Norwegian Encore Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Booked short notice knowing this was the last sailing of the season, weather would likely be a factor, and port activities would be minimal. Figured we could enjoy the ship and view the wonders of Alaska in the fall. We previously cruised NCL Bliss in June 2022, Celebrity Millennium in May 2023 and visited each port but I had not seen Glacier Bay. I also thought fewer passengers would be onboard. So much for thinking. The ship was at capacity with 4217 passengers.
Criticism:
NCL emailed passengers a week prior to sailing with "your reservation cannot be accommodated please see the box office once you board." This was in regard to the highly rated "Choir of Man," the only production show scheduled for the trip. That led us (and a lot of other passengers I talked with on day one) to think there would be no production show. That's not a good feeling a week out; granted cruise enjoyment should be about more than shows but is a make or break for many. Turns out that a new cast had started the week before (see below). NCL PR could have handled that better.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Balcony Stateroom Class BB. It was "fine," can't complain or praise too much. First night mattress issue was addressed by cabin steward who did a fine job taking care of us. We enjoyed previous voyage in a Club Balcony Suite which unavailable this time out.
Port Reviews
Glacier Bay
Magnificent!! You have to see it to believe it.
Juneau
We've been to Juneau a couple times before and done other things. This trip, we walked around town and got a snack at Tracy's Crab Shack. Not much else was open. Of note; pre-cruise documents had this as a "tender" port which it wasn't.
Skagway
Not much to see here unless you ride the train. We would have taken the Yakatania Point Trail on the other side of the airport, but there was a bunch of ice and mud and we didn't want to deal with that this time of year.
Ketchikan
NCL docks at Ward Cove which is a major criticism for many as its a long shuttle to Ketchikan with the possibility of a long wait for the return trip. I don't know how long it will take for Ward Cove to build up, maybe a decade or more. Until then, I'm sure many NCL passengers will have similar criticism of Ketchikan