Adequate but may not be cruising ncl in future.

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 3.8
Author: Cruiseguy65

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruiseguy65

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 52

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 12, 2020

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10846

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

We cruised Norwegian for the first time last year on the bliss and loved it. Convinced family to come with us on this ship. There seem to be kinks to work out on the corporate level and his ship feels like it is suffering from an identity crisis. I’d price out royal before committing to another ncl. It may seem more expensive at first but when there is a sense that the line is nickel and diming you at every corner with an extra fee and lack it reservations (we tried over 100 days out to book things and they were full), you might come out better paying for another company’s cruise.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Easy - arrived at 10, was on by 11:30

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Decent food across the board

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Pool was too full. Haven took up too much room. Virtual reality area was fine but I’d rather the outdoor area that exists on the bliss.

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Guest DJ was rude and uninterested in playing any requests. Was condescending to passengers. We usually spend a lot of time in the social and didn’t this time around because of the guest DJ. The on board DJ Vyper was fantastic and choir of man was a really wonderful show. Kinky boots was cancelled for 2 shows - cruise line didn’t have an alternative option other than showing a bad action movie in the theatre. We planned our entire night’s activities around the show reservation. Not impressed. If the line is preaching that they are a leader in entertainment at sea, contingency plans for sick performers must be put in place.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Wonderful staff for the most part.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Beautiful ship but and always clean but loses many points for lack of outdoor space that wasn’t haven or beach club related.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Great. Would recommend.

Ship tip

Check with the line about additional sales tax being added to beverages in certain ports or waters on board. We boarded to find out there was an 8% tax on all drinks while in Miami and in Puerto Rican waters. Would have liked to have known about this. Not a big deal financially but to be surprised with an additional fee feels sneaky.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Clean and easy to navigate

Thumbs Up 0

San Juan, Puerto Rico Did not visit port

Night port, had on board plans.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Did the St. John snorkel excursion. Highly recommended.

Thumbs Up 1

Tortola, British Virgin Islands Did not visit port

Wanted to take advantage of a somewhat empty ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Easy - walked off with our bags.

4 Comments

fele 4 years ago

I expect to pay taxes until I see the duty free shopping is open and available after embarkation. Since most places have less than a 10% tax rate and I tend to spend the first few hours learning the layout, it doesn't amount to much money.

Thumbs Up 0

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cruisereckoning 4 years ago

Sorry for your disappointment.

Thumbs Up 0

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davekk 4 years ago

The extra tax while in port is a tax that goes to the city not the cruise line.

Thumbs Up 0

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portofrome 4 years ago

Thanks for your review

Thumbs Up 0

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