Loved Encore. A different perspective Feb 15 Sailing

[Cookie002]

Hi there

 

I just wanted to post a different perspective on our Encore Sailing, Feb 15-23. I have cruised Disney three times, RCL once, Oceania Once, and NCL  in Hawaii previously.

 

I m not trying to say that anyone else’s perspective is wrong, I am just going to write what I loved about the ship and why, what worked for us, and what were the issues - because there definitely can be some. I will break it out by section, hopefully for easier reading. This is in no particular order....

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Holy cow —- best entertainment aboard any ship I have been on. And not just one specific thing, it was across the freakin board.

Choir of Man was Outstanding, Beatles were Outstanding, the 5 piece band that goes on in the Q for country western was outstanding. Kinky boots was very good. The Jelly Beans that play by the Mojhito bar - amazing - she sang some patsy cline that might make you cry - her partner sounds just like Neil diamond, so good. The piano player in the atrium was great. Guns and Rojas were both good and great. Good with the rock and roll stuff. But great, amazing when they did the frank Sinatra set - the lead singer was dancing with the older ladies.

(hmm, I am only 54, you might think I am 80 with this review. But some songs just showcase voices, and boy, everybody who was a singer on that ship could SING.

 

ROOMS

 

Not too much exciting to say here. We had an aft balcony cabin. Rooms were typical, but there was great storage, especially in the bathroom. Shower was definitely bigger than on any of the other ships I had been on. Room steward was Mr Jingles- he was awesome. Very friendly, and always checking to see if we needed anything.

 

DINING

 

Buffet: on another thread someone was talking about the bad design of the buffet, and I agree. There is no rhyme or reason on the set up, and I wandered around constantly trying to find the salad bar. It was a zoo on most days, unless you dined at weird hours. It was a zoo on sea days, all day long. That said, food quality was good to very good. BUT.. the Indian food section was AMAZING. Perfectly spiced dishes that melt in your mouth. Did not discover this TIL day 5, as we tended to avoid the buffet

 

Food REpublic: amazing, above average to excellent food. It’s open on sea days during lunch with no reservation. I would suggest NOT using a dining credit for this place, but instead just share a few dishes ala cart. On the dining credit, you can pick 4 dishes, and if you can finish 4 dishes on your own, you are a better man than me. I LOVED the Pad Thai especially. My son thought the Ramen was sup par.

 

Ocean: we had some of the best and worst dishes of the cruise in this restaurant. My husband’s scallops appetizer was the best scallops he ever had, and he is born and bred Nova Scotian. My seafood pasta was wretched. Every single side dish we had, (and in our group of 6 we had almost all of them) were Ruth Chris quality or even better. Someone had a tuna steak that was way over cooked. 

 

Cagney: excellent. Excellent steak, excellent apps, excellent side dishes, excellent service. LOVED IT

 

ONDA; very good, everyone enjoyed, no huge stand out dish. But very good.

 

Regular dining rooms: Food was mostly good. Some appetizers were very bad. Steak was always decent. I would say the quality was equal to other cruise ships main dining rooms, but our servers bent over backwards to make sure we had everything. Service here was better than any on Disney (except perhaps Palo) and even Oceania. I see some people mentioning that they had long waits to get seated or served, and we did not experience that. However, we were all adults and dined a bit later, (8ish?) so maybe its busier at 6???

 

BARS

 

There are so many bars on this ship, and each one is unique. It’s like an adventure finding them. But, what made them special was the bar tenders. They were so skilled, and had such personality, it was a lot of fun just hanging out and watching them make drinks. We never had to wait to get a drink ever, but we never tried to get a drink at the main deck pool bar. More on this later. On the drinking plan, just the regular one, that comes “free” (uhhuh), was great for mixed drinks and party drinks. The wine, both red and white, that you can get on the regular drinking plan was gut rot. Awful. Pours were always super generous for anything, but I gave up on the wine and stuck to cocktails or vodka cran soda. 

