If Encore were a person...

she would consult a psychiatrist about her identity confusion. “Am I a small ship that has grown too large or am I a big ship pretending to be little? I know I’m supposed to embody luxury, but they keep cutting my costs…who am I, what am I?”

But first an introduction. This was the tenth cruise for Mr R and me; our first was a Silversea cruise back in 2001 that still sets the standard for luxury cruising, at least in our memories. Since then we’ve cruised mostly on Regent and Seabourn with a couple of unhappy attempts at more mass market cruising and one success with the genre on Celebrity (more about that later). After a couple of cold weather, experience-intense voyages to South America (Celebrity) and the Norwegian fjords (Quest) we were much in the mood for warm weather (be careful what you wish for…we had temperatures in the high thirties for most of the cruise and it was 41C when we flew home from Athens) and ports where we could mostly wander around without having to set alarm clocks for early morning excursions.

And so we booked a two-week Mediterranean cruise - or as we soon realised, we actually booked 2 one-week cruises- on the brand new Encore. I started to read some of the more negative reviews and wondered if we’d made a mistake but here in the UK deposits are non-refundable and I can live without a self-service laundry! So we boarded the Encore on 17 June in Athens prepared to love her.

Random thought

It’s difficult not to get caught up in the marketing hype that surrounds luxury cruising. I think that for Seabourn and the other luxury lines, this is sometimes an own goal. Expectations are raised to such a level that passengers are bound to be disappointed because perfection is promised and, of course, is never attainable.

The good things

There is much to criticise about the Encore but to start on a positive note, on the whole this was a very good cruise. Mr R and I thought the food, especially in the main restaurant, was excellent (subjective, I know) and we are fussy about good food. The staff, with rare exceptions, were competent, helpful, cheerful and efficient and made the cruise a pleasure. The beds were wonderfully comfortable, by far the best beds we’ve ever had on a cruise ship, they were up there with the best in luxury hotels.

The not so good things

The suite- We had a V5 midship cabin on deck 6, so the basic suite in a decent location. We knew it would be a bit smaller than the equivalent on the Odyssey ships, but didn’t realise just how much smaller it would feel. As the old joke goes “never mind the quality, feel the width”. Unfortunately, the suite is just a bit too narrow to be comfortable and, if it is going to be so narrow, why put a too shallow to be useful console/ledge on the wall across from the foot of the bed thus creating an annoying bottleneck just wide enough for one average sized person to walk through without turning sideways. Not nice, especially as Mr R and I always seemed to want to walk to and from the entrance/bathroom to the rest of the room at the same time. I quickly developed the “wait in the closet” technique as he passed by.

The passenger number and size of ship – We have happily sailed on Regent’s Voyager and Mariner with 700 passengers so had nothing against trying a Seabourn ship with 600 on board. However…I can’t really explain it but it seemed as though the ship was dimensioned for fewer passengers. I’m not sure why it felt this way as it was generally not too crowded (well the Colonnade got very busy for both breakfast and lunch) but I think it was partly that the theatre is too small for all the passengers (and the two shows a night concept didn’t quite work), partly that the pool/deck area seems just a bit too cramped, and partly that the absolutely absurd “retreat” on deck 12 means that outdoor space feels somewhat limited and, as many others have pointed out, outdoor walking is very restricted indeed. Mr R tried to use the gym a few times; he found it small, crowded and warm!

The “luxury” issue

I never sailed on Seabourn’s small triplets and I don’t know if others’ memories are a bit rose-tinted, but it does seem that they were truly luxurious. The Odyssey class ships, I think, tried to keep up many of the traditions with varying success. The Encore continues with some of the same ideas but I’m not sure that they work any more. So, the caviar on deck idea might have been the height of luxury/decadence a couple of decades ago on a very small ship; but queuing for 10 minutes in the hot sun for the tiniest scrape of caviar to be doled out does not feel luxurious or generous; it just feels odd (for some bizarre reason I kept thinking of Oliver Twist…please Sir, may I have some more!) The unlimited champagne poured constantly and generously is a great idea – or it would be if the champagne could be upgraded to something a touch better than the ubiquitous Nicholas Feuillatte.

Thoughts about dining

As mentioned previously we thought that, in general, the food in both the main restaurant and the Colonnade was very good indeed. The main restaurant was never open for lunch; I suppose the rationale was that this was a cruise with no sea days. I’m quite happy with the Colonnade for lunch but I imagine that there were quite of few of the older/not so mobile guests for whom a served lunch would have been preferable. In addition, the combination of the weather being so very warm and the ports being not terribly conducive to full day tours,meant that a high proportion of guests were on board for lunch. I thought the lunch hours in the Colonnade (12-2) were very early and restrictive for what was a very relaxed cruise. It would have been just about acceptable if one could enter the Colonnade at 2, but at 1:55 each afternoon, staff walked around reminding everyone that the buffet was closing…and it most certainly did, on the dot!

