Encore - What to Expect?

[Tippyton]

Going to Alaska on the Encore end of August.  Been to Alaska 2x and have done NCL once out of Galveston (Star I think?) about 8 years ago.  What should we expect besides a fun cruise?

[ChiefMateJRK]

Expect a fantastic observation lounge.  Hopefully, you'll get a fantastic piano player/singer.  We had Alexa last October and she was a big hit.  The guy we had in May, not so much....   Sang that same John Lennon song every time we heard him and it wore thin very quickly.  They also had some duo who were singing the same Carpenters song every day.

 

Fortunately, we had Raul Rojas in the Cavern Club doing some classic rock in great fashion.  DD even got to play some guitar with his group, but that's a different story.....  (still hoping to find a CC member who was there and took some photos 😎)

[BirdTravels]

18 minutes ago, Tippyton said:

Going to Alaska on the Encore end of August.  Been to Alaska 2x and have done NCL once out of Galveston (Star I think?) about 8 years ago.  What should we expect besides a fun cruise?

 

I will give you a couple of links to scan through.

 

The first is a Live Post from the Encore sailing to the Eastern Caribbean in April 2022. This gives you a look at the ship's activities today.

 

The second link is a Live Post from the Encore to Alaska in August 2021. This was NCL's first North American restart cruise, so things were still in the process of getting restarted. But it was a cruise to Alaska. 

 

 

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

We sailed Alaska last week of August last year. Best excursion was the Tracy Arms out of Juneau. We had amazing weather with just a little bit of rain in Ketchikan, nice and warm all other days. Saw whales, seals, eagles, bears... oh my! Such beautiful sites and such a peaceful relaxing trip.

[YVRteacher]

I’m on the Encore next week and will be doing a live review.  It’s my first time on the Encore.

[smillerholmes]

12 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

I’m on the Encore next week and will be doing a live review.  It’s my first time on the Encore.

Here's hoping for more witty observations.  I'll be following since I am thinking about booking Encore for a Panama Canal cruise although I am leaning towards a smaller ship so I can go through the old locks.  Decisions...decisions...

[Tippyton]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

I’m on the Encore next week and will be doing a live review.  It’s my first time on the Encore.

looking forward to it!

[disneylover89]

11 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

I’m on the Encore next week and will be doing a live review.  It’s my first time on the Encore.

Me too!!  I will be looking forward to reading your review and opinion on the cruise.

[coastcat]

Expect to recoil in horror when you see the chandelier in the casino-area atrium. The safest place to view it is from Sugarcane Mojito Bar because you'll need a potent cocktail to recover. 

 

Otherwise, it's a splendid ship for Alaska. The Observation Lounge is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the amazing scenery. Light breakfast/lunch buffets are served daily, including on embarkation day if you want to avoid the Garden Cafe chaos. There are plenty of photos of the Observation Lounge (including on page 4 of Bird's Alaska trip report linked above) but they cannot prepare you for how large and yet cozy this space is. It takes up about 1/3 of deck 15.

 

The Waterfront promenade on deck 8 is an even better place for watching the scenery. You're outside and much closer to the water; keep an eye out for otters and whales.

[ppcox]

15 hours ago, smillerholmes said:

Here's hoping for more witty observations.  I'll be following since I am thinking about booking Encore for a Panama Canal cruise although I am leaning towards a smaller ship so I can go through the old locks.  Decisions...decisions...

We did the Panama Canal on the Encore in April. Loved that cruise 15 days of perfect weather, service and sights to see. Was hesitant about the old locks too but you get a great view of the old canal and it’s entry to the Gutan lake. An expert was on day giving really interesting info over the speakers and and you can also take a more detailed tour from Panama. 
we had Vibe passes and loved the Encore. 

[smillerholmes]

14 hours ago, ppcox said:

We did the Panama Canal on the Encore in April. Loved that cruise 15 days of perfect weather, service and sights to see. Was hesitant about the old locks too but you get a great view of the old canal and it’s entry to the Gutan lake. An expert was on day giving really interesting info over the speakers and and you can also take a more detailed tour from Panama. 
we had Vibe passes and loved the Encore. 

Thank you!  That definitely helps with the decision making.  It looks like the Jewel class ships are offering shorter cruises and  charging a premium for going through the old locks???

 

Will not derail further...this thread is about Encore/Alaska.  Thanks again!

 

[PATRLR]

On 7/16/2022 at 11:35 PM, Sailing12Away said:

Best excursion was the Tracy Arms out of Juneau. 

@Tippyton If your cruise is doing Tracy Arms, I also highly, highly recommend the Tracy Arms tour.  I did it on Bliss pre-pandemic in 2018 and it was worth every cent.  Much closer to the glacier than the ship gets. 

If you are looking for something to do in Juneau, for a whale watch I recommend Steve Olmstead and Alaska Humpback Adventures - had a great experience with them.

[Tippyton]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

@Tippyton If your cruise is doing Tracy Arms, I also highly, highly recommend the Tracy Arms tour.  I did it on Bliss pre-pandemic in 2018 and it was worth every cent.  Much closer to the glacier than the ship gets. 

If you are looking for something to do in Juneau, for a whale watch I recommend Steve Olmstead and Alaska Humpback Adventures - had a great experience with them.

