NCL ENCORE POOL DECK

[keven03062]

 I was wondering if anyone has been on the ENCORE and what the honest opinion is of the pool deck. I have read hundreds of reviews of people that have been very dissatisfied with the ship and pool deck but almost all the comments were negative about the whole ship, I know all the complaints can't be true especially about how much the ship rocks all the time, that depends on weather and sea conditions. I have been on over 40 cruises and have had little to no problems finding a deck chair on the pool deck but EVERYONE  is saying that the pool deck on the ENCORE is exceptionally small and not enough chairs, also they are charging $200 a person to have access to the adult only area, that is outrageous, every other cruise line has free access to the adult only area. Sounds like NCL is really getting into over charging and finding every way they can to squeeze every dollar out of you. They offer you a free beverage package as part of your cruise but then hit you with almost $300 in gratuity that you have to pay up front, that equals about 240 drinks or about 34 drinks a day, I don't think to many people will be drinking 34 drinks a day but anyway back to the pool deck, what are your thoughts if you have been on it?

[tallnthensome]

There are several Encore reviews right on here the forum pages that discuss the pool deck on Encore. I would try the forum search function. I have no idea what you’re talking about with the 240 drinks or 34 a day thing. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by tallnthensome

[gmbhardy]

The Encore pool deck is like all the other away class pool decks - very busy and crowded on nice days. With a little patience you can always find an available chair as people come and go on a regular basis.

[NLH Arizona]

I've never been on a cruise ship where there are enough chairs/loungers on the pool deck for everyone, so I guess this ship is no different.  Not sure how you come up with 34 drinks a day to make up the gratuities, it is not even close to that.  Every cruise line is trying to find ways to garner additional revenue and NCL is no different.  If people are willing to pay for Vibe, then NCL should raise the price, until people are walking, not running, to get tickets.  If you disagree with what NCL is doing, maybe best to look at other lines.

 

BTW, welcome to Cruise Critic.

Edited January 30, 2020 by NLH Arizona

[smplybcause]

49 minutes ago, keven03062 said:

They offer you a free beverage package as part of your cruise but then hit you with almost $300 in gratuity that you have to pay up front, that equals about 240 drinks or about 34 drinks a day, I don't think to many people will be drinking 34 drinks a day

 

Your math is way wrong (not to mention the comparison isn't correct either). The 20% is on the daily rate which is $99 so the gratuities on the package is the equivalent of the gratuities on $99 worth of drinks. Which based on NCL prices is 7-10 drinks a day. Of course you'd be paying the $99 for drinks as well as the gratuities.

 

The correct comparison is to how many drinks you could get for what the free package is costing you - which is $19.80 a day. With NCL prices, purchasing two liquor or wine drinks or three beers outright is more than the free packages gratuities. 

[bkrickles1]

12 hours ago, keven03062 said:

 I was wondering if anyone has been on the ENCORE and what the honest opinion is of the pool deck. I have read hundreds of reviews of people that have been very dissatisfied with the ship and pool deck but almost all the comments were negative about the whole ship, I know all the complaints can't be true especially about how much the ship rocks all the time, that depends on weather and sea conditions. I have been on over 40 cruises and have had little to no problems finding a deck chair on the pool deck but EVERYONE  is saying that the pool deck on the ENCORE is exceptionally small and not enough chairs, also they are charging $200 a person to have access to the adult only area, that is outrageous, every other cruise line has free access to the adult only area. Sounds like NCL is really getting into over charging and finding every way they can to squeeze every dollar out of you. They offer you a free beverage package as part of your cruise but then hit you with almost $300 in gratuity that you have to pay up front, that equals about 240 drinks or about 34 drinks a day, I don't think to many people will be drinking 34 drinks a day but anyway back to the pool deck, what are your thoughts if you have been on it?

As others have mentioned here, math is obviously not your strong suit. Although I felt like I had 34 drinks on our day in Tortola. Lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!! The drink package perk is soooo worth it, even if you're a light to moderate drinker.

Regarding the pool deck, as I stated in my review here, it wasn't any more crowded on a sea day than any other cruise I've been on and I've been on more than a few.

Was it hard to get a chair on a beautiful sunny seaday? Yes it was, but if you were patient and used your head a little, you could always find a place to plant yourself.

I spent as much time at the pool area as anyone possibly could have and paid attention. There were always people coming and going and as long as you were flexible to where you sat, you would find a spot.

It was no different on the Escape (that had Spice) or any of the rccl and celebrity ships I've sailed.

 

The little person in me is wondering if I could drink 34 drinks per day. Probably not but it could be a fun challenge. Maybe next time.

[Peachypooh]

I had no problems with the pool deck but then again we like to sit at a table and chairs in the shade.

I do have to say that it is not an exaggeration that the ship rocks. Yes, the amount  does depend on sea 

conditions but when we were in relatively calm seas it wasstill  pretty bad. However we were on the

17th deck and it was better once you went to the lower decks.

[Liljo22]

If you are already this angry at NCL, why even consider booking?  You are going to be looking for reasons to be upset from the second you get on board.  There are plenty cruise lines to choose from.  

 

And like others have mentioned, the math makes zero sense.  The gratuities are $19.80 per day so you would have to drink 2 drinks a day to break even.  

Edited January 30, 2020 by Liljo22

[ColeThornton]

That's one heck of a first post.  🙂

[david_sobe]

Has anyone ever seen an uncrowded pool deck?  If so, please take a photo because it would be like running into a Sasquatch in the woods.

