A Wonderful Birthday Cruise

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 4.9
Author: workhardflymore

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

workhardflymore

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 13, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13292

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

During this cruise, we celebrated my dad's birthday. There were 5 of us total in 2 rooms. We had a fabulous time, and the food was amazing.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

First off, it was our first time sailing out of the Port of Miami and we weren't aware that we needed to Uber to Terminal B. Luckily we ended up finding our way to the correct terminal with the help of security guards. As for embarkation, we reserved an arrival time for 9am but unfortunately didn't actually walk onto the ship until almost 1pm. We were later informed that the long delay was due to a delay in the previous cruise's debarkation process. Even more unfortunate for us, we showed up without eating breakfast and were starving thinking that we could eat breakfast on the ship since we booked an early arrival time. Luckily this was the only hiccup in the entire journey.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Cagney's Steakhouse

5 out of 5

Amazing steakhouse with perfectly cooked steak. The crab cake (upcharge of $5) was to die for. We were stuffed.

Savor Restaurant - Main Dining Room

5 out of 5

We had some tasty meals here. The servers were very attentive.

The District Brew House

5 out of 5

We hung out here several times and listened to live music or just hung out. The little table Beer Pong game was fun. Really enjoyed their beer cocktails.

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

A great buffet, and we really enjoyed the Asian food especially Oriental dinner. It reminded us of home.

Atrium Bar & Grill

4 out of 5

Enjoyed the events put on by the cruise staff, however I docked down a star because the line for this bar was always so long due to its centralized location.

The Local

3 out of 5

The chicken wings were surprisingly not good. The first order mistakenly had no sauce and the second order had sauce but the sauce tasted cheap.

Sugarcane Mojito Bar

5 out of 5

The mojitos here were tasty, lots of flavors, and we especially loved the coconut mojito with the coconut water.

Maltings Whiskey Bar

5 out of 5

Great bar, located next to Cavern Club

The Bake Shop

5 out of 5

The Bake Shop was a bit tucked away, but the macarons and bonbons were delicious. Be mindful that these products are an additional charge.

Starbucks

5 out of 5

We only visited Starbucks once, but it's awesome that you can use your Starbucks app from home.

Teppanyaki

5 out of 5

Loved Teppanyaki like other previous Norwegian voyages. We were stuffed at the end of the dinner.

Ocean Blue

5 out of 5

Our seafood dinner was delicious. We had the best roasted brussel sprouts here.

Le Bistro French Restaurant

5 out of 5

We had a delicious dinner here! Service was top notch.

The Manhattan Room - Main Dining Room

4 out of 5

We ate during a more busy dinner hour, so in turn service was a bit on the slower side. The food, however, was tasty.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Pulse Fitness Center

4 out of 5

The gym was a fair size for a cruise ship. There were lots of cardio machines, but there could've been more free weights available. The TRX room and RYDE room were neat features.

Aqua Park

5 out of 5

Both slides were lots of fun. The straight drop slide was thrilling. No water shoes allowed.

Encore Casino

3 out of 5

Clean casino with blocked off areas for the smoking section, didn't win any money, but lots of other passengers won big surprisingly.

Observation Lounge

5 out of 5

A beautiful space with a great bar. Loved the lounge chairs and the Tea Time spread was delicious.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The cruise staff put on fun events and it was fun to join in on all the activities. Our only suggestion for improvement was that there could've been an end-of-cruise staff talent show.

Encore Theater

5 out of 5

Kinky Boots and Choir of Man were outstanding Broadway shows. We're still singing the songs even after our cruise.

Social Comedy and Night Club

4 out of 5

The space itself was nice, but the comedians were only ok.

The Cavern Club

5 out of 5

A cool experience! Performances weren't every night and the space was crowded during show times.

Encore Speedway

5 out of 5

Had a great time on the go-karts. The supplemental charge of $15/person was worth it.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The staff was amazing, and everyone worked so hard to please the customers.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Easy to find your way around the ship, clean ship

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Yes, it's a small space as expected on a cruise, but surprisingly 3 of us fit. My brother slept on the pullout bunk bed. It was our first balcony room, and it was absolutely worth the extra cost to wake up in the morning to some breathtaking views.

Ship tip

This ship has something for everyone of all ages.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

Norwegian goes to Amber Cove, and Amber Cove has a very nice space. The free waterslides were fun. Make sure to carry your cruise card if you walk around.

Thumbs Up 0

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5

Most beautiful port! Jost Van Dyke is stunning and we would absolutely love to return.

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Although Magens Bay is very touristy, the beach was less crowded as long as you walked down the beach past the crowd.

Thumbs Up 0

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5

Loved that the dining and drink packages work on the island!