Norwegian Encore Ship Tour and Review!

We just returned from an Alaska cruise on the largest ship in the @norwegiancruiseline fleet, Norwegian Encore. This 169K gross ton ship boasts several one-of-a-kind attractions, dining, and onboard activities. But is it possible to do, see, and eat everything onboard the ship while still enjoying all Alaska has to offer? Well, we share all the details of what it is like sailing on this incredible ship with our Norwegian Encore Ship Tour and Review!
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NORWEGIAN ENCORE SHIP TOUR
0:00 Introduction
0:42 Outdoor Decks
3:16 Signature Attractions
6:18 Onboard Activities
8:48 Complimentary Dining
12:00 Specialty Restaurants
16:15 Bars and Lounges
19:49 Nightlife and Entertainment
22:28 Staterooms
25:00 Service
NORWEGIAN ENCORE FULL SHIP TOUR AND REVIEW
Like all of our cruise ship reviews, we start with the outdoor decks. Norwegian Encore is home to several outdoor spaces. The main pool deck is deck 16, with two pools and a kid's Aqua Park. The exclusive Vibe Beach Club is a hidden gem; even in Alaska, you can watch the glaciers from the comfort of your hot tub.
On this Norwegian Encore Ship Tour, other outdoor spaces you will want to visit are on the Waterfront. This deck 8 open promenade is home to several bars, restaurants, and shops.
The outdoor decks are also home to several of Norwegian Encore's signature attractions. The most iconic is the Encore Speedway. This two-story race track has thrilling views, especially when you zoom along next to Alaskan fjords. There is also the intricate and well-themed laser tag course aft on Deck 18.
Back indoors, the Galaxy Pavilion is home to several technologically enhanced attractions with hour, day, or week-long passes available for purchase.
NORWEGIAN ENCORE ENTERTAINMET AND DINING
Traditional cruisers will be happy to know that the cruise line hosts many game shows, trivia sessions, and other daily activities as well. At night, the highlight of the entertainment is the signature show, Choir of Man. Join the lads at The Jungle and listen to songs from various genres. There are also headliner acts, as well as two comedians that are featured in the Social Club on Deck 6.
Not to mention, there is live music throughout the ship with at least 5 different performers. From an acoustic duo to pub-style entertainment, a rock band, a Latin duo, and more, the nightlife is diverse and high-energy. For those who like to party, don't forget to check out the silent disco and the popular GLOW party too.
Regarding dining, we tested out as many restaurants as possible for this Norwegian Encore Ship Tour and Review. This meant breakfast at the buffet, several orders of chicken wings at the Local, and even a sit-down lunch in one of the main dining rooms. NCL is known for its Freestyle Approach, so there are no set dining times or table assignments.
With a variety of specialty restaurants, cruisers can enjoy a diverse selection including barbecue at Q Texas Smokehouse, dinner and a show at Teppanyaki, French at Le Bistro, Italian at Onda by Scarpetta, seafood at Ocean Blue, Mexican at Los Lobos, and the American steakhouse Cagney's. One of our favorites is Food Republic, which is more of a tapas fusion restaurant that is great to be enjoyed with friends.
Deck 8 is home to many of the bars on the ship. My personal favorite is the beer hall, the District Brewhouse, which is home to over 70 beers and lively music. Heidi's favorite is the Sugarcane Mojito Bar, mixing up flavorful cocktails like our go-to raspberry guava and jalapeno cucumber mojitos. There is also the Cellars Wine bar, Maltings Whiskey Bar, and the upscale A-List Bar for martinis and Collins drinks.
We stayed in a balcony stateroom, cabin 12178, for this Norwegian Encore Tour. This room had adequate storage and a familiar layout. Plus, a balcony is a must in Alaska. It allowed us to capture some fantastic videos and photos of the scenery.
READ OUR COMPLETE NORWEGIAN ENCORE REVIEW BACK ON THE BLOG: eatsleepcruise.com/norwegian-...
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#norwegianencore #alaskacruise #norwegiancruiseline

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Have you sailed Norwegian Encore to Alaska? Leave us your review. 👇🏻

[@cherylwinkelman1562]

Was so glad to hear that everything went well and see your smiling face!! Prayers continued for your recovery.