Thanks for the advice.  Not going to Tracy Arm this run.  We did go there on CCL on our 1st AK cruise about 12 years ago - we were poor and had kids with us that trip, and it was beautiful nonetheless.  I do believe we are going to do a whale watching tour through the ship in Juneau.  Prices are similar but we have a short port time and I'm ok paying for a little insurance - not enough difference to warrant the risk, plus we get $50 off the excursion price.

[TominNC]

We loved the Encore this past February.  Of course that ship with 1750 or so passengers was very relaxing.  We're going back the week before Christmas.  We'll see how it is at closer to max capacity.

 

It is a very nice ship.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, TominNC said:

We loved the Encore this past February.  Of course that ship with 1750 or so passengers was very relaxing.  We're going back the week before Christmas.  We'll see how it is at closer to max capacity.

 

It is a very nice ship.

Have a great cruise. 
 

We sailed on the Encore in April and it was up to near 4000 passengers. What a difference a few months make. 

[scooter6139]

On 7/16/2022 at 5:21 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Expect a fantastic observation lounge.  Hopefully, you'll get a fantastic piano player/singer.  We had Alexa last October and she was a big hit. 

Alexa is or has returned to the Encore (we follow her on FB).  We too enjoyed her shows in the Observation lounge and Atrium.  

[TominNC]

30 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

Alexa is or has returned to the Encore (we follow her on FB).  We too enjoyed her shows in the Observation lounge and Atrium.  

She was on our Feb cruise.  Might have been her last or second to last week.  We went back regularly after first seeing her.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, TominNC said:

She was on our Feb cruise.  Might have been her last or second to last week.  We went back regularly after first seeing her.

Same here.  She was on the Encore last October and we were front row in the Observation lounge every night she played.  There were about four of us old couples who showed up every night.  The ship was pretty empty, so it turned out to be a very fun time with a small lounge feel to it.  She played a LOT of our collective requests and did a fantastic job.  Easily the best piano player/singer I've ever had on a cruise. 😎

[CindyPie1004]

On 7/17/2022 at 11:13 AM, coastcat said:

Expect to recoil in horror when you see the chandelier in the casino-area atrium. The safest place to view it is from Sugarcane Mojito Bar because you'll need a potent cocktail to recover. 

 

Otherwise, it's a splendid ship for Alaska. The Observation Lounge is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the amazing scenery. Light breakfast/lunch buffets are served daily, including on embarkation day if you want to avoid the Garden Cafe chaos. There are plenty of photos of the Observation Lounge (including on page 4 of Bird's Alaska trip report linked above) but they cannot prepare you for how large and yet cozy this space is. It takes up about 1/3 of deck 15.

 

The Waterfront promenade on deck 8 is an even better place for watching the scenery. You're outside and much closer to the water; keep an eye out for otters and whales.

Hahahaha! Such perfect statement! It is awful. We stood there, mouths hanging open, saying "what the actual XXXX is that?"

[ChiefMateJRK]

13 minutes ago, CindyPie1004 said:

Hahahaha! Such perfect statement! It is awful. We stood there, mouths hanging open, saying "what the actual XXXX is that?"

Some of us just walked past thinking, "oh, so that's what people get so worked up about."

[BirdTravels]

On 7/17/2022 at 11:13 AM, coastcat said:

Expect to recoil in horror when you see the chandelier in the casino-area atrium. The safest place to view it is from Sugarcane Mojito Bar because you'll need a potent cocktail to recover. 

It is beautiful. NCL paid $1 million for the chandelier. 

 

 

[TominNC]

17 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Same here.  She was on the Encore last October and we were front row in the Observation lounge every night she played.  There were about four of us old couples who showed up every night.  The ship was pretty empty, so it turned out to be a very fun time with a small lounge feel to it.  She played a LOT of our collective requests and did a fantastic job.  Easily the best piano player/singer I've ever had on a cruise. 😎

We're no kids either, so her ability to play songs we like was much appreciated.  We were sitting there the first night and I said to my wife, I bet she could do a great Carole King.  So my wife made a request and sure enough, spot on.  When she saw us the next night she just "happened" to do a King song in that set.

[ChiefMateJRK]

51 minutes ago, TominNC said:

When she saw us the next night she just "happened" to do a King song in that set.

Nice.  She'll take requests that she is unfamiliar with and then work on them prior to the next day's performance.  I know James Brown was "the hardest working man in show business," but Alexa may be right up there in the top ten! 🤣

[PATRLR]

18 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Same here.  She was on the Encore last October and we were front row in the Observation lounge every night she played. 😎

My only cruise with an Observation Lounge was the Bliss in June 2018.  I don't recall any entertainment in the OL on that cruise.  They had a few events (e.g. the binocular selling event, some speakers, etc) but not entertainment per se.  Is this a thing now that they have entertainers in the OL?

[ChiefMateJRK]

18 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

My only cruise with an Observation Lounge was the Bliss in June 2018.  I don't recall any entertainment in the OL on that cruise.  They had a few events (e.g. the binocular selling event, some speakers, etc) but not entertainment per se.  Is this a thing now that they have entertainers in the OL?

I only have two recent data points, both on the Encore.  Alexa was in the lounge in October and, as mentioned, was fantastic.   We had some other performers in the OL in May and none were even close.  We really didn't spend much time listening to them.  OTOH, Raul Rojas was in the Cavern Club and absolutely fantastic (again).