Hmm, I am trying to convey how great each of these bars were individually, they all had a certain personality, from MIXX, to the fantastic Mojhito place, to the outdoor bar of the cavern,  to the whiskey bar, they were all so much fun. Really well done. At the whiskey bar, order an old fashion- you wont be disappointed.

 

SPA

 

We did a spa service (massage) one day. Overpriced, not great. Worse- I kinda did the service so we could access the thermal suites for the day, as usually when you use the spa on most ships, you can use their public rooms. Not so on the ENCORE - 60 bucks more. That was a disappointment.

 

SUNDECK

 

Now we get to the real issue of the ship. There is no where near enough room in the public areas of the ships sun deck for even a quarter of the passengers. What’s more, there is no free ‘adult only’ space on this ship, like there is on every other NCL ship. Instead, they gave that real estate to the vibe, and to the race track, and the virtual reality game. All three things are money makes for NCL. I knew this going in, because I read these boards. Sun tanning is important to me and my family, as we are from Canada, and a cruise means relaxing out in the sun for at least some of the time. And we picked a cruise that had 2 full sea days, plus one day that was a port day that started at 5 pm - so three sea days basically. AND ON OUR PARTICULAR CRUISE, THE SHIP COULD NOT TENDER AT GSC, - so there ended up being an unexpected sea day. But I knew this was going to be an issue, so I countered it by getting VIBE. I have a whole other thread speaking specifically about vibe, so I wont go into detail about it. But for us, totally worth it. Loved it.

I can absolutely see people not liking the ship because of the lack of public outdoor space for tanning, and the lack of adult only space. It was a zoo on deck 16. Would not have enjoyed it at all. Lounge chairs are jammed together side by side with no space in between, think of airplane seating, but laying down, hot, sweaty, oiled up in lotion, and rubbing elbows with people on both sides. If you did not know them when you sat down, you would know them by the time you got up.

 

OBSERVATION LOUNGE DECK 15: 

 

spectacular. Gorgeous. Interesting. Nice little snacks for breakfast or lunch. Amazing views. Mostly quiet. Great Bar. Loved it.

 

this post is long enough, I will leave it there. I just want to say in addition to all this, I never felt the ship was overcrowded, and never waited for anything. EXCEPT for of course, the buffet and deck 16 outdoor pool deck. But we avoided both, and that did not impact our trip.

 

One other criticism of this ship - other than the buffet or the local, there were no other places to easily grab a snack between meals, especially if you were dining late. After 5 pm, the observation lounge offers nothing. The main dining rooms were not conducive for grab and go, and not open all the time. It was really lacking a little pizza place, or some darn thing. And all the options for food were on the upper decks, except the local, which made it a pain in the butt to easily get something.

 

Dont know if anyone read this whole review, but I hope it helps out any fellow cruisers.

 

 

[Putter23]

Thanks Cookie!  Great write-up!!!

[BirdTravels]

Thanks for the balanced review. The Encore is a beautiful ship, even with her flaws. 

[BSR]

Thanks for your review.  Looking forward to our sailing on the Encore.

[willowvacay]

Thanks for this great review!  I have been super curious about Encore, as we almost booked a cruise on this ship.  We will probably try to book in the future when our daughter is old enough for the big-kid activities like the go carts and VR.  Although your description of the food and drink venues make me think twice 😉

[diskids2]

Thank you for the review...I love reading about the good and the bad!  Can I ask what time did you get to the port (boarding group) in order to get Vibe...I hear it can be a mad scramble.

 

Thanks!

[flcraigs5]

2 hours ago, Cookie002 said:

Hi there

 

I just wanted to post a different perspective on our Encore Sailing, Feb 15-23. I have cruised Disney three times, RCL once, Oceania Once, and NCL  in Hawaii previously.

