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Another fun Norwegian Cruise!

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 15
Helpful Votes: 243

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Encore

Great Stirrup Cay Round Trip

Sail date: November 17, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11154

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

My second Norwegian Cruise was even better than the first. There is something for everyone! The thrills of race cars or virtual reality games or laser tag. Enjoy gambling in the casino or lounging by the pool or relaxing in the hot tub. From buffets, to casual restaurant to more upscale you can’t go wrong with your options. The private island had a lot to offer and Miami is always a fun time. All in all this was a great trip with beautiful weather!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Quick & painless.we were able to get onboard an hour earlier than expected,

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Book your speciality restaurants as soon as you can. My sister and I were unable to get into any of the speciality restaurants however we still have great meals with a lot of selection. The highlight of the Garden Grill Buffet was seafood 🦞 lunch. Picture lobster, crab and jumbo shrimp. They even crack the claws for you! Get there early, I got there a little after 12:30 and it was difficult to get a seat. We took our plates outside and enjoyed seafood in the sun. The Local was great with food and drink available 24 hours. In addition, the main dining room had everything could want!! We ate at The Manhattan Room, the Taste and Savor restaurants and didn’t have a bad meal!

Coco’s

5 out of 5

You must try this place! To say it’s ice cream is an injustice. The desserts are a work of art and worth the cost!!

Starbucks

5 out of 5

As always, Starbucks is what you expect. One day I purchased frozen white chocolate Frappuccino the next the pink drink.There is only one drink and food item per person. You can’t order drinks to bring to friends.

Sugarcane Mojito Bar

5 out of 5

Wonderful mojitos. They have other drinks too but my favorite was the cocomojito!

The Local Bar

5 out of 5

A good place to watch a game and grab a beer. Be warned around 2 am it gets very loud. I normally didn’t stay up that late ha-ha

The Local

5 out of 5

Open 24 hours and the food Is good for light snack or more. I enjoyed the grilled chicken salad, the wings, taco salad and the pretzel bites. If you want to avoid the rush at the buffet in the morning, the local has a great selection for a sit down and be served. I enjoyed the breakfast platter which gave you a little of everything!

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

All I can say is don’t miss the seafood buffet day. In addition, there is a side Starbucks area where you brew your own instead of waiting in line at Starbucks.The juice bar is great pick me up in the mornings.

American Diner

5 out of 5

Great comfort food. From the nachos to the lobster roll, just wha you would expect from a diner!!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Aqua Park

5 out of 5

The Aqua Park looked like so much fun! Our friends on the group went down several times. I didn’t get a chance to try the slide but plan to next time!

Main Pool

4 out of 5

The main pool seems very small for so many guests however they are a lot of lounge chairs and bars!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The Cavern Club

5 out of 5

The Beatles (ok, 4 guys that kinda looked like the fab 4) were great!! Each night was a different era. We saw Abbey Road! We sang along & had a great time. It fills up fast & you can’t make reservations so plan to stand in line about an hour before. We grabbed a drink & chatted with Beatlemaniacs!

Social Comedy and Night Club

5 out of 5

I didn’t get to go to the Comedy Club but heard it was a lot of fun.We did go to the silent dance party and had a blast! Put on your headsets and dance to your own beat. You can stand in the 80s or groove on over to the 90s.The Social Club is where we saw Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical, which offered us a selection of Prohibition Era specialty cocktails during the show. Be prepared as there are about 5 cocktails.If you don’t want to get pulled on stage sit in the back. This is another one you want to arrive about 1/2 hour early to wait in line.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
I didn’t really see my steward except in the all but the rooms were very clean and comfortable. The bartenders and waiters were professional and nice.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
You could tell the rooms were new and well taken care of and the staff were constantly picking up in the open areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The cabins were fairly big with comfy beds. The bathroom especially the shower was big. I loved having a balcony, which has two chairs and a table.

Ship tip

There is a free shuttle from the port to Bayside Marketplace. It picked us up at terminal A Port of Miami: take the free Coral Way trolley to the Biscayne Blvd. stop!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5
Miami is beautiful as expected. If you have time before your flight, take the free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace. Bayside Marketplace is an open center that offers the best of shopping, restaurants, bars, live music, bus and boat tours located waterside in Downtown Miami. They have everything! We ate at a great seafood restaurant on the dock, walked around with frozen drinks, purchased sample pack of Cuban cigars and bought other souvenirs for the family. The short 10 minute Uber ride to the airport was only $12.
Thumbs Up

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5
The private had plenty of options. We chose to lay out at the main beach where there were plenty of loungers and towels waiting. Make sure to book your tender early as it departs hourly. We chose the 10 o’clock it was running from 8-5. It was a short walk to the Bacardi Bar for daiquiris. There were other bars and restaurants to choose from. Waiters walked around with water, soda & cold beer, too. Others in our group chose to snorkel and jet ski. Other options included kayaking,sky as you zipline across the island. There are other tours available including swimming with the pigs! We ate at the grill, which had the standard hamburgers and hot dogs. They had a taco place, too. Don’t forget sun block and I was glad I had water shoes as it is somewhat rocky.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
This was kind of a pain. I departed later thinking I would miss the crowd but everyone at same idea. If you have time to kill before your flight, take the free shuttle to Bayside Marketplace.
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