Just finished our cruise on Encore. It was fabulous. Pool area was too crowded and the music was too loud much of the time. But folks were having fun. We discovered the lounge areas along deck 8 ("Waterfront"?) a few days in. Favorite spot on the ship for us. And Choir of Man was the BEST production I've seen anywhere, on land or at sea, ever. LOVED IT! We saw it twice.
I have to add that the Encore was by far the cleanest with "washy washy" everywhere! All staff was always encouraging hand sanitizing and we went on our first one back in January 2020 right before COVID hit and they were on par without anyone even knowing what was coming!! Continuously cleaning everything all the time! Way to go!! WASHY-WASHY!!
Excellent review. Would addd that comedians are booked through agencies and hop from ship to ship and line to line. Someone could be on an NCL for 3 nights and in Port Cozumel hop over on a Royal Ship for a few days. Once they get back to the states (or wherever) they found shift over to a Carnival, MSC, etc. So, I agree some comedians are far better than others but just know they’re not just NCL, Virgin, Royal comedians. Cheers and happy cruising! 👍🏻
You will absolutely enjoy The Haven! Ultimate luxury, 24 hour butler, amazing restaurant, pool and hot tubs for Haven guests only. The best way to cruise!
I loved how reservations for anything could be done on your phone, on your stateroom tv or on any kiosk on the ship. Plus you can always go directly to the theater or one of the restaurants and take care of it there.
Yeah taste and savor were always half empty for breakfast and lunch and were always good, except for the biscuits and gravy, but nobody outside the south knows how to make those. Observation deck also had some good breakfast food if you want to eat light.
Love you two!! We just got back from the SKY cruise. We had a wonderful time, and im noticing the same issues you experienced, but we didn't have the slides, which I would have not went on that amyhoo...btw, your correct, the food at the private island wasn't that good, I never found the food trucks 😕 but we would do anything NCL again. This was our 1st cruise, throughly enjoyed it!!
We did just purchase Vibe passes. We royally wouldn't have, if you guys didn't post this information. We're in our 60's, so this is helpful! Enjoy your cruise!
I like your video. I don't like small swimming pool. They should remove laser tag and put swimming pool and two hot tubs on upper stern deck. I know other ships have them. Also, I like observation lounge there. There are no chair or lounge chair in stern and have viewing of sea. Thanks for video. You should try different ship like Bliss. They have Spice H20 there instead of laser tag.
I just got off the Escape and instead of laser tag they have “spice H2O” which is adult sunbathing area and at night it’s where they hold the dance parties. I’m putting g up those videos now.
You are correct. Pool deck and seating along the side of the ship difficult. Seating in buffet area is O.K. if you go in before 8:00 AM. We were on the Encore. To big and to many people. Out of the three resturants we had dinner in, two were below standard. Embarkation and disembarkation were a nightmare. Seattle airport - horrible. Staff were great as was the buffet food (spend many years in the miliary and easy to please with civilian food). We We may or may not sail with Norwegian again. Also, we will sail on a small cruise ship next time. This was my first cruise (on a civilian vessel) and was a disapointment.
I have bought the vibe pass about eight times, always enjoyed it. However it was like $80 before it went to $250. I have not bought it since. I think NCL took advantage of the fact that if you weren't in boarding group 1, sometimes 2, you would not get to guest services before it was sold out. Not only did they cater to the late boarders would would complain, but also make extra money besides
@@fayturner8448 you purchase the pass per person and you have access to the “vibe” area. They only sell so many passes but it’s a sectioned off area with loungers. There is no pool in the vibe area
Just returned from the February 12th cruise on the Encore. I second your comments about the pool deck. It’s way too small including the pool for a Caribbean sailing. Everyone wants to be on deck and it’s full by 8 am in all areas. Nothing says vacations when u have to scramble for chairs. The food even in Onda and Cagney’s was just meh. Buffet had lots of options, but by the second day I couldn’t stomach the smell or food. The Local isn’t much better. We’ve cruised several times before, but first time with NCL. I get the impression the cruise industry is cutting corners to turn a profit after the lockdown. They cut a show, they cut times in the ports and a lot of extra costs. I had to pay 3 bucks extra for a espresso martini even though we had a drink package. It had the same amount of liquor as a vodka soda and they just added in coffee and a small amount of liqueur. Silly. I think I’ll pause on cruising for awhile.
I was on that same cruise as the 10 of February was my 40th birthday. I totally agree. Their is so much space dedicated to the go carts and all that from the middle to rear of the ship the pool area is way smaller than most other ships.
