The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line ships and itineraries
Table Of Content
If you're wondering whether you'd enjoy a sailing on Norwegian Encore or one of Norwegian's other similar ships, keep reading. I'll share a rundown of what it was like to experience the vessel's cabins, restaurants, shore excursions, entertainment and more. Overall, Norwegian Encore is a sophisticated ship, there's tons of things to do, and you'll be wowed by the quality -- and quantity -- of the dining and entertainment. Yet because of this, a vacation here can cost more than on other "small-town" ships, and even if you do pony up for the fun, you simply won't have enough time to do everything. Make sure you budget accordingly, and be prepared to book another cruise to experience everything you missed. The 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore is a modern and sophisticated ship, with decor and public spaces that could rival a more luxury-oriented cruise line.
What we didn’t like about the Norwegian Dawn
In recent years the hard upsell and eyewatering prices have made this treat less pleasant. There is nothing like having an overpriced 90-minute massage to be rattled out of your zen state by someone trying to sell you creams and serums that you don’t need or want. It’s in the rear of the ship on deck 13 making it a little difficult to find.
Spa and gym
The balcony provides two padded wicker loungers and a drinks table. On one side is the master bedroom, separated from the closet by a curtain, and on the other side is a large bathroom with double sinks, a shower stall, a toilet behind a door, and a whirlpool tub with a window. Some find the master bed area a bit enclosed when the curtains are drawn, but the abundance of space more than compensates for this minor inconvenience. One of two ships in the line's Sun class that date to the turn of the millennium, Norwegian Sky is far from the snazziest ship in the Norwegian fleet.
Oceanview Cabins
It was hot in Malaga on this day and we were wearing our large backpacks, so the cooling towel was just what we needed. My best friend (and fellow CruiseBlog writer) Hayley joined me for this two night sailing onboard Norwegian Sun. We had quite the adventure flying standby to Europe for this cheap cruise, so we were excited to board Norwegian Sun in Malaga, Spain for some much needed relaxation.
The Prima was scheduled to dock in Barcelona at 5 a.m., and disembarkation was set to begin as soon as local authorities cleared the ship. My slight disappointment came in the ports where I had nothing planned. The shore excursion desk didn’t have much information about the ports themselves or what was available.
Many of Norwegian's biggest ships have state-of-the-art theaters as big as those you'd find on Broadway, with big-name productions to match. Norwegian Bliss, for instance, has the Tony Award-winning "Jersey Boys." Entertainment is one of the core areas where Norwegian excels, and if you're the kind of person who loves nights out with live music and lively performances on your vacations, you're going to love the line. Norwegian cruises are very unstructured vacations, and that's by design. In a typical summer, the line will deploy nearly half its ships to Europe while sending several more to the West Coast to sail to Alaska from Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Seward, Alaska.
I’d love to try another cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, perhaps on a more traditional sailing.
Those are part of the upgraded package but not part of the basic one. With the upgrade, I also ended up with two more meals in specialty dining restaurants. So, for example, an upcoming cruise on the Prima — a seven-day trip from Galveston, Texas, to the Caribbean in February — is about $2,400 per balcony cabin (with two people). Then you add on gratuities for the open bar at $305 and specialty dining of about $40.
Our Norwegian Dawn Review – A Classic Cruise Experience
Norwegian offers many different types of staterooms to accommodate all kinds of travelers. Whether you’re traveling solo or with the whole family, on a budget or looking to splurge, you’ll find a stateroom that will suit your needs. The Prima has several bars and lounges scattered throughout the ship. Each had a slightly different feel, from The Local Bar & Grill with its huge TVs, beers on tap and bar food to the aft-facing outdoor Soleil Bar and Indulge Outdoor Lounge with comfy chairs, hammocks and cabanas.
Norwegian Encore activities
While not quite as big as Royal Caribbean's giant, Oasis-class ships, they are firmly in the pantheon of the world's cruising giants. They are the Norwegian vessels most packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment and over-the-top attractions. Norwegian vessels also offer lots of options for daytime fun but are particularly well known for evening entertainment. You'll find everything from music halls with Beatles cover bands and dueling piano bars to theaters with some of the most elaborate shows at sea — including some big-name Broadway productions.
I was shocked by how small the Garden Cafe was onboard Norwegian Sun. Hayley and I looked around to ensure we weren’t missing the other side of the venue somewhere. There was only one location of food in the Garden Cafe with very limited indoor seating. Norwegian Sun is the second oldest ship in Norwegian’s fleet, so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect.
Every ship also has an Italian restaurant, called Onda by Scarpetta or La Cucina. There also are churrascaria restaurants called Moderno on most Norwegian vessels. Every vessel has two or three main restaurants and a casual buffet where meals are included in the fare — the latter is usually called the Garden Cafe. One notable outlier among the smaller ships is the 2,186-passenger Pride of America. Sporting a patriotic U.S. theme (you'll find venues named after Thomas Jefferson and John Adams), and a distinct array of lounges and entertainment, it's the only big cruise vessel based year-round in Hawaii.
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Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Epic, for instance, have the Cavern Club, a reproduction of the British club that gave rise to the Beatles. It comes complete with a cover band that plays the group's greatest hits. As mentioned above, the line also operates one ship (Pride of America) in Hawaii year-round. It's the only cruise line to offer year-round voyages in Hawaii. Norwegian thus appeals both to cruisers who like a giant resort vibe and those who prefer something more modest.
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This tells you that Encore’s slight shift in focus to maximising family areas isn’t as important as the adults-only spaces that Bliss has. It’s still a very popular ship – and people do love the exclusive Onda restaurant – but most cruisers prefer that extra adults-only space that Bliss has in comparison. According to reviews, the best NCL cruise ship is Norwegian Jewel, one of the Jewel-class ships in the fleet. She is popular more as a ship for couples than for families, and despite her age she is always well-reviewed. Norwegian designs its ships to appeal to a broad mix of people, in part by offering a wide range of cabin types at varying price points.
People often comment on how good the crew are on NCL ships but for some reason, Pearl’s staff get even more mentions than usual. She’s reviewed particularly well in 2023 and has risen to the top of the rankings! Proof that the best Norwegian ships aren’t always the newest ones. I’ve then looked at the average score for each ship on those three sites to rank the ships in order. Where there was a tie in the averages, I’ve looked at any other factors that help settle the score. I’m not the same as you and so our views of the ships would be different.
It’s worth knowing, so you can consider booking through a travel agent instead of direct. Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your purchase when paying for the cruise by using a card that offers extra points for travel purchases. In general, Norwegian's newer ships including Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Prima and the Breakaway-class and Breakaway Plus-class vessels will be more expensive than the line's older, smaller ships. However, there are many factors that go into pricing for any given cruise, including the popularity of the specific itinerary, the time of year when the cruise is taking place and changing demand trends. For those with money to burn (pricing on Norwegian Encore recently was $99 per person for a day pass), the Vibe Beach Clubs are lovely, secluded deck-top hideaways. However, there's a downside for everyone else on board the ships that have them, which is that they take away from the deck-top lounge space available to everybody else.
If you're on a tight budget, there are plenty of included-in-the-fare choices for dining and entertainment. If money is no object, you can follow a different "journey" through the ship, as Norwegian executives like to say, to a far more high-end vacation. Members earn points for every night they sail on one of the line's ships. They get an additional point for every night they stay in a concierge room, a suite (not including stays in minisuites, or stays in suites resulting from an upgrade) or a room in The Haven. They also get an additional point for every night booked through a Latitudes Rewards Insider Offer.
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