said:

 

 

 

Thanks for your report.  DW & I will have a similar view from Deck 12 next May, except we'll be on the starboard corner... can't wait.

[seapad]

@Calicoskies1234 Thanks for such a great and detailed review. My family (group of 4 cabins) is going on this exact cruise in a couple of weeks. It's been many years since we cruised on NCL. Can you please tell me if you made MTD reservations ahead of time when you board, or do you just show up whenever? We like to dine early like 5:30-ish. How did you plan your dining? 

Entertainment - was it hard to make an entertainment booking at alland when did you make that? 

Thank you so much in advance! 

  

 

[snorklinbarb]

Gorgeous photos and such a fun time review.  Your group sure made use of the 6 butt balcony.  Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise and made the best of it even when you had to jiggle the schedule.  Glad NCL worked with you and good to hear food was very good in "TS". 

 

What's up next?

[PATRLR]

On 8/4/2024 at 4:45 PM, Calicoskies1234 said:

Highly rec Jayleen’s for whale watches.

This is good to hear. Jayleen's uncle is Captain Steve Olmstead who ran Alaskan Humpback Adventures for many years - I used to recommend AHA but now their website goes to Jayleen (and, I believe Captain Steve works for Jayleen from time to time).  Glad to hear Jayleen is carrying on the high quality that Steve did for years.  I believe those small boats are the best way to whale watch.

[Calicoskies1234]

22 hours ago, seapad said:

@Calicoskies1234 Thanks for such a great and detailed review. My family (group of 4 cabins) is going on this exact cruise in a couple of weeks. It's been many years since we cruised on NCL. Can you please tell me if you made MTD reservations ahead of time when you board, or do you just show up whenever? We like to dine early like 5:30-ish. How did you plan your dining? 

Entertainment - was it hard to make an entertainment booking at alland when did you make that? 

Thank you so much in advance! 

  

 

I made all the MDR resv inside the app once onboard. We did it while having our first lunch, just reviewed our itinerary and got every night we needed reserved. I’m glad we did too, some nights there were 30 min waits and beepers being handed out. I did the entertainment, just Choir of Man, I think 15 days out. 

[Calicoskies1234]

21 hours ago, snorklinbarb said:

Gorgeous photos and such a fun time review.  Your group sure made use of the 6 butt balcony.  Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise and made the best of it even when you had to jiggle the schedule.  Glad NCL worked with you and good to hear food was very good in "TS". 

 

What's up next?

We have booked the Getaway to New England/Canada Fall 2025 and return to Alaska on Encore summer 2026. Aft cabins deck 12 on both ❤️

[firstmickey]

Can I ask about clothes for dinner? I know it's casual from what I have read, but is it cold inside the ship?  Are short sleeves or lightweight dresses ok?  Or does it seem like long sleeves, sweaters, etc are needed?  I know layers but I was curious how warm the inside of the ship is since I see people all bundled up in their outdoor pictures.  (Florida girl asking) 🙂

[zqvol]

22 minutes ago, firstmickey said:

Can I ask about clothes for dinner? I know it's casual from what I have read, but is it cold inside the ship?  Are short sleeves or lightweight dresses ok?  Or does it seem like long sleeves, sweaters, etc are needed?  I know layers but I was curious how warm the inside of the ship is since I see people all bundled up in their outdoor pictures.  (Florida girl asking) 🙂

It is likely to seem cold to you, though the temperature is pretty consistent inside the ships across the entire fleet. 

[Calicoskies1234]

5 hours ago, firstmickey said:

Can I ask about clothes for dinner? I know it's casual from what I have read, but is it cold inside the ship?  Are short sleeves or lightweight dresses ok?  Or does it seem like long sleeves, sweaters, etc are needed?  I know layers but I was curious how warm the inside of the ship is since I see people all bundled up in their outdoor pictures.  (Florida girl asking) 🙂

We did not find it cold inside the ship. The restaurants were all comfortable temps, we wore or carried a warm layer bc we never knew when we would wander outside. The observation lounge has lots of glass and we all found it gets warm when full of people. We dressed the entire cruise in casual clothing, like jeans, black cotton or khaki type pants. I had mostly lightweight polyester tops paired with an undertank. I wore some Lands End vests both for a warmth layer and all the pockets. For dinner only once did I change a top, most nights I just put on earrings lol. You can wear short sleeve and lighter fabrics, but always have a jacket-y thing to throw on. My hub wore mostly casual button downs, some LS some SS.