Live from the Encore

[Slk1z]

Thought I would share my thoughts of our current cruise on the Encore.   This is my second time on the Encore and like 10th NCL cruise.

 

Embarkation:  The new terminal is really nice.  Easy and quick check-in.   The issues were getting to the terminal as the traffic was nuts!.  There was a marathon in the morning and it seemed that the traffic issues kept growing.   Heard people spent up to 2hours in traffic just to get dropped off.     We witnessed people still boarding at 4pm…..  ( I would be losing my mind if traffic was that bad and boarded that late….)

As everyone is probably aware, NCL has returned to in-person Muster Drills…..  If anyone is wondering if they are as terrible as they once were, absolutely they are.   The reasoning given onboard for the return was that the Coast Guard was pushing due to Covid protocols being eliminated…….( lots out there on this, and everyone can form an opinion for them selves)….  my  opinion, it sucks!

Once underway everything seems to be back to normal ( pre-Covid).   Service on this ship is has been awesome.  Attentive and thoughtful.   I have seen a few….”Karen’s”. But overall everyone seems to be patient and just happy to be on vacation.

 

One issue:  Shore Excursion….  I did not book before I got onboard as I always wait till I get onboard ( I do this for a few reasons including weather as such).  Well when I got onboard none excursions i wanted were available.   I was put on a wait list for the 3 I wanted.   I was lucky enough to be able to get an Ocean Villa at GSC.  The other were sold out before the cruise even began.  It never use to be that way….. but I guess it is the way it is now.    

The entertainment we have seen has been exceptional.   I know some people are upset about Kinky Boots getting axed, but not something I would have seen anyways.  Choir of Man is the best show I’ve seen on NCL.  
I need to make a mention of Beau Tahana the performer in the District Brewhouse …….  Absolutely downright bloody amazing!!!   As I said I have been on a few NCL cruises and no-one has preformed like Beau.  The place was jammed and the music was great.

 

Vibe Beach Club:  sold out before sailing( luckily I did purchase pre-cruise).  They seemed to have done away with the wrist bands….. this has caused some issues for people just walking in when the door is open…..  some lady and her pre-teen child snuck in and had to escorted out in which she was not pleased about.   
‘As usual the service in the Vibe has been great.

 

Haven:  I have been told the menu’s changed on the last sailing.   I will take some pictures and post later.

 

Internet:   I have the streaming package.   I have managed to watch YouTube videos and stream XM and Spotify without issues.   Loading some websites like CruiseCritic have been painfully slow …….  

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Slk1z
Missing info

[swmichigan cruiser]

SIK1Z  We have been on the Encore for three cruises and last time was the October 21 night Panama Canal cruise and you may be able to catch Beau in the Atrium some evenings for about an hour or so. Also the band ADDA might still be onboard and they play a lot in the Atrium. Totally agree with you about Choir of Man I've seen it ten times on the Encore. My oldest granddaughter was on the Encore last week and she enjoyed and saw it two times.  Enjoy your cruise.

[nhtravels]

Love the Encore!  We sailed her last January (in the Haven) and it was one of the best trips ever!  

 

Enjoy your. cruise!

[Hmmcminn]

Thanks for the report.  I’ll be on the encore in less than 3 weeks!  
 

is there any chance you can post the freestyle dailies?  Please and Thank you.

[gmbhardy]

My son is on the Encore right now and he spends most of his time in Vibe. His name is Brad, have you met him yet?

[Stelkp]

11 hours ago, Hmmcminn said:

Thanks for the report.  I’ll be on the encore in less than 3 weeks!  
 

is there any chance you can post the freestyle dailies?  Please and Thank you.

Hey-are you on the Feb 19th sailing? Miami. We are on that cruise. 22 of us (omg). 

[Stelkp]

11 hours ago, Hmmcminn said:

Thanks for the report.  I’ll be on the encore in less than 3 weeks!  
 

is there any chance you can post the freestyle dailies?  Please and Thank you.

And I find it odd that the Tortola excursions are wiped out of the excursion list. I did not book anything for Tortola but my sister did-and her excursion for Tortola is listed on the day we are supposed to be in DR. I think something is going to change again. 

[Hmmcminn]

19 minutes ago, Stelkp said:

Hey-are you on the Feb 19th sailing? Miami. We are on that cruise. 22 of us (omg). 

Yep … See you there!

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, Slk1z said:

Haven:  I have been told the menu’s changed on the last sailing.   I will take some pictures and post later.