 

I m not trying to say that anyone else’s perspective is wrong, I am just going to write what I loved about the ship and why, what worked for us, and what were the issues - because there definitely can be some. I will break it out by section, hopefully for easier reading. This is in no particular order....

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Holy cow —- best entertainment aboard any ship I have been on. And not just one specific thing, it was across the freakin board.

Choir of Man was Outstanding, Beatles were Outstanding, the 5 piece band that goes on in the Q for country western was outstanding. Kinky boots was very good. The Jelly Beans that play by the Mojhito bar - amazing - she sang some patsy cline that might make you cry - her partner sounds just like Neil diamond, so good. The piano player in the atrium was great. Guns and Rojas were both good and great. Good with the rock and roll stuff. But great, amazing when they did the frank Sinatra set - the lead singer was dancing with the older ladies.

(hmm, I am only 54, you might think I am 80 with this review. But some songs just showcase voices, and boy, everybody who was a singer on that ship could SING.

 

ROOMS

 

Not too much exciting to say here. We had an aft balcony cabin. Rooms were typical, but there was great storage, especially in the bathroom. Shower was definitely bigger than on any of the other ships I had been on. Room steward was Mr Jingles- he was awesome. Very friendly, and always checking to see if we needed anything.

 

DINING

 

Buffet: on another thread someone was talking about the bad design of the buffet, and I agree. There is no rhyme or reason on the set up, and I wandered around constantly trying to find the salad bar. It was a zoo on most days, unless you dined at weird hours. It was a zoo on sea days, all day long. That said, food quality was good to very good. BUT.. the Indian food section was AMAZING. Perfectly spiced dishes that melt in your mouth. Did not discover this TIL day 5, as we tended to avoid the buffet

 

Food REpublic: amazing, above average to excellent food. It’s open on sea days during lunch with no reservation. I would suggest NOT using a dining credit for this place, but instead just share a few dishes ala cart. On the dining credit, you can pick 4 dishes, and if you can finish 4 dishes on your own, you are a better man than me. I LOVED the Pad Thai especially. My son thought the Ramen was sup par.

 

Ocean: we had some of the best and worst dishes of the cruise in this restaurant. My husband’s scallops appetizer was the best scallops he ever had, and he is born and bred Nova Scotian. My seafood pasta was wretched. Every single side dish we had, (and in our group of 6 we had almost all of them) were Ruth Chris quality or even better. Someone had a tuna steak that was way over cooked. 

 

Cagney: excellent. Excellent steak, excellent apps, excellent side dishes, excellent service. LOVED IT

 

ONDA; very good, everyone enjoyed, no huge stand out dish. But very good.

 

Regular dining rooms: Food was mostly good. Some appetizers were very bad. Steak was always decent. I would say the quality was equal to other cruise ships main dining rooms, but our servers bent over backwards to make sure we had everything. Service here was better than any on Disney (except perhaps Palo) and even Oceania. I see some people mentioning that they had long waits to get seated or served, and we did not experience that. However, we were all adults and dined a bit later, (8ish?) so maybe its busier at 6???

 

BARS

 

There are so many bars on this ship, and each one is unique. It’s like an adventure finding them. But, what made them special was the bar tenders. They were so skilled, and had such personality, it was a lot of fun just hanging out and watching them make drinks. We never had to wait to get a drink ever, but we never tried to get a drink at the main deck pool bar. More on this later. On the drinking plan, just the regular one, that comes “free” (uhhuh), was great for mixed drinks and party drinks. The wine, both red and white, that you can get on the regular drinking plan was gut rot. Awful. Pours were always super generous for anything, but I gave up on the wine and stuck to cocktails or vodka cran soda. 

Hmm, I am trying to convey how great each of these bars were individually, they all had a certain personality, from MIXX, to the fantastic Mojhito place, to the outdoor bar of the cavern,  to the whiskey bar, they were all so much fun. Really well done. At the whiskey bar, order an old fashion- you wont be disappointed.

