Norwegian Encore: Porthole Cruise Magazine 2020 Editors’ Pick, Best New Ship
Encore is currently the largest ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. Here are some statistics from NCL:
Porthole Cruise has an extensive review of the Encore here: https://porthole.com/norwegian-encore-cruise-ship-review/ and I’m not going to rehash more than some highlights here, especially given that I haven’t been on the ship yet.
Cuisine: “Variety is a great word to describe the dining options on board Norwegian Encore. The ship features restaurants with cuisine from all over the world in beautiful dining rooms and with incredible views.”
Bars: “There’s a ton of great places on board Encore to have a drink, but our favorite bar was the A-List, named by departing President Andy Stuart. The cocktails are made with fresh ingredients like fruit juices and garnish which makes for a fantastic drink.”
Entertainment: “Entertainment is a large part of any cruise vacation and Norwegian Encore takes some of the best of Broadway and brings it to the high seas. Shows like Kinky Boots, The Choir of Man and Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical (16+ in age only) are sure to delight guests with their choreography, singing, and flair! The theater is HUGE!”
A feature I find fascinating and am looking forward to getting to experience is The Waterfront, which encompasses the nearly the whole outside edge of the 8th deck.
Encore and the Panama Canal
Being this large means at the Panama Canal we’ll be using the newest set of locks. I’ve seen mentions that Encore will be the largest passenger ship to use the canal this season. at 136 feet wide, the ship is only 26 feet narrower than the maximum width for the locks. Given the margin for safety, I expect our balcony edge to be about 22 feet from the lock walls as we pass. That will make for some interesting photos!
I’ll have a lot more about the ship once I get aboard and get some photos and video.
and then