gknep

The same change has been made for my Encore 9/25 sailing. I was in ISP last fall before the new gondola to the top of the mountain was finished. Going to do that for sure this time. It is a great place to go whale watching as well. My parents have done the cooking class and enjoyed it enough to repeat it on subsequent visits. The zip line looks fun if that is your kind of thing.

Shows and showtimes are more important for my dining plans than the MDR menu, but as in all things YMMV. Currently the Encore rotates through a MDR menu that doesn't necessarily repeat each week. I think there are 14 days of rotating menu to choose from.

My parents sailed on the Jewel yesterday. They are essentially doing what you will be doing in a few weeks. They are B2B in the Haven. They flew from Michigan to Vancouver yesterday said that flights were smooth and embarkation really easy. No troubles with ArriveCAN. They will have to do ArriveCAN again on the turnaround day. My mom said that they found a bowl of fruit, chocolate strawberries, and a plate of appetizers waiting for them in their suite. They like the newly renovated bathrooms (tubs taken out) Said that the deck is a little smaller but that the living area seemed a little bigger.

I did my first Alaska cruise with NCL 20 years ago. Those were pretty much the port times even then (Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria) In fact, those have been the port times every time I have done the round trip out of Seattle. The only difference back then was that we docked in Juneau and Ketchikan in town with no need for shuttles. The daylight situation in Juneau is better earlier in the season when you can do an excursion and still wander the town in daylight. We used to get off in Victoria but no longer do. Went last September after the restart when the Canada stop was not done and did not miss it. Going again in 3 weeks prepared for wet weather in Alaska and rough seas at the beginning and the end.

I think those had to do with passengers not having done the Arrive Canada app stuff which has to be done prior to boarding.

I was there last September and learned more about Ketchikan on the shuttle ride from Ward Cove to downtown than I had in 6 previous Alaska cruises. The shuttle was not an issue at all. I'll see how it is now later this month.

The angry ghost of an untipped cabin steward?

I was able to book 4 nights of specialty meals for my upcoming Encore cruise. (Ocean Blue, Los Lobos, Cagney's, and Le Bistro) with out any problem or any charge.

We had linked reservations with my parents in a two bedroom suite and my wife, daughter, and I in the connecting mini-suite. The room steward suggested that my daughter take the unoccupied second bedroom in the suite so she did. We were allowed to disembark with them at each port. We were invited to some of the special things but not others. They also allowed us to eat with them at breakfast (on this ship it was in Moderno) one of the mornings. The butler took us into account when bringing snacks during the week and checked up with my wife an I to see if there wan anything we needed. We didn't go in with any expectations so the extras that we did get were very appreciated.

Looks like a season one episode of The West Wing.

I recently priced out 2 cruises to Mexico from San Diego. One on Holland America and one with NCL. Same basic itinerary (NCL adds an additional stop in Ensenada) similar sized ships. NCL with all the free and sea and air special still came in under Holland America with all their extras but no air.

We did 9 a few times on a cruise on the Pearl. It wasn't much of a problem. They even put us in a private area I didn't even know existed in the main dining room one evening.

My parents are on this cruise. They texted this morning to let us know what was happening. I looked at the weather reports for the North Atlantic. I'm happy the ship is headed towards Norway instead.

We were in 8006 in May of 2019 for an Alaska cruise. Never noticed the motion or noise. Loved the location for access to the lido deck and the Crows Nest with the special coffee in the morning. Very quiet location.

I saw people turned away from the main dining room for wearing shorts on a Mexican Riviera cruise.

I was on the Encore last year and will be again in September. I'm 56 and did not get any kind of age related vibe from it at all. It is a great ship. The only possible downside would be the itinerary you are on. If it is warm weather related there is too much outdoor deck space taken up by the laser tag and go cart track.

Its Clara Vee. She was on the Konigsdam when we sailed in January. She is fantastic. She has some originals which she will do sometimes if you request them.

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett