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Norwegian Alaska Cruises: Read 3,368 Norwegian Alaska cruise reviews. Find great deals, tips and tricks on Cruise Critic to help plan your cruise.
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- Alaska Norwegian Jewel Alaska Cruise Reviews - Cruise Critic
Jan 17, 2024 · Jan. 17, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. A cruise vacation to Alaska is a profound adventure. The spectacular natural beauty, rugged wilderness, massive glaciers...
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Jul 11, 2023 · We recently had the amazing opportunity to take a 7-day Alaska cruise aboard the Norwegian Encore. In this article, we share all of our thoughts (the good & the bad) on our Norwegian Encore Alaska cruise as well as give our honest opinion on the Encore ship and its Alaska itinerary.
Oct 11, 2023 · This detailed review will guide you through every facet of our journey, from our departure in Seattle to our final port. We cover it all— the best Alaska ports of call, shore excursions in each port, wildlife encounters during Alaska cruise, onboard amenities, and even those hidden gems that elevate a cruise from good to great. Why trust us?
- Ship Overview
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 1
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 2
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 3
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 4
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 5
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 6
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Day 7
- Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review – Disembarkation
- Comments
Having just returned from Alaska on Princess Cruises, we were eager to explore more of the region on this trip. It had been a while since we sailed on a Norwegian Cruise Line Breakaway-Plus Class ship. We attended the 3-day naming ceremony for Norwegian Encore back in 2019 and we also sailed Norwegian Bliss to Alaska back in 2018. Norwegian Encore ...
A Pre-Cruise Night
For this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review, we flew into Seattle a day early as we always recommend. Booking a hotel stay at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, we were in a prime location to get to Pier 66 on embarkation day. Feeling a bit tired from all our recent travels, we didn’t do much in Seattlethis time around. With the beautiful weather, we did manage to walk around the waterfront area a bit and grabbed some food at Elliott’s Oyster House. The Seattle Marriott Waterfront is literal...
Welcome Aboard Norwegian Encore
Given priority embarkation by NCL, we breezed through this process and were onboard in about 20 minutes. We decided to immediately proceed to our muster station to check-in for this mandatory safety briefing. Much like other cruise lines, you can watch the safety video on your stateroom television or smartphone and just simply need to stop by your actual assembly station for a quick overview. Since we were being hosted by the cruise line on this sailing, we then met with our onboard contact b...
Come Sail Away
Taking a break around 4 PM, we headed outside to scout out a spot for the sail away. Perched over the pool deck, we had a great vantage spot of the ship with the Space Needle on one side and Mount Rainier on the other side. After a bit, we also headed down to the pool deck to catch some of the sail away party. It was certainly more lively than our recent sail away on Princess Cruises. While it was a gorgeous day in Seattle, as the ship pulled away and starting picking up some speed, it got no...
Our First Sea Day
Day 2 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review was a sea day. Since Don was working his full-time job again during this trip, we were up around 5:30 AM. Don headed out to grab our morning Starbucks along with some photos and videos around the ship before jumping on some conference calls by 7 AM. This is about the only time that the Observation Lounge was relatively empty. Around 10 AM, we took a break to attend the This is Alaska presentation in the theater. Unfortunately, this was a glo...
An Afternoon Feast
We think the Food Republic is a hidden gem, but for some reason the venue is never busy. With the specialty dining package, cruisers can order 4 plates off the menu. This makes it a great dining option with friends as you can share multiple plates. Don ordered the tiger rolls, pastrami and sauerkraut dumplings, kimchee fried rice, and salt & pepper calamari. He enjoyed all these selections and still stands by this being his favorite NCL restaurant. I ordered the Thai chicken lettuce wraps, ch...
Dinner and a Show
To dinner right on time, tonight’s specialty dining experience also lasted just about 2 hours. While our meal was good, Le Bistro is probably our least favorite restaurant on the ship. Don started with the escargot and endive salad, while I did the goat cheese croquettes salad. For an entrée, I ordered the coq au vin and Don did the lamb chops. For dessert, we tested out the chocolate marquise and fraisier cake. Of all the items, the coq au vin was the standout dish of the evening. With the N...
