Out of 10 cruises that I've taken over the last few years, I'd say this was my #1. The ship itself, the staff and all of the things to do onboard were top shelf!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I had absolutely no problems on embarkation.
Have your e-Docs and ID ready, get in a short line and you receive your Freestyle Card immediately.
Once carded you enter the embarkation lounge where they hand you a boarding card with a group number on it - I was #7.
From the starting group #1 to my group, I would say I waited no longer than 20 mins before I was onboard.
No probs!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I mainly ate at the Garden Cafe buffet and it had a variety of foods including an Indian section and who doesn't like Indian?
I ate at The Local Bar & Grill on embarkation day and it was really good food and was complimentary. If you want to avoid the lunch crowd on Day 1, stop at The Local.
I did Teppenyaki Japanese one supper and it was really fun and the food was delicious. I chose the chicken & filet mignon (awesome!) but the also have other choices such as shrimp or scallops.
There is no reason to go hungry on this ship - there is something for everyone.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are tons of activities to do on this ship whether it's organized activities, or activities such as go-carts, laser tag, Galaxy Pavilion (virtual reality games).
If I had one negative thing to point out, it would be that NCL is gouging on some of these activities. I imagine a young family buying these activity passes would be broke very quickly.
Observation Lounge
5 out of 5
If you like a great atmosphere with great bartenders and no loud music pounding in your brain, then go to deck 15 forward for this awesome bar - you won't be disappointed.The bartenders Ida, Ateeq, Lovely and Sunil are very accommodating and are very entertaining to watch interact with one another. This is a great bar!!!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Overall the entertainment was average, except for their two showcase shows which were awesome.
Encore Theater
5 out of 5
The Encore Theatre hosts two Broadway productions.The 1st one is called Choir of Man and is based on an Irish pub and how the clientele interact and share a bond. The cast is great, music is excellent AND arrive 15 mins early, step on stage and get a free beer.The 2nd production is called Kinky Boots - it's not what you're thinking.It's about a shoe company that is about to go under, when someone suggests that they could fill a niche market by creating special boots.Go with an open mind! It really is not about the boots - it's about the characters and how in the end they grow to respect each other.The performers ARE NOT the same from Choir of Man so you are in for a treat by having two separate groups of performers - which doesn't happen often on ships.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
I was super impressed with service & staff. People genuinely wanted to serve the guests.
I've seen some comments about staff being unfriendly - I think attitude is a two-way street. I NEVER ran into on single person who didn't wish me a good day and EVERY bartender that served me throughout the cruise knew me by name and welcomed me.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
This ship is top notch and it is spotless. They even hose down the outside of the ship when in port to keep the salt from rusting it.
It is still a brand new ship!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I had a Studio cabin on deck 11 which is where the Studio Lounge (only for solo cruisers) is located. They have a daily Solo Cruisers' get together if you wish. The lounge has coffee, pastries, fruit, juice and wine (at a cost).
You also have plenty of space to sit and chat and meet others.
Ship tip
Try to check out the Observation Lounge on Deck 15 Forward.
It is a great place to sit and relax, sleep on a lounger, listen to the piano in the evening, or have a drink.
You can also get light snacks in the Observation Lounge all day.
GSC is a nice island owned by NCL. We were the only ship there so we had the island to ourselves.
This is a lender port, so make sure to booked your tender tickets on your TV once you are on the ship.
On the island, your food and beverages (if you have the package) is included. You can use your Freestyle Pass to buy individual drinks if you prefer.
Lounge chairs are provided and there is tons of beach for everyone.
Bring water shoes since some parts of the beach sand/shoreline are rocky.
I got off the ship in St.Thomas to shop in the port area. The weird thing was that despite us docking at the specified time, the local shop keepers kept to their schedules and so there was little (except for the Diamond's International) open. Why stick to a rigid schedule and not open your doors when 4,000 get off the ship?
We were only in Tortola for 1/2 day. I originally had booked an excursion but they changed the meeting time to 6:15am. That's ridiculous! We're on vacation! I don't go to work that early.
Disembarkation was easy. I got my tag the day before, stuck it on my luggage and left it outside my room before 11pm of the last night. It was properly sorted in the baggage hall when I got off the ship and Customs was a breeze.
Thanks for the review! The wife and I are going to set sail May 31 and I keep reading all the reviews to get an idea of what we’re going to do and eat yours was definitely the better of all the reviews Very thoroughly done. Thank you
Sounds like you had a wonderful time
Thank you so much for this positive review. We are going on the Encore in November, and were getting nervous with all the negative comments
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