Norwegian Encore vs. Epic for the Caribbean

[amygutman]

San Juan for food (oh…. Mafungo), St Thomas for beaches. 
But taste is always personal! Callaloo soup everywhere we’ve eaten in St Thomas has been universally amazing. 
warmest, Amy 

[graphicguy]

I love downtown Old San Juan.  And agree, the restaurants there are quite good without dropping a lot of coin.  The history is also amazing.  I love that port.

[latebuyer]

Yes i think i’m having trouble pulling the trigger as i’d like to go to san juan. Its disappointing ncl has so many caribbean cruises with the same itinerary.

[latebuyer]

Actually i did find a cruise with san juan, st thomas and puerta plata while not the greatest time. That may be the best itinerary for me.

[zqvol]

18 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Yes i think i’m having trouble pulling the trigger as i’d like to go to san juan. Its disappointing ncl has so many caribbean cruises with the same itinerary.

There are only so many places the huge ships can go.

[Portia!]

6 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the cruise and have one more question. Is there a quiet indoor place where you can read on the epic? I mean during the day.

There's a library on Deck 5. Studio Lounge is usually quiet assuming you book a studio.

[latebuyer]

Thanks very much. I would be in a studio. Thats part of the reason i want to go to ncl for their solo program.

[AtSeaAlways]

13 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the cruise and have one more question. Is there a quiet indoor place where you can read on the epic? I mean during the day.

The Epic has an actual library + card room which did not have the yukky piped in music on our cruise.  

 

Your stateroom is actually a bathroom with a bed in it- we would have liked more soundproofing around the toilet compartment. 

 

 

[AtSeaAlways]

On 7/7/2023 at 10:19 AM, Red-Sol said:

One big plus for the Epic... IMHO the pool deck and Spice H2O setup on Epic is far better than on any other ship.

The Epic pool deck with the umbrella structures is large and classy 

[latebuyer]

Thanks everyone i am really warming to this cruise. I didn’t realize you could go from st. Thomas to st. John which sounds nice. Just wondering is there a good specialty restaurant to use the 50US? Anything else i should know about the epic?

[Purple_Pig]

My favorite place to read is on my balcony. If you can swing that, go for it.

[laudergayle]

15 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Just wondering is there a good specialty restaurant to use the 50US? Anything

What is this $50 US you’re referencing?

Edited July 15, 2023 by laudergayle

[latebuyer]

With free at sea, you get 50US per person to use at a specialty restaurant.

[zqvol]

44 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

With free at sea, you get 50US per person to use at a specialty restaurant.

Since when? FAS doesn't work that way.

[latebuyer]

How does it work then? I'm new.

[GALSews]

54 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

With free at sea, you get 50US per person to use at a specialty restaurant.

It is $50 for the first person off an excursion. Free At Sea gives you 1, 2, or 3 specialty dinners depending upon the length of the cruise (you still have to pay the 20% tip), the Premium drink package (individual drinks up to $15 free then the you play the differnce (plus tip), and basic internet.

 

[Grimix]

52 minutes ago, GALSews said:

It is $50 for the first person off an excursion. Free At Sea gives you 1, 2, or 3 specialty dinners depending upon the length of the cruise (you still have to pay the 20% tip), the Premium drink package (individual drinks up to $15 free then the you play the differnce (plus tip), and basic internet.

I believe Guest #1 gets $50 each excursion he/she books. (If you do 2 excursions in one day you would 'save' $100 for guest 1.) I haven't done it because we tend to go as a family, but I've read here that if guest #1 doesn't want to go you should still book it for him/her since the excursions are usually ticketed and they don't look at the name on them.

 

(Also the dining FAS dining is only for passengers 1&2. If you have kids or other family members in the cabin they will need to buy their own dining package.)

