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It's time for some Mojitos - NCL Encore Live Review Sept 4th 2021

aubreyc1988

By aubreyc1988,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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snorklinbarb

snorklinbarb

Posted
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On 9/9/2021 at 3:28 PM, chefchick said:

Thank you, that’s does set my mind at ease a little.  I sailed the Miracle just a few weeks ago with all the protocols and although not ideal, it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it would be….I was just looking forward to a not so stringent cruise.  I am pretty disappointed at the lack of entertainment, and now even dining venues?  But I assume the lower numbers means it’s easier to naturally social distance, etc.  Has the lack of shows, etc impeded on your cruise overall?  I understand it’s all in the attitude, but would love to hear your prospective.

Kinky Boots is back this week in the schedule.

Choir of Man out again this week.

Beatles show on.

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snorklinbarb

snorklinbarb

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On 9/9/2021 at 3:43 PM, Jenjohncourt said:

Wow. Thanks for posting the officers. Guess Deepak & Silas have Covid since they have a replacement this week. Hope everyone recovers quickly. Thanks for the updates & enjoy the rest of the trip. Can you please post some of the Freestyle Dailies? 

Regular vacation for Deepak with Marc S. taking the helm of GM.

 

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Baxter68

Baxter68

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2 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I wrote a whole recap and chrome just crashed and I lost it. I'll try to find some time tonight to write it up in word document LOL, lesson learned OMG 

I would be so upset! I’m so sorry, beyond frustrating!!

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aubreyc1988 Great Review Rare

aubreyc1988

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FINAL RECAP:

 

SERVICE: AMAZING, only negative I can think of is the delayed response of 911.  Crew all worked incredibly hard and even without the shows, they tried their best to make sure we all had a great vacation.

 

FOOD and DRINKS: Good to Above Average. Some hits and misses, but I find this on any cruise. We really enjoyed ONDA over La Cucina and loved Food Republic.  But I am no foodie, I’m just happy to not be cooking and cleaning haha. Drink service was AMAZING, even in the casino bar where it normally sucks

 

ENTERTAINMENT: While not seeing Kinky Boots/Choir of Man was a disappointment, I totally understand that the health and safety of the crew comes first. They probably don’t have understudies and it is what it is. I did attend the magician/comedian, as well as MANY game shows, trivia events, decade parties.  The cruise director team was great, love the new way they are doing trivia with teams and interactive buttons instead of writing stuff down on papers. Least fav event was the Eliminator, I won’t tell you why, you have to experience it for yourself HAHA

 

PORTS: Icy strait point was a little boring, but we opted to not take an excursion which was probably why. I liked how Hoonah was more of an embodiment of a true Alaskan town, talked to this guy who was making an awesome totem pole. It was a nice scenic walk, very nice day. Didn’t wait long at all for the gondola.

 

Glacier Bay was great, as usual. Scenic, beautiful, park rangers informative.  We hung out in observation lounge, the waterfront, and popped out on the helipad area for a bit.  In the morning, they were serving drinks, especially hot ones with liquor 😄

 

Juneau was gold panning day, which was SO cool. We went to a creek, did some seeded gold panning, then we were given a shovel and told to dig our own gold, which we found! Then after that, we spent the afternoon at Red Dog Saloon drinking with new friends from Cruise Critic

 

Ketchikan/Ward Cove was totally fine. I think Ward Cove is going to be a pretty cool place once it is developed more. I did an NCL excursion, kayaking toe Eagle Island. Saw one eagle which was cool, but the rest was pretty ho hum. Beautiful, but MAN am I out of shape!  Was so sore afterward!!!

 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: We went into this cruise with the BEST mindset we have ever had, and we had the BEST time.  You know, this pandemic sucks, but we are still ALIVE and that is what my husband and I were celebrating.  Sure, there was some bummers, but the positives far outweighed the negatives and we are just SO glad to be back to cruising again!  I was watching some youtube video that wasn’t cruise related today, and the couple were talking about how they were working on their “gratitude” even when in bad situations and I’m totally working on that myself. I think we did pretty good this cruise and will continue working on this for cruises to come. I will admit, I was pretty shook up  about  the “girl outside the balcony” situation, but I firmly believe we saved her life and so that makes the trip totally the best ever.

