Encore / Live / Solo(*)- Dec 1-8-2019...

[sid_9169]

Wheel of Fortune going on now in the atrium... I'm definitely not going to make it much longer tonight...

[lottiegreen56]

Two dumb questions - 1) is that good wine/champ? I've had a bottle of it at our house for at least 3 years that no one knows where it came from. 2) I haven't done NCL lately, do they upcharge at upcharge restaurants? That's crazy to me. 

[OceanBlueWaters]

27 minutes ago, joshgates said:

Ahh yes, that pretty much seals it, I'm trying for Vibe passes.  That's my kinda place.

Go to any bar and tip your bartenders. They will remember you and what you drink when you return. My drinks were pretty much made before I even asked at each bar. Take your drink to wherever you want to go on the ship and save $.  I will never pay for Vibe.  JMO 🙂

[sid_9169]

14 minutes ago, lottiegreen56 said:

Two dumb questions - 1) is that good wine/champ? I've had a bottle of it at our house for at least 3 years that no one knows where it came from. 2) I haven't done NCL lately, do they upcharge at upcharge restaurants? That's crazy to me. 

Veuve Clicquot is a pretty good non vintage champagne... Tastes almost as good as stuff costing much more... If you mean, do they have upcharge items? Then, yes there are a few... The big shrimp cocktail and crab cake are a $5 upcharge over the dining package. The surf and turf is $19 additional...

[sid_9169]

One minor annoyance as a light sleeper, is the music that's played in the hallway... It's not very loud, but when it's quiet, as is usually the case in the studio cabins, I can hear it through the wall at night, even with my ear plugs...

[joshgates]

17 minutes ago, OceanBlueWaters said:

Go to any bar and tip your bartenders. They will remember you and what you drink when you return. My drinks were pretty much made before I even asked at each bar. Take your drink to wherever you want to go on the ship and save $.  I will never pay for Vibe.  JMO 🙂

 

That’s my current solution and it works wonderfully 🙂 Next trip’s over Christmas though so having something outside that’s kid free, and hopefully a little more lively than the waterfront’s my motivation this time. 

[smplybcause]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Studios are exactly the same, other than the bed is slightly smaller, like the Bliss... There are USB ports by the bed. There are no color changing LED lights like breakaway and getaway. The soap dish is the same, and I even talked with Jovo the General Manager about it... He's going to look into possibly drilling a hole in the bottom of them... If that does happen, then you'll have me to thank for it, because I did insist that it was my number one gripe about all the studio cabins...

 

My last two studios on the Bliss and Breakaway didn't have the dish. Just the circle. No idea why. 

 

Very much dislike the smaller bed. Kinda missed the color lights, but meh. Much preferred the lights for the bed on Bliss, but that's after they were malfunctioning on breakaway where it was super bright even though it was off - kept my room way too bright. I think from the photos that was similar on encore too. 

 

To the person that asked, Bliss has USB near the bed too. Very handy.

[Greenpea2]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

The world can definitely only stand one Sid...

😝

[deedle7544]

But if we cloned him....

[BigNance]

4 hours ago, cml4958 said:

 

I did not need that image.

I’ve been avoiding that image since TheDougOut first posted pix of tha monstrosity. 

Bleh

[BigNance]

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Ten minutes till Cagney's...

 

Best. Shirt. 

[BigNance]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

So, it's 8:30 on Friday night... The next to last night of the cruise... I've had probably eight, maybe nine drinks today, and I feel like I could just go to bed right now and call it a day... There are all of these people, decades older than me walking around like they're just getting started, and are going to party on into the night... I guess that if I ever make it to that age, I'm going to want to go to bed at four o'clock in the afternoon...

They do go to bed at 4 in the afternoon. Then get up at 8-10. And  Ready to party. That’s kind of where we almost are 😆😆😴

[deedle7544]

4 minutes ago, BigNance said:

Best. Shirt. 

Second.Best.

[ceilidh1]

Just catching up after being at work all day! Happy to see I didn't miss the Haven - is that still on the cards? If I were to sail this ship, I think it would have to be in Haven. I can't do pool deck crowds....