Having a go-kart track, slides, laser tag, a ropes course, etc takes away from pool deck space. If these aren't important to you but the pool deck is then I would look into finding a ship with more pool space.
You touched on my major issue with Norwegian Encore as a first-timer: Norwegian doesn't tell their passengers ANYTHING they need to plan their time onboard. They supposedly tell you "when you get there." But they don't tell you HOW to find anything. They are fairly useless, frankly.
@@cheerextremeladies that is a valid point but nowadays a lot of people don’t use travel planners. I personally use UA-cam to do most of my research before any trips we take. That is why we started posting videos to maybe help others. I think it’s especially why I love to do hotel videos because I’m super picky on hotels (safe areas, clean)
Such a shame your experience wasn’t the best. On the private beach there is a delicious buffet. We found shade from lots of palm trees. BUT. We were on the escape
We've been to Stirrup Cay 4 times. We had lounges in the shade near the bar and the pavillion, and enjoyed the buffet every time. I always book our excursions online asap. All our reservations are in one envelope on day one. But we've only been on the older, smaller NCL ships.
I always take royal caribbean and looking for another cruise line to use, but based on this video nvm. Seating issues in the buffet and pool deck are unheard of on all other cruises we've been on.
Thank you for this video! Going on our 1st NCL cruise in Feb 2024, and your video is SO helpful. When would you able to rent the clam shell? Do we have to wait to be on board and reserve on the screens?
Not sure when you went on your cruise, but we were on the NCL Encore in November (2022). Both slides operated at the same time, but the drop slide malfunctioned frequently. Being a large ship, it is definitely crowded. Also, we were better able to find seating for meals towards the back end of the cafe. Choir of Men was indeed great. Did you go up on stage for a beer prior to the show?
We went in January 2023. Thanks for the tip on seating in cafe. We are going on the Escape in 2024. No we didn’t go on stage. We are not beer drinkers but I think that was really cool
Guys, your first point would put me off ever going on a cruise. Seems like, as your second point made clear, there's just too many people for my liking. I have never been on a cruise (so forgive my presumptuousness) and as well as the crazy tipping culture, I just would be uneasy all the time. And rushing to book shows etc as soon as you get on board? Sounds like hell to me tbh. Am I wrong? Should I try it? Enjoyed your video. 👊✨👍
Oh no ! You definitely need to try it. I would just do your research on different cruise lines and ships. It all depends on what you want out of your vacation. What I love about the ships we have been on- there are lots of activities if you want things to do but if you want to relax and eat than you can do that too. As for tipping. We pay the gratuities and only tip extra if crew go above and beyond. Don’t stress! Thanks for watching
I was a 1st time cruiser on the Getaway. I agree the screens next to the elevators were great. I also used them as well. I’m a long time cruiser on Princess, 35 cruises, & found that anything being held in the Atrium, I needed to be there at lest 90 minutes early, just to get a seat. What was you food experience in the dinning rooms, especially for dinner? I found some of the food so-so & sometimes the service spotty. I waited one night for 90 minutes for a drink to be served.
We only ate in the main dining room once. We had great service and the food was dine for us. We are not fancy eaters, so as long as it’s hot and cooked well, I’m ok. We ate in cagneys, again serve was great but the steak wasn’t spectacular, just good. We also ate at Los Lobos, which I liked but my hubby said it was just ok, see I was quick but restaurant was empty. Lastly, we ate at teppanyaki, same as any similar places back home, fun show, lots of good food. We ate at the local, I was actually disappointed. Food was ok, never hot. Despite what we heard from others, we never had to wait for our food very long but I’m sure it was the time we went. And totally agree about atrium shows!!!!
I ate almost every night in Taste and Savor and loved it. I always eat late (8:30PM) and was given a window side table (solo traveler). Beautiful menus, good food, great coffee. I loved it. The Garden Cafe was fantastic. I had a piece ofo prime rib - why would you pay for cagneys I have no idea. The prime rib was so tender and fantastic, the best I've ever eaten.
I have never sailed NCL in the past and will be going on the February 2024. I have been on other cruise companies in the past 9x's. What cruise line do you like the most? A little nervous about everything I am hearing.
We have done 9 Disney cruises, sailed on carnival Mardi Gras once, and then this NCL. As of right now, overall Davy is carnival Mardi Gras. So much that we have 3 more booked on the new carnival celebration. (Sister ship to Mardi Gras). We are about to do a video explaining why so stay tuned but with all that being said I would not sail on a small, older carnival ship
Good video but too long. Id kindly enourage you to make videos under 10 minutes. If you look at UA-cam algorithms you'll see the more successful videos for cruisers are under 10 minutes. Hope this helps. 🙂🚢
Just finished our cruise on Encore. It was fabulous. Pool area was too crowded and the music was too loud much of the time. But folks were having fun. We discovered the lounge areas along deck 8 ("Waterfront"?) a few days in. Favorite spot on the ship for us. And Choir of Man was the BEST production I've seen anywhere, on land or at sea, ever. LOVED IT! We saw it twice.