[CruisingSince1982]

The pool deck on Encore is much smaller. That is obvious, and anyone trying to gloss that over by comparing it to other ships is in denial. Vibe is much larger on the Encore. $200 per person - NCL is making out like a bandit here. I'm not overly concerned - I get up early, and most definitely will save seats for my family. However, like any other cruise, if you are strolling outside at 11 am, you won't get a seat. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by CruisingSince1982

[novanoto]

1 hour ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

The pool deck on Encore is much smaller. That is obvious, and anyone trying to gloss that over by comparing it to other ships is in denial. Vibe is much larger on the Encore. $200 per person - NCL is making out like a bandit here. I'm not overly concerned - I get up early, and most definitely will save seats for my family. However, like any other cruise, if you are strolling outside at 11 am, you won't get a seat. 

 

No it's not...have you been on Encore yet? The pool deck itself is bigger than the Escape. There's just no Spice. But there are two completely separate pools. 

 

As for Vibe, it's worth its weight in gold if that's what you're into, which my wife and I are. We will gladly pay $418 for the week for a completely private area with a max of about 200 people with no kids, no hassle, a private bar and servers, etc. Has it doubled since we started going years ago? Yes, but it's still well-worth it to us. I guess NCL just takes advantage of us. 

[FitchburgWIFamily]

I think one thing that causes some confusion is the use of the word "pool deck".  On the Dawn Class ships, there is a pool deck, a deck above that overlooks the pool deck, and a bunch of loungers on different levels (risers) that go up on one side of the pool deck.   So when people talk about the "pool deck" on a Dawn class ship, they are probably thinking "chairs that you can see the pool from".   

 

On the newer ships, there are not as many seats that you can see a pool from.  But there are more areas with loungers on decks above the pool deck (no view of the pool, but plenty of sun).   We have been able to find loungers stacked up unused in the afternoon of a sunny day and been able to find a place to set them out to soak up some rays, but we have been a few decks above the pool and maybe off to one side of the boat or the other.    

 

Maybe that confusion is why one person can say they never got a seat on the same sailing as another person said they had no problem finding a seat.    One person was looking for a seat with view of the pool and the other was not.

 

[keven03062]

On 1/29/2020 at 7:39 PM, tallnthensome said:

There are several Encore reviews right on here the forum pages that discuss the pool deck on Encore. I would try the forum search function. I have no idea what you’re talking about with the 240 drinks or 34 a day thing. 

I was talking about the drink package tips for 3 people and I was wrong on the 34 a day it roughly comes out to about 24 a day for the 3 people and 1 in our group does not drink and 1 drinks a little so I was just trying to say that if they are in the same situation they might want to pick one of the other free at sea programs and buy their drinks. Sorry I was so confusing. I guess I shouldn't have even put that in there because I was mainly interested in the pool deck.

[keven03062]

On 1/30/2020 at 7:45 AM, bkrickles1 said:

As others have mentioned here, math is obviously not your strong suit. Although I felt like I had 34 drinks on our day in Tortola. Lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!! The drink package perk is soooo worth it, even if you're a light to moderate drinker.

Regarding the pool deck, as I stated in my review here, it wasn't any more crowded on a sea day than any other cruise I've been on and I've been on more than a few.

Was it hard to get a chair on a beautiful sunny seaday? Yes it was, but if you were patient and used your head a little, you could always find a place to plant yourself.

I spent as much time at the pool area as anyone possibly could have and paid attention. There were always people coming and going and as long as you were flexible to where you sat, you would find a spot.

It was no different on the Escape (that had Spice) or any of the rccl and celebrity ships I've sailed.

 

The little person in me is wondering if I could drink 34 drinks per day. Probably not but it could be a fun challenge. Maybe next time.

WOW, don't need to be so rude, You are right my math was off (we can't be all perfect like you) I was talking about the drink package for 3 people not 1 and it comes out to be roughly 24 drinks a day for the 3 people and you have to take the drink package for everyone in your cabin that is over 21 now even if they don't drink and that is why I said you may want to consider a different option for the free at sea!

[bkrickles1]

17 minutes ago, keven03062 said:

WOW, don't need to be so rude, You are right my math was off (we can't be all perfect like you) I was talking about the drink package for 3 people not 1 and it comes out to be roughly 24 drinks a day for the 3 people and you have to take the drink package for everyone in your cabin that is over 21 now even if they don't drink and that is why I said you may want to consider a different option for the free at sea!

Actually, I wasn't rude at all. I made a joke about your math skills which you are obviously defensive of. 

But in addition to your math being wrong, your understanding of the drink package as a perk is wrong too.

The perks, such as the drink package, dining package and free air are only for the first 2 in a cabin.

If you have 3 adults in a cabin and receive the drink package as a perk, only the first 2 get it and the 3rd is on their own. So, you can pick the 2 that drink and list them as the first 2 and they'll get the package and the 3rd can buy as they go.

And the perk does require you to pay the gratuities, which are 20% or $20 per day, per person.

How do you figure that comes to 8 drinks per day, per person? Beer is approx. $7 or $8 per and other drinks are usually $10 to $12 per.

Your math is wrong, your understanding of the free perks is wrong and you don't understand a joke when you hear it.

And me being perfect is not the point, although I do consider myself a legend in my own mind. Lmao!!

Please go to the NCL website and peruse the faq section. It will better explain what I just mentioned.

Peace out.

[keven03062]

For your info NCL has changed the drink package as of 4 weeks ago to everyone in your cabin that is over 21 (not sure if it is a limited time thing but I was told it was because everyone was complaining that it should be for all people over 21 in a cabin) and as I said 1 person doesn't drink nobody drinks beer but whatever, its not worth the conversation, I was just trying to let people that do not drink a lot or have more than 2 people over 21 in there cabin that this might  (keyword might) not be a good thing for them, obviously for people like you who drink a lot it is a great package especially for all that who can start drinking at 9AM and go all day and thru the night. Please in all honesty, enjoy your next NCL cruise.

Edited February 1, 2020 by keven03062
added to it