Norwegian Encore

Launched in 2019, Norwegian Encore cruise ship is the fourth (last) Breakaway Plus-class NCL vessel – together with the sisterships Norwegian Escape (2015), Norwegian Joy (2017) and Norwegian Bliss (2018). Encore is NCL's 13th vessel built by Meyer Werft (Papenburg Germany).

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE (NYC). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL, Oceania and RSSC (Regent).

In comparison to NCL Breakaway-class, the 167,800-ton, 4,200-passenger cruise ship Norwegian Encore hass an expanded The Haven – “ship within a ship” leisure concept. This is area an exclusive accessible only by keycard. There are an outdoor terrace, private restaurant, courtyard area covered with retractable roof, swimming pool, whirlpools, spa treatment rooms, sauna, private sundeck. Other differences from the Breakaway-class are more Haven Suites, Penthouses, Spa Suites, Studios (single cabins).

Cruise itinerary program

Norwegian Encore itinerary program is based on homeport Miami Florida (USA) roundtrips (Sunday departures) on 7-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries with call ports San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI and Tortola BVI.

Previously (in 2017), NCL announced that the liner will be deployed in Asia and homeported in China.

Cabins

Most Norwegian Encore staterooms are 170-tt2 Balcony rooms (1088). There are a total of 2206 staterooms in 42 categories. 47 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. The largest staterooms are the Haven Deluxe Owner’s Suites (900 ft2). The ship offers 82 single cabins (studio staterooms designed for solo travelers) with virtual views and exclusive Studio Lounge. The ship also features many family cabins (connecting staterooms) across most categories.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Norwegian Encore's à la carte specialty dining at the signature specialty restaurants onboard provides passengers with the freedom to savor gourmet dishes, various tastes and the flexibility to choose the number of courses to enjoy during the meal. On Norwegian Encore guests can choose between 11 complimentary dining options. They can also experience new flavors at signature specialty restaurants, such as Le Bistro, La Cucina, Cagney’s Steakhouse and Bayamo by James Beard Award winning chef Jose Garces. Norwegian’s signature specialty restaurants feature enhanced menus including favorite dishes and new tastes. Whether passengers prefer a light meal of a favorite soup or appetizer, or indulge in a dinner featuring Maine lobster, with the new à la carte options, they have the opportunity to create their own, desired dining experience.

• The shipboard dining options feature a Texas steakhouse (barbecue eatery named Q), with live country music. The menu includes brisket, chicken, ribs and sausages smoked over oak, pecan and hickory woods. A modern Mexican restaurant is named Los Lobos (first debuted on Norwegian Dawn in 2016).
• Adjacent to Los Lobos is The A-List Bar, serving handcrafted cocktails, premium spirits and wines.

Norwegian Encore also boasts a full-service Starbucks store. The first Starbucks at sea was opened in 2010 on Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). Another new for NCL amenity is the chocolate-themed dessert outlet Coco’s, serving handmade pralines, crepes, truffles and other treats paired with specialty teas and coffees.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Encore restaurants and food bars.

• Private Room at Taste (100-seat, group private dining venue)
• Savor Restaurant (forward Dining Room, complimentary)
• Taste Restaurant (forward Dining Room, complimentary, with Your Time dining)
• Le Bistro (French specialty dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• Teppanyaki (Japanese Hibachi specialty, reservations-only restaurant; US$25; open for Lunch and Dinner; features live cooking demonstrations)
• Manhattan Room (aft-location Dining Room; complimentary; Freestyle dining, Dinner only)
• O’Sheehan’s Neighbourhood Bar & Grill (sports bar, with 24-hour American cuisine - burgers, steaks, desserts; complimentary)
• Shanghai’s Noodle Bar (Asian cuisine complimentary restaurant inside O’Sheehan’s Pub area)
• Food Republic (via partnership with Pubbelly Restaurant Group; specialty restaurant open for lunch through dinner, offers international cuisine; iPad ordering system)
• Pincho Tapas Bar (Latin dishes)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (specialty dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialties; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu)
• Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse; reservations-only; US$20 per person cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• La Cucina (Italian specialty restaurant; reservations-only, US$15 cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• Bayamo Restaurant (Cuban/Latin seafood restaurant)
• Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville At Sea (debuted in Southampton on October 27, 2015 as a complimentary fast food restaurant; however, in November 2015 NCL confirmed that the first ever Margaritaville at Sea aboard Norwegian Bliss, would operate as a speciality a la carte restaurant, due to "crowd-control reasons")
• Garden Cafe (complimentary buffet restaurant with various cuisine stations)
• Q (Texas barbecue eatery)
• Los Lobos (Mexican restaurant)
• Coco’s (chocolate-themed dessert outlet)
• The A-List Bar (serving handcrafted cocktails, premium spirits and wines)
• Starbucks store.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Encore vessel features expanded 55-suite Haven, a spacious sundeck, 2 whirlpools, private dining and specialty restaurants, expanded courtyard, outdoor terrace, Thermal suite, treatment rooms (14 – suite Heaven SPA) and fitness center.