Choir of Men was AWESOME!! I totally agree!! Best show we've ever seen on other cruises too!
Agreed.
I have to add that the Encore was by far the cleanest with "washy washy" everywhere! All staff was always encouraging hand sanitizing and we went on our first one back in January 2020 right before COVID hit and they were on par without anyone even knowing what was coming!! Continuously cleaning everything all the time! Way to go!! WASHY-WASHY!!
The Getaway was spotless also. Immacuately clean, and the public restrooms, you could eat off the floor. I wish my home bathroom was that clean!!
We're going on the Encore in two weeks. We've only been on the Dawn before. This is SO helpful! Thank you!
We are on the MSC Seascape right now. Stay tuned for those videos
Excellent review. Would addd that comedians are booked through agencies and hop from ship to ship and line to line. Someone could be on an NCL for 3 nights and in Port Cozumel hop over on a Royal Ship for a few days. Once they get back to the states (or wherever) they found shift over to a Carnival, MSC, etc. So, I agree some comedians are far better than others but just know they’re not just NCL, Virgin, Royal comedians. Cheers and happy cruising! 👍🏻
This is terrific thank you so much! And you two are indeed an adorable couple!
Going on my first NCL cruise next year to Alaska on Encore & from the information you provided I'm glad I booked a Haven room.
Yes I’ve heard Haven is spectacular
You will absolutely enjoy The Haven! Ultimate luxury, 24 hour butler, amazing restaurant, pool and hot tubs for Haven guests only. The best way to cruise!
About to go on my first cruise ever -- and on the encore. Thanks for sharing your experience and tips!
I loved how reservations for anything could be done on your phone, on your stateroom tv or on any kiosk on the ship. Plus you can always go directly to the theater or one of the restaurants and take care of it there.
May want to try the haven next time ! We have cruised the haven many times .well worth it !
I agree! It’s the ultimate luxury and so worth it!!
Yeah taste and savor were always half empty for breakfast and lunch and were always good, except for the biscuits and gravy, but nobody outside the south knows how to make those.
Observation deck also had some good breakfast food if you want to eat light.
Thanks for tip #1. I am purchasing The Viibe now! LOL
Love you two!! We just got back from the SKY cruise. We had a wonderful time, and im noticing the same issues you experienced, but we didn't have the slides, which I would have not went on that amyhoo...btw, your correct, the food at the private island wasn't that good, I never found the food trucks 😕 but we would do anything NCL again. This was our 1st cruise, throughly enjoyed it!!
Thanks
Great tips! Thank you. My oldest son and I sailing on the Norwegian Bliss in 17 days! Our first NCL cruise so these tips were really helpful.
Fun! We wanted to do the bliss but Devon the Escape (March 2024). Enjoy your cruise
Thank you - this was an informative video. ❤
Glad we purchased the Vibe pass for our entire trip. Good tip.
Yes! Smart move.
It was $259/7days on the Prima
We did just purchase Vibe passes. We royally wouldn't have, if you guys didn't post this information. We're in our 60's, so this is helpful! Enjoy your cruise!
Good choice. We will be on the Escape in March and will buy it also
Getting on Encore in April. Thank you for the info. Super valuable and not included in other videos I've seen.
Thanks for the feedback
We are going on the carnival celebration in a couple weeks so stay tuned.
The life boat deck, is open both sides, you can walk the length of the ship back a forth for your workout.
Yea you are correct. I will say I thought that are was a little creepy but that’s just me. Lol
You two are adorable. Thanks for posting all good points.
Thank you so much😊
Choir of Man was amazing.
Going on my first Alaskan cruise on encore in 30 Days!
Thanks for the tips! I'll be on the Encore for Christmas 🎄.
Awesome. Enjoy.
Fun video guys, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
I like your video. I don't like small swimming pool. They should remove laser tag and put swimming pool and two hot tubs on upper stern deck. I know other ships have them. Also, I like observation lounge there. There are no chair or lounge chair in stern and have viewing of sea. Thanks for video. You should try different ship like Bliss. They have Spice H20 there instead of laser tag.
I just got off the Escape and instead of laser tag they have “spice H2O” which is adult sunbathing area and at night it’s where they hold the dance parties. I’m putting g up those videos now.