 

SPA

 

We did a spa service (massage) one day. Overpriced, not great. Worse- I kinda did the service so we could access the thermal suites for the day, as usually when you use the spa on most ships, you can use their public rooms. Not so on the ENCORE - 60 bucks more. That was a disappointment.

 

SUNDECK

 

Now we get to the real issue of the ship. There is no where near enough room in the public areas of the ships sun deck for even a quarter of the passengers. What’s more, there is no free ‘adult only’ space on this ship, like there is on every other NCL ship. Instead, they gave that real estate to the vibe, and to the race track, and the virtual reality game. All three things are money makes for NCL. I knew this going in, because I read these boards. Sun tanning is important to me and my family, as we are from Canada, and a cruise means relaxing out in the sun for at least some of the time. And we picked a cruise that had 2 full sea days, plus one day that was a port day that started at 5 pm - so three sea days basically. AND ON OUR PARTICULAR CRUISE, THE SHIP COULD NOT TENDER AT GSC, - so there ended up being an unexpected sea day. But I knew this was going to be an issue, so I countered it by getting VIBE. I have a whole other thread speaking specifically about vibe, so I wont go into detail about it. But for us, totally worth it. Loved it.

I can absolutely see people not liking the ship because of the lack of public outdoor space for tanning, and the lack of adult only space. It was a zoo on deck 16. Would not have enjoyed it at all. Lounge chairs are jammed together side by side with no space in between, think of airplane seating, but laying down, hot, sweaty, oiled up in lotion, and rubbing elbows with people on both sides. If you did not know them when you sat down, you would know them by the time you got up.

 

OBSERVATION LOUNGE DECK 15: 

 

spectacular. Gorgeous. Interesting. Nice little snacks for breakfast or lunch. Amazing views. Mostly quiet. Great Bar. Loved it.

 

this post is long enough, I will leave it there. I just want to say in addition to all this, I never felt the ship was overcrowded, and never waited for anything. EXCEPT for of course, the buffet and deck 16 outdoor pool deck. But we avoided both, and that did not impact our trip.

 

One other criticism of this ship - other than the buffet or the local, there were no other places to easily grab a snack between meals, especially if you were dining late. After 5 pm, the observation lounge offers nothing. The main dining rooms were not conducive for grab and go, and not open all the time. It was really lacking a little pizza place, or some darn thing. And all the options for food were on the upper decks, except the local, which made it a pain in the butt to easily get something.

 

Dont know if anyone read this whole review, but I hope it helps out any fellow cruisers.

 

 

Thanks for the review. Getting on the ship this Sunday and can not wait!!!!!

[Cookie002]

1 hour ago, diskids2 said:

Thank you for the review...I love reading about the good and the bad!  Can I ask what time did you get to the port (boarding group) in order to get Vibe...I hear it can be a mad scramble.

 

Thanks!

 

I wanted to be at the port for 9:30, but it was like herding butterflies to get my group together and ready. We ended up arriving at the port about 10am. 

 

Super easy and efficient process to go through the check in. We headed upstairs and were given boarding group 4.

 

at about 11:10 or 11:20, groups 3 and 4 were allowed to board at the same time. We were behind most people from that group because we waited at the wrong end. But it was easy and efficient. Then walked to the q and picked up the passes. You could just take the ticket and do other stuff first (like booking dining or shows) and then go pay for the vibe in Q later.

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for your very honest pros and cons.  We loved Encore in late January and will be going back in early April.  We don't need the lounger by the pool but we did notice how tightly those loungers were placed.    

 

We loved the Observation Lounge and Choir of Man.  Hope to make it to Kinky Boots this next time😎

[HippoSail]

Thanks for your posts! Heading on the Encore in May. I guess this is a general question, but can you make reservations for each showing of a show, if you wanted to see it? Do they allow that?