A Late Call into Port
Day 3 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review was our first port of call in Juneau. Though, it was a late day stop with our time in port scheduled for 2:30 to 11 PM. We also gained an hour of sleep last evening to align with Alaska time which is 4 hours behind EST. Still, Don had work meetings beginning at 10 AM EST. This meant another early morning for us. Following this call, he met our onboard contact to check out the Studio Lounge and the Mandara Spa. The rest of the morning was mos...
An Evening in Juneau
Finishing lunch around 2 PM, we headed back to our room for a bit before meeting for a tour of the Haven at 3:15 PM. Securing the necessary photos and videos, we were finally ready to go ashore around 5 PM. About 2 hours after the ship was cleared, there were no lines or waits to get off the ship or secure a shuttle to the downtown area. By the time we booked this cruise, most of the excursions were already sold out. So, we decided to take a ride on the Goldbelt Tram and then just walk around...
A Walk Along the Waterfront
We then spent the next hour or so walking along the boardwalk in Juneau. This took us past Tracy’s Crab Shack and some other shops. We then continued to a great vantage point of the cruise ships, where we took some photos of Norwegian Encore, Ovation of the Seas, and an Un-Cruise vessel. We ventured along the Juneau Seawalk to The Whale Project which is just over a mile away from Downtown. Despite popular belief, our amazing photo of a whale breaching was just this sculpture. It is a great de...
Welcome to Skagway
Day 4 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review had us calling into Skagway for a full day. We also had a comprehensive tour booked for today, the aptly named Best of Skagway shore excursion. Up around 6:30 AM, Don headed out to continue collecting photos and videos while I got ready. He had to meet our host this morning for access to the Galaxy Pavilion and the kids areas. We had placed an order for room service breakfast the night before to be delivered between 8 and 8:30 AM, but it end...
Traveling Back in Time to the Gold Rush
Boarding a large tour bus from the pier, we arrived at our first stop right around 11:30 AM. Liarsville is a replica of a Gold Rush trail camp where we watched a short show then got to try our hand at panning for gold. Let’s just say that we didn’t strike it rich! After collecting our earnings, we had a few minutes to explore the area before it was time for the salmon bake. The included lunch consisted of a buffet of side dishes along with freshly prepared salmon. Around 1 PM, we re-boarded o...
Time to Mangia!
Back onboard, it was straight to Starbucks then back to our room to relax for a few minutes and change up for dinner. Tonight, we were dining at one of our favorite Italian specialty restaurants as sea, Onda by Scarpetta, at 7 PM. You can always tell how good an Italian restaurant is going to be by its bread basket, and this one did not disappoint. Although, we wanted to make sure to save enough room for all the additional delicious courses too. I started with the burrata, while Don ordered t...
A Morning of Glaciers
Day 5 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review was another “sea day” with scenic cruising into Glacier Bay National Park. Up at 6:30 AM again this morning, Don grabbed some morning coffee as we interspersed getting ready and some sightseeing from our balcony. We were also listening to the narration on the bridge cam that was pointing out landmarks, wildlife, and such. During a cruise through Glacier Bay, there is the opportunity to typically see 5 glaciers depending on the weather. Thus,...
Where’s the Best View?
Wanting to see what the view was like from our balcony, we then hurried our way up to our cabin in time to catch the view on the starboard side. If you are not crazy like us, there is no need to hustle from one location to the other, as all guests will get a view regardless of whether they are on the starboard side or portside of the ship. What did throw off our timing a bit was the sequence this Captain took compared to our previous visits. While all ships spend about an hour admiring this g...
