Norwegian Encore Review

Not Impressed

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Encore
User Avatar
JeffBrandlin
2-5 Cruises • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2020
Cabin: Balcony Stateroom

We chose to do an eastern Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Encore because of the destinations. We were quite unhappy with multiple aspects of the cruise starting with the 2 hour boarding process. The rooms seemed significantly smaller than the Carnival cruise. We even booked a more expensive balcony room but still preferred our basic Carnival room. This ship is new to the water and we were not impressed at all with the amount of motion the ship had. Granted we did have rough weather, we have had rough weather on other cruises and never felt it as much as this. The entire trip had a lot of unappreciated motion even by my standards (I am a sport fisherman). The cost structure is designed to give the bare minimum and charge additional for most commodities. Im sorry, but if I buy a drink package I would like to be able to get a bottle of water without paying $5 for it. The pool was closed at times because it was a liability with the amount of sway of the ship. We spend approx. $5500 in cruise and airfare fees and were not even allowed to do our main destination (Bahamas) because the tender boats could not get to the ship. However right next to us there were (2) Royal Carribbean ships that had a dock on their private island and were able to disembark. No compensation was given. Their lack of infrastructure on their private Grand Stirrup Cay made us spend a day on a rough sea instead of the prime destination. I would say about half of the usable deck space on the ship was reserved for an even higher cost package which limited the majority of the ship to (1) adult pool. Lounge chairs, chairs, and even pool deck seating was next to impossible unless you went out at 7am to reserve a spot. The food was also much better on Carnival. Our specialty dining package allowed us into (3) restaurants of our choosing with caveats. Reservations to some places needed to be made months before even boarding the ship. In addition to that multiple menu items had additional costs above and beyond buying the premium dining package. All in all we were quite disappointed with this ship and will not use it or potentially Norwegian again.

Cabin Review

Balcony Stateroom

Narrow. 2 people could not move about in the cabin at one time. Dissapointed.

Port Reviews

Miami

Very Scenic. Better food than the cruise.

San Juan

Beautiful country. Only 5 hours of time at this location.

St. Thomas

Nice staff. Minimal ocean life at snorkel site.

Tortola

Beautiful locations.

9 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Encore Cruise from $489

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.