Everything... Norwegian ENCORE! Launch Nov 2019

[TheDougOut]

Is Margaritaville’s back kitchen gone?  Or was that all forward of the stairway?

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by TheDougOut

[rtkenmore]

Something else I just noticed with these updated deck plans...  Are there not going to be any hot tubs at all on the actual pool deck?  Looks like the closest hot tubs to the pools will actually be up one deck on 17.  If Bliss is the same way, I guess I just never noticed that it was.

[Steff79]

 

[Heather1972]

On 11/28/2018 at 12:45 PM, shof515 said:

 

 

😞

 

 

What is that blue tube running through the laser tag area?

[Carderman]

6 minutes ago, Heather1972 said:

 

 

What is that blue tube running through the laser tag area?

It's the Sea monster rising from the DBH getting extra stocks of beer for the Transatlanic crossing😀

Edited November 30, 2018 by Carderman

[TheDougOut]

3 hours ago, rtkenmore said:

Something else I just noticed with these updated deck plans...  Are there not going to be any hot tubs at all on the actual pool deck?  Looks like the closest hot tubs to the pools will actually be up one deck on 17.  If Bliss is the same way, I guess I just never noticed that it was.

 

Same as Bliss - their effort to free up the pool deck space and make it more open.  

[TheDougOut]

33 minutes ago, Carderman said:

It's the Sea monster rising from the DBH getting extra stocks of beer for the Transatlanic crossing😀

 

Every bit will help!

 

Robert was our advocate during the Bliss crossing, and managed to secure some bonus kegs in both Azores & Halifax.  He kept us watered right up until the end... with kegs running dry as the coastline appeared on the horizon. 

 

It’ll be a sad day in NCL history if and when Robert no longer presides over “the houses”.  The guy IS the District Brew House.  It’s his place, and it’ll feel completely gutted without him.

 

Seriously... what I wouldn’t give to have Robert behind the bar & Beau behind the keys for Encore’s launch.  THAT is how you start an encore set.  It would be legendary.  

[gatorchinsky]

16 minutes ago, TheDougOut said:

 

Same as Bliss - their effort to free up the pool deck space and make it more open.  

 

It was nice having the hot tubs up one deck from the pools but on our Thanksgiving Cruise the pool deck was still really crowded.

[LrgPizza]

23 minutes ago, TheDougOut said:

Seriously... what I wouldn’t give to have Robert behind the bar & Beau behind the keys for Encore’s launch.  THAT is how you start an encore set.  It would be legendary.  

 

And not requiring Beau to quit at 9PM, because so many neighboring cabins complained about noise from DBH. On our Escape cruise this summer, Beau wasn't Beau.  He recognized me from previous cruises the first night, and told me, "This is going to be a different show."  He said, "This isn't me. This isn't my crowd. My style doesn't work for the pre-dinner crowd."  He was right. The place was usually a quiet crowd, grabbing a quick drink, and leaving. I felt bad for him.  I also felt bad for us, because DBH had previously been our favorite late night venue.

[FreestyleNovice]

Meyer moved Spectrum towards the door to make room for Encore's bow section, in between Spectrum and the far end of the large building hall.

 

Webcam 2 at Meyer should show us Encore's bow progress next week!

edit: point of view is from the far end, towards Spectrum/the large door/the ship yard's bassin.

Edited November 30, 2018 by FreestyleNovice

[Steff79]

Do you think choir of man is the second free show at Theater with Kinky? Or is choir of man a pay show?

 

at the site with the deck plans, if you are fast there is for one seconds a third button with on board ( have the german page, don´t know the exact engl. words, at the german page the button disappear after one second ). if i go to the page i can see the entertaiment they announced. At choir of man they wrote: at the Encore theater, price Adult: 15,99/Kids10,99. But not sure if the site is correct, that´s why i wonder how they offer the show? And if choir of man will be a pay show there will be a seconde free show at theater?