Both the restaurant and the Colonnade were quite busy for dinner. Our usual preferred time for dinner is 8PM but this was not really possible as tables for “second seating” generally didn’t become available until about 8:20-8:30 and dinner theoretically ended at 8:45. However, unlike the lunch situation, guests could and did enter the restaurant right up to the closing time. There was only one real mess up with evening dining and that was on formal night the first week when it seemed that everyone, including us, decided to eat in the main restaurant and there was just not enough space. People were queuing and being sent to bars to wait, getting angry, staff getting flustered etc. It ended, for us, with a late rushed meal at a terrible table inches away from a waiter station and a determination to avoid the situation week 2 (we booked the Grill for that evening).

The Thomas Keller evenings in the Colonnade were a mixed bag. We went to the Clambake the first week and thought the food was good and the experience enjoyable. We weren’t interested in the Rib night a few days later and week 2 brought a repeat of the Clambake and a steak night that didn’t appeal so we only had the one dinner. While I think the concept is not bad, it does limit the choices for dinner and I think contributes to the busyness of the main restaurant.

We tried to eat dinner one evening in the Sushi restaurant but were faced with a long queue and so went elsewhere. We ate lunch there one afternoon, but were disappointed that sushi is only available in the evening. Lunch is Bento Box, which we usually quite like; unfortunately it was not great here, seemed to be the ever-present chicken breast or salmon, this time with a bit of Japanese inspired sauce.

Finally

Finally, I mentioned earlier that we had a good experience on Celebrity earlier this year. We chose the Celebrity Infinity for a South America cruise partly because the timing and itinerary worked for us and partly because I thought a bigger ship might be helpful in rough waters. It was our first experience with the “ship within a ship” concept; we booked a large suite and besides the amazing amount of space, we had the fun of very special service. The separate restaurant for suite guests, Luminae, was open for all three meals and there was never a problem getting a table, seats were reserved for some of the popular evening shows, there was a concierge and concierge lounge, etc. etc. It was the complete and total opposite of everything we love about Seabourn which, at least until now, has always had the sense of total luxury for everyone on board regardless of accommodation, but in the new reality of larger ships and cost-cutting, it is certainly an option we will consider again in the future.

Thank you, Mrs. R., for such a detailed, informative, and very well narrated review of your experience in the Encore. I found it highly entertaining as well as valuable.

We did a short tour of Encore before boarding Odyssey on Sunday and I must say she has a very different 'feel'. Very shiny and new, much brighter we thought than Odyssey but the Suites despite being longer did look far more narrow and I don't think the public spaces are sufficient for the extra passengers. TK grill looked lovely as did the Sushi bar. I get the feeling from talking to the member of staff who showed us round that the Encore and Ovation are being marketed at those who cruise on the larger ships and hence these new passengers are loving her whilst the old Seabourn hands are not loving her quite as much. The retreat was very pleasant but there is no way I would spend $350 on a sea day to spend the day in there! They have also put sails up around the pool to provide extra shaded areas and of course the new laundry so it does look like SB are trying to address some of the issues. Right, just posted sitting in the port building in Sete so off for a sunbathe and a cocktail now - it's a hard life but someone has to do it ;)

Thank you for your review. I'm reading everything I can about Encore so all reviews and feedback are most welcome. I'm still not convinced enough to book an Encore cruise.

One question I do have is why you felt the two theatre timings didn't work so well ? When I first heard about this I was pleased, as I do prefer dinner slightly later and often find that I'm rushing through coffee and/or dessert in order to get to the theatre on time. So the earlier and later shows seemed to be a good idea.

Techno, thanks also for your impressions following your tour. Good to read that they've found a way to add some more shade. Enjoy Odyssey. I'm not jealous. I'm not. ;p

Hi Isklaar! The problem with the two evening shows was that the second show, which fit in with our later dining time as well, was often embarrassingly empty. In fact on our very last night the decision was made to have only one performance at 9:30. It seemed that the majority of passengers wanted very early dining and the 8:45 show.

Placesiremember, thank you for your entertaining review. All I can say is - yes, exactly! Thank you for saving me the effort of having to make all the same points.

Hi Isklaar! The problem with the two evening shows was that the second show, which fit in with our later dining time as well, was often embarrassingly empty. In fact on our very last night the decision was made to have only one performance at 9:30. It seemed that the majority of passengers wanted very early dining and the 8:45 show.

Oh dear, that's not good. I wonder if attendance at the later show would be greater on cruises with more sea days eg crossings, rather than port intensive Med cruises when many guests are understandably tired and having an early start in the morning.

We did the first 2 cruises on Encore and found the 2 shows a great idea. As has been suggested already we had a lot of sea days with no cause to get up early in the morning so the second show was well attended. There were a people who's dinner got the better of them and they nodded off to sleep !

I can see that on a port intensive cruise with early tours - why do the tours leave so early only to return back to the ship in time for lunch? you might find people heading off to their beds early.

I would have no hesitation in cruising on Encore again although our next outing happens to be back on Sojourn.

