On rewind... Solo on Encore for Thanksgiving

[CazV]

 

This time four weeks ago I was packed and ready to go. It’s now been two weeks since I got back to Scotland after my cruise on the Encore and I finally have some time to write about my experience. I did consider doing a live thread but I’m glad I decided against it… I don’t have the patience for it, and tbh I ended up being far too busy with new friends on board to be posting online while I was cruising. 

 

I had a fantastic cruise… was it perfect? Nope… but nothing is! And I’ve now forgotten about most of the niggles along the way! 

 

This was my fourth cruise, and third with NCL. All of my cruises have been solo, and I’m still learning about what’s important to me when I cruise. My last cruise was with Royal Caribbean and I had an amazing time on that cruise, but NCL is a better fit for me it seems. 

 

I booked this cruise in May and I will admit I came close to cancelling it when the finalised deck plans were published and it became apparent that there would be no free adult only deck space on this ship. I’m so glad I didn’t cancel though! I booked with the knowledge that this would be the ship’s first sailing with paying passengers other than the Transatlantic crossing, and also knowing it was Thanksgiving (which isn’t a thing in the UK).  

 

I was very active in watching the progress of the ship being built and was very engaged with the CC Roll Call and also the FB group for the sailing. I got to know people pre-cruise rather than wait to see who would show up to the solo meetings on board… more about this later. 

 

I had spent a few days pre-cruise in Miami South Beach earlier this year and decided to do the same again. This time I also decided to stay an extra night post-cruise due to inflated flight prices for Thanksgiving Weekend… I figured I’d rather spend the extra money on having fun than spend it on a flight. 

 

I flew to the US with Aer Lingus, Glasgow - Dublin - Miami. There were no direct flights to Miami from Glasgow and going through the US immigration in Dublin is a great incentive. This was my third time flying via Dublin and it was a breeze. 

 

Encore was in port on the night of my arrival as she was to have her Christening Ceremony the next day… I tried to get a photo, but my taxi driver was driving too fast lol 

[CazV]

I stayed at the Abae Hotel in South Beach (I also stayed here in April). This is a great option if you are looking for a budget friendly hotel and wanting to stay somewhere that’s a little bit away from the craziness of Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue. It’s in a quiet area and the rooms are very nice… like a one bedroomed apartment actually, with kitchen facilities and a sofa bed in the sitting area. This was home for 4 nights...

[CazV]

I spent 3 full days exploring South Beach… I walked for miles and did some ship spotting at South Pointe Pier. I also met with a friend from my Escape cruise and we had dinner and watched the fireworks for Encore leaving Miami after her Christening celebrations… 

[CazV]

Cruise Day 1 - Embarkation Day

 

I had decided that I wasn’t going to rush to get to the port early and I wasn’t going to bother trying to get a Vibe pass (I was soon to change my mind about this and was lucky I wasn’t too late). I’m not actually sure what time I arrived at the port… I think around 10.30-11am. I was surprised at how quickly I was through security and checked in… there was no line at check in! A first for me!  As I walked into the waiting area I made eye contact with someone who I thought I recognised… and she recognised me too… it was from seeing each other’s profile pics via our FB group. We were both travelling solo. We chatted and she told me she was going to go try for a Vibe pass, and another new friend I’d been chatting to pre-cruise, who wasn’t waiting with us as she’s Platinum Plus, also let me know she was getting one. We were soon boarding, and I had changed my mind about Vibe, we got passes and I will say it was very nice to have somewhere to escape to… we had 1400 kids on board on our sailing! (We were Boarding Group 7 btw)

 

After all the excitement of boarding, I had a wander around the ship… got my first drink… and visited my cabin as soon as they announced we could. 

 

One thing I will say at this point is that I had been waiting to see the controversial chandelier… imo it’s a weird looking thing in reality, but it’s not quite as ugly as it is in photos lol 

[CazV]

The studio cabins are the same size as those I’ve been in before on the Epic and the Escape, but they’ve changed the design slightly. The cabin feels a little nicer imo. I was a little concerned that I would find the bed too small, but it was fine and I liked having the extra floor space. The biggest improvement for me is the virtual window. I loved it! The studio lounge is very nicely done too. (Hoping my video of the lounge will upload properly!)