 

Love the new shirt, Sid!

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, deedle7544 said:

Second.Best.

Agreed

[BigNance]

4 minutes ago, deedle7544 said:

Second.Best.

True. But this one just jumped out and caught the eye. Mine anyway. It goes with margaritas. 

[Beachiekeen]

6 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

The lifeboat deck...

 

And, the current view from the lifeboat deck.

What a gorgeous picture! (The sunset, not the lifeboat!) 🙂

 

Sorry to hear there’s no next cruise, you’ll have to remedy that!

[Kalum]

Lobster tail looked good tonight 

Might have to really pay the upcharge at least once on our next cruise.

 

Thanks Sid!!!

[grandmarnnurse]

8 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

So, it's 8:30 on Friday night... The next to last night of the cruise... I've had probably eight, maybe nine drinks today, and I feel like I could just go to bed right now and call it a day... There are all of these people, decades older than me walking around like they're just getting started, and are going to party on into the night... I guess that if I ever make it to that age, I'm going to want to go to bed at four o'clock in the afternoon...

Lol! Too funny, Sid! I am 66, and I am BEAT by 10pm! I never get to see the late night deck parties! People have suggested I try to nap in afternoon, but since I’ve never been a napper (absolutely never), I’m not going to start that now. I am an early riser, usually 6am, but today Im up reading your last night entries at 5am. I know it’s because I have an internal clock that is set to get me up for work at 4:30, and to bed by 10:00. It doesn’t care that I’m retired. But,no, you won’t want to go to bed by 4.....just early.😎

[blarko]

Sid, you haven’t really mentioned anything about the hangover prevention stuff this cruise. Have you not needed it this time?

[#55worktoplay]

Sid, this review and pictures have been great as usual.

 

I am amazed with the amount of food you consume and the size that you are. 
 

The ship looks very nice and I too like the elevator lobby carpets.  However, it seems you spent quite a chunk of money on all the added extras. I’m too cheap for all those extras so I may not get the same enjoyment. The vibe sounds like a blast but it seems like allot of money. I am not a sun worshipper so I would find a quiet space when needed.

 

Are the Laser Tech and Race Cars also an added cost?

 

I will give you a couple of weeks and we will all know when your next cruise is.

 

Thanks for sharing your trip.

[ReaderDame]

Sid

Just a general question, please... when in Tortola , is it cash only at the bars there; and if so, do they take US $ ?

[sid_9169]

52 minutes ago, ReaderDame said:

Sid

Just a general question, please... when in Tortola , is it cash only at the bars there; and if so, do they take US $ ?

The official currency in Tortola is the US dollar, and I assume they take cards almost everywhere.

[GMoney]

While it's on Jost and not Tortola, Soggy definitely accepts credit cards. No need for soggy dollars any longer. 😃

Edited December 7, 2019 by GMoney

[sid_9169]

After ten and a half hours of sleep, I'm ready to conquer the last day on board the beautiful Norwegian Encore... I was thinking about this incredible journey we've been on this week, beginning with three Thanksgiving dinners...

 

The trip to Miami, and the at least five, maybe six bars / restaurants that we spent huge amounts on, but it was so fun anyway...

 

Finally, the next morning, the anticipation of boarding the ship, and the quest for Vibe passes...

 

All the incredible food and beverages consumed on board. The great service from the staff and crew of the Encore, too many to name.

 

The great adventures on land in our three ports. Even, when I thought that they had drugged our drinks at the little hole in the wall bar in San Juan...

 

Swimming in the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean, and nearly getting run over trying to walk to that taco place...

 

The trip to Jost van Dyke on the Rebel Yell, and the beautiful beach at White Bay.

 

There were a few hiccups along the way, but they're so insignificant now that I won't even mention them...

 

And, you... The readers who stuck it out all the way through this journey... And, the ones who may not have, but they're not reading this now, and I appreciate whatever part they did enjoy.

 

Thank you to all of you who commented along the way, and to the ones who merely lurked... Hopefully today will be a great final sea day... I really don't look forward to leaving in the morning, but four thousand other people are probably in Miami right now anticipating the awesome cruise that they're about to enjoy......