[maryivo]

On 2/25/2020 at 1:43 PM, Cookie002 said:

Hi there

 

I just wanted to post a different perspective on our Encore Sailing, Feb 15-23. I have cruised Disney three times, RCL once, Oceania Once, and NCL  in Hawaii previously.

 

I m not trying to say that anyone else’s perspective is wrong, I am just going to write what I loved about the ship and why, what worked for us, and what were the issues - because there definitely can be some. I will break it out by section, hopefully for easier reading. This is in no particular order....

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Holy cow —- best entertainment aboard any ship I have been on. And not just one specific thing, it was across the freakin board.

Choir of Man was Outstanding, Beatles were Outstanding, the 5 piece band that goes on in the Q for country western was outstanding. Kinky boots was very good. The Jelly Beans that play by the Mojhito bar - amazing - she sang some patsy cline that might make you cry - her partner sounds just like Neil diamond, so good. The piano player in the atrium was great. Guns and Rojas were both good and great. Good with the rock and roll stuff. But great, amazing when they did the frank Sinatra set - the lead singer was dancing with the older ladies.

(hmm, I am only 54, you might think I am 80 with this review. But some songs just showcase voices, and boy, everybody who was a singer on that ship could SING.

 

ROOMS

 

Not too much exciting to say here. We had an aft balcony cabin. Rooms were typical, but there was great storage, especially in the bathroom. Shower was definitely bigger than on any of the other ships I had been on. Room steward was Mr Jingles- he was awesome. Very friendly, and always checking to see if we needed anything.

 

DINING

 

Buffet: on another thread someone was talking about the bad design of the buffet, and I agree. There is no rhyme or reason on the set up, and I wandered around constantly trying to find the salad bar. It was a zoo on most days, unless you dined at weird hours. It was a zoo on sea days, all day long. That said, food quality was good to very good. BUT.. the Indian food section was AMAZING. Perfectly spiced dishes that melt in your mouth. Did not discover this TIL day 5, as we tended to avoid the buffet

 

Food REpublic: amazing, above average to excellent food. It’s open on sea days during lunch with no reservation. I would suggest NOT using a dining credit for this place, but instead just share a few dishes ala cart. On the dining credit, you can pick 4 dishes, and if you can finish 4 dishes on your own, you are a better man than me. I LOVED the Pad Thai especially. My son thought the Ramen was sup par.

 

Ocean: we had some of the best and worst dishes of the cruise in this restaurant. My husband’s scallops appetizer was the best scallops he ever had, and he is born and bred Nova Scotian. My seafood pasta was wretched. Every single side dish we had, (and in our group of 6 we had almost all of them) were Ruth Chris quality or even better. Someone had a tuna steak that was way over cooked. 

 

Cagney: excellent. Excellent steak, excellent apps, excellent side dishes, excellent service. LOVED IT

 

ONDA; very good, everyone enjoyed, no huge stand out dish. But very good.

 

Regular dining rooms: Food was mostly good. Some appetizers were very bad. Steak was always decent. I would say the quality was equal to other cruise ships main dining rooms, but our servers bent over backwards to make sure we had everything. Service here was better than any on Disney (except perhaps Palo) and even Oceania. I see some people mentioning that they had long waits to get seated or served, and we did not experience that. However, we were all adults and dined a bit later, (8ish?) so maybe its busier at 6???

 

BARS

 

There are so many bars on this ship, and each one is unique. It’s like an adventure finding them. But, what made them special was the bar tenders. They were so skilled, and had such personality, it was a lot of fun just hanging out and watching them make drinks. We never had to wait to get a drink ever, but we never tried to get a drink at the main deck pool bar. More on this later. On the drinking plan, just the regular one, that comes “free” (uhhuh), was great for mixed drinks and party drinks. The wine, both red and white, that you can get on the regular drinking plan was gut rot. Awful. Pours were always super generous for anything, but I gave up on the wine and stuck to cocktails or vodka cran soda. 

