I had an amazing time. I loved finding quiet places on the ship to read and watch the ocean go by. Deck 8 has a lot of outdoor seating and the observation lounge has great indoor seating. I wish the watermelon was seedless but I guess beggars can’t be choosers :)
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I waited in line for a total of maybe 15 minutes? I thought it all was incredibly easy and quick.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I only ate at the free places because I guess I am cheap and I loved it all. One night my meal came with broccoli. I HATE broccoli. But I decided to try it because everything else was delicious...and I actually liked the broccoli a little! I just can’t say enough good things about the food. You don’t have to do specialty dining to get good food
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Always something to do on the ship. I didn’t do any go karts or laser tag....again I guess I’m cheap. I heard other people say it was fun. Are the pools crowded? Yes. Of course. But don’t let that make you nervous about this ship. I was always able to find a chair or a spot in the hot tub. You just have to have some patience with it. There were lots and lots of kids on board and they seemed to like swimming in the hot tubs instead of the kid pool. I’d just hop in the hot tub and plop my butt down when I wanted to go in. The kids always got out of the way.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Everyone raves about choir of man. I thought it was good and entertaining. I LOVED kinky boots though. That was sooo good. There is always live music in the evenings and I enjoyed most of it.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Nothing short of excellent. They are always nearby to grab your glass or clear your plates. My room steward was amazing. He would alway greet me by name and ask if everything was good. He worked his butt off everyday!
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Brand new sparkly ship! It was always nice at ports to compare the encore to the rusty old ships we’d park next to :) Before my cruise, I read a lot of reviews that said the ship was rocky and it made me nervous. Unfortunately, I feel those reviews are accurate. I have never needed Dramamine before but this cruise I used the whole bottle. Not sure what was different about the encore but it moves a lot!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It is small but for one person, I had plenty of space. I never felt crammed or claustrophobic. Only issue I had really was the shower is pretty small so if you want to shave your legs, you might need to do some acrobatics to make it work.
Ship tip
Don’t be stressed about negative reviews you read. I had the best vacation ever. I was able to do all the things I wanted to do when I wanted to do them. If you are hoping to do only go karts or laser tag you may be disappointed according to people who used them but there is so much to do on the ship.
Did an excursion to virgin gorda and the baths. 100% recommend going to this if you are physically able. It was simply amazing! The boulders are massive and the water is so pretty. It was another bumpy ferry ride to virgin gorda and many people on board were feeling queasy. The destination was totally worth it though. The ride back was better.
Feels like temp that day was 87 degrees! I just walked to the fort and then around the city a bit. I happened upon the pigeon park. I went in to say I did it but it felt like a nightmare for me with all those birds! If you love pigeons, be sure to stop there. We were able to get to San Juan a bit early due to a medical emergency. I hope the person is okay but I did enjoy have more day light. I’ve read many reviews with complaints about the late arrival time.
Did an excursion to turtle cove and got to snorkel and see one sea turtle. I was hoping to see more but I loved it! Also saw some sting rays and lots of corals. Wasn’t a super fan of the boat ride there. It was really bumpy but we all survived. SAVE THE SEA TURTLES!!
I did an excursion in Miami due to a late flight and I put my bag out the night before to be collected. We got to walk right off the ship. My bag was incredibly easy to find. I’m not sure why so many people were trying to carry their luggage off themselves. Maybe others have had bad experiences but I had zero issues.
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