Great short getaway

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 4.9
Author: mgribov

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

mgribov

Contributor Level: Third Mate

45 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Reviews: 9

Helpful Votes: 79

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

Verified Review

Great Stirrup Cay Round Trip

Sail date: November 17, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11152

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

This was an inaugural sailing, so we werent able to eat at most restaurants we wanted to, but that was the only bad part. Otherwise, our food was great, all our cocktails were good, we enjoyed going dancing and going to the shows, and the island stop was a perfect beach day. Would definitely go on this ship again.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Was very easy and fast

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Did not get to try everything we wanted, but all food was great quality, both at the buffet at Garden Cafe and at the free restaurants we tried, Manhattan Room and Savor.

The Manhattan Room - Main Dining Room

5 out of 5

Good seafood dishes, menu changed every night. Pretty large space, so enough room for most tables/parties to not have to overshout the table next to you. Does get on the louder side during peak dining hours though.

Teppanyaki

5 out of 5

Food was awesome, and our chef was hillarious

Sugarcane Mojito Bar

5 out of 5

Great mojitos! Had a coconut and pineapple one, I think my favorite drink during the whole cruise.

Savor Restaurant - Main Dining Room

5 out of 5

Food was great, seemed to be smaller and more intimate than Manhattan Room

The District Brew House

5 out of 5

Great selection, both domestic and imports. Has some great US craft beers and Duvel!

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

Good variety, really enjoyed Indian and sushi.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The fitness center has rubberized barbells and dumbbells, and a squat machine

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Really enjoyed Kinky Boots, and Prohibition the musical. Prohibition includes 5 specialty cocktails throughout the show, and they were all very good! Being able to go dancing every night is also great, music was everything from 80/90s hip-hop to Bon Jovi to all the pop from last 20 years

Encore Theater

5 out of 5

Definitely Broadway-sized theatre, completely forget you are on a ship.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone was helpful and polite, was able to get drinks at every bar much faster than at average bar on land!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Ship feels brand new

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Good size, very clean, bed was comfortable, shower had good pressure. Did not spend too much time in it really.

Ship tip

Do embarkation and disembarkation early, unless you're prepared to stand in line for a while.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Huge city, plenty of great food, museums, Miami Beach is lots of fun. Our favorite part is Espanola Way which has a bunch of old world Spanish and modern Cuban restaurants.

Thumbs Up 3

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5

Great beaches, lots of sun, plenty of places to get food or drinks, all walking distance. Has a Zipline, different water sports rentals. The neighboring island (different line) appears to have a large water park, so heard of some kids complaining that they can't use it

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Took a long time, I guess technically our own fault since we decided to get breakfast. Get off early if you want to get off fast. Also, during disembark, part of the route went around what I'm guessing are the garbage disposal facilities, so not very pleasant if you're stuck in the disembark line there.