This was Marlene’s and my second cruise on Norwegian together. It was better than NCL2 (the trip to Alaska via the Panama Canal) in almost every way, except in one important one: Marlene was ill for almost the entire week. We didn’t use many of the facilities and entertainment options available on board – including doing no dancing, which was a first for us. But I can summarize the cruise as follows:
Highlights:
- The Norwegian Encore. This is a beautiful ship which we liked very much. Even though we didn’t use many of the features, we were impressed. It has two water slides and a go-kart track. The pool is very attractive, there are at least four hot tubs and many other facilities (e.g., gym) that looked very nice even though we didn’t use them. The 24/7 restaurant, “The Local,” had the same delicious pub food that the similar restaurant had on the Norwegian Jade, but the venue, with seats overlooking the atrium with either live music or movies showing on the big screen, was even nicer.
- The ports. I really thought that we would be going to the same old ports we had seen before, but we were surprised by Harvest Caye – a part of Belize we have never seen – and we were diverted from Cozumel to Falmouth, Jamaica, a port neither of us had ever visited. We couldn’t take full advantage of these ports due to Marlene’s illness, but it was nice seeing some new ports.
- The food. I think it is fair to say that the food on Norwegian is better than the food on Carnival. The difference is not dramatic, but it is noticeable. The sausage on Norwegian is superior and so is the bacon.
- The casino. We both ended the cruise up over $200. Since the cruise cost us only $75 each due to the $800 credit each from NCL2, we made money by taking this cruise.
- The balcony cabin. The cheap cruise included a very nice balcony cabin. We usually take an interior cabin because we don’t spend much time there. But this time, because Marlene was in the cabin 90% of the time, the balcony was greatly appreciated.
Lowlights:
- Marlene’s health. She was hit with a “double whammy” of the flu and a mystery leg infection which left her feeling miserable for almost the entire cruise. This single lowlight overwhelmed all of the highlights.
- The parking. The “WeParkInMiami” cruise parking “service” is a sad joke. Never again. We were forced to get taxis both to and from the port because the promised “free shuttle service” simply didn’t exist.
If we decide to take another Norwegian cruise we will certainly consider the Encore. We really liked this ship. We will certainly not consider WeParkInMiami.
