Great Itinerary

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review to Panama Canal, Central America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 93

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5
Norwegian Encore

21 Night Panama Canal: Mexico & California (Miami To Seattle)

Sail date: April 07, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 11611

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 21 days ago

Review summary

Really enjoyed this cruise, which was our 18th. Still wish they would enforce the chair hogs both on the pool deck and in the Observation Lounge. I wish people would realize that taking phone calls on speaker in the lounge or theater is very rude, but it happens all the time.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Went smoothly, new NCL terminal in Miami is very nice and organized. Plenty of room to wait.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Buffet was OK, Main dining rooms and other dining rooms were good, service was great. Ate @ Teppenyaki, Cagney's, Los Lobos and the Q and enjoyed them all. Food was good, service was great

The District Brew House

5 out of 5

Very nice venue, had a boat load of different brews to check out. Did a Beer Tasting one day there and the staff was very knowledgeable about the brews.

Teppanyaki

5 out of 5

We always do Teppanyaki at least once a cruise and are never disappointed. Way too much food, you won't go away hungry.

Q Texas Smokehouse

4 out of 5

Was pleasantly surprised with this venue. Food was very good and the Country Band was great.

Los Lobos

4 out of 5

Great food and alot of it, portions are huge.

American Diner

4 out of 5

Really enjoyed the Pulled Pork Sliders but they are only open for lunch.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Enjoyed the water slides when they were open. Saving lounges and then not occupying them was a problem once again. I wish this could and would be enforced. Some people would come out @ 6:00 and put towels and stuff on their chairs and you wouldn't see them again for hours.

Observation Lounge

5 out of 5

Loved this place to go and read, but would really like it if they enforced the "Chair Hogs" who would reserve their place by the window and then go have breakfast or lunch and do their thing to return when ever.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Went to Choir of Men twice, it was fantastic. The Country band from New Zealand was good as was the Beatles group.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
I thought service was great and everyone greeted you with a hello or good day.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
They were always cleaning and the ship was laid out nicely and it wasn't hard to get around except after a show or @ the Ports then the elevators were always plugged and tied up.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
This was the perfect cabin, right off the forward set of elevators but far enough away that we didn't hear them. It was also a short hall way so there was no noise that we heard. We always book an inside room and this one was perfect for it's location.

Ship tip

If you want to read, hit the Observation Lounge, great place to relax and read. The only issue was that they dimmed the lights @ 6:00 each night so you couldn't read anymore.

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

4 out of 5
Did the Hop on Hop off and saw alot of Miami's hot spots in the day I was there.

Cartagena, Colombia

4 out of 5
Never been here so it was interesting.

Panama Canal Transit

5 out of 5
Main reason for this itinerary, bucket list type of thing.

Panama City, Panama

4 out of 5
Did a Panama Canal excursion and it was great.

Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

4 out of 5
Did a Coffee Tour, went to walk through a working coffee farm and coop. The Guide was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed it.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

4 out of 5
Went on an excursion to Anitgua, which is a very old city. It was formed in the 1500s and it was very interesting, but he 1.5 hour bus ride to get there was a little tiring.

Manzanillo, Mexico

4 out of 5
Had never been here and it was interesting to see this port town.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

4 out of 5
Been here many times and took an excursion this time for a little history and it was enjoyable.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4 out of 5
Just walked around, had lunch and went back on ship

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5
Nothing to do at the port but took an Uber over to the Long Beach Harbor to see and tour the Queen Mary, would highly recommend this.

San Francisco, California

4 out of 5
Did a Hop on Hop Off and got to see alot of the San Fran, hadn't been here in over 20 years. Highlight was getting to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. Another highlight was sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge!!!!!

Astoria, Oregon

4 out of 5
Been here many times and always enjoy it. Walked around town and went into the antique shops, had a great lunch.

Victoria, British Columbia

4 out of 5
First time here and really enjoyed it, took a walking tour and got to see alot that would have been missed on a bus tour.

Seattle, Washington

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
We were off the boat by 8:00 and were able to enjoy the whole day in Seattle before taking the Train home the next day.
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