[@RandoIsDumb]

The carrot cake is just just AMAZING

[@SangNguyen-sc6vt]

Thank you for the most comprehensive, high quality video review of the Norwegian Encore I’ve seen this far! Love the highlights of the food in each of the specialty restaurants.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nancykerstetter1952]

Beautiful ship. Sailed right before the pandemic . Would love to sail her again. Caribbean

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

She is definitely worth a second sailing.

[@Canadian_Guy_82]

My very first cruise ever will be on the Encore this fall.. going to the Caribbean and It'll be a solo cruise. This video was fantastic.. can't freakin' wait lol!!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

You will love it! Are you staying in one of the Studio cabins?

[@Canadian_Guy_82]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 I hope so.. I already have a second cruise with NCL booked for next April on the Norwegian Epic (Mediterranean Cruise) lol. And yeah definitely a studio cabin.. catering to solo travellers was the big draw to NCL for me.. and being in my early 40s and not really a partier I’m hoping NCL is a right fit for me there as well

[@keisha4620]

My 1st cruise was on the Encore... didn't know it was NCL's largest ship. ❤ Thanks for posting ❤

[@claudinejones-bourne]

I didn't either!

[@bettyb1581]

Bliss & Encore basically the same ship

[@STORMZ8]

Not anymore

[@JMyers-lg7eq]

We may have been on the same cruise to alsaka...awesome. the local was on point. The Pho station in garden cafe was a real good surprise. Entertain ment show were missing in action.

[@claudinejones-bourne]

I was there around the same time and agree!!! It was a great cruise. Our only issue was the splash academy. The kids had a great time there, but it filled up quickly.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We don’t have kids, so good to know about Splash Academy.

[@lindabaca9057]

I'm going on this ship to Alaska in October. Looks amazing.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Yes, the ship is amazing. Have a great cruise.

[@wannabefolkie]

We just missed each other! You might have caught me reading my book on The Waterfront. We were on the Encore to Alaska Jul2-9. Our first cruise ever, and we loved it!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad you had a great time! We love Encore too. 😊

[@solon.h.g4002]

Can’t wait to go in December from Miami

[@bettyb1581]

I'm going dec 3

[@LaszloBagi]

Great drone video

[@RandoPlayz]

The local carrot cake is sooo good

[@cathycaputo6692]

Hi there, loved this video and going on her in February. I would like to confirm that the upgraded premium plus drink package does cover Starbucks. Saw in an older video (not yours) that it did not. It looks like it does in your video. Thanks and again great job!

[@masonpatel6224]

Coool

[@JNTravels]

We are dying to cruise to Alaska. 🐸

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

What are you waiting for? LOL 😂

[@JNTravels]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 Not what you think, it's the flight cross country (NH-Calf)🐸

[@sportsMike87]

Going on my first Alaskan cruise on encore in October!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Have a great cruise.

[@mkayultra999]

Hey there, I was also leaning towards Norwegian Enforce to Alaska and was wondering if you have any tips/hidden caveats/general exp? For now excursion-wise, looking into definitely the train exp in Skagway. Hiking/sight-seeing in the others, but I'm honestly quite confused on the time management right now. I see that we have to take off at least 4 hours (2hr off-board and 2hr on-board) from the Arrive and Depart time, which basically gives us max 1 activity to do. Was this similar to your experience? Did you book your land tours/excursions outside of Norwegian by chance? How did you sort your transportation from airport to ship, vice versa?

[@johnthomas9355]

So we took our first cruise on NCL and will never go back. We ended up being told that I had COVID-19 and it was really C-Diff. In the end, I ended up with a bill of $6000 and was treated very poorly. So we were quarantined to our room for 5 of the 8 days at sea.

[@PEIslandedition]

Random question: did you happen to notice if any of the bars still carry Kona Big Wave Golden Ale? It was available at most bars in 2019 when we spent a few nights onboard Encore while docked in Manhattan. We have a cruise booked next year, hoping it’s still stocked, but I’m not see it on any of the menus I manage to find online.