You are correct. Pool deck and seating along the side of the ship difficult. Seating in buffet area is O.K. if you go in before 8:00 AM. We were on the Encore. To big and to many people. Out of the three resturants we had dinner in, two were below standard. Embarkation and disembarkation were a nightmare. Seattle airport - horrible. Staff were great as was the buffet food (spend many years in the miliary and easy to please with civilian food). We We may or may not sail with Norwegian again. Also, we will sail on a small cruise ship next time. This was my first cruise (on a civilian vessel) and was a disapointment.
Nice video. Thank you. Have you decided when you’ll make the video comparing the different cruise lines you’ve used?
Actually we just booked a 3 night in RC Allure if the Seas for January 12 so as soon as we get back that will be made ! Thanks for watching
Hi my family and I are going in February I’m in a wheelchair but can get around with my walker a little your video was very helpful thank you.
I’m glad. That’s why we do it. To help others. Enjoy your upcoming cruise
So helpful!
I have bought the vibe pass about eight times, always enjoyed it. However it was like $80 before it went to $250. I have not bought it since. I think NCL took advantage of the fact that if you weren't in boarding group 1, sometimes 2, you would not get to guest services before it was sold out. Not only did they cater to the late boarders would would complain, but also make extra money besides
Interesting
@@Gardis72 good to know. I definitely plan on buying it next time
How does the vibe pass work to get you at the pool.
@@fayturner8448 you purchase the pass per person and you have access to the “vibe” area. They only sell so many passes but it’s a sectioned off area with loungers. There is no pool in the vibe area
Was on there week of Jan 15th. Pool deck way to crowded! Next time we will get the Vibe package!
Comedy is family oriented at the early shows and adult after 11pm
Thank you, this was so informative! We have never went with NCL yet and this helps. Just subscribed 😊
Glad it was helpful!
This is one of the things I don't like about cruising not enough chairs around the pool areas for the amount of people on board.
Just returned from the February 12th cruise on the Encore. I second your comments about the pool deck. It’s way too small including the pool for a Caribbean sailing. Everyone wants to be on deck and it’s full by 8 am in all areas. Nothing says vacations when u have to scramble for chairs. The food even in Onda and Cagney’s was just meh. Buffet had lots of options, but by the second day I couldn’t stomach the smell or food. The Local isn’t much better. We’ve cruised several times before, but first time with NCL. I get the impression the cruise industry is cutting corners to turn a profit after the lockdown. They cut a show, they cut times in the ports and a lot of extra costs. I had to pay 3 bucks extra for a espresso martini even though we had a drink package. It had the same amount of liquor as a vodka soda and they just added in coffee and a small amount of liqueur. Silly. I think I’ll pause on cruising for awhile.
I was on that same cruise as the 10 of February was my 40th birthday. I totally agree. Their is so much space dedicated to the go carts and all that from the middle to rear of the ship the pool area is way smaller than most other ships.
That's different to hear a lot of the bloggers are saying the food was very good in the buffet. Thank you for sharing 😊
Having a go-kart track, slides, laser tag, a ropes course, etc takes away from pool deck space. If these aren't important to you but the pool deck is then I would look into finding a ship with more pool space.
Very true. Good points
You touched on my major issue with Norwegian Encore as a first-timer: Norwegian doesn't tell their passengers ANYTHING they need to plan their time onboard. They supposedly tell you "when you get there." But they don't tell you HOW to find anything. They are fairly useless, frankly.
Yea it’s definitely frustrating
isn’t that what a cruise planner is for? what would you suggest they do different
@@cheerextremeladies that is a valid point but nowadays a lot of people don’t use travel planners. I personally use UA-cam to do most of my research before any trips we take. That is why we started posting videos to maybe help others. I think it’s especially why I love to do hotel videos because I’m super picky on hotels (safe areas, clean)
Such a shame your experience wasn’t the best. On the private beach there is a delicious buffet. We found shade from lots of palm trees. BUT. We were on the escape
We've been to Stirrup Cay 4 times. We had lounges in the shade near the bar and the pavillion, and enjoyed the buffet every time.
I always book our excursions online asap. All our reservations are in one envelope on day one. But we've only been on the older, smaller NCL ships.
I always take royal caribbean and looking for another cruise line to use, but based on this video nvm. Seating issues in the buffet and pool deck are unheard of on all other cruises we've been on.
We want to go on Royal but the ships we want to try are a bit pricey right now. Hopefully soon
Thank you for this video! Going on our 1st NCL cruise in Feb 2024, and your video is SO helpful. When would you able to rent the clam shell? Do we have to wait to be on board and reserve on the screens?
