Think again if booking NCL for an Alaskan cruise

Item: Norwegian Encore
Rating: 2
Author: chilliano

Norwegian Encore Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

chilliano

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Alaska: Glacier Bay Skagway & Juneau (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 19, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Encore

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 10828

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Don’t go to Alaska on NCL. In 2 of 3 Alaskan ports, NCL docks far away. I Juneau, don’t get off ship if you don’t have excursion or just want to do tram for at least 2.5 hours. You’ll have to wait 90 min in line for a shuttle or walk a mile into town. I don’t mind walking… but in this case, you’ll be walking and breathing bus and truck fumes. In Ketchikan, the ship docks 20 min away. Be prepared for long waits for shuttle without booking an excursion. Arrival at 7 am but you must be back on the 11:30 or 11:45 shuttle. What? 2 or 2.5 hours in town? If you already booked this cruise, do yourself a favor and book an NCL or local excursion that leaves from Ward Cover, otherwise, it’s a wasted port day. I wish I had realized where NCL docks before booking. NCL already nickle and dimes its customers. Where it docks is yet another example. The company must dock in out of the way places for financial reasons. Never again, NCL

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Cleanliness is good. Design is not

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

NCL tricking customers. “Club Balcony” is referred to as “formerly mini suite.” We sailed in a mini suite in an older NCL ship and on Celebrity. “Formerly Mini suite” doesn’t mean that mini suite class has a new name, it means there is no more mini suite rooms. It’s the same size as a regular balcony. It supposedly has extra amenities but these are not apparent. Perhaps the one upgrade is full size shower. All else seems to be same as balcony. I should have booked balcony and saved the cash.

Ship tip

Don’t choose this ship if you’re going to Alaska.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Juneau, Alaska

1 out of 5

It seems ok. The problem is where NCL docks. Tram is oversold.

Thumbs Up 0

Skagway, Alaska

3 out of 5

Cruise Glacier Bay

1 out of 5

No commentary. No local experts. No Alaska enrichment. Not enough public spaces. Chair hogs take over Observation lounge.

Thumbs Up 0

KETCHIKAN (WARD COVE), ALASKA

1 out of 5

Problem is NCL and where it docks.

Thumbs Up 0

Victoria, British Columbia

1 out of 5

Problem is NCL— 8 pm arrival on last night. Really?

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

9 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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BubbaDat 5 months ago

We stayed on our balcony in glacier Bay with the TV tuned to the park rangers giving information the whole time. We prepared on the first night to have breakfast and lunch in the cabin while in the Bay also. The stop in Victoria is only to follow the US law to stop in a foreign country.

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natelorip 5 months ago

Sorry it wasn't everything you wanted it to be. We loved our Alaska cruise on Encore

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Gwbigdog 5 months ago

Oops 😬 sorry thanks

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HeavySeas 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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jpmato16 5 months ago

You did ZERO research. You could have easily gone on any of a number of forums to obtain all the information you needed. There are also dozens of cruise vlogs . There are also countless of cabin tours online. Did this cruise last year and had a fantastic time. The other thing you didn’t mention is that NCL and Princess line products are the only ones permitted in Glacier Bay National Park, where the rangers come on for 7 hours of enrichment and narration.

Thumbs Up 4

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javawoody 5 months ago

Appreciate your comments

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picalo 5 months ago

these are legitimate concerns with NCL

Thumbs Up 1

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cruising2004 5 months ago

Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise.

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