7 Nights Alaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau Cruise

Great time on the NCL Encore

We loved our cruise on the Encore. The ship was in great condition. I believe it had been refurbed in the last year or two. We had an AFT cabin in the Haven and couldn't have been happier with our choice. Thr cabin staff was very friendly and accommodating. In fact, all the NCL staff was extremely friendly. Everyone would always say hello to us as we passed them. The Haven restaurant was very nice, but it would have been a better experience if the menu varied somewhat during the week. All week long the menu choices were the same. The Bistro and Cagney's specialty dining restaurants were excellent. Food was delicious and atmosphere was great. We enjoyed the nighttime show entertainment as well. We had a lot of fun at Wheel of Fortune show and at Bingo. The food carving demonstrations were amazing. I would highly recommend this cruise line and ship.

Top notch crew makes all the difference.

My sister and I had an excellent cruise on the Encore. Embarkation day went very smoothly, aided by the fact that this sailing was immediately after a dry dock, so there were no passengers disembarking that day. Our cabins were ready right away, which was so nice. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the dining room that first day, rather than joining the crowd in the buffet, and I enjoyed every opportunity to have lunch in the dining room on sea days. The service was excellent every time, perhaps even better than at dinner. This was our first transatlantic cruise, and we enjoyed having lots of sea days and a more relaxed vibe. We took advantage of the thermal spa suite, and Encore's is one of the very best. Our balcony cabin was very nice, though the first few days were a bit chilly to enjoy sitting outside. (The one downside to our cabin was it was a bit tight getting into the closet, because the sofa is so close to it, but this was a small matter.) I appreciated the USB ports built into the bedside lamps. We had several opportunities to enjoy the specialty restaurants also. Our favorite was Le Bistro, my favorite on every NCL ship I've ever sailed, next favorite was Cagney's, with a perfectly cooked filet mignon but no room to eat the fabulous chocolate cake this time (and sadly they won't let you take it back to your cabin anymore) but the one that I would probably not try again was Tepanyaki. The "show' was loud and repetitive, and the food was not as good as other specialty restaurants. The Q had a nice crab cake appetizer and a tasty salmon entree. At Onda I had the fritto misto appetizer plate, which alone would have been a generous dinner. We also enjoyed two of the "included" restaurants, The Local, and the American Diner. The Local is open almost 24 hours a day. but we visited them most for several tasty early bird breakfasts. They also have a great burger and a very nice reuben sandwich. For lunch, we tried the American Diner's chicken pot pie, which I enjoyed enough to get a second time, and their bread pudding dessert was great too. My sister enjoyed the meat loaf with mashed potatoes, and our friend especially bragged about the carrot cake dessert. As for dinners in the main dining room, it seemed like fewer and less impressive choices sometimes. For this sailing, the whole right side of the menu was only available if you were willing to use a specialty dining credit, without the specialty restaurant ambience. On a previous cruise, the dinner menu offered an option to choose from a few Cagney's entrees for a reasonable upcharge, and I was happy to take advantage of that, but I wasn't impressed with this change. As for entertainment, I enjoy the trivia, but I'm not a fan of the game shows. I had seen Choir of Man the last time I sailed on the Encore. It's a terrific show, and I highly recommend it, but I chose to see the Beatles Invasion shows instead, and enjoyed them very much. If you're not willing to stand in line to get a seat to see them in the smaller Cavern Club venue, they also do at least a couple of shows in the large theater which are well worth seeing. For this sailing, we actually had a number of events organized by guests, including the classic Meet and Greet with the ship's officers, at which NCL supplied refreshments, and a delicious chocolate marshmallow cake! We also had a guest arrange a Secret Santa exchange, another oversaw a Gatsby themed murder mystery play with a cast of over 20 people, still another did a White Elephant gift trade, and I organized a Christmas ornament exchange that over 85 people took part in. NCL arranged a lovely Christmas music event in front of the picturesque Gingerbread Village one evening, with crew and guests singing carols, and a visit from Santa himself. The crew even circulated with cookies and hot chocolate. I may have to cruise at Christmas time every year! I found the service on the ship to be top notch. Although they seemed to occasionally be struggling with a new system on the first couple of days after the dry dock, the crew were always very friendly, helpful, and hard working. I wrote several Hero Cards because so many were going above and beyond to make things special for us. As for the changes resulting from the dry dock, I was sad to see part of the Observation Lounge, one of my favorite venues on the ship, removed to add more Haven cabins. I didn't miss the laser tag or Coco's at all though, and expanding Cagney's was a smart move. I was lucky enough to get an invitation to a cocktail party in the Haven, and I got to see what a gorgeous pool courtyard they have, which has a retractable roof allowing for year round use. The Haven bartenders are superb mixologists, and I had a fabulous chocolate martini. There was one unfortunate issue on the last day. There was a plumbing problem that meant many of us were without hot water all day and into the evening. It was fixed by the next morning. It's sad that a lot of people will remember that most of all, because the rest of the cruise all went very smoothly. Our disembarkation and transfer to the Miami airport went smoothly too. Here's a tip: if a porter in the terminal offers assistance, keep in mind that the porters get to use a different line to exit, with a much shorter line, which got us out and onto the bus to the airport much faster. In my opinion made that made tipping that gentleman worth every penny! I can highly recommend sailing on the Encore, and I have nothing but praise for all the crew and officers I encountered, from our cabin steward Kadek to the Food and Beverage Manager Praveen, and the General Manager Charles.

My Repeat Alaska Cruise

This was my repeat ALASKA cruise on the Encore. I previously sailed late Oct. 2023 same itineray. I am a Solo cruiser. I sailed both times in a solo cabin on Deck 12. What made my 2024 cruise even better were several members of the crew. We sailed from Seattle. Our ports were Juneau, Skagway, Ward Cove/Ketchikan and Victoria. In Juneau I took the excursion to Mendenhall Glacier. It is well worth it. Such a beautiful place to see and be outdoors. In Skagway I chose the Gold Panning and Sled Dog adventure. (Last year I chose the White Pass and Yukon railway). We learned the history of gold mining in Skagway, panned for gold. We also learned about sled dogs and the Iditarod. There was a demonstration of a sled dog harness in action. We also had a chance to hold an 8 week old sled dog puppy. In Ketchikan I chose the Wildlife excursion. We visited a 40 acre nature preserve. We actually spotted a bear, a bald eagle and a red squirrel. Also there is a pavillion with a native Alaskan carving and painting a totem pole. On the premises is a blacksmith shop. Of course opportunities to buy souvenires and Alaskan crafts are offered via the gift shop. In Victoria the stop is brief (just 4 hours in the evening) One of my fellow solo cruisers was from Canada and quite familiar with Victoria BC. We formed a group of 6 solo cruisers and had a personalized free tour. (Last year I took the 1 hour trolley excursion). I had a much much better cruise this year as I met so many more solo cruisers. We had many opportunities to join in for group dinners in the Manhattan Room. We also went as a group to the 80's Glow party. It was so much fun. Our Solo Group crew chief JC Evangelista was fantastic. He provided us each a white tshirt with markers to personalize them for thr 80's Glow Party. Mary Jane in the Atrium Bar knew my drink order without having to ask me..With 4000 passengers I thought that was pretty amazing. My best specialty meals were at Teppanyaki (Chef Ria) and Q Texas Smokehouse. I preferred to eat breakfast at the Local. The Garden Buffet tended to be too crowded. I also had lunch primarily at Taste or Savor and a few times at The Local. All 3 are complimentary dining. The show Choir of Man is not to be missed. The Beatles Tribute in the Cavern Club was a lot.of fun.