Encore Dry Dock

[gatorchinsky]

Saw this on another site

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-encore-to-undergo-major-renovations-during-two-week-dry-dock/140955

[shof515]

R.I.P observation lounge :(

 

joy was the first ship, now encore. I got a feeling bliss will be next in the few years

[gatorchinsky]

I am excited about Spice!

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

To summarize for people since the article didn't take the time to do that (probably in the rush to beat others to the news):

 

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- Replacing laser tag with an outdoor space with a bar, hot tubs, and loungers

 

- Half of the Observation Lounge is being replaced with more rooms

 

- Cagney's is taking over Los Lobos

 

- Teppanyaki is taking over Coco's (the chocolate place beside it) 

 

- Ocean House is being rethemed as a Mediterranean seafood place

 

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If I missed anything, feel free to add.

Edited August 1 by FamilyAtSea.travel

[FamilyAtSea.travel]

My thoughts about this: 

 

- The most crowded cruise ship I've ever been on is adding rooms so it will be even more crowded

 

- What's the point of having both Vibe and H2O? (laser tag was our favorite part of the ship but I understand it has a more limited audience so I get it)

[calcruiser64]

Vibe for us has been a serene experience and an escape from the crowds. Spice H20, not so much. People bringing their own bluetooth speakers, cranked to drown out the music playing in the venue.

[hallux]

23 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

- Replacing laser tag with an outdoor space with a bar, hot tubs, and loungers

A move in the right direction, IMO

21 minutes ago, FamilyAtSea.travel said:

- What's the point of having both Vibe and H2O?

Vibe carries a cost, Spice is free.

32 minutes ago, shof515 said:

R.I.P observation lounge 😞

No kidding.  I commented with my disappointment on the NCL page, not that it changes anything.  It's not like the OL is under-utilized, especially on Panama Canal and Alaska itineraries as at least the Bliss does.  But, bookings trump amenities I guess.

 

Here's NCL's announcement - https://www.ncl.com/newsroom/norwegian-cruise-line-announces-enhancements-to-norwegian-encore

[vacation44]

Extremely disappointed that they are getting rid of Los Lobos.   We first tried this restaurant this past February and loved it so much, we went back the next night.   We also tried Ocean Blue for the first time last month on the Joy and were looking forward to eating there next February along with Los Lobos.    

 

Also wish they would leave the observation lounge alone.     

[brookie848]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

R.I.P observation lounge 😞

 

joy was the first ship, now encore. I got a feeling bliss will be next in the few years

Bliss is happening next year (January or February). They are doing the same thing -- trip to England, two-week break and then trip back.

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Extremely disappointed that they are getting rid of Los Lobos.   We first tried this restaurant this past February and loved it so much, we went back the next night.   We also tried Ocean Blue for the first time last month on the Joy and were looking forward to eating there next February along with Los Lobos.    

 

Also wish they would leave the observation lounge alone.     

Very disappointing!   We love Los Lobos and  have chosen  to skip Cagneys the last year or so. Currently on the Breakaway  and a first time NCL cruiser told us how disappointed they were with  their Cagneys dinner  last night.   

[valleyvillage]

This is like when they got rid of the goat cheese gallette in the Haven Restaurant! Coco's and Los Lobos were my two faves. I know. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

It’s really disappointing to see the observation lounge space reduced. However, the Prima one is a bit smaller too and it was one of the highlights of the ship for us. 

[BirdTravels]

Cagney's has gone steadily down hill in both food and service since pre-pandemic, across the fleet. It is one of the last places we pick for dinner. 

 

That being said, as much as we want to love Palomar, we have eaten there 4 times and have been [very] disappointed all 4 times we dined there. Sigh.... But,,, after a string of unacceptable performance at Ocean Blues on multiple ships, maybe we'll give Palomar another chance. 

 

Ocean Blue was first created by Iron Chef Geoffrey Zacharian. He had very tight control over the menu and the provisioning of the restaurants. I remember him talking on inaugural Breakaway about selecting the cutlery for its exact shape and weight (not cheapy stuff). After NCL ended its relationship with Zacharian and Garces, the food went down hill. 

 

 

Edited August 2 by BirdTravels

[david_sobe]

Its horrible that Los Lobos is being removed.  However Cagneys needed expanded.  When I sailed her in 2020 there were not enough tables in the restaurant and had about 10 tables outside the restaurant in the Mixx Bar area.  With most everyone having the dining package the design never worked.  Specialty restaurants used to have appeal because they were so much less crowded and loud compared to the MDR.  These days they are more crowded than many of the MDRs.  I love Los Lobos but if you cant fit all your customers in the most popular specialty restaurant then its a necessary vice IMHO.

Adding Spice will be a great feature and much needed. 

[vacation44]

51 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Its horrible that Los Lobos is being removed.  However Cagneys needed expanded.  When I sailed her in 2020 there were not enough tables in the restaurant and had about 10 tables outside the restaurant in the Mixx Bar area.  With most everyone having the dining package the design never worked.  Specialty restaurants used to have appeal because they were so much less crowded and loud compared to the MDR.  These days they are more crowded than many of the MDRs.  I love Los Lobos but if you cant fit all your customers in the most popular specialty restaurant then its a necessary vice IMHO.

Adding Spice will be a great feature and much needed. 

When we were on the Encore this past February, at Cagneys they wanted to seat us in the very loud bar area.   We asked for another table and I think we were told it would be over a two hour wait if memory serves me correct.    We then went to Los Lobos and were seated right away.  We had made our reservation at 125 days out and did not expect such a bad table. 

[bortman23]

On 8/1/2024 at 1:33 PM, gatorchinsky said:

I am excited about Spice!

Ditto, I came here just for this when I read the news online FINALLY a Spice H20. The only thing missing to make this a great ship.

[iceicecool]

Very sad about Los Lobos.  I've been on 35 cruises and Los Lobos is my #1 favorite meal of all time on a cruise ship.

[Sand and Seas]

4 hours ago, iceicecool said:

Very sad about Los Lobos.  I've been on 35 cruises and Los Lobos is my #1 favorite meal of all time on a cruise ship.

We love Los Lobos too!  We have been known to book it twice during a cruise.

The Los Lobos on Prima was excellent!