The cruise was perfect except the last day. Getting off the ship was a nightmare. Took 51/2 hours.of standing in lines .

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 4.2
Author: loeberardis

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

loeberardis

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

15 Night Panama Canal - Westbound (Miami To Los Angeles)

Sail date: April 16, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin number: 10274

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Very disappointed with service the day we got of ship. Otherwise cruise was great!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Be sure an download the NCL app on any device bringing on board to help avoid long wait lines for internet service.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5

It was crazy getting to pier. 8 cruises leaving at the same time. Taxi was $100.

Thumbs Up 0

Cartagena, Colombia

3 out of 5

Interesting city but very dirty.

Thumbs Up 1

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5

Amazing that it was ever built. Would have loved more info on ship about the building of canal before passage. I read "a Path Between two Seas" before leaving. Would liked to see those facts shared.

Thumbs Up 0

Panama City, Panama

5 out of 5

Great tour guide. Loved his city. Would visit again

Thumbs Up 1

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

3 out of 5

Had a great tour of the macadamia farm. Would recommend. Our tour guide dressed in native garments and explained them. Could have explained more about what we were seeing along the way.

Thumbs Up 0

Acapulco, Mexico

4 out of 5

Tour guide was good but mic did not work so could not hear guideeveb though he tried to speak loudly. Took over an hour before an exchange bus arrived at second stop. Surprised to see no people on streets or in restaurants in the Diamond district. Tour guide said it was not the most desired place these days. Little spooky!

Thumbs Up 1

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

5 out of 5

Our tour guide Victir was excellent. Talked the whole time about his country and his city. Easy to understand. Delightful presentation. And very handsome!!

Thumbs Up 0

Mazatlan, Mexico

5 out of 5

Loved the walking tour. Walking the blue line. Lots of volunteers along the way to answer questions. Big police presence. A local told us a new mayor wanted tourist to feel safe. Loved the city so clean and bright.

Thumbs Up 0

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

5 out of 5

Would come back. Got a person local boat tour by accident. Fun!

Thumbs Up 1

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

1 out of 5

No bathrooms. Long wait times to get of ship and through customs. 3 1/2 hours. Long time for old people with no bathroom opportunities.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

It was a nightmare. 2 hours to get off ship. We were Brown 1. 11/2 hours to get through customs. There was no water, food but most important, no bathrooms for those 3 1/2 hours. Bathrooms outside of customs were port a potties that had not been serviced according to their documentation since 4/21. No toilet paper and they were full!!!Then we wated almost 2 hours for buses to take us to the airport. It took 5 busses for those of us remaing to get picked us. 2 people fainted and again there was no food or water and no place to sit. We were all standing the entire 5 1/2 hours. 2 people fainted then a few chairs and water appeared just before the busses arrived.A night mare!

7 Comments

byhisgrace 1 year ago

5.5 hours to disembark, I would have gone back to my cabin 🤣🤣

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

natelorip 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing. Glad you had fun.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Jerrec 1 year ago

Best bets for disembarkation, either go in the first group that self-carrys off their own luggage, or pick one of the very last groups. Personally I go with the latter. Sleep in a bit, you don’t typically need to be out of your cabin until 8am. Then head to the MDR for a nice sit down breakfast. Relax then get off the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for the review

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

cruising2004 1 year ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience.

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Some great parts for a first time cruise, other...not so much

Through the Panama Canal Again

The worst cruise nightmare