Testing Out All the Thrills
On Norwegian Encore, you can be as chill or as thrill as you want. But if you want to do both, you end up with a schedule something like ours! We had reservations for the Encore Speedway at 4:30 PM followed by the laser tag. For an up-charge of $15, cruisers can set off on an 8-minute race to the finish. Where else can you race family and friends with views like these? This course covers over 1,100 feet with 10 turns and 4 points that extend up to 13 feet over the side of the ship. There is a...
A Short Stay in Ketchikan
Day 6 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review was our next port of call into Ketchikan. This stop was a short, early morning stop, with us only in port from 7 AM to 1:15 PM, which meant all aboard was 12:45 PM. Knowing that Norwegian Cruise Line ships dock in Ward Cove, which is about a 20 minute drive from the Downtown area, we decided to book an organized shore excursion to avoid the hassle of taking the shuttle back and forth in this short amount of time. In fact, the last shuttle fr...
Yo-Ho!
While we have seen this show before, it’s always a good time. Starting a bit late, due to a medical emergency that happened to occur right beside me, this show lasted just about an hour. It featured two teams of lumberjacks, Spruce Mill and Dawson Creek, competing in a series of challenges. Alas, our team did not take the victory. Still, it was fun to watch the competitions including axe throwing, speed climbing, sawing challenges, log rolling, and more. A quick lumberjack photo later, we imm...
Another Night of Dinner and Comedy
While NCL fans give Q mixed reviews, we enjoy this BBQ specialty restaurant. It’s a casual atmosphere with good food and good drinks. We started off the night with the Lone Star chili and deviled eggs. Then, I opted for the smoked turkey breast, and Don went all in on the Pitmaster. The turkey breast was better than I remember, and the Pitmaster featured it all–brisket, spare rib, chicken, and sausage. For desserts, I went with my go-to at this venue, the mason jar banana pudding, while Don t...
Let’s Make it a Sea Day
Day 7 of this Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review was our final day with an evening call into Victoria, BC. This was a short stop from 8 to 11:59 PM but mandatory for this roundtrip Seattle cruise. Given the short amount of time in port, we decided to make this our own sea day, tying up some loose ends and enjoying more of the ship’s amenities. With nothing concrete on the agenda, we slept in until around 8 AM this morning. Don walked around collecting the remaining photos and videos return...
Now for Some Relaxation
With the afternoon to ourselves, we decided to catch a little of two different events occurring at 1:30 PM. First, we stopped by the Atrium for the All About Alaska trivia session, and then we stopped into the theater for the Ocean Music Fest. This show was basically a compilation of most of the ship’s musicians playing in one show. Then, we stopped in at the shops to use our remaining onboard credit on a ship model and t-shirt. Since we were docking in Victoria this evening, only one bar per...
Our Final Night on Norwegian Encore
The dinner and a show experience at Teppanyaki is always a good time, and this visit was no different. Our chef served up the grilled veggies, garlic fried rice, and our entrée of choice with a side of humor. Of course, I opted for the Chicken Yaki Udon and Don did a combo of steak and calamari. Everything was well-prepared and flavorful. Stuffed from dinner, we made our way up to the Observation Lounge to catch some of Archie’s set, this was the only musical act on the ship that we hadn’t se...
Time to Say Goodbye
Just like that our Norwegian Encore Alaska cruise review had come to an end. It was already disembarkation day. NCL had provided us with priority disembarkation which meant that we did not have to leave the ship until around 9 AM, but we needed to be out of our cabin by 8:30 AM. So, we set an alarm for 6 AM to get ready, grab some coffee, and finish packing. Around 8:30 AM, we headed off to our meeting spot where we were escorted to a separate line with Haven guests to get scanned off the shi...
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related to: alaska cruise norwegian cruise line reviewsCruise To The Most Beautiful Destinations Around The World With Norwegian. Find Out More! Embark On an Unforgettable Adventure with Norwegian Cruise Line®. Book Your Cruise Today!
- 35% off All Cruises
- ·Valid May 14 - May 22
Save up to 80% off all Norwegian Cruises. Book soon for biggest savings!
