Norwegian Encore Review
Rating by category
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This was the second of back to back cruises I did on the Encore. It was wonderful to have the same cabin for both cruises and not have to move or go off the ship to check back in. I must admit, 28 days on a cruise ship is a bit much, but I had a wonderful time.
On this second cruise, it was nice because there were a lot less people on board. I heard that there were only 1900 or so at the beginning, and by the time we got to Seattle it was down to 900 or so as a lot of people got off in LA and San Francisco. It kind of felt deserted the last few days. It was especially nice that there were also very few children on the cruise.
The food was all wonderful, both in the main dining rooms as well as the specialty restaurants. Special shout out to Cagneys which was a step above all the others. I tried a wide variety of the specialty restaurants, and although all were good, I would probably skip Los Lobos and Food Republic, and Onda on future cruises.
Cabin Review
Mid-ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
I had a mid-ship Club Balcony Suite and it was very spacious and comfortable. Loved the balcony and bigger bathroom.
Port Reviews
Cartagena (Colombia)
Here I did the San Felipe Fortress and City at Leisure tout. It was very interesting and informative. It provided plenty of time for shopping and sightseeing on my own.
I did the Panama Canal Experience here, and although very informative, it was quite repetitive of the passage the ship had done the day before. It was also very long and hot, as the tour boat had no air-conditioning. Also, it was so long, there was no time to other shopping either before (the excursion left at 0530 in the morning) or after.
Puerto Quetzal (Antigua)
I did the Antigua On Your Own tour. It was very nice to explore and shop the wonderful city of Antigua. The trip there and back was very interesting also, as it showed a great deal of the countryside. The guise provided a lot of interesting information along the way.
Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera)
I did the Scenic Costa Rica tour here, and it was a waste of time and money. The guide provided good information about the country, but there was absolutely nothing scenic about it. Only bad excursion I took in 28 days
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta City Sights was a good tour. It was not too long which left a good amount of time for sightseeing and shopping on my own.
Cabo San Lucas
One of the most beautiful ports I have ever visited. Baja Highlights was a very informative and scenic tour.
Los Angeles
Beachfronts and Beverly Hills was a wonderful tour. It was fun to wander around on Rodeo Drive and the Santa Monica Pier. I enjoyed this tour very much.