[latebuyer]

I’m still debating what to do here. I like the sound of the waterfront and observatory lounge on the encore but it will cost 300.00 more although sailing out of miami where there is a direct flight from vancouver is a plus. Maybe i’ll check times in port. One post i read says soot falls on spice h20 on epic. Is that the case? Pool deck sounds nice on epic.

[laudergayle]

3 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

I’m still debating what to do here. I like the sound of the waterfront and observatory lounge on the encore but it will cost 300.00 more although sailing out of miami where there is a direct flight from vancouver is a plus. Maybe i’ll check times in port. One post i read says soot falls on spice h20 on epic. Is that the case? Pool deck sounds nice on epic.

What two or three itineraries are you considering?  Re: soot in aft area really depends on which way wind is blowing.  All ships can experience some soot from time to time.  Epic does have soot at times and honestly we didn’t find Spice to be all that.  It was a bunch of drinking smoking loud adults.  

[latebuyer]

Thanks for the rely. I'm considering the st. Thomas, tortola, puerta plata, stirrup cay itinerary. Looks like itinerary and times are identical so only difference is port it leaves from and ship. Epic leaves out of port caneveral, encore miami.

[laudergayle]

8 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks for the rely. I'm considering the st. Thomas, tortola, puerta plata, stirrup cay itinerary. Looks like itinerary and times are identical so only difference is port it leaves from and ship. Epic leaves out of port caneveral, encore miami.

Since the itineraries are the same and Miami is a better flight option, if it were me I would choose Encore.  I think you will enjoy the more upscale feel of the ship.  Epic is fun…but I think Encore will satisfy what you are looking for.  Happy cruising 😊

[laudergayle]

@latebuyer  since you haven’t already booked, you could possibly take advantage of the Cruise First offer that is running right now.  You can buy a CF certificate. get $500 certificate for $250 US. You can use this for your deposit.  Don’t know how it works in Canada but hopefully you could take advantage of this savings.

[latebuyer]

Thanks for the response and for letting me know. The other consideration i didn't tell you is that if i flew out of port caneveral i could arrive 2 days early and go to the space center or epcot center. That would cost more dollars though

[Traveling Fools]

On 6/19/2023 at 12:21 PM, latebuyer said:

I'm interested in a 7 day cruise to the caribbean that goes on either of these ships. I imagine for caribbean pool is important. I'm also interested in quiet spots for reading. I'm not sure what else is important. I guess free dining venues as i'd prefer not to pay for specialties. There is only 2 sea days so not a lot.

 

Can I put your first post into perspective?

 

The length and itinerary of your cruise generally dictates the number days in port or at sea you will have.  Sounds simplistic, but given your question about the importance of a pool and your desire for a quite place to read it is relative.

 

I am assuming you will be going ashore in port.  The amount of time you are off the ship governs the amount of time you will have to use the facilities aboard the ship.  If you are looking for quiet time around the pool, shore days are the best days for that experience.  With exception of bad weather conditions, pools are generally VERY busy on sea days.  Pools on ships are small and will almost always be crowded...Hey, there are 2,000 passengers, give or take, on board.  Not only are the pools congested, so can be pool deck areas used for lounging.  Oh, and because these areas are congested and busy on sea days, forget about finding a quiet place to read near the pool.

 

Regarding differences between the Epic and Encore.  They are both fine ships.  And because you have not sailed on either one of them the differences will be a moot point for you.

 

You are certain to enjoy the included food venues.  

 

Maintain a Positive Mental Attitude. Enjoy your cruise and the destinations you will visit.

[latebuyer]

Thanks Traveling fools. The cruise is a 7 night cruise with 2 sea days and tortola is only in port 6-1. The reason why i am concerned with the ship is on my alaskan cruise i felt i was on the ship quite a lot though partially due to late port days. You are right i may be overthinking it and should think positive. Someone in a different thread mentioned seating by the ping pong tables on the epic. I would have the studio lounge to sit in as well. Still the observatory lounge sounds nice for reading on encore