Slk1z

That is correct. Silver cove is exclusive for anyone who rents a Villa only. It is pricy, but definitely worth it. The area is beautiful ( the new pool is an amazing addition) as well the service for drinks and the private Buffet only adds to the experience. It would be nice one day to have a Haven only area…. But who knows if that will ever happen

The pool at Silver Cove GSC. Located on the far side of the Lagoon.

I have done both. Twice in the Lagoon and last time was in a Ocean. Either or are great. The Ocean Villa's seemed slightly smaller in size than the Lagoon Villa's but more than enough space for 4 people. Also the Ocean Villa's are super close to the Buffet . Where some of the Lagoon are a bit of a hike. That being said, I found the water temp relative between the Lagoon and Ocean. The Lagoon's water will come and go quite a but depending on the tide. Back in Jan. when we were there they were working on a new pool and bar area on the far side of the Lagoon... when this does open the Lagoon might be more convenient to access said area. As I said thou, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

There is a tram that will take you most of way. But you will need to walk a little once you get off the Tender to the excursion's pavilion. Once you check in there, another short walk is required to get to the tram. ( The tram will take you to the Check-In lounge for the Villa's and then right to the Villa)

NCL use to only sell so many online and then still have some available for when people boarded. This however does not seem to be the case any longer. As I found out last week while on the Encore... I wanted a few excursions and did not want to pay ahead of time ( Villa on GSC was $800 alone) So as soon as I boarded I wanted to book them. Even thou I was in the Haven , I was still unable to book what I wanted to do...

The porkchop was still the Tomahawk style chop.( sorry about the colour, it was taken outside ) It was delicious

Sorry, they sold over 200 passes for the week.

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

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 …….

It is usually listed under upgrades. It was on mine for a while and disappeared. I just called NCL and they were able to add it over the phone.

Its true! Encore is docked at Taino Bay DR.. Hopefully this will continue

There are / have been many topics regarding NCL Breakaway Class ships and Taino Bay DR. Ever since the Escape parked itself on a sandbar back in March '22 it seems as if NCL has only stopped at Amber Cove with the larger ships. One would think that DR would do whatever it could to "fix" the port to ensure as it would get as much traffic as possible. Amber Cove being a Carnival invested port would lead someone to believe the money generated goes back to the cruise line ( a large portion anyways) and Taino bay could use all the revenue it can to help pay off the overall cost and support the local economy. There was an article written about the port being dredged out and "testing" needed to be done for NCL to return. Other than that there hasn't been anything that I could find at least regarding as to anything be done at the port. For awhile I was under the assumption that no one was using Taino bay , this was / is not the case. Everyone keeps opening new threads asking if NCL will be stopping soon... There was hope as the Taino Bay schedule actually listed some of these ships returning for Jan. However, this past Tuesday the Encore docked at Amber Cove. Shortly after that NCL now shows up on the Amber Cove port schedule for the BA ships for the rest of the month. NO, they have not been removed from Taino Bay, but rest assured the ships aren't going to be docking in Taino for the for-seeable future. The actual reason for NCL not stopping at this port for the past or the future has eluded everyone. I do not think we will ever know unless someone from NCL will actually put a statement out....... which , well we know won't happen. FUN FACT: Today Jan 12/2023 Royal's Wonder of the Sea's docked at Taino Bay....... NCL Encore 169.000 gross ton Wonder of the Seas : 236, 800.... So it ain't cause she won't fit.....

The deck plans for the Joy are wrong. When the ship was retro fitted for the US market they expanding the Vibe to include that area. So the Haven gets the front half and the Vibe the rest..

According to the Port schedule @ ambercove.com Dec 21 only has the 2 Carnival ships listed. Funny thing is that only more NCL ship listed to port after that point. As well, none listed for Jan'23.. It would be good to find out they dredged the channel and NCL can finally return to Taino..