Henry :)

We did the first 2 cruises on Encore and found the 2 shows a great idea. As has been suggested already we had a lot of sea days with no cause to get up early in the morning so the second show was well attended. There were a people who's dinner got the better of them and they nodded off to sleep !

 

I can see that on a port intensive cruise with early tours - why do the tours leave so early only to return back to the ship in time for lunch? you might find people heading off to their beds early.

 

I would have no hesitation in cruising on Encore again although our next outing happens to be back on Sojourn.

 

Henry :)

Henry,

Like you, my wife & I were on Encore's first sailing from Athens to Dubai and I have to agree with your comments about this cruise and Encore in general. She is a beautiful ship and the trip through Suez was most memorable. Based on the negative reviews I've been reading over the past 6 months, others have obviously come away with a different experience but we look forward to travelling on her again.

P.S. We enjoyed the videos you posted of our passage through the Suez Canal.

Glad you enjoyed the video :)

It was an interesting passage, I hadn't appreciated quite how long the Red Sea was at over 1,000 NM.

Henry :)

It's fair to say that Encore has far less space per passenger than the Odyssey class ships. That's why people comment as they do about the MDR, Club, Grand Salon and also the open decks and the tender service.

Of course, you need to be fair about this. Encore obviously will have a different feel when it is full - as in the maiden cruise from Singapore to Bali - versus its earlier launch and shakedown cruise from Athens to Singapore. The difference was 150 passengers.

That makes the Ody class of ships very appealing to those who remember foldly "old Seabourn".

Happy and healthy sailing!

My current Encore cruise has 588 on board and after dining at the TK grill tonight we were in deck outside a SB square to watch the sunset and there was 1other couple there. Today after our time in St Tropez we were back at 2:30 and went to the Patio Grill for the first time. It was crowded but got a table almost immediately. We have not found any time where crowding has influenced our habits onboard.

My current Encore cruise has 588 on board and after dining at the TK grill tonight we were in deck outside a SB square to watch the sunset and there was 1other couple there. Today after our time in St Tropez we were back at 2:30 and went to the Patio Grill for the first time. It was crowded but got a table almost immediately. We have not found any time where crowding has influenced our habits onboard.

Thank you for the continuing positive comments, I can remember when the O class ships came into service and all the negativity then, regarding service, not enough staff, badly trained staff, not the Seabourn as we know it etc. and to a degree when we first sailed on Odyssey for her maiden crossing to Fort Lauderdale, we felt the same, and wished we were on one of the little ships, but that soon passed and I am sure we will find that we enjoy our upcoming cruise on the Encore as much as all our other Seabourn sailings.

I have one question if you could tell me please, as the dressing table does not seem to exist, as on the other ships , between the bathroom and walk in wardrobe, where do you or your wife (not sure if you are male or female!!!) do the necessary make up, I do hope it's not back to the good old days of husband having to crawl over the bed while I am trying to make myself presentable at the small area at the end of said bed!!:)

Funny, Prunella, in the SS Silver Spirit, the same is a problem. You can tell ship architects are males!!!!

The dressing table still exists between the bathroom and the walkin closet.

Hi Prunella1, Yes as LP as said it still exists. DW, I have noticed because I am so observant, has tended to use the bathroom for such things, probably because the light and mirrors in the bathroom are so brilliant for fading eyes.

I have photos from around the ship but there has been too much to do on and off the ship to post yet. Here is the one ...

Ps. I just uploaded it (I'm in SB square at the moment) and the 7.1MB file uploaded in about 15sec for those wondering about internet speed. It does vary from time of day and location of ship and location within the ship but overall I would say it is faster than my experiences on Odyssey and Quest.

Thank you for the photo and info regarding dressing table,the suites look lovely. Looking forward to more of your posts, I am enjoying them and getting excited about our cruise in October.

Of course a cruise on Encore is mostly a lovely experience - it is just that those who know and love the Odyssey class ships know that she could have been better if not for the obvious (to us) mistakes and omissions which seem to have been mainly due to he fact that her 'interior designer' appears to know little about how cruise ships work, as compared to land based hotels. And comments on CC have, I feel sure, influenced the improvements which we hope will also translate to Ovation. Just a shame it was not right in the first place.

My current Encore cruise has 588 on board and after dining at the TK grill tonight we were in deck outside a SB square to watch the sunset and there was 1other couple there. Today after our time in St Tropez we were back at 2:30 and went to the Patio Grill for the first time. It was crowded but got a table almost immediately. We have not found any time where crowding has influenced our habits onboard.

Hey, stop that already. You're making me want to be back on board. Tell me the meal in TK was terrible and drinks at the bar were the worst you've ever had 😀

Oh and that the sunset was all grey & rainy !

I can picture your experience perfectly in my minds eye.

Enjoy and savour every moment.

Henry :)

After reading all these negative as well as positive comments about Encore, I'm still very much looking forward to my first Seabourn cruise that will take place in December from Sydney to Auckland. Most of my previous cruises were on the bigger Oceania ships (Marina and Riviera), which I enjoyed enormously, especially as their Penthouse suites are very comfortable.