Hmm, I am trying to convey how great each of these bars were individually, they all had a certain personality, from MIXX, to the fantastic Mojhito place, to the outdoor bar of the cavern,  to the whiskey bar, they were all so much fun. Really well done. At the whiskey bar, order an old fashion- you wont be disappointed.

 

SPA

 

We did a spa service (massage) one day. Overpriced, not great. Worse- I kinda did the service so we could access the thermal suites for the day, as usually when you use the spa on most ships, you can use their public rooms. Not so on the ENCORE - 60 bucks more. That was a disappointment.

 

SUNDECK

 

Now we get to the real issue of the ship. There is no where near enough room in the public areas of the ships sun deck for even a quarter of the passengers. What’s more, there is no free ‘adult only’ space on this ship, like there is on every other NCL ship. Instead, they gave that real estate to the vibe, and to the race track, and the virtual reality game. All three things are money makes for NCL. I knew this going in, because I read these boards. Sun tanning is important to me and my family, as we are from Canada, and a cruise means relaxing out in the sun for at least some of the time. And we picked a cruise that had 2 full sea days, plus one day that was a port day that started at 5 pm - so three sea days basically. AND ON OUR PARTICULAR CRUISE, THE SHIP COULD NOT TENDER AT GSC, - so there ended up being an unexpected sea day. But I knew this was going to be an issue, so I countered it by getting VIBE. I have a whole other thread speaking specifically about vibe, so I wont go into detail about it. But for us, totally worth it. Loved it.

I can absolutely see people not liking the ship because of the lack of public outdoor space for tanning, and the lack of adult only space. It was a zoo on deck 16. Would not have enjoyed it at all. Lounge chairs are jammed together side by side with no space in between, think of airplane seating, but laying down, hot, sweaty, oiled up in lotion, and rubbing elbows with people on both sides. If you did not know them when you sat down, you would know them by the time you got up.

 

OBSERVATION LOUNGE DECK 15: 

 

spectacular. Gorgeous. Interesting. Nice little snacks for breakfast or lunch. Amazing views. Mostly quiet. Great Bar. Loved it.

 

this post is long enough, I will leave it there. I just want to say in addition to all this, I never felt the ship was overcrowded, and never waited for anything. EXCEPT for of course, the buffet and deck 16 outdoor pool deck. But we avoided both, and that did not impact our trip.

 

One other criticism of this ship - other than the buffet or the local, there were no other places to easily grab a snack between meals, especially if you were dining late. After 5 pm, the observation lounge offers nothing. The main dining rooms were not conducive for grab and go, and not open all the time. It was really lacking a little pizza place, or some darn thing. And all the options for food were on the upper decks, except the local, which made it a pain in the butt to easily get something.

 

Dont know if anyone read this whole review, but I hope it helps out any fellow cruisers.

 

 

thank you so much for such a thorough review!  I am sailing with my family june 21st.  You mentioned the "free" drink package.  I have that and am constantly thinking about if i should upgrade.  I don't drink wine much so that's not a problem but how is the beer selection on the free beverage package?  We are mostly beer drinkers and my hubby like vodka and club.   I assume the beer is covered and there is plenty to choose from?  Thanks in advance!! ~mary

[Cookie002]

24 minutes ago, maryivo said:

thank you so much for such a thorough review!  I am sailing with my family june 21st.  You mentioned the "free" drink package.  I have that and am constantly thinking about if i should upgrade.  I don't drink wine much so that's not a problem but how is the beer selection on the free beverage package?  We are mostly beer drinkers and my hubby like vodka and club.   I assume the beer is covered and there is plenty to choose from?  Thanks in advance!! ~mary

Every single beer is included in the regular drink package! You will love the craft brewery bar on board. There is a hilarious piano player who is there I think almost every night after 9 pm, singing good old drinking songs, insulting everyone he can (don’t get front seats unless you have a decent sense of humour)

 

grey goose is considered a ‘regular’ vodka and included in the package. I would not recommend you upgrading your package if you are doing beer, vodka, drink of the day, etc...

