I would not cruise on this ship again given the extra fees, lack of pool chairs/space, and cabin noise.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth and no line. We had to fill out extra paperwork due to coronavirus.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was good, more so in the main dining rooms. I didn't love Teppenyaki, all of the food tasted the same. Food Republic was fantastic. We really enjoyed the sushi. You order from tablets which makes it easy to know what each item is. The food in the Local was cold, especially the "nacho cheese".
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
The ratio of chairs to guests is about 1:4. You have to be on the pool deck at 6 AM to secure a chair. Then you can't leave for the duration of the day because after 15 minutes your items are removed. It's incredibly inconvenient.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The Choir of Man is a definite MUST SEE! It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. I heard that Kinky Boots was subpar so we skipped that one. I didn't want to pay an additional fee for the Prohibition show so we skipped that too. The pianist was good. We really enjoyed Guns N Rojas as well as the Jellybean Duo.
Children's Programs
We did not travel with kids.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Some of the staff were phenomenal. Others couldn't care less. Our room steward, Mark, was very efficient. Arun in the Manhattan Room was great. He was very personable and held genuine conversation with us. Leo the bartender was funny and never disappointed.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
Given the amount of people using the speedway and laser tag I believe that space would have been better utilized as an additional pool area.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The room was decent size and the balcony was great. The walls are paper thin. We could hear the mom and child yelling at each other constantly. We could also hear the in the next room playing all night.
Ship tip
Do your homework. Because this was a brand new ship there wasn't much information available to us before we booked.
It went smoothly. You choose a time to get off the ship based on your flight out and they call colors throughout the morning so everyone isn't getting off at the same time.
Glad you enjoyed some of it. Many of the complaints you listed are common on most ships - people saving deck chairs, small pool area, thin cabin walls, etc.
Wow, maybe an off week . Our time on the Encore was fantastic, we loved Teppanyaki and never had a hard time finding a chair outside even mid afternoon. Would sail again in a heartbeat.
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