[CazV]

By now I was hungry and I went to Savor for lunch. It was raining at this point, so I followed lunch with a visit to the Chocolate Cowboy at the Sugarcane Mojito Bar, then we had muster drill, after which the sun was back out so I went back out on deck... stopped by the sailaway party on the pool deck and had a quick dance, then headed up to Vibe for sailaway. 

 

We were delayed leaving Miami due to a medical emergency, but this meant we got to leave at sunset which was lovely. It also meant that it clashed with the solo meetup, so I turned up late to that! This was my only engagement with the solo group… the meetings were held at 5pm and dinner was booked for 5.30-5.45pm every night… these times just don’t work for me, and luckily I had already met my new friends, and we met a few others as the week progressed, and we made our own arrangements for dinner. 

 

[CazV]

Clip from the Pool deck Sailaway party...  

[CazV]

Dinner that night was at Onda and it was delicious (the restaurant was cold though so I wished I’d had something with me to cover my shoulders). We took a walk around the Waterfront (one of my favourite things to do after dinner), had a couple of drinks… can’t remember which bar I got the Cosmo from but it was very good! Then headed to the Social to finish the night off.

 

 

[CazV]

I'll be back with Day 2 tomorrow. 🙂 

[luvcruzing]

Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Enjoying it very much. 

[dshefter]

14 hours ago, luvcruzing said:

Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Enjoying it very much. 

Great review. Would like to hear your impressions of the updated Vibe as we plan to buy passes on our Jan. 19 cruise. Did you do Go Karts, Laser Tag, Virtual Reality or the Waterslides? Was it easy to make reservations for Comedy shows, Cavern Club, etc.

[CazV]

2 hours ago, dshefter said:

Great review. Would like to hear your impressions of the updated Vibe as we plan to buy passes on our Jan. 19 cruise. Did you do Go Karts, Laser Tag, Virtual Reality or the Waterslides? Was it easy to make reservations for Comedy shows, Cavern Club, etc.

I've never been in Vibe on any other ship so can't make comparisons, but I will say that I really enjoyed having that space to go to... and the Vibe bar team currently on board are exceptional! I'll be posting some photos from there at some point. 

 

I didn't do any of that other stuff, but I can tell you that the Go Karts and Virtual Reality were sold out very quickly. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by CazV

[dshefter]

Thanks for the update. Vibe on the Escape was great, but was smaller than what the layout is on Encore. We will try to make reservations for the Go Karts, Virtual Reality and Laser Tag when we board. I assume you can do it via the App

[david_sobe]

Really looking forward to this.  I was a bit worried about you how active you were here prior to your sailing.  Then you were not around and I got worried.  Glad you are back and unpacked and sharing your experience.

[z4oslo]

I really enjoyed reading this.

 

Can I bother you with a question? Im going to Miami in April next year for a cruise and will be staying 3 nights in Miami before doing the transatlantic. I see you booked a a hotel on south beach. Never been to Miami beach  before so ive tried to do some research, and from what i can read, Its more of a party district than mid/north?

 

Ive looked at a hotel on the northern part of mid beach thinking that was more quiet? 

I just want some quiet days before the cruise, as it will be more than enough time to drink and party onboard the ship.

 

 

[CazV]

4 hours ago, dshefter said:

Thanks for the update. Vibe on the Escape was great, but was smaller than what the layout is on Encore. We will try to make reservations for the Go Karts, Virtual Reality and Laser Tag when we board. I assume you can do it via the App

I made friends with several people who were used to the smaller Vibe experience who all had an awesome time... there were always loungers available and space to hang out at the bar if that was your preference. 

 

My advice would be to go to the Vibe line first and try to book your other stuff via the App... I will also say that even if something seems to be fully booked, people cancel regularly, so don't give up and go for standby if you can't get booked for anything and chances are you will get in (unless you're a large group which might be difficult). 

