Very Forgettable....But Cruises are what you make of them. Unfortualtley we had to spend a lot of time accepting substandard as the norm.

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 2.7
Author: rlself

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

rlself

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 48

Overall rating:

2.7 out of 5

7 Night Caribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 03, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 12675

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 11 months ago

Review summary

Nothing good to say. We were nickled and dimed on every free at sea item and on board as well. Poor return on the amount we were charged. Will not return.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Disorganized. Speakers are blown in the Concourse and it sounds like Charlie Browns teacher talking.....

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

I Sent 3 Steaks back in the Manhattan Room. Lousy Meal at Teppanyaki. That was my Birthday Dinner and it S*cked. Cold Food, Weak Drinks.

Teppanyaki

1 out of 5

I had my birthday dinner there. Ruined by Cold Food and sat 10th at a table for 8 behind the Cook. All I saw was his back.

The Manhattan Room - Main Dining Room

1 out of 5

Cold food, bad steaks, we left and went to the Buffet and got Hot Food.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Slides were closed most of the time on our Sailing

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Venues are too small for Passengers.

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Overcharged more than once at MIXX

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

Extreme Vacuum pressure in the toilets meant that when anyone next door on either side or above us or off to the side above made a tremendous loud sound like a Lightning Bolt. All Day long, All Night Long......We had a Ripped Torn Duvet/Comforter. We asked for it to be replaced and it never was. We placed towels on floor for exchange and found the Folded Wet and placed back on the rack.

Ship tip

Find another ship. Drink Beer, it cannot be watered down. Rarely tasted Alcahol in drinks iunless we ordered top shelf.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

Nice newer port. One of our guest had their Credit Card stolen. (Skimmed)

Thumbs Up 0

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Always a nice visit but lacking for anything close to the port.

Thumbs Up 0

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

2 out of 5

We Docked at 6AM! We Left at 1pm and were required to be back on board by Noon! What a Joke. No time to do excursions of sight see. Store were not open till after 8 or 9 am. Could not get lunch as we had to re-board. Who wants to do a Jeep excursion or Scuba Dive at 6:30 am?

Thumbs Up 0

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

1 out of 5

Meh! No Pool, substandard cold food. Weak drinks. Tender Port dangerous in high winds.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

NormalNothing good to say. Overpriced for what we recieved. Nickled and Dimed on every free at sea item and onboard.

15 Comments

Gravel6 10 months ago

I’m thinking the passenger is the issue here and not the ship or crew. Just guessing….

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Walshmusic 10 months ago

Amazing that only your review is as vitriolic as if you were looking for things to complain about. The other reviewers had good cruises. Do you think your attitude might have something to do with your dissatisfaction? Hope your next cruise makes you smile.

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Kalaka 10 months ago

“5 star Michelin”? No such thing. Three star rating is the maximum Michelin grants. While the food on Virgin may be very good, it’s not at that level. Come on.

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Jerrec 10 months ago

Definitely going to have to agree to disagree. When a 7-night Virgin trip to the Caribbean starts around $4,000 and NCL starts at $1,600, you are comparing two completely different products. Note I said premium, not luxury. NCL delivers a more a-la-carte product, just like Royal, Carnival, etc and Virgin does a true all inclusive, which you are paying for in the fare.

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rlself 10 months ago

Jerrec, Do your research, Virgin is not a Premium Line. It is inclusive excluding Alcohol and Kid Free ($5 Beers including tip) Mixed Drinks average $9 including tip) , FREE 5 Star Michelin Restaurants, the starting price for the Cruise only goes down, not up. I sell several per month. NCL does not consider itself a Chevy and in fact is dumping most of it's less that 7 days cruises and it striving to become the new premium leader. I spent 8 hours listening to NCL exec's discussing the Future of NCL. Also moving away from the Caribbean.

Thumbs Up 0

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Jerrec 10 months ago

NCL tells you that they charge gratuities on the free at sea package. They don’t hide that fact. You are still getting a substantial savings. Comparing NCL to Virgin is like comparing a Chevy to a BMW. You get what you pay for, naturally you get more included when you sail a more expensive premium line.

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1960cruiser 10 months ago

I have been on 40 cruises over 8 years and so far I have not had a perfect cruise. Did I whine about everything that didn't go right....absolutely not, cause I enjoyed my cruise instead if moaning about what didn't go right. Cruises are what you make them to be, and complaing about something you knew before you went on cruise is a moot point. The only charge a person will encounter on a NCL ship will be the daily service fee. You may be charged a tax on a alcohol drink if in port, but that's not the cruise lines fault. If you sent back any food, especially 3 times, probably the issue is that no one can satisfy you, cause there are people who aren't happy unless they are complaining about something all the time. Personally I think defending a review like his tells me that some people shouldn't be cruising, especially if they complain about something that is their own fault yet can't accept responsibility for it.

Thumbs Up 3

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rlself 10 months ago

I find it amazing that people challenge you when you make an honest post about a Cruise that was Sub Par with statements like "Sorry, this wasn’t the cruise you were looking forward to" or "Sure, there are things for an extra fee, just like every other major cruise line." Wrong, try Virgin, no nickle and diming. Our free at Sea went from 1850 to well over 2600.00 when Factoring in the Extra Gratuity and taxes on all those "FREE" items......Why cant people accept that maybe someone had a bad Cruise. I am sick of hearing "Well My Cruise on XYZ was Perfect". Great for you. I could care less. This is my review, don't like it don't comment!

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Ruby13 10 months ago

Sorry, this wasn’t the cruise you were looking forward to

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Gwbigdog 11 months ago

Oops sorry 😞 thanks

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natelorip 11 months ago

I always thought cruises are what you make them. We had a great time on the Encore and were not nickled or dimed.

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javawoody 11 months ago

Interesting

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Jerrec 11 months ago

I keep seeing people complain about being nickel and dimed, with zero examples. My last NCL cruise, the only thing I spent money on was in the gift shop. Everything else had no charge. Sure, there are things for an extra fee, just like every other major cruise line. You pay extra for things on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, etc. unless you are on a luxury line, there are up charges. However, none of them are required. You can have a great cruise without spending a dime on board if you choose.

Thumbs Up 5

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cruising2004 11 months ago

Sorry this cruise was not up to par. I hope you have a different experience on your next cruise.

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Niavlys 11 months ago

They have become greedy post Covid...

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