An Encore encore! Live from the Encore August 28-September 4

[ChiefMateJRK]

Those glaciers look pretty clean to me!  🤣

[Wulfwyn]

Are you able to go to the bow area during  Glacier Bay? Is there someone (naturalist) talking about Alaska, (it is something Princess does). Are you planning to go back to Alaska this season. 

 

Wulfwyn 

[YVRteacher]

Yes they open up the bow on deck 8 on glacier day.

Yes, Glacier Bay is both a National Park and a UNESCO heritage site so National Park Rangers come on board.  There are presentations throughout the day and running commentary (that I strongly dislike) in all public areas.

No, I can’t go to Alaska again this season.  Since May I’ve been on 4 NCL Alaska cruises.  I’m a teacher and I go back to work the day after Labour Day.

Edited September 3, 2022 by YVRteacher

[Shirt-man]

Great pictures and thanks for the Daily.

 

[Seas2mountains]

Thank you for another great live review, @YVRteacher!  Sounds like you had a great cruise with Bartender Extraordinaire. Do you have your next cruise planned? 

[YVRteacher]

My next cruise will be two weeks in March for Spring Break.  I will go on whatever ship Bartender Extraordinaire is working.

[YVRteacher]

Day 6

Ketchikan is green and rainy.  It’s almost always green and rainy.  

 

I will miss the room service next week when I am at home and back to work for the new school year.  I had some trepidation about traveling at this time of year because I normally go into work to set up the space and prep for the first term but I left my elementary school library in great shape so as long as the summer program staff didn’t shelve the Nate the Greats with the Amulet graphic novels we are good.

 

Speaking of books, here’s a pro tip for the NCL Encore: in addition to the library, there are books in bookcases on the starboard side of the observation lounge that can be borrowed.  

 

This morning I did brain teaser trivia and won.  The guy running it forgot the cheap plastic prizes.  This is fine because I did not need a cheap plastic prize.  The glory is enough.  

 

There wasn’t much to do onboard from 11-1 so I walked laps, had lentil curry for lunch and enjoyed the bar in the Observation lounge.  Bartender Extraordinaire made me a morning drink with brandy, ginger, fruit and other magic.  I didn’t know I liked brandy!  My mom would be very proud. 

 

I decided not to go ashore today.  The last shuttle leaving Ward Cove is at 9:30am and the last shuttle leaving berth 4 in downtown Ketchikan is at 11:30am.  I would have gone kayaking if it hadn’t been pouring rain but I’m having a great hair day and the rain would just wreak havoc and create frizz.  No girl wants frizz when she’s dating Bartender Extraordinaire.

 

Today in the Observation Lounge Bartender Extraordinaire knocked a whole drink all over me.  My shirt, my jeans, my shoes, my phone and my purse were drenched in a cranberry vodka concoction.  He doesn’t normally spill so I guess he was smitten with my beauty.  Or maybe the sailaway from Ketchikan was a bit tippy.  I prefer the beauty theory.

 

This afternoon I did the Sail and Sustain cocktail class which is one of the perks of being Diamond Latitudes.  I’m a little (okay a lot) tipsy right now so please excuse the slurred speech and typos.

The class was taught by Gerlie who is the head mixologist onboard; she placed first runner up in the cruise line mixology competition in Miami in May.  For the Sail and Sustain mixology class, there were 4 cocktails to try.  They come on a tray with information cards about each different cocktail. The order in which I was served was :

Watermelon Twist

Cucumber Cool

Croissant Mai Tai

Pulp Art

I loved them all but my favourite by far is the Croissant Mai Tai.  This cocktail (do you know how

many times it took me to type that? My phone kept correcting to cockatiel!) is made from the almond croissants from the Haven.  The croissants that are served on the breakfast buffet all need to be the same size so when they make ones that are too small or too large they take the imperfect ones and turn them into a cocktail.  Delicious!

I thought we were done after 4 drinks but then the mixologist told me to flip the cards over and there were another 4 cocktails. I can barely see right now after having 8 cocktail samples.

The next 4 were

Cafe Replay

BananaRuma

Sustainable Spritz

Pineapple Surplus

 

I’ve been drinking Pineapple Surplus all week so this one isn’t new.  For someone who normally drinks not at all at home and maybe two drinks a day on a cruise, 8 drinks is a lot.  I had to hang on to the stair rails and I feel like my eyeballs are rolling back in my eyes.  This was a really fun experience and a perk I can embrace.  The alcohol content is much higher than in the priority disembarkation perk.

