neffqueen

We are not sunbathers and did not used the pool deck area other than to cross from side to side and our experience during the thanksgiving week 2019 on Encore changed our love for NCL. We will sail again on NCL but never ever again on Encore. If you had small children and counted on the camp for some free time, forget it unless you want to make a line on deck 5 at least 30 mns prior to camp time openings. I spent so much time making lines so my son can have fun in camp and diminished my rest time during the cruise. So many parents upset that camp was full just 15 mns every time after opening. Learned that on Encore, the excess areas available on Bliss and other sister ships was changed to concierge so that meant once at capacity, you were out of luck. My son required special food needs which I had previously informed the helpdesk and was granted. On Bliss never had an issue with my son's needs. On Encore, it was a mission. Got denied a few times as per" the galley is closed" but the food for him was available thru room service. Yes I spoke to the assistant Maitre'd and still had to be very persistant to get my sons food. Even at the buffet, I was told, not we cannot get it for you( chicken tenders).

Overall, the food ( other than Onda) was not to par with other NCL ships we have sailed. We do agree that both show productions were outstanding and would see CHoir of Men again. We never were able to get comedy tickets as they sold out minutes after getting on the ship but the comedian performed a late night set on the main theater so we were ok with it.

We are venturing out this year with Celebrity Edge and Princess for Alaska as my son is always our priority. I have read others that said they had a great time on Encore but had no kids under 12 which the race track was useless( 2 car seating is slow and very limited) and Laser Tag broke both times we tried to go. It was a stressful cruise that should have never been.

Hi

Any has details on the dry dock for Pride of America May 2020? I have been searching without success on the details.

thank you

We sailed Encore on the thanksgiving first sailing from Miami. Having an 9 yr old on this cruise and dealing with the kids activities took most of our free time. From having sailed on Bliss and many other ships, the crew was not yet at is best. First with camp. We have not had any issues ever in any sailing to drop off my son. On this particular sailing, the ship had aprox 1400 kids and deck 5 had most of the time a line with very angry parents that could not drop off their child as it was always to capacity. For us to get his space, we did the line 45mn prior to camp opening. Corporate had a lady there dealing with complains the whole time. I heard many frustrated parents scream  cause not having enough space. I asked why this ship had these issues and was explained in the rest of the fleet, they have overflow areas but the Encore does not. Camp capacity was 108 kids ! If you did not made the line, you were out of luck. My son was told not to come that often to let other kids come to camp. Next issue- laser tag. It was sold out for the whole cruise before sailing but we score some night spots. Once we got there, the computer program was down and had not time frame to repair. Since the whole cruise was already booked, we were told that we just get a refund so my family never got to experience laser tag. I listen to others that the system broke often and no reschedules were available. Next issue- My son is in the autism spectrum and NCL has always work with him to make sure he has the foods he only eats. I even had it already pre- arranged prior to sailing. I had the hardest time getting him tenders outside the dining room. Took a lot of asking and one night i was denied the tenders by the hostess and maitre'd.  We were at the local and my son was hungry. Please understand other foods are not a choice, he has a taste sensory and he will not try new things yet. When i told him tenders were part of the room service, he replied I can order them in the room and have them sent to the local. Oh that was just wrong. We did the get tenders 30 mns later after i complained. For my son, I go to the moon! On the bliss, we had opposite care and was made sure he would get them anywhere he was.

The shows were amazing, the food was great but the ship felt taken over by rude kids everywhere and nobody controlled them.

We will sail NCL again but never a first sailing or a major holiday either. We did have a good time just felt disorganized and poor trained personnel. We never met or saw our room steward. ROom was taken care of but never met this person......

