Best cruise ever!

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 5
Helpful Votes: 120

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Norwegian Encore

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 05, 2020

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 9236

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

The Encore is our new favorite ship and this was our favorite cruise experience ever! No cruise will ever be perfect but this was as close as we would expect.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Probably the easiest embarkation we've experienced for any cruise.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Los Lobos

3 out of 5

Great atmosphere and service. However, this was the only culinary disappointment on the ship. Quesadillas were excellent, as was dessert, but the main dishes didn't meet our expectations.

Coco’s

5 out of 5

Amazing shakes and desserts!! Really friendly crew here too.

The District Brew House

5 out of 5

My favorite place on the ship! As a craft beer enthusiast, it was really nice to have access to non-mainstream beer. The choices were quite good. The District has certified Cicerones on staff who are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The beer tasting activity was informative and fun.Love that they bring highly talented piano entertainers to this venue too!

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

There's something here for virtually everyone. Well-staffed so is always clean and tables are cleared quickly!!Washy washy people are friendly and always happy.

Q Texas Smokehouse

5 out of 5

This one thoroughly exceeded our expectations! The food was amazing! Service was fantastic! Great atmosphere too. Highly recommend Q!

Teppanyaki

5 out of 5

We loved our experience here! So much fun and the food was excellent!

Waves Pool Bar

2 out of 5

Too busy, overwhelming the staff. Drink selection is lacking.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Observation Lounge

5 out of 5

The Observation lounge is huge, comfortable, and beautiful. Great views too!

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Encore Speedway

4 out of 5

The carts are a lot of fun. The only part that wasn't fun was dealing with other racers on the track who don't follow the rules (i.e.: driving too slow and blocking the track for faster drivers; people who stop in the track; people who simply obstruct the fun for more capable drivers)Would have preferred more time on the track too, but it's still a must-do activity on Encore.

Encore Theater

5 out of 5

Kinky Boots is absolutely a 5 star show, with incredibly talented cast, great set and awesome direction. Loved it!The Choir of Man deserves MORE than 5 stars! Easily the best live theatre performance we've ever attended on land or sea!!

Galaxy Pavilion

3 out of 5

Really fun activity but understaffed and confusing. We spent half our time waiting for guidance on whether the different attractions were working, how to use them, or simply getting started.

Social Comedy and Night Club

3 out of 5

Nice venue but the comedians were just ok. They recycled most of their jokes.The bar is only open for a few minutes before a show and closes too soon. Bartenders are overwhelmed.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
There's around 2000 crew on this ship and we only encountered 3 who were anything less than great. Amazing!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Sparkling clean everywhere! We loved the decor and design.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Love the mini-suite bathroom! Our room was very clean, comfortable and well-designed. Perfect for 3 people. We liked the decor. We did get some noise from the Sugarcane Mojito Bar on most nights, as it's directly below this room. But we didn't really mind. The balcony is really small but it's still a nice place to sit with a drink and watch the water pass by.

Ship tip

Be prepared for extras. The Encore does not provide an all-inclusive vacation.

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

2 out of 5

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
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5 Comments

CndCruiser    1 year ago

Thanks Unclebeer. We sail on her in a month. Glad to hear so many positive memories.

maer17    4 years ago

Yes. Great insight. Thanks !!

SharonCruiser    4 years ago

Great and thoughtful review. So many negative reviews in the past. It's nice to see some positive reviews today.

iamkates    4 years ago

Love this review, you're honest and thoughtful. We are very much looking forward to sailing on the Encore in April! Can't wait!

cruisereckoning    4 years ago

So nice, I have seen so many positive reviews today.

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