NCL Encore is the world's third cruise ship (together with NCL Joy and NCL Bliss) featuring a Ferrari racetrack (deck 19). It's a first for a cruise ship based in North America. The facility is built by RiMO Supply (RiMO Germany Group) and operated via partnership with Scuderia Ferrari Watches. This is also the first ever branded Formula 1 race car track.

• The 2-level track spans on 2 decks and offers incredible seaviews at height of 60 m (200 ft). It has capacity up to 10 racers at a time on electric go-karts (Ferrari branded).
• The GoCars can reach speeds up to 40 mph (65 kph). In comparison to the sister-ship Norwegian Joy, Encore's racetrack is 40% longer and has 10 turns (Joy has 8), two of which are cantilevered over the ship's side.
• Passengers booked in Concierge and The Haven staterooms enjoy complimentary rides with bookings. The used by RiMO technology ensures optimal usage under intensified UV conditions and saltwater exposure.

NCL Encore features an open-air laser tag course on the top deck. Other top-deck features are Aqua Park )with 2 multi-deck water slides, one with a hull-extending loop, one with transparent loop section stretching down to the below deck), 2 racing slides (inner tubes with length over 110 m / 360 ft) with a transparent section.

Pool Deck 16 has 2 pools (located away from the deck's center) and cantilevered whirlpools (hot tubs over the ship's sides). A water fun kids zone (on top deck) has splash pads, tipping buckets, water cannons and slides.

Entertainment options also include the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each voyage), "Rock of Ages", "Cirque Dreams", "Illusionarium" (magicians show).

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Encore lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Encore Theatre (800-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand-shows per night). Theater's signature programming features the Broadway musical show “Jersey Boys" ("Best Musical" 2006 Tony Award, rock ‘n’ roll themed) and the "Four Seasons" musical (NCL exclusive production show by Warren Carlyle / themed on Cuba’s culture - dancing, music, costumes).
• The Supper Club (theatrical entertainment dining venue, with grand-style aerial acrobatics; surcharge $30-40 PP)
• Atrium (3-deck midship hub area - “678 Ocean Place”, with a big-size LED screen, dance area and live entertainment)
• Atrium Cafe & Bar (specialty tea & coffee bar)
• The Library; Card Room; Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Headliners Comedy Club & Lounge
• Mixx Bar (live piano music; pre-dinner cocktails); Bar 21; 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar; Tobacco Road Liquor Bar; The Humidor (cigar lounge); The Cellars Wine Bar; Sugarcane Mojito Bar; Prime Meridian Bar; Studio Lounge
• Carlo’s Bake Shop (cakes, pastries, bakeries; cupcake classes)
• Art Gallery
• The Cavern Club replica of the Liverpool music club, Beatles music, tribute bands performances)
• Encore Casino (served by Skyline Bar)
• Encore Ultra Lounge & Nightclub
• The District Brew House (craft beer hall featuring a keg room, 24 draft beers on tap and 50 different bottled beers; via partnership with Wynwood Brewing Company, Miami)
• Dolce Gelato (