Hi

We sailed twice a year with NCL and RCCL for the last 5 yrs but this would be our first sailing with Celebrity. We booked Edge for spring break 2020 and our concern is for our 9 yr old son coming with us. He is an aspergers child( high functioning autism) and my concern are meals. He is great at camp and loves it but he has taste sensory issue and his food selections are very limited. For breakfast, he must have Pediasure. On NCL we get permission to bring on board ahead of time but not sure if Celebrity has the same rules. Our other big concern is his daily food. We need to have chicken fingers/ nuggets available for lunch and dinner. On the other cruise lines we travel, this item is on all the regular kids meals and it is not hard to get but I was looking at the kids menu on the Edge and cannot find anywhere chicken fingers/nuggets and fries. They all have burgers etc. Please understand that is not a choice we have for him to try other things, he just cannot get himself to eat a variety of food( we have tried). Can someone let me know if they have seen tenders on ship or do I need to request them. Any information is appreciated as final pay is coming up and if he is not able to have his food needs met, we might have to cancel.  thank you

Hi everyone. We just got off Encore this morning. We had a very smooth debarkation. Made the line at the Local 645am and was off the ship by 720 am. All great. On our personal experience, the level of care and attention my son had on the Bliss Alaska sailing did not materialized on this cruise but we understand they still need to get things better. Splash Academy was chaotic as this cruise had over 1300 kids and they only had capacity for 108( i believe). So what happen is most of us had to make line on deck 5 about 30-40 mn each time on sea days. NCL had this corporate representative ( Janet) that listen to all the complains parents had. Many were not able to drop kids and by this ruining some events. After talking to Janet, we learned that the other NCL ships have overflow rooms when they need to split them but on the Encore, they took that space and gave it to concierge. This meant there was no overflow for more kids. The best they were able to do was move the 3-5 ages to the guppies room to free more space for the 6-9 group. Some future sailings will have this issue( next one is christmas week). What we saw also was that kids 10 and up that did not made it to camp, were running around races on decks, pressing all the buttons of elevators and over all disruptive to the rest of the passengers. Some cruises were very upset with this, we just moved along to another location.

As for our only failure was the accomodations requested in writting months in advance. My son ( been autistic) only eats tenders and fries. Also we carry pediasure which we had approval to carry. Starting at the port, we were told no liquids. I told them I had approval to sail with pediasure and they did not believe me. I showed them my boarding paper showing fluids approval but that did not fly. After talking, we were finally were able to go. Now on the ship, I Had a very hard time finding Tenders. They only had them one time at the Garden Cafe. You can get them in the dinning rooms but when we asked for them on days the buffet did not have them or at the LOcal, i was given run around. At Bliss, my son was given tenders no matter were since we had made the arrangements. On Encore, we were denied several times and given excuses. I persisted but it felt it was a burden since they had to go to another kitchen. We got them but this was a challenge just about every day. One night, At the Local, the maitre'D told us he could not get my hungry child tenders. I got upset because i knew that the room service menu had them. He had the nerve to tell us to order it in the room( got his card). Did not give in and finally got them thanks to a hostess.

Other than those bumps above, we had a great time. Onda was by far the best meal we had- do not miss having dinner here. Choir of Men was spectacular. In all, we loved the ship and will sail again soon.

Spoke to NCL and they apologize for this email sent to everyone. It only applies to international guest flying in and the panama canal sailings. Those that are in the US and returning do not need to be adding the middle name.

10 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

I see things a little differently. Yes, the NCL Encore is very fee based.   But the explanation of why all these fees is of course revenue for NCL but the offerings are bait to lure new cruisers with families.  The marketing demo for cruise lines is not us here on cruise critic. They know this crowd already books cruises. They are seeking families who may try cruising and may not care if they ever come back.  Kids don't really want to lay in the sun in spice H20.  They want go carts, laser tag, and 3D games.  The Encore is a floating advertisement.  I remember when Disney added the duck slide around their ships. All the kids on the neighboring ships in port all pointed at that Disney ship and said, I want to go on that ship.

We are not the demo they are marketing to.

Thank you !  Smart comment. In our case, I look for ships that have good camps and plenty of fun for my son. I recently booked on Princess because they revamped their camp with educational activities and fun things. I booked this ship and Bliss in the past because of the addition of activities, amazing camp layout and activities my 8 yr old enjoys as he is into tech. You are correct on Disney, when my son saw the water slide around the ship, he had to go. Now he sees laser tag all futuristic with holograms and he is very excited( so is my husband). I know Escape has the free rope course but some of us are not into those activities and prefer the tech ones. Different strokes for different folks. 