 

So after the mixology class I (somewhat stupidly) did Cruise Around the World Trivia.  I’ve done this trivia before and WON but today I think I answered “monkey” to a multiple choice question where the answer was Malta.  People have parked themselves in the atrium and are not moving for the foreseeable future (ok, maybe I’m starting to sober up if I can use the word foreseeable.) 

I couldn’t walk after that so I had a nap.  When I woke up the ship was going really fast, the wind was blustery and strong and the waves were massive.  I put my acupressure bands on but didn’t do it soon enough because for the first time this trip I was pretty seasick.

 

Bartender Extraordinaire and I had dinner together during his 7pm-8pm break.  One of us (me) thought it would be a good idea to blow bubbles off the cabin balcony while the ship was barreling at top speed in rough waters.  

Pro tip: it is not a good idea to blow bubbles off the cabin balcony while the ship is barreling at top speed in rough waters unless you want bubbles in your hair, face and mouth and all over your clean shirt.  Bartender Extraordinaire looked at me sideways when I asked him if he thought the bubbles would wash out of my nice top.  

“It’s soap,” he said with a not so subtle hint of exasperation.  Clearly I’m the fun one in this relationship.

 

My evening whirlwind of entertainment began with the divas tribute by Luz and Jovelyn.  I’ve cruised with Luz before many times when she was assistant cruise director and cruise director so it’s interesting to see that she has pivoted to lounge singer.  The show was incredible.  The comedy show was a repeat (for the 4th time! Get some new material, buddy!) while the comedy magic show in the Encore Theatre with Fred Moore was not for me.  I left halfway through and enjoyed Guns & Rojas.

When I returned to the cabin after my fun night out on the town there was an invitation to attend a VIP event in the District Brewhouse tomorrow. These events are awkward when you’re a solo passenger but I will go.

[YVRteacher]

This is the Sail and Sustain mixology experience.

[YVRteacher]

That is not Bartender Extraordinaire although I am sure he is a great guy!

[YVRteacher]

The Encore has pay coffee stations in the buffet and on the pool deck where you can swipe your key card and get a Starbucks mocha from a machine.

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

This is Jennielyn.  Her promotion to bartender is recent.  Here she is practicing the pour for the brain hemorrhage shots.

 

[debenson0723]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

This is the Sail and Sustain mixology experience.

 

Those cocktails look amazing.  I am not Diamond but would be willing to pay to try these.

[YVRteacher]

You can get them each day at the outdoor Sugarcane bar on the Waterfront.

[YVRteacher]

They’re included in the drinks package.  They are all super sweet.  Like, waaaaay too sweet.

[KansasTexan]

I'm enjoying this very much. Thank you. My Encore cruise starts next Sunday and I'm busy preparing. (Packing, etc.) I, also, rarely drink alcohol anymore but am wondering if I should have a drink or two this week to prepare my liver. :)

[Erekosse]

Thanks for sharing! We are scheduled on the Encore to Alaska in May, and your reviews are giving us some insights for our planning.

[CactusRoot]

Hi to YVRteacher, I enjoyed reading your experienced commentary as we can relate to much of it as we just sailed on Encore the week before - dates August 21-August 28.

We can identify with much of what you wrote. Just a few notes here.

We were attending the Choir of Man on the 25th. When Tom, the Bartender did that huge jump to the table, I wondered how sturdy the table was. He did not break his leg that night as he continued the show. And the next day we saw him in Ward Cove when he was with other cast members gathering at a table. He was fine then too. It must have been at a later show.

But just before that show started on 25th as people waited an emergency call came out over the system for Medical Emergency at The Speedway. It was repeated again later.

The next day when we arrived in Ward Cove, we were having coffee up in the Lounge after most tour's left, when we saw an ambulance come up to the ship and when it left it stopped and turned it's lights off before continuing. We decided to go out to the old whare-house and saw a lot of luggage being wheeled out to a few cars at the ships exit ramps. We figured it had to do with an accident at the Speedway. We didn't know any details. Later we took a walk up to see the Speedway while most people were off the ship. Not much happening. Maybe 4 cars were on the track. 

