On Encore - Singapore to Athen

We have now been on board for 11 days. The staff has been outstanding. They are responding to us without any hesitation and with smiles on their faces. By day 3 they knew our name and continue to address us by name in bars and in restaurants. Our room stewardess has been wonderful. We told her on our first meeting how we normally operate and she has our room magically done in time for our return.

We have been extremely lucky with the weather so far but our impression on how the ship has responded during in-port and out-of-port maneuvers is that she is really steady at sea. As always, the food has been wonderful and the "Indian Market" dinner in The Colonnade last evening was amazing!

We have to tell those who have yet to experience Encore that she is a wonderful ship and her staff is absolutely up to Seabourn standards. Yes there are things that need to be addressed but we must recommend her for your next cruise.

No I am not anybody special and have a regular veranda suite so we are not being treated any differently than anybody else on the ship. I just want to offer my impressions so far.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. As someone who has a voyage upcoming in June on Encore I was beginning to feel I made a huge mistake booking her for our 25th Wedding Anniversary (if you are to believe everything you read on Cruise Critic) 😜

I'm not expecting perfection, but it's comforting to hear someone is having a wonderful time on board! We are boarding with an open mind and anticipation of a lovely cruise.

Don't panic! Encore isn't perfect (what ship is?) and what one person finds intolerable, the next person probably doesn't even notice. Go with an open mind and enjoy your anniversary cruise.

In our case the problems were mostly caused by the people, not the ship or crew, so that was just bad luck. It happens.

Hamasgirl I am glad you are enjoying your cruise. I hope you continue having a great time.

Chefchick I wouldn't worry. I agree with Rusty that no ship is perfect and now you well and truly know the imperfections from some of us negative nellies.

The crew are still wonderful and the food was excellent. In the suites the bathrooms were better and I much prefer the cupboard closures on Encore.

I think like Rusty it was also the dynamics of the new group on the second cruise that affected our feelings. On our B2B we also found we enjoyed our first segment more then the second. The second was the inaugural which included lots of Seabourn corporates, photo journalists, bloggers and high end cruise consultants. This made the ship a lot busier including various "private" events. So flaws seem highlighted. It is always a risk if big groups are on a ship.

We have decided to cruise Encore again next year to see how things have developed. We can't go earlier as we have other travel plans already.

Julie

We loved our cruise on Encore. The crew were, and I'm sure still are wonderful and that's what makes Seabourn Seabourn IMO. Encore is different from the O class, just as the O class was different from the triplets but that doesn't make it bad. Some people will like it some will not, that's life.

I know this is an old thread from April 2017, but wanted to comment anyway. We sailed on the Encore in late September to early October and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. Like others have said, not every little thing was perfect---but that did not hinder our ability to have a great time on this ship. The staff and crew were outstanding for the most part. The ship is beautiful and all of our needs were met--and then some!