It is not dumb! It is what is popular now and technology advancements is the future. I am over 50 and my DH is also . He is looking forward to the laser tag and galaxy pavilion. My oldest son also is looking forward to it as we move with what is trending. No need to be so negative cause is not your thing. Im sure there are other areas, like the waterfront, to hang out and drink.

this sale was very productive for us. I moved from a deluxe balcony to a mini suite for $60 difference. 🙂 

6 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

I just booked Encore yesterday after the dining was announced.  Booked a balcony w/ the "take all" promo and got free air promo as well.  We are cancelling a sailing on Symphony to do Encore instead.  When calculating Encore we tookin to consideration the price with all service charges/fees NCL charges (included DSC) adding 4nts additional dining, upgrading to Premium Plus beverage package (which we may not need actually to do) and buying Vibe passes.  We still came out better than sailing the Symphony by about $200pp.  For Symphony we calculated minimum full oceanview balcony, buying drinks and unlimited dining packages separately and estimating air for a similar week in December this year.

 

While NCL has many extra charges, in this case for the things we might add on we still save enough that we don't mind paying for those add ons (Vibe, Prem Plus, Go-Karts, Laser Tag, etc) as we will still come out ahead.  Yes the ships are VERY different, but we know and like that they are different 🙂 Ultimately it's about the bigger picture and all cruise lines have LOTS of waays they can milk you for some extra $$$$$ - you just have to know upfront what the competition offers and carefully compare!

I love your post. We actually sailed Symphony of the Seas on spring break after an amazing cruise on the Bliss last year and returned to NCL in a heartbeat. I have young kids and camp is a salvation for us. I booked cruises depending on the activities my son will enjoy and at the same time, we can relax. Never used Vibe or the Spice place and still had an amazing experience aboard a huge ship. My favorite place to hang out was the waterfront couches with my mojito. We did the race track once and laser tag once. That was enough as our little one loved loved loved camp at Bliss 110% more than Symphony or the other RCCL ships we sailed in the past. 

This thread has been a huge amount of opinions but all a bit premature. Cannot judge without even trying it. Go with an open mind that you are going to enjoy and stop trying to nag about those things you cannot change. It will dampen your cruise.

-----Counting my days till first sailing Nov 24th ! out of Miami 🙂

2 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Ok, now I am mad.  I was thrilled at some of the news today.  I know some don't like the bigger Vibe but that was a very common complaint with people wanting Vibe passes.  I see no problem with expanding the area.  I also see no problem with the bigger race track.  C'mon now.  We all know NCL is built for extra fees.  Loved hearing about the new Italian restaurant because IMHO La Cucina is not that good and not really Italian.  So why am I mad?  No Q BBQ.  Are you freaking kidding me.  Years ago there was a survey of what kind of restaurant people wanted on a cruise and I voted BBQ every time.  The reviews from Bliss were great.  So sad there is not BBQ on Encore 😞 So that was my letdown today.  She sure is top heavy but looks like fun to me 🙂

There is "Q"  is on deck 6

14 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

We've sailed in both the aft-facing and forward-facing penthouses on the Jewel-class ships.  When the ship is pitching, you will have more motion in the bow and stern than you will in the middle of the ship (think of a fulcrum).

 

When the ship is underway, you'll generally be more protected from the wind when you are on the balcony in the aft suites than in the forward-facing suites, so you might take that into consideration on what might be a cold weather cruise.  OTOH, the view from the bow is amazing (and I've read comments on here about folks loving these suites in Alaska).   It was our dream cabin for our first Panama Canal cruise, which was on the Jewel two years ago.  An added bonus of the forward-facing penthouses is the darkness at night (no lights on the bow, and you must close your curtains at night) -- the stargazing was incredible.  We could see the Milky Way whenever it wasn't cloudy at night, and we even saw the Southern Cross in the wee hours before dawn in the days before the Canal, an amazing sight in the lower latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. 

 

Here's the view from our forward-facing penthouse on the Jewel:

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

Thank you so much for your information.

The view in the pic is amazing and my husband loved the idea of total darkness on forward rooms. Im iffy about the cold blowing but  last year it was very warm when we went on the Bliss.