 

On a better note, Guns & Rojas were a big highlight, as well as what has been mentioned by the original narrator. The food in Le Bistro was fantastic. We did have the Beverage package but didn't understand how much I can have. But I think I do now for the next cruise on The Panama Canal on The Bliss.

Take Care all. Enjoy Life!

[YVRteacher]

Yes, as I mentioned  a man died on the Go Karts on the cruise before this one.

 

Tom did break his leg doing a live show.

[YVRteacher]

Here’s a photo of the Observation Lounge on the day we were in Glacier Bay.  These people stayed in those comfy chairs the whole day!

[YVRteacher]

No! Not the dreaded disembarkation brochure! It’s too soon for this, people!  I haven’t even had a Mudslide yet!

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Here’s a photo of the Observation Lounge on the day we were in Glacier Bay.  These people stayed in those comfy chairs the whole day!

To each their own.  Sure, it's nice to snag a chair kissing the window, but there are many other places to sit and there really isn't a bad view in the place. 😎

[YVRteacher]

Agreed!  I can’t sit still in one place for very long (unless it’s for a musical!) so where other people sit doesn’t impact me.  

[YVRteacher]

[YVRteacher]

Day 7

Victoria

Woke up to grey skies and rough seas.  I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so seasick so I don’t feel great this morning.

Trooper that I am, I mustered the strength and went to the VIP gathering in the District.  I sat with a mother and son duo from North Carolina who were non Haven guests about to go have lunch in the Haven because last year they cruised on this ship on the Haven. They were serving mimosas, canapés and a whole lot of schmoozing at the District today.  Like the crew, much of the senior officers and Paquito will be leaving after the ship transverses the Panama and does the first week in the Caribbean so as I mentioned there will be a significant staff turnover for the winter.  Paquito doesn’t know which ship he will be on next. He is really happy to be home for Christmas.

 

I forgot to mention that bar snack nut mix is back!  I missed that stuff, especially sitting in Magnums on the Jewel class ships drinking espresso martinis and munching on nut mix while Jim Badger sang the theme song from Cats and insulted people.  Those were the good old days!

 

As I sat down for lunch today an announcement came on stating that the scheduled performance of Kinky Boots is cancelled this afternoon due to rough seas and extensive ship movement.  I was looking forward to that! Now I have nothing on the schedule for the remainder of the day and it’s too rough to read.

 

The captain just announced that due to rough seas and strong head winds we will be late arriving in Victoria. This doesn’t impact me as I wasn’t planning on getting off the ship but it does impact all the passengers with tours and it affects crew break times.  Bartender Extraordinaire and I get to have dinner together tonight and we chose Los Lobos.

 

Oh wait!  Good news! Kinky Boots is on for their 4:30 show and the cast from Choir of Man who did not break their leg last week are sitting in front of me.  I may have swooned.  This production of Kinky Boots was fabulous! Charlie didn’t mess up his lines this time around and the theatre was full so lots of energy for the actors.  I really love the afternoon Broadway matinees both in real life in NYC and on ships when it happens.   

Bartender Extraordinaire and I blew bubbles off the balcony as we headed down the west coast of Vancouver Island.  I heard someone call from another balcony “I love these bubbles!” 

It’s a lovely evening now and quite the contrast to the storms we experienced earlier today.

 

Dinner at Los Lobos was terrific.  We had tableside guacamole, cheese quesadillas, elotes, tamales, fire roasted jalapeños (for him, not me!) and I had tacos while he had the shrimp skewer.  We shared the Mexican beignets for dessert.  The service and the food were exceptional and we both agreed that while we loved all three specialty restaurant meals we shared, Los Lobos was our favourite.  I’m leaving a dining package meal on the table since there just wasn’t time to use it.  No big deal.

I did not get my money’s worth from the Free at Sea offers.  I did zero shore excursions, used 1/2 meals and barely drank.  I keep telling myself not to get the Free at Sea but then when I go to book the cruise it seems silly to turn it down.  I did use all 150 free internet minutes, making sure I saved some to check in for my flight and to complete ArriveCAN online once we leave Victoria tonight.

I’m all packed and feel that end of cruise ache times a million.

 

Alexa is back! She hasn’t been playing this week but has a couple sets tonight in the Observation Lounge.

At the end someone tipped her to sing her favourite song.  She did Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and it was a beautiful end to the cruise.

 

The ship smells like paint tonight so it should be looking all spic and for the passengers embarking tomorrow.