You can actually rent it before the cruise. That’s what we plan on doing on our next NCL in March on the Escape
Book all you can ahead of time online.
We enjoyed the comedian immensely, but we only went once.
Not sure when you went on your cruise, but we were on the NCL Encore in November (2022). Both slides operated at the same time, but the drop slide malfunctioned frequently. Being a large ship, it is definitely crowded. Also, we were better able to find seating for meals towards the back end of the cafe. Choir of Men was indeed great. Did you go up on stage for a beer prior to the show?
We went in January 2023. Thanks for the tip on seating in cafe. We are going on the Escape in 2024. No we didn’t go on stage. We are not beer drinkers but I think that was really cool
@@Thetaylorsonthego We'll be on the Breakaway in December. We were on the Escape in 2018. Enjoy!
Guys, your first point would put me off ever going on a cruise. Seems like, as your second point made clear, there's just too many people for my liking. I have never been on a cruise (so forgive my presumptuousness) and as well as the crazy tipping culture, I just would be uneasy all the time. And rushing to book shows etc as soon as you get on board? Sounds like hell to me tbh. Am I wrong? Should I try it? Enjoyed your video. 👊✨👍
Oh no ! You definitely need to try it. I would just do your research on different cruise lines and ships. It all depends on what you want out of your vacation. What I love about the ships we have been on- there are lots of activities if you want things to do but if you want to relax and eat than you can do that too. As for tipping. We pay the gratuities and only tip extra if crew go above and beyond. Don’t stress! Thanks for watching
O'Sheehan's (or the Local) is also a great place for breakfast or lunch
I think I’m in the minority, I didn’t enjoy the food there. I only liked the pretzel bites 😃
I was a 1st time cruiser on the Getaway. I agree the screens next to the elevators were great. I also used them as well. I’m a long time cruiser on Princess, 35 cruises, & found that anything being held in the Atrium, I needed to be there at lest 90 minutes early, just to get a seat. What was you food experience in the dinning rooms, especially for dinner? I found some of the food so-so & sometimes the service spotty. I waited one night for 90 minutes for a drink to be served.
We only ate in the main dining room once. We had great service and the food was dine for us. We are not fancy eaters, so as long as it’s hot and cooked well, I’m ok. We ate in cagneys, again serve was great but the steak wasn’t spectacular, just good. We also ate at Los Lobos, which I liked but my hubby said it was just ok, see I was quick but restaurant was empty. Lastly, we ate at teppanyaki, same as any similar places back home, fun show, lots of good food. We ate at the local, I was actually disappointed. Food was ok, never hot. Despite what we heard from others, we never had to wait for our food very long but I’m sure it was the time we went. And totally agree about atrium shows!!!!
I ate almost every night in Taste and Savor and loved it. I always eat late (8:30PM) and was given a window side table (solo traveler). Beautiful menus, good food, great coffee. I loved it. The Garden Cafe was fantastic. I had a piece ofo prime rib - why would you pay for cagneys I have no idea. The prime rib was so tender and fantastic, the best I've ever eaten.
Such a cute couple!
What a nice comment. Thank you. Been married almost 24 years and we are living all the traveling
I have never sailed NCL in the past and will be going on the February 2024. I have been on other cruise companies in the past 9x's. What cruise line do you like the most? A little nervous about everything I am hearing.
We have done 9 Disney cruises, sailed on carnival Mardi Gras once, and then this NCL. As of right now, overall Davy is carnival Mardi Gras. So much that we have 3 more booked on the new carnival celebration. (Sister ship to Mardi Gras). We are about to do a video explaining why so stay tuned but with all that being said I would not sail on a small, older carnival ship
❤
Sounds like all the problems were caused by over crowded. when did you go, so we can try to avoid the busy seasons.
We went on in January 2023. Kids were in school so not sure it was a busy season
@@Thetaylorsonthego wow, so crowed even during off season! Cannot imagine how it will be during school breaks!
What is the clam shell? We are going next week.
It’s like 2 loungers with a shade that can retract back if you want to be in sun. (Google beach clamshell for an image)
Finding seating was impossible. Wasn't impressed with the ship.
We are on the carnival celebration right now and have had absolutely no problem finding seats and getting in pools and hot tubs.
Worried about getting around in my wheelchair with the walking track being crowded.
You won’t be able to once they open up the walking path for sunbathers
Was the food truck an extra charge?
No, not the ones we saw
Good video but too long. Id kindly enourage you to make videos under 10 minutes. If you look at UA-cam algorithms you'll see the more successful videos for cruisers are under 10 minutes. Hope this helps. 🙂🚢
Fine length to me