 

I’ll be sailing on NCL Bliss on October 24th and hope to do another semi live review, if you guys are interested 🙂 Until next time, cheers!!! 

 

241013174_10101793390563439_463800343981166842_n.thumb.jpeg.cb4075a27dbb962a2506293aca321bb4.jpeg

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NikiPinkston

NikiPinkston

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Posted (edited)

Aubrey, thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us.  I love your optimism & you have the best attitude ever!  We were on the Encore’s 8/14 sailing and it was also the best cruise experience that we’ve ever had, for so many reasons.  Since returning, I’ve been longing to get back on the water again & we’ve also been looking at that Mexican Riviera cruise on the Bliss, so I’d love for you to do a review of your upcoming cruise.  Your comment about gratitude really resonated with me as that is something I’m also working on, starting each day with a grateful heart.  Thank you for being such a wonderful person; don’t ever change. 🤩

Edited by NikiPinkston
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trivimp

trivimp

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Great review, thanks for writing it!

 

A thing to keep in mind: There are lots of stories on the webz about people who left their drapes open only to find that they were unintentionally exposed due to worker on balcony/worker on window washing rig/another cruise ship docked a few yards away overnight/whatever.  I have a little "oops" story about waking up from a nap (in my obstructed oceanview cabin) to the presence of a maintenance guy in the lifeboat right outside. 

 

TLDR: your cabin & balcony are not totally private areas, plan your wardrobe accordingly.  

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BermudaBound2014 Great Review Rare

BermudaBound2014

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Wow, instead of "Girl on a Train" you had "Girl on an Awning". I'm a firm believer that we often find ourselves exactly where we are supposed to be. Saving a life is no small feat, it means you are in harmony with the karma gods.

 

Thank you for the entire review. You have a great outlook on travel and hit a home run in the gratitude department. Best.

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aubreyc1988 Great Review Rare

aubreyc1988

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Wanted to follow up and say this

 

my husband and I filled out the post cruise survey and the only big negative thing we wrote about was the 911 not answering the phone and response time. NCL emailed my husband last night, apologized, said they fwded our concerns to the master of NCL Encore and management team, as well as gave us credit for a future cruise (which we didn't ask for/nor expected)

 

So they ARE reading our comments and concerns, also really impressed with the 24 hr response from HQ. 

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Rockyhill

Rockyhill

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12 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Wanted to follow up and say this

 

my husband and I filled out the post cruise survey and the only big negative thing we wrote about was the 911 not answering the phone and response time. NCL emailed my husband last night, apologized, said they fwded our concerns to the master of NCL Encore and management team, as well as gave us credit for a future cruise (which we didn't ask for/nor expected)

 

So they ARE reading our comments and concerns, also really impressed with the 24 hr response from HQ. 

well done, Aubrey just wondering if you know the name of the piano player on the cruise? Any chance it was Jim Bridger?

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2 Fun Guys

2 Fun Guys

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Thanks so much for this thorough review, and ESPECIALLY your positive/grateful outlook. Truly inspiring.

 

Question: (and I apologize if you already mention this) What time did you disembark in Seattle? Do you have much time between docking and getting off the ship?

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aubreyc1988 Great Review Rare

aubreyc1988

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27 minutes ago, 2 Fun Guys said:

Thanks so much for this thorough review, and ESPECIALLY your positive/grateful outlook. Truly inspiring.

 

Question: (and I apologize if you already mention this) What time did you disembark in Seattle? Do you have much time between docking and getting off the ship?

We arrived in Seattle before 6am (I woke up at 6am and we were docked) and I think we were cleared by 7am but do not quote me on that.  I did the NCL transfer/air and was PINK since by flight was 12:30-3pm. So PINK tags were called at 8:30 but I think we could have gotten off sooner. The latest group allowed was 9:30 I think. 

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2 Fun Guys

2 Fun Guys

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17 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

We arrived in Seattle before 6am (I woke up at 6am and we were docked) and I think we were cleared by 7am but do not quote me on that.  I did the NCL transfer/air and was PINK since by flight was 12:30-3pm. So PINK tags were called at 8:30 but I think we could have gotten off sooner. The latest group allowed was 9:30 I think. 

Thank you!

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