Make your on-board activity reservations as soon as you board the ship. Be prepared to spend a large amount of extra money if you want to enjoy a great experience on-board ship. Many on-board activities (especially for teenagers & older kids) required reservations and extra charges. Almost everything on-board required a reservation and there were literally NO reservations available for the most popular on board activities.
Please, don’t sail on this ship if you’re going to places that are warm as they don’t accommodate pools/hot tub space etc. The service throughout the staff were so unpleasant and the medical staff did not have bedside manner. They acted like it was my fault I was there and got food poisoning on purpose. No one expects that, so extra insurance wasn’t added. The staff from medical and finance weren’t very helpful, accommodating, understanding about my situation and it seemed like staff didn’t talk to okie another to figure out proper channels or solutions.
Plan and make reservations to the extent possible before you embark and on day 1. I missed a couple restaurants I would have liked to have gone to because I didn't reserve early (Teppenyaki, Good Republic).
Book your excursions when you book your trip. It saves you time and they will have your tickets printed for you ahead of time. Plus it’s one less thing to worry about when you board. Book specialty restaurants as soon as the booking period opens. They fill fast. Book your other dinners as soon as you board and connect to wifi for the same reason. I found doing it through the NCL app was easier than the screens they have around the ship. Same goes for activity’s or shows. Book them asap as they fill quick. If you wait until the show to walk up and try to get in, you will likely be disappointed. Lastly.. settle back and enjoy yourself.. you’re on vacation and they have you covered.
Book excursions, entertainment, and specialty dining before your cruise if you can. We did and were glad we did. Most everything was booked starting on first day.
Have patience with disembarking on excursions. We had an older crowd on the ship and very slow on walking and following crews directions. Going thru customs is a slow procedure, but that is because of customs, not NCL. They had only 8 custom agents for 4000 plus passengers. Not NCL's fault
It paid for us to get Priority we used room service every day and it had some other perks. Vibe for us was not worth the expense, if it had a pool it would be worth every penny.e
Don't take a long cruise on this ship. There's not enough variety of shows, activities, or food to keep it interesting. This would be better for a shorter cruise.
Know that you must sign up for events day one or miss out. Know you'll pay for everything beyond simple basics. Zero participation from cruise director basially.
Don't. Cancel if it doesn't result in giving up any portion of your cruise fare to NCL. If you can't cancel, we suggest you set your expectations so low that you can't be disappointed.
I wouldn't recommand anyone who is under 65 to go on this cruise as all of us who are around or under age got disappointed by how boring it is. Also the ship left many people at different port, so you'll have to either not get off the ship, or don't leave the port. Their NCL is not reliable. I trusted the departure time on the app, and got left behind in Mexico. Because the ship left 2 hours earlier that the time showing on the app. It's a terrible mistake from Norwegain. And I suffered so much from it.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our
partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which
we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not
guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated
daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount.
Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.
If you choose to follow Norwegian Encore you will receive
weekly email updates with the latest reviews, tips, and photos from Cruiseline.com
members about Norwegian Encore.
Thank you!
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.