Hoping to get opinions on those who have sailed NCL Jewel after the dry dock- either Aft or forward penthouse. Which did you choose and why? Is there much more motion forward?

We have sailed AFT and loved it but would be more amazing with a forward penthouse. My hesitation is motion as I need a patch to sail. Hoping the get opinions on which you sailed. Also interested in the Pre Cruise Tours- 11 day that visits the resort in Alyeska. We are not athletic and prefer to be relaxed so asking those who have done the Cruise Tours- where you rushed? did you do a lot of walking? Any experiences welcome.  thank you

We have sailed several times on RCCL and liked it. Then we sailed on NCL Bliss last summer and would call it the best cruise ever. This past march 2019, we sailed on RCCL Symphony of the Seas. Had been on Allure of the Seas twice thought would be as great but NCL spoiled us. After our NCL cruise going to RCCL was a huge dissapointment in so many levels. The windjammer food was dried and reheated. We bumped into the captain of the ship on the elevator and he was not in a good mood. Took a picture with him and without any smile. The cabin was not taken care off like NCL did. We were so looking forward to the Loco Fresh and after one meal, never returned. Had dirty silverware with left over shrimp when i unwrapped a silverware wrap. When we had out last stop in Nassau, we parked next to Bliss and we both wished we were on that ship. I do give RCCL good points for the shows but the staff has a lot to catch up to. We are booked on 3 NCL with no desire to return to RCCL. 

The NCL credit of $100 when charge $500  appears on the platinum card. The credit is back on the card. I also had the World Cruises and used it to purchase a cruise on Princess for 2020, got 10,000 points ( $100) on the same card. Offers appear everyday.

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

The cruise line is very explicit about not using your debit card on your room account. People should heed this warning. 2x authorizations is normal for credit or debit card. You just ran up a bill making it an $9k hold

 

 

• Norwegian does not recommend the use of a debit card as payment for your onboard folio.
• Please be advised that multiple holds will be placed on your debit card account based on your onboard purchases.
• After settling your onboard folio, these debit card holds may remain on your account up to 30 days after the cruise ends.
• To avoid overdraft charges from your bank, please make sure that you have enough available funds in your account during this hold period.
• Norwegian will not be responsible for overdraft charges resulting from holds placed on Debit Card accounts.

Thank you for posting this. People complain without reading first !

This post is an example you cannot please everyone. We sailed on the Bliss and found the service outstanding but I am sure we did not all have the same crew members to make your trip amazing. When you travel with a child that has special dietary needs, NCL maitre"d out did himself making sure we have his needs taken care off anywhere we ate on the ship. We felt the food was amazing but again , we are simple eaters and do not do meals like Cagneys. Now my friend is a regular Princess cruiser and for him it was different( same cruise). He said he is spoiled with Princess and there is no comparison in food but he did like the service. We all had different crew members attend to us so the experiences will be different. 

We loved Bliss and cannot wait for Encore !   

Question to anyone that has parked on the new parking building adjacent to Terminal A for Symphony of the Seas. The parking building seems it was build by RCCL and not the port authority. What is the cost of parking on this specific terminal( not a general price for the rest of them) because the other parking buildings you can clearly see it is not own or part of the cruise line but this one is dedicated only to RCCL. Thank you

47 minutes ago, RMS Olympic said:

Finally getting back to this thread. I must admit I am surprised to see how the stern deck is being used. That’s prime real estate to be used for laser tag. As an adult sun area that can be used by many at a given time it’s being dedicated to maybe a handful of players. Considering out door deck space is tight on a full ship, to now move people to the area forward previously used by laser tag on the bliss will be extra tight. If this same area on Encore is to be An adult sunning area, will it compete with the Vibe one deck below? I am also surprised to see the Galaxy pavilion added.... yet another large space that may be dedicated to only a small number of passengers at a given time.

i enjoyed the Bliss; great crew and service. Great dinning, great entertainment, elegant decor. But too many people and rude passengers. Will I stay with NCL, not sure. I switched my Encore booking from the inaugural crossing to her first Caribbean sailing. I hope the ship is great. But HAL is attracting me more... just booked the Nieuw Statendam for March....as a single passenger it was way less money than returning to the Bliss. 