[@governmentisslavery]

Improvement suggestion: add some text overlays for the venue names at least. There were a few where I could not tell what you said. Admittedly, I listened at 2x speed, but I’m probably not the only one.

[@CoachingRealtor]

We just booked an Alaska Cruise on this ship for next summer. Thank you for the inclusive video and was wondering if there is a casino onboard?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Thanks for watching. Yes, there is a casino onboard Norwegian Encore. Hope you have a great cruise to Alaska.

[@mitrecl9700]

Just did the Caribbean from Miami. Always check Encore reviews before you book this particular ship - the programs, as of now, are not on par with previous NCL ships. Laser tag operating hour is limited.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We actually think encore is one of NCL’s best ships. Which one is your favorite?

[@candyfung5592]

Thanks for the high quality video!! When would be the best time to sail with Norwegian Encore to Alaska? We don't want to go when it's raining =)

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Well, it is always raining. lol. Best weather tends to be in July.

[@candyfung5592]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 We are thinking of Norwegian or Holland America. However, the same type of room for 2 pax, the difference in price is about $1,300. Could you please advise if it's worth it for the extra amenities/go carts/war games and stuff? does the Norwegian ship have an overall more updated interior? Thanks!

[@mkayultra999]

Hey there, I found your video as I was also leaning towards Norwegian Enforce to Alaska and was wondering if you have any tips/hidden caveats/general exp? For now excursion-wise, looking into definitely the train exp in Skagway. Hiking/sight-seeing in the others, but I'm honestly quite confused on the time management right now. I see that we have to take off at least 4 hours (2hr off-board and 2hr on-board) from the Arrive and Depart time, which basically gives us max 1 activity to do. Was this similar to your experience? Did you book your land tours/excursions outside of Norwegian by chance? How did you sort your transportation from airport to ship, vice versa?

[@user-kk4cy9me8l]

Thank you so much for posting a wonderful video! I'm going to be on this ship in two weeks, and I'm wondering if paying for priority boarding is worth it? I'm only concerned about disembarking, I have an early afternoon flight and saw online reviews saying that disembarking is chaos and can take hours 😅

[@ShanshanChu-ze7yy]

just disembarked today. If you are able to book the earlist check-in time, then you should be fine and no need to pay for the priority package.

[@user-kk4cy9me8l]

@@ShanshanChu-ze7yy thanks for the info! Also, how long did it take you to disembark from the ship when the cruise was over?

[@ShanshanChu-ze7yy]

@@user-kk4cy9me8l If you do not have too many luggages like we do, we just carry our own luggages for disembarkation. The time slot for our group (Self assist, no color group for finding luggages off the ship) is 7:00-8:00 am. We woke up at 6~ish, had some breakfast, and start to disembark at 7:40~ish. Officially out at around 8:20.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We would recommend doing self assist disembarkation if you are worried about your flight. You will need to carry your bags with you off the ship though.

[@user-kk4cy9me8l]

@@ShanshanChu-ze7yy Awesome! Thanks

[@cristinacarrion4723]

We are trying to visit Alaska in April. Any reason's against this?

[@dobetter9390]

Is it best to book online or use a travel agency? I want the best price available. Any tips would be helpful. I also heard if you get more people to go a nice discount would be applied. Trying to go for spring break next year. Let me know! ☺️

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We would recommend a travel agent might be able to get a lower fare than what is advertised by the cruise line. Or, at least, offer additional perks and upgrades even if the base fare is the same. Cabin discounts for groups usually start if you have more than 5 cabins, but you only get a small discount or additional onboard credit. You only can score deep discounts if you get a lot of cabins to sign up. Happy cruising!

[@Kenshirokan]

At the moment, NCL is offering a buy one get one free flight offer that really helps bring the cost of the overall cruise down directly on their site. No agent or 3rd party booking site that I researched even mentions that offer so even if an agent offers some OBC it's not going to match a $500 plane ticket. At least that's what the current situation is. Thoughts? Will agents actually match that?@@Eatsleepcruise1

[@stebear58]

Hi there we are on this ship in April 2024 out miami to Alaska and after seeing this video im not looking forward to it 😢 if i could cancel i would

[@dankarp6515]

So you pretty much have to pay extra for every attraction??