You've raised my blood pressure about 100% with this little nugget of information. Please do try to get some time to photograph and post. If possible, could you find out if it is a fleetwide change (if it has indeed changed)?

 

Many thanks and bon voyage!

[vacation44]

2 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

You've raised my blood pressure about 100% with this little nugget of information. Please do try to get some time to photograph and post. If possible, could you find out if it is a fleetwide change (if it has indeed changed)?

 

Many thanks and bon voyage!

Just about to post the same request and I think my blood pressure went up too.   Unfortunately, with all the cuts/changes lately, I do not have a good feeling on this bit of information.

[rxlowry]

I’d love to see some dailies as well!  I’d like to see some of the entertainment offering.  Thanks 

[Slk1z]

Haven Menu's.

As mentioned I was they changed on the previous sailing.  

There are a few changes since I was on the Getaway back in July.

Ie: NY steak vs Delmonico 

Breakfast also has a Keto option, which is actually pretty tasty 

[Slk1z]

17 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

My son is on the Encore right now and he spends most of his time in Vibe. His name is Brad, have you met him yet?

Sorry, they sold over 200 passes for the week.

[cruiseny4life]

17 hours ago, Slk1z said:

Haven Menu's.

As mentioned I was they changed on the previous sailing.  

There are a few changes since I was on the Getaway back in July.

Ie: NY steak vs Delmonico 

Breakfast also has a Keto option, which is actually pretty tasty 

 

Thank you for posting! I think I can survive with the changes. I'm glad my favorites are still available. Honestly, it looks like the only change is the NY Strip for the Delmonico. I'm glad to see the special request language is still at the bottom of the menu. Then again, I see the pork chop is no longer a tomahawk, but a double cut pork chop (whatever the hell that is). I suppose I'll be posting on how I feel about that change next month. 

 

The restaurant is one of the primary reasons we book Haven, so this is why I was so keen to see what changes occurred. My blood pressure has dropped back to normally high levels. 🙂

Edited February 3, 2023 by cruiseny4life

[vacation44]

26 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Thank you for posting! I think I can survive with the changes. I'm glad my favorites are still available. Honestly, it looks like the only change is the NY Strip for the Delmonico. I'm glad to see the special request language is still at the bottom of the menu. Then again, I see the pork chop is no longer a tomahawk, but a double cut pork chop (whatever the hell that is). I suppose I'll be posting on how I feel about that change next month. 

 

The restaurant is one of the primary reasons we book Haven, so this is why I was so keen to see what changes occurred. My blood pressure has dropped back to normally high levels. 🙂

Mine too!   I was concerned they were going to do away with the surf and turf.

[iambumbo]

Could you please check if the main dining room still has the rotating daily dinner menus or if it's the new menu that doesn't rotate? We'll be on the Encore in 2 weeks and want to know what to expect. Have a great cruise!

[tulch]

Hi!  I read on a different thread that bathrobes on the Breakaway are no longer available in balcony staterooms.  Is this the same for the Encore now as well!  TIA!

[pyropoodle]

On 2/2/2023 at 8:46 AM, Hmmcminn said:

Yep … See you there!

we are on this cruise as well (the 19th). my tortola excursions are also showing for DR.  i have decided to just breathe i guess. i'm so ready to be back on a ship. i will probably cry when we board

[Grecianchic]

On 2/1/2023 at 8:51 PM, Hmmcminn said:

Thanks for the report.  I’ll be on the encore in less than 3 weeks!  
 

is there any chance you can post the freestyle dailies?  Please and Thank you.

I have them all from January 22nd. I'll try to post for you

[Hmmcminn]

14 minutes ago, Grecianchic said:

I have them all from January 22nd. I'll try to post for you

Thanks so much!

[Hmmcminn]

1 hour ago, pyropoodle said:

we are on this cruise as well (the 19th). my tortola excursions are also showing for DR.  i have decided to just breathe i guess. i'm so ready to be back on a ship. i will probably cry when we board

Our Tortola excursion is scheduled for the wrong day too.  It’s weird because I printed out the edocs on Monday and it show up fine.  But, on Tuesday my brother noticed it was wrong on the app and the online edocs.  I checked, and sure enough it’s wrong on my app and on the website too.  I called NCL shore excursions on Thursday and they assured me that they were aware of the problem and it would be fixed in a day or two.

[david_sobe]

Sad to see the wild mushroom ravioli off the menu.  I had it on the Encore in February 2020 and it always was a Haven staple and favorite on all the ships.  IMHO the menu keeps people exploring for better and different options.  I cant see having dinner there more than twice on a cruise.  

