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Live from Seabourn Encore


Able Seaman H
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Having had a couple of days on board now I suppose it's about time to raise my head above the parapet and start putting something together.

 

First things first, Encore is a gorgeous ship. In many ways it reminds me of a private motor yacht rather than a cruise ship. I am fortunate to own a boat made by a company called Princess Motor Yachts in Plymouth, England - you might have heard of their somewhat vulgar cousins Sunseeker. Walking round Encore is like touring the various offerings from Princess at a boat show. The attention to detail, use of timber, choice of fabric, quality of stainless steel and general presentation is exactly what you get in a top class private yacht. There is a risk with private yachts that their owners and designers try too hard and stray into the realm of bad taste. Encore has a comforting air of conservatism whilst in no way being dull or old fashioned.

 

I will be putting together a video of the ship but for now I'm just wandering around, occasionally with a camera making mental notes.

 

I don't intend for this to be a blow by blow account of our cruise and won't be commenting in any particular order so pay attention lest you miss something out. If you have any particular questions feel free to ask, if I can I will answer but I won't be measuring the length of the cotton buds or plumbing the depths of hot tubs and pools.

 

I've done 4 previous cruises on board Sojourn but stepped on here with an open mind, just because they did it on Sojourn doesn't mean they necessarily have to on Encore to win my seal of approval.

 

Just about to head off for pre-dinner drinks so haven't got too long.

 

Henry :)

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Hi Henry

 

I would like to know if you can notice the extra 150 passengers,are the bars restaurants etc noticeably more crowded or is the size of the ships increased enough not to notice ?

 

Many thanks

 

John:D

I understand that the ship is carrying only 430 pax.

Edited by Host Dan
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Thank you very much for your effort so far. Pity we can not see the pictures etc. But will have to bide our time till you disembark.

 

If you go by the changing rooms at the spa could you look to see if they have put in a sauna, like Sojourn, but I suppose they do not have the steam room like Odyssey. These were FOC for all passengers and we did not have to pay for the luxury ones etc.

Many thanks.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, I am sure you will.

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This is to Host Dan. There are at least three threads about the Encore. Is there any way you can cobine them into one. This would much facilitate our reading and commenting.

Thank you for the suggestion. Although the threads have to do with the new ship, in my opinion they are very different and would not make sense if they were merged.

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Thank you for the suggestion. Although the threads have to do with the new ship, in my opinion they are very different and would not make sense if they were merged.

 

I agree Dan. The threads are different in style and there will be enough comment in both that it will become confusing if merged into one.

 

For myself I find it tedious searching through threads that go on for many pages, i.e. 6/7 or more. That would surely happen if the threads were merged.

 

Julie

 

Bon Voyage Henry. Thank you for your insight into the ship so far.

Edited by frantic36
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Thank you very much for your effort so far. Pity we can not see the pictures etc. But will have to bide our time till you disembark.

 

If you go by the changing rooms at the spa could you look to see if they have put in a sauna, like Sojourn, but I suppose they do not have the steam room like Odyssey. These were FOC for all passengers and we did not have to pay for the luxury ones etc.

Many thanks.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise, I am sure you will.

 

Yes, there is a male & female sauna in the changing rooms. The rooms are quite palatial, ladies slightly larger than the mens.

 

Henry :)

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Thank you so much for these great photos,it is much appreciated from us not on board.She looks like a beautiful ship,however I am interested to see if the 150 additional quests will make the ship feel crowded.Thanks in advance for any future photos and information.

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Wonderful photos so exciting. I have a feeling the Cabana area means there are no Shuffleboard courts anywhere which is a shame as we love this traditional ship activity. Would appreciate a quick photo if possible of the complimentary sun beds on deck12 and any outdoor activity we could do. We are on board next July and can't wait. Wishing you a wonderful trip and I look forward to all your observations and photos.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Lovely pics, Henry; she looks really classy and not at all blingy. A few questions, for when you have time (I note you have a few sea days coming up from 12th). Outside the Square looks lovely, but I think it is still at least partly smoking? Is the TK grill and its outside area only open in the evening? Seems a waste of quite a lot of space if so. Are the TK eating arrangements the same as at present on the Quest - same menu but with choices in the grill, some evenings the Ad Hoc style in the Colonnade, and the insert of three dishes in the restaurant menu every other evening?

 

Good to see rather less 'struck by lightning' carpets in the hallways.

 

It sounds as if the shape of the V1 to V6 suites has changed a bit - I hope there is enough room to walk through between the bed foot and the narrow desk and wall.

 

And are there only about 450 on board at present?

 

Thanks in advance.

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I haven't asked about passenger numbers but at no time has the ship felt even remotely busy. I'm going to wait to answer that question though. Next cruise is the holiday (Christmas & New Year) sailing when you know it will be full to the gunwales. Let's see how that looks.

 

One thing that is worth mentioning is that there are now a choice of 2 show rimes, tonight that would be 8.30pm and 10.00pm.

 

I will take some pictures of the lounging areas throughout the cruise.

 

We are eating in Thomas Keller this evening and very much looking forward to it. We'll have a couple of drinks in the bar there first.

 

We had a TK family dining night in the Colonnade on Monday so they are still being run as well as the main TK restaurant.

 

I'm not sure our suite on deck 6 has changed that much from it's equivalent on Sojourn in terms of size & layout. I will post up some photos.

 

Henry :)

Edited by Able Seaman H
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