NCL was my first, I just wish they would decide whether they want to be a premium line or a mass market / amusement park at sea. Maybe project Leonardo will be a shift in direction securing my loyalty once more.

Final note...my sailing on Encore will be an anniversary for me....my first cruise was on Norwegian Caribbean Lines Southward in 1979....now Encore in November 2019...

Thats a 40 year addiction, and ship number 89. Is there no cure for this cruising addiction? 🤪

As for the older cruise passengers with no young kids, NCL might be drifting away from you but for us it is getting better. My husband is a tech gamer and avid D&D player. This type of added space is a dream to him. I will probably will not see a lot of him during our cruise as he plans to be there with our son. The younger generation are avid game players and just the popularity of "fortnite" has been huge that a lot of shows on TV make reference to this game played online. I have kids ages 8, 31, and 33. My husband is 49. They are all avid gamers. When i told him of the galaxy pavilion and the better version of laser tag, all of them were excited.

I can tell you that on the Bliss, the laser tag location had a lot of issues and i can see why it was moved. The wind was affecting the game a lot. It also needed internet connection wifi to work and the location was been affected a lot lacking reception so the game had to be stop several times. My husband had it booked and once there, the system was down due to poor reception and the wind on the front of the ship was affecting the whole area.  

I can see the NCL is moving to what is popular at this time with folks under 40 and keeping up with trends and understand how the seasoned cruiser might not like to have such prime location taken but my family and others do welcome it.

12 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

 

This room is most certainly labeled as a quad cabin that  sleeps 4.

It is a triangle with a sofa bed. We have stayed twice and i am for sure that it will be very uncomfortable it is 4 adults. My 5 yr old was sleeping on it and it can fit another person but small in size. 

19 minutes ago, Welzel04 said:

We just booked this room for our first ever RC Cruise - I read somewhere occupancy of 3?? But we have 4.... 

 

Also, in pictures I don’t see drop down bed like Disney and Carnival do?

This is a 3 person room. You have a 2 twins that make a king and a sofa that converts to a single. This room is not label for 4. Have stayed twice in 8729

I have been watching the prices for this premium alcohol prices for months. We are on the Symphony in March 2019. Seen it up to $70 a day, then $68. Today is at $58 a day. Which prices should i hold to for the lowest anyone has seen it for this ship?

thank you

We have sailed twice on Allure and now booked on Synphony. Always booked the last cabin 8729 on the boardwalk side. We love it as it is at the end and you have the best view for the aquashow. We get to see people walking around when resting on the balcony and you cannot hear much of the noise with the balcony door closed. Love the free perks for booking boardwalk balcony ( free beverage package for 2, one free lunch/dinner and johnny rockets, family session for rock climbing).

We have sailed in Carnival, became loyal RCCL cruisers because it was better food and service than Carnival. The took 2 disney cruises for our little one ( he loved) but dislike the forced dining options and then last month we tried NCL Bliss. It was the BEST vacation/ cruise/ entertainment we ever have. Food blew us away of choices, the extreme happy employees smiling all the time. Then one day into our cruise, i had a hard time finding chicken tenders for my son and asked the head chef for them. He made a few calls and got them from another kitchen. I go into our cabin and we get a call from the Maitre'D of the Manhattan . He was informed about our son limited eating choice and he arranged that we can get him tenders at the burger area of the buffet as well as any dining room we went. At dinner, he came in person to introduce himself and let us know all was taken care off. After day one, he had tenders anywhere we went. This for us was above all. NCL crew was the most pleasant we have ever encounter. Besides this, the food is superior, the ability to eat at any time, the amount of choices at night, the camp personnel was the most enthusiastic we have ever encounter( even over Disney). My son told us NCL camp was the best. These are just some examples of customer care NCL has. If you need something, just ask :)

Question for those who had a non-Haven aft balcony:

Did you have lounge chairs on your balcony? If not, did/could you request them?

Thank you.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We sailed June 16th on the Bliss- we had an Aft Balcony 12312 . there was no lounger so we reached out to our room steward and brought us one. He did ask if we wanted two but it was fine.