 

if you like decent wine, then I think you would be way better off just buying a couple of bottles on board, or bringing your own and paying the 15 dollar corkage fee.

 

one thing my daughter discovered, at the whiskey bar, Woodbridge reserve shot was not on the regular drinking plan, I think it was 34 dollars a shot.... but.... the old fashion they make at this particular bar is made with Woodbridge reserve, and it will knock your socks off... and that is part of the regular drinking plan.....

[Cookie002]

41 minutes ago, HippoSail said:

Thanks for your posts! Heading on the Encore in May. I guess this is a general question, but can you make reservations for each showing of a show, if you wanted to see it? Do they allow that?

I am trying to figure out what you mean here... like you want to see both showings of the choir of man on the same day?

Edited February 27, 2020 by Cookie002

[HippoSail]

2 minutes ago, Cookie002 said:

I am trying to figure out what you mean here... like you want to see both showings of the choir of man on the same day?

In other words can I make reservations for Kinky Boots for all 4 showings on the ship?

[Cookie002]

37 minutes ago, HippoSail said:

In other words can I make reservations for Kinky Boots for all 4 showings on the ship?

hmmm. I did not try to do that so I can’t give a definitive answer.

certainly not online, as that booking website NCL has for your cruise experience is the worst ever.

i would try to do it the day you board, go direct to the social and talk to the staff. But you should also know, that when the show starts, the doors of the theatre are left open, and people will come and go as they please, to the washroom, etc. It’s not like a broadway production where once the show starts, the door closes.

the other thing to keep in mind is that, the “free” (uhhuh) drinking plan sometimes bite cruisers on the butts.  There is a tremendous amount of no shows. Soooo, if it’s that important to you, there is a back up plan.....

[maryivo]

1 hour ago, Cookie002 said:

Every single beer is included in the regular drink package! You will love the craft brewery bar on board. There is a hilarious piano player who is there I think almost every night after 9 pm, singing good old drinking songs, insulting everyone he can (don’t get front seats unless you have a decent sense of humour)

 

grey goose is considered a ‘regular’ vodka and included in the package. I would not recommend you upgrading your package if you are doing beer, vodka, drink of the day, etc...

 

if you like decent wine, then I think you would be way better off just buying a couple of bottles on board, or bringing your own and paying the 15 dollar corkage fee.

 

one thing my daughter discovered, at the whiskey bar, Woodbridge reserve shot was not on the regular drinking plan, I think it was 34 dollars a shot.... but.... the old fashion they make at this particular bar is made with Woodbridge reserve, and it will knock your socks off... and that is part of the regular drinking plan.....

That is great to know and was exactly what I was wondering about.  I may just buy a few bottles of pino and pay the corkage fee like you suggested.  Thank you so very much!

[texasgirl29]

Thanks for your review. We are going on our first NCL voyage in November, on the Epic TA. I read all the stuff about the Epic ("so bad they never made another one") but I after reading about the even newer ships, I think I made the right choice. No suntanning for me (light skin burns) so I don't need to hang out in the crowded pool deck with 4000 of my new best friends. Race tracks and laser tag -- no thank you! I am looking forward to H2O -- let's hope they don't do anything stupid in drydock just before we board. 

 

Your description of the entertainment and food makes me wish November was already here (but on the other hand, considering the unsettled nature with Corona, I'm content to wait a little longer). 

[GE0130]

On 2/25/2020 at 1:43 PM, Cookie002 said:

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

Holy cow —- best entertainment aboard any ship I have been on. And not just one specific thing, it was across the freakin board.

Choir of Man was Outstanding, Beatles were Outstanding, the 5 piece band that goes on in the Q for country western was outstanding. Kinky boots was very good. The Jelly Beans that play by the Mojhito bar - amazing - she sang some patsy cline that might make you cry - her partner sounds just like Neil diamond, so good. The piano player in the atrium was great. Guns and Rojas were both good and great. Good with the rock and roll stuff. But great, amazing when they did the frank Sinatra set - the lead singer was dancing with the older ladies.