[@user-ek8rh3nj3z]

I found specialty dining - 1 out of 3 resturants was O.K. The other 2 were awful. The buffet was better than speicality dining. Steakhouse was a horror. Expect to wait over an hour for the main course. I one resturant we seldom saw the waitress. Stick with the buffet, it is O.K. DRS / RVN Vet.

[@soniayelverton2820]

Thanks for the tips my sister and I have reservation at the steak house & the Japanese restaurant. 😮

[@user-ek8rh3nj3z]

I wish you a wonderful trip.@@soniayelverton2820

[@soniayelverton2820]

What's the $15 limit on the drinks

[@STORMZ8]

Base drink package has a $15 limit. You have to upgrade for more expensive drinks. Honestly, I didn't see much that would entice us to upgrade.

[@iandean1112]

I absolutely hated this ship. The cruise was nice because of the destination, but I'm not booking with NCL after that experience. Here are some things that bothered me. 1. The staff was out and about taking up space meant for passengers. I remember a Kinky Boots actor making a huge mess in the buffet and not doing anything to try to fix it. 2. The free food was sub-par at best. The best thing I ate was the Caesar salad in the MDR. 3. On the first day of the cruise while exploring, the crew were rude about things not being open. We walked around the VR room before being told to get out. 4. The balcony was very small. We paid for a Club Balcony Suite, but we couldn't sit in the chairs comfortably because the balcony was SO short. 5. The Vibe Beach Club was a scam. We paid for it day 1 of the cruise. We'd gone up there the whole week, but the bar was never open and nothing was taken care of. On the last day (even with the wristband to prove we paid for it), they tried to tell us to leave. That was $250 per person for something that was never available for use. 6. We paid for breakfast to be delivered to our room daily, but we could only get basic food that you could grab at a cheap motel (anything heated besides coffee/tea added the typical room service fee). 7. Our priority boarding and check-in wasn't honored even though it was on our cruise cards. Tldr; NCL disappointed me severely, and I'll never give them more of my money.

[@allanhoward]