Edited December 1, 2018 by Steff79

[TheDougOut]

Alright come on... somebody needs to identify where this is on the ship.  I assume it’ll be part of the bow block.  Does this curve exist anywhere in the main theater or “Q” space?

 

Edit: SingleCruiser thinks it’s the false ceiling in Q venue (or replacement)...

 

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by TheDougOut

[TheDougOut]

22 hours ago, Steff79 said:

Do you think choir of man is the second free show at Theater with Kinky? Or is choir of man a pay show?

 

It has to be a mistake... listing it as a main-theater show with a fee.  That would be ridiculous.

 

 

[All-ready2cruise]

Right, it really seems like one of those wonderful supper club/dinner venue scenarios where you dine and watch the show, not unlike the Cirque shows in the spiegle tent.  I'm really looking forward to it. 

[MusterDrill55]

On 11/30/2018 at 1:43 PM, Heather1972 said:

 

 

What is that blue tube running through the laser tag area?

Are they waterslides?

[rtkenmore]

24 minutes ago, MusterDrill55 said:

Are they waterslides?

Not water slides. 

[Cruiser Bruiser]

On 11/29/2018 at 6:58 AM, david_sobe said:

Cruises used to for older people and wealthy people.  Then cruise lines started trying to attract families. Marketing research shows the habitual cruiser will always book cruises. The marketing is to lure first timers and millennials who don't consider cruising a vacation option.  Long story short, NCL is already getting your/our business.  They want new customers.  LOL

Except, I shifted from mostly sailing on NCL to mostly sailing on Holland America, which builds ships designed to appeal to adults. I have one final NCL cruise booked for May, and then I'm done. 

[rtkenmore]

36 minutes ago, Cruiser Bruiser said:

Except, I shifted from mostly sailing on NCL to mostly sailing on Holland America, which builds ships designed to appeal to adults. I have one final NCL cruise booked for May, and then I'm done. 

Bye!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

4 minutes ago, rtkenmore said:

Bye!

I forgot to mention that the passengers on HAL have better manners, too.

[MusterDrill55]

10 hours ago, rtkenmore said:

Not water slides. 

What are they?

[TheDougOut]

1 hour ago, MusterDrill55 said:

What are they?

 

Theming - you enter and/or exit the arena through the tunnel they form (2nd photo).  

 

 

Edited December 2, 2018 by TheDougOut

[RMS Olympic]

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? 🤪

[neffqueen]

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.

Edited December 2, 2018 by neffqueen
correct reference

[SAmome]

1 hour ago, neffqueen said:

 

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.

I was wondering if a basketball court would come back somewhere or if it went out with the Escape.  I didn't read the whole thread but I'm guessing basketball is free so not in the plans.

[TheDougOut]

1 hour ago, neffqueen said:

My husband is a tech gamer and avid D&D player. This type of added space is a dream to him.

 

My only counter-argument is that some things can be made “more special” by placing them on a cruise ship.  They can augment the “at sea” experience that drew us all to cruising in the first place.

 

For everything announced during the initial reveal... I’ve seen nothing that couldn’t be replicated (or done better) by doing it on land.  The ropes course was brilliant in this regard.  It wasn’t fun because “it was a ropes course”.  It was fun because it exposed new views & thrills of sitting 18+ decks above the ocean.  Not to mention... it had a large & continuous capacity, and was complimentary.

 

If you’re going to dedicate nearly 1/3 of prime top-deck real estate to this, at least put something on there that takes advantage of what makes that real estate prime in the first place.  But no, they’re strapping low-visibility helmets onto kart riders and now virtual reality headsets on laser taggers.  I’d actually consider these decisions comical if I hadn’t already tied up $$$ onto cruising on her.

 

Will these activities be fun?  Probably.  But during my 2nd voyage on the Bliss, I never went near either activity.  It’s probably a one-and-done kind of thing.  And now we’ll have 4 years of the fleet’s 3 newest ships floating around with one-and-done activities.  And none of them add to the “at-sea” experience.