Encore Feb 5-12 2023

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 3.7
Author: CndCruiser

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review

CndCruiser

Contributor Level: Purser

266 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 52

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 05, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11240

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

We went with a big party of friends, so always someone to run into and hang out with. Would consider another NCL cruise if the price was right. Had a great time, it was a cruise after all.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Was smooth. We arrived at our time, got checked in and then waited about an hour of so before boarding the ship. Terminal is very modern and nice with lots of chairs.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We had the drink package. I found the bar staff were actually pretty quick compared to other cruise lines we’ve been on. They did not hold back when pouring alcohol. The food was good, but not great. We ate in Manhattans 3 nights. The service was brutally slow. Most nights we waited 30 minutes to get our 1st drink and never got asked about a 2nd. No tea or coffee offered after dinner. One waiter doing everything. Other cruise lines has a main waiter, bread person and another person serving drinks.

The District Brew House

3 out of 5

Good service and yummy beer selection but entertainment was over by 10:30-11ish every night.

The Local

4 out of 5

Food was excellent, service was good considering how busy they always were. Would be nice if it had some windows. Kind of felt like a dark and gloomy bar.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Lots of on board activities all day long. Maybe too much?? Most evening shows/activities were held in the atrium. The atrium has a stage, which is not elevated so makes it difficult to see if your not up close. He’s limited seating. I think some of these shows could have been in the theatre where more steering is offered. Pool deck is a little small compared to other ships and didn’t seem to be as active as other ships. We only spent one sea day on the pool deck. Unlike other ships, we’d spend a lot of time on the pool deck as they are much more spacious. Go carts were fun. VR Pavilion was fun forhour or so.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

This is not a fair rating by me as The Choir of Man is easily a 5 star all day long, same as the Beatles show but the rest of the entertainment was just ok. The comedians were ok. They had 2 that rotated nights. So good for 2 shows. Didn’t see the magician and the rest of shows were in the small atrium and were hard to see if not close to the stage that is not elevated. These shows are no where near as entertaining as other lines we’ve been on. ADDA the band was really good but only played for 30 minutes at a time in the evening and once on the sea day by the pool. No pub or piano bar for later night entertainment. Nothing to do after 11pm except gamble and night club.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Staff in main dinning rooms are extremely slow and not super friendly. Bar tenders were excellent and fun. They are why this is a 4 star and not a 2 or 3. Never met our room steward, but they kept our room super clean once a day. Cruise director was a ghost but assistant cruise director, Will, was everywhere and very fun. He ran most of the shows in the atrium.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was very clean. Ships layout is definitely different than Royal or Carnival. They have lots of small venues all over the ship. Hard to remember floors and if they are aft or forward. The water front is really cool. Nice and relaxing. I’d guess our cabin was smaller than our previous two cruises with different lines.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Comfy bed and very clean. AC was cold. Decent location on the ship.