(hmm, I am only 54, you might think I am 80 with this review. But some songs just showcase voices, and boy, everybody who was a singer on that ship could SING.

 

 

 

 

 

By any chance did you (or anyone else reading this question) see the country band in "Q"?  Do you remember their name, or perhaps get a video?  Hubby, my extended family and I were on the inaugural sailing out of Miami and "Camille Rae and the Rae Bans" were the band.... they were PHENOMENAL!  Our whole party of 10 spent every night in Q listening to them, they were THAT good! 

 

We are debating on re-sailing the Encore during April and want to know who the new band is and if they are worth seeing.

 

Thanks,

Elaine 

[mdchachi]

On 2/25/2020 at 1:43 PM, Cookie002 said:

 

Dont know if anyone read this whole review, but I hope it helps out any fellow cruisers.

 

 

 

I read it but I'm not sure I can trust it. There was no Feb 15 sailing.  I was actually on the Feb 16th sailing which sounds similar to the one you are claiming to be on. 😄

[Cookie002]

25 minutes ago, mdchachi said:

 

I read it but I'm not sure I can trust it. There was no Feb 15 sailing.  I was actually on the Feb 16th sailing which sounds similar to the one you are claiming to be on. 😄

 

Crap.. Friday was the 14, ..... 15 we flew into Miami, it was 16 to the 23..... i am a real person. I experienced the highs and lows of the encore.  I will tr and figure out how to post a picture of the observation lounge on embarkation day.

[Cookie002]

how do you post a picture???

[Cookie002]

14 hours ago, GE0130 said:

 

By any chance did you (or anyone else reading this question) see the country band in "Q"?  Do you remember their name, or perhaps get a video?  Hubby, my extended family and I were on the inaugural sailing out of Miami and "Camille Rae and the Rae Bans" were the band.... they were PHENOMENAL!  Our whole party of 10 spent every night in Q listening to them, they were THAT good! 

 

We are debating on re-sailing the Encore during April and want to know who the new band is and if they are worth seeing.

 

Thanks,

Elaine 

 

I cant remember the name of the group, but the lead singer was a girl with long red/brown curly hair.

[Cookie002]

I am trying to post a picture, hope this works.  Also, anybody on that sailing in the even number terminal (we were deck 10) that were there between 10 and 11 am would have heard OUR NAMES spoken over the loudspeaker to identify ourselves to the supervisor. Yes, it was us out of those thousands of people, that were called back down stairs.  

Thats a story in itself......

edited to add, this is not a picture of me, but of our friends that travelled with us! Hope she does not kill me for posting this, but i always hate pictures of myself, and there are no good ones of me on this trip...

Edited February 28, 2020 by Cookie002

[mdchachi]

On 2/27/2020 at 4:21 PM, GE0130 said:

 

By any chance did you (or anyone else reading this question) see the country band in "Q"?  Do you remember their name, or perhaps get a video?  Hubby, my extended family and I were on the inaugural sailing out of Miami and "Camille Rae and the Rae Bans" were the band.... they were PHENOMENAL!  Our whole party of 10 spent every night in Q listening to them, they were THAT good! 

 

 

On our sailing it was "Top Shelf Band" according to the Freestyle daily schedule. I tried to Google them but I couldn't find anything. There are several bands of that name but none that said anything about a cruise ship gig.
I didn't see them so I can't say how good they were.  They may have a different band in April anyway.

[insidecabin]

Re: Food Republic.  

 

Given extra SDP are cheap, $15 or $10 depending how many you have, going A la carte is going to cost more than using a dining credit.

Just use 1 between two, add a dish if there is not enough with 4 items, if you need more than 5 items then a credit each is cheaper as most items are $10+.