No offense, but in what universe did you cruise?! The food was WELL below average. The morning breakfast buffet was a nightmare! If you were lucky, you'd find a seat. That's after scouring the entire room looking for a table for up to ten minutes oftentimes. Then, you have to place something personal there laying claim to that seat. The food on the buffet was warm at best- often cold. The only hot food you got was by ordering an omelet or fried eggs. Then you needed to be a juggler to get your food to the table. That's after standing in line to make toast, get juice, get coffeee, etc. They desperately needed trays to carry your food to the table and there were none. By the time you served yourself, whatever was once hot (if you waited to get fresh eggs), was no longer. We went to The Local twice and in addition to an unacceptable wait, the food was limited in choices and very modest in quality. All dining venues on the ship were a challenge at best and even the specialty restaurants if you were lucky enough to have made a reservation, were run of the mill. We did have a good meal at The Smokhouse and a fun meal at Teppanyaki. In addition, there were dining venues that were not open at all? The American Diner we tried to eat at three times but it was NEVER open?! With 4000+ people, they should have had everything available. While the crew were friendly, I never even heard from them nor did I even know one of them during our cruise. Totally agree about the impersonal nature of the service. The onboard entertainment was awful! One choice- The Choir of Man- which in my opinion was as bad as it gets. I would rate it a a 1 on your scale. Nothing to take our grandchildren to see and every other "choice" was in a bar room environment. The excursions were a total ripoff in terms of price. The train ride was great, but the whale watching was a joke! We saw a spout or two and maybe a tail once. And all of these excursions are really expensive. I was a party of six: myself and wife, daughter and son-in-law, and two grandchildren ages 10 and 15. So everything we did was times 6 the cost- which I expected. The lumberjack show was "fun" but really very mickey-mouse. We booked this cruise through NCL's in-house travel department and I can honestly say it was the WORST experience I have ever had. They hustled me into purchases I didn't need or want and then offered terrible service after the fact. I was sold beverage packages for all of us and that's the biggest joke in thwe world. Unless you drink nonstop, you're better off paying by the drink. I also purchased the unlimited internet that was another joke unto itself. It was spotty at best and forever going down. The speed was slow and most of the passengers onboard were constantly complaining at guest services. Speaking of which, they were nice people there, but because they were constantly charging our account with incorrect charge that were included in our packages, I had to visit them at least 4 times during the cruise. More of my time wasted but important because there were over $300.00 of incorrect charge they had to take off. Finally, dealing with NCL travel department was the absolute WORST experience I have ever been through. I booked the cruise for the six of us to experience a family reunion because my son-in-law had been deployed to The Middle East for a year due to the war in the Ukraine. I thought, what a wonderful way for us all to be back together. Once I made the deposit for the six of us, the nightmare began. I discovered I could not book anything, change anything, or modify dinner reservation, excursions, etc. unless we had a three way call with either my daughter or son-in-law on the phone so that they (NCL) could protect their privacy. Since my son-in-law was in the Middle East and my daughter was living on base in Massachusetts while we were in Florida, it was an impossibility! Now mind you, I booked everything, paid the deposit, and would be making the final payments and other choices without any of their involvement. I booked our air travel from Boston to Seattle, hotels rooms, ground transportation, etc. after making the down payment. That's when they blocked me and created a servicing nightmare. It took me three weeks doing some super sleuthing to finally pierce their corporate shield in Miami to finally get someone to help me. After they added permission to their computer files giving me access, it still posed a problem to so many of the inept reps manning their phone lines. If I hadn't gotten so deep in committing travel, hotels, etc. I would have canceled. At the end of the day, having invested over $30,000.00 in this family reunion, I can say NCL did everything to ruin it. I loved being together as a family, and the sights were beautiful, but that's the extent of it. I would ramk NCL's customer service worse than Comcast-one of the most belittled companies in the world today. At least Comcast has been trying to get better. NCL won't. Reply

[@bettyb1581]

😂😂tell us how you really feel

[@dobetter9390]

Is Choir of Men teenage friendly?

[@vanessawyndham8791]

Yes

[@ImRelaxedASMR]

Was there a casino?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Yes, we just didn’t gamble. It was right next to the local.

[@dobetter9390]

Who died on the Encore this week? 😩

[@TheThisisliving]

Worst of the worst. I've done 5 NCL cruises and I hate to say it but NCL sucks. If you like sizzler food. Sales pitches everywhere. Bad service. Shows, well maybe if they feel like showing them. JUST don't do it.

[@timetraveller2300]

worst experience ever. all crew members are from the philippines. I had an encounter with a racist crew member in the French dining place. The restaurants sucked.

[@STORMZ8]

Our almost entirely philipino staff was awesome.

[@733DMPILOT]

Don't think that NCL is going to be a good cruise. The food is bad, the service is worse! The drink package was very expensive and not worth the money. We were on the fence on which cruise line to use. and the fact is Royal Caribbean is far superior in all but one thing. NCL's bathrooms are bigger than even some of the suites in RC. That being said the rest of the check boxes go to RC hands down. Even NCL's Cagney's premier steak house falls flat on its face in both serve and food quality and understanding how to cook a fillet Mignon . The fillet was bland had no taste and it was served overcooked. When we requested to get a replacement, they could not do it. They were so slammed with tables, we had to leave without eating. our main course. They only make up the rooms once a day now, and with that they could take the whole day, We waited till 4 :30 pm most days. one of the pillows we got smelled like perfume!. Come on! get it together NCL. !!. Goeas from boarding! till the end with disappointments about food and service. The shows are dated and low budget. Stay AWAY!!!

[@STORMZ8]

RCL felt like a nickel a dime. They were stingy with the drinks and the packages were expensive. We find NCL cheaper overall and a nicer experience.

[@bennierichardson9077]

What was the price for the drink package?

[@733DMPILOT]

@@bennierichardson9077 450/pp

[@JoeHartman80]

Personal preferences. I prefer NCL

[@733DMPILOT]

@@JoeHartman80 ok