[CazV]

4 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Really looking forward to this.  I was a bit worried about you how active you were here prior to your sailing.  Then you were not around and I got worried.  Glad you are back and unpacked and sharing your experience.

 

Thanks for thinking of me. 🙂 I had some stuff going on the week I got back or I would've been here sooner. I had a fab time and wish I could go back and do it all again! I almost booked last week to go back in March but my sensible head took over lol 

[dshefter]

3 minutes ago, CazV said:

I made friends with several people who were used to the smaller Vibe experience who all had an awesome time... there were always loungers available and space to hang out at the bar if that was your preference. 

 

My advice would be to go to the Vibe line first and try to book your other stuff via the App... I will also say that even if something seems to be fully booked, people cancel regularly, so don't give up and go for standby if you can't get booked for anything and chances are you will get in (unless you're a large group which might be difficult). 

That is our plan. We have Priority Boarding so shouldn't have difficulty getting Vibe passes. I know our 16 yo daughter wants to do the Go Karts and Laser Tag. I want to try the Virtual Reality stuff. Not too worried about getting into comedy shows. Realize there are always cancellations. We have everything else booked.

[CazV]

4 hours ago, z4oslo said:

I really enjoyed reading this.

 

Can I bother you with a question? Im going to Miami in April next year for a cruise and will be staying 3 nights in Miami before doing the transatlantic. I see you booked a a hotel on south beach. Never been to Miami beach  before so ive tried to do some research, and from what i can read, Its more of a party district than mid/north?

 

Ive looked at a hotel on the northern part of mid beach thinking that was more quiet? 

I just want some quiet days before the cruise, as it will be more than enough time to drink and party onboard the ship.

 

 

I think the area you've booked is quieter. I enjoyed being away from the buzz, but within walking distance. Best of both worlds! 🙂 

[Steff79]

Good start, thanks for writing. 

[CazV]

So back to my rewound diary...

Cruise Day 2 - Sea Day

 

I loved my little virtual window in my cabin. Opening it up every morning to see where we were was really nice.

 

I had breakfast at the Garden Cafe, and even managed to find myself a window seat. Then I headed up to Vibe for a Mimosa to properly get my day started. The main pool deck was already busy... pic below.  

 

Then it was time for the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet in the District Brewhouse. We had a time change overnight and that seemed to cause some confusion over our start time… but eventually we were joined by some of the senior officers and it was nice to meet some others I’d been chatting to online. We had nibbles and drinks served and it was very nice. I didn’t take any photos… sorry! 

 

Next was our Bar Crawl… started a little disorganised, but we got ourselves sorted out and we had lots of fun. There was a very large group and the poor bartenders were taken by surprise when we showed up. I believe our organisers did contact the events team on board prior to the cruise to try to enlist their help, but to no avail. I felt sorry for the bartenders! I think I made it to four bars and then I gave up and headed to Vibe for Shot O’Clock! 

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by CazV

[CazV]

I watched the sunset via my virtual window while I got myself ready for the evening ahead.

 

I had been invited to the Captain’s Cocktail Party in the Haven, and as I was ready early I went and had my photo taken with the captain in the atrium before going to the party where I had a nice time mingling and chatting. We then went to Q for dinner… more great food and the signature cocktail (Smoked Peach Margarita) was delicious! 

 

After dinner we went to see Choir of Man. I had been following (stalking?! lol) most of the cast on Instagram for a couple of months and was very much looking forward to seeing this show. Kieran, who plays The Hardman, is from Scotland so I had to go introduce myself 😉 

I had previously seen Choir of Man in the Supper Club on Escape and had been selected to go on stage, and loved it, so I had high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed… the show was fantastic! Seriously... do not miss this show! (I went back and saw it a 2nd time!)

 

[CazV]

I recall thinking at the end of the night that the chandelier looks better in pink… maybe that was the drink though?! Haha 

 

 

[CazV]

Cruise Day 3 - At sea then San Juan in the evening

 

I started the day with French Toast in The Local. I then went walkabout and took lots of photos of the ship, some of which I'll share here....

 

 

[CazV]

More ship pics...