Norwegian Encore Review
Very nice ship but lagging behind others in private island experience
Rating by category
Additional details
We booked this cruise very last minute. We are a retired couple with 30+ cruises under our belt. We typically sail Royal or Celebrity but found a good deal on this ship. And we aren't against trying new ships/lines if the itinerary/price is right. This was our 3rd Norwegian cruise. Our fare included premium drink package, 2 dinner dining package, 150 min wifi, and $49 towards one excursion.
Embarkation: This was a breeze. We arrived an hour and a half earlier than our boarding time since we were driving in the day of the cruise. From line up to on the ship took about 30 minutes. There were 2200 on our cruise, so about 50% capacity.
The itinerary took us to two ports we had never been- Puerto Plata in the DR and Tortola in the BVI. Since we booked last minute we did not pre-book any excursions. When we go to a new port we typically just walk around the shopping area. Unfortunately, neither of these two ports offered much in that dept. It took less than an hour in Tortola. Puerta Plata was a little better as there is a new development there. There is also a pool that we enjoyed at Taino Bay. If we ever go back to those ports we will definitely book excursions. The water around Puerto Plata looked amazing.
Cabin Review
Large Balcony Stateroom
The ninth floor was an ideal location as the active inside decks are 6, 7 and 8. Being near the forward elevators, we had short trips to the Garden Cafe, the Encore theater, the Social, the Cavern and the Observation Lounge. Only time we had to walk a longer distance was to the main restaurants. Just a few comments on the cabin itself. First off, the shower size was awesome. This was the biggest "standard" cabin shower we've ever experienced. The balcony was large as well, though we often had to keep back from the outer part of the balcony because water was constantly dripping, either from condensation above or from window washing. This cabin had the bed by the balcony, which we normally don't like. In this case, however, the closet configuration made it better to have the couch by the closet and not the bed.
Port Reviews
Great Stirrup Cay
Wow, this was sad compared to Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay. The only shade came from trees unless you wanted to buy a clamshell or cabana. We only spent a couple hours here as it was so hot and no shade to be had. Tendering was a bit shaky due to high winds.
Tortola
The shopping area at this port is very limited. If we were to go here again, we would definitely book an excursion.