[surfone]

On 2/1/2023 at 5:42 PM, Slk1z said:

Thought I would share my thoughts of our current cruise on the Encore.   This is my second time on the Encore and like 10th NCL cruise.

 

Embarkation:  The new terminal is really nice.  Easy and quick check-in.   The issues were getting to the terminal as the traffic was nuts!.  There was a marathon in the morning and it seemed that the traffic issues kept growing.   Heard people spent up to 2hours in traffic just to get dropped off.     We witnessed people still boarding at 4pm…..  ( I would be losing my mind if traffic was that bad and boarded that late….)

As everyone is probably aware, NCL has returned to in-person Muster Drills…..  If anyone is wondering if they are as terrible as they once were, absolutely they are.   The reasoning given onboard for the return was that the Coast Guard was pushing due to Covid protocols being eliminated…….( lots out there on this, and everyone can form an opinion for them selves)….  my  opinion, it sucks!

Once underway everything seems to be back to normal ( pre-Covid).   Service on this ship is has been awesome.  Attentive and thoughtful.   I have seen a few….”Karen’s”. But overall everyone seems to be patient and just happy to be on vacation.

 

One issue:  Shore Excursion….  I did not book before I got onboard as I always wait till I get onboard ( I do this for a few reasons including weather as such).  Well when I got onboard none excursions i wanted were available.   I was put on a wait list for the 3 I wanted.   I was lucky enough to be able to get an Ocean Villa at GSC.  The other were sold out before the cruise even began.  It never use to be that way….. but I guess it is the way it is now.    

The entertainment we have seen has been exceptional.   I know some people are upset about Kinky Boots getting axed, but not something I would have seen anyways.  Choir of Man is the best show I’ve seen on NCL.  
I need to make a mention of Beau Tahana the performer in the District Brewhouse …….  Absolutely downright bloody amazing!!!   As I said I have been on a few NCL cruises and no-one has preformed like Beau.  The place was jammed and the music was great.

 

Vibe Beach Club:  sold out before sailing( luckily I did purchase pre-cruise).  They seemed to have done away with the wrist bands….. this has caused some issues for people just walking in when the door is open…..  some lady and her pre-teen child snuck in and had to escorted out in which she was not pleased about.   
‘As usual the service in the Vibe has been great.

 

Haven:  I have been told the menu’s changed on the last sailing.   I will take some pictures and post later.

 

Internet:   I have the streaming package.   I have managed to watch YouTube videos and stream XM and Spotify without issues.   Loading some websites like CruiseCritic have been painfully slow …….  

 

 

 

 

We disembarked this past Sunday and traffic was awful.  Our uber driver mentioned the Miami Marathon as well as another big event was causing the traffic jam. We waited our turn to board with Platinum but  anyone could board due to no one was checking cards and it caused a backup. We also think the The Choir of Men was one of the best we've seen.  In our opinion last weeks cruise was so crowded and not as enjoyable as other ships with the spice  H20 adult only area,  they have a for fee area called galaxy pavilion instead and that was a disappointment. Others mentioned how small the hot tubs were as well for such a large ship. Vibe passes were completely sold out.  It is a beautiful ship though, but not our favorite.  Maltings Whiskey bar is awesome.  We had our best drinks there and the bartenders are the best (A list, is great but was hard to get a seat at that bar many nights)  Paid for the upgrade on our platinum dinner at Le Bistro for the filet and it was not nearly as good as in the past.  Cagneys I tried the ribeye for the first time, and it was great. Considering how crowded the ship was we did have very good service. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[RocketMan275]

On 2/1/2023 at 4:42 PM, Slk1z said:

Thought I would share my thoughts of our current cruise on the Encore.   This is my second time on the Encore and like 10th NCL cruise.

 

Eas returned to in-person Muster Drills…..  If anyone is wondering if they are as terrible as they once were, absolutely they are.   The reasoning given onboard for the return was that the Coast Guard was pushing due to Covid protocols being eliminated…….( lots out there on this, and everyone can form an opinion for them selves)….  my  opinion, it sucks!

 

"This is likely the real reason some cruise lines are returning to in-person muster drills — and it has nothing to do with safety"

 

Hint: the old muster is cheaper.

Positive comments from Coast Guard on RCCI emuster.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-ship-muster-drill-changes-reasons/

[fsa1155]

We are sailing on the Encore in August of 2023 for an Alaskan cruise.  We are so excited.  We're staying in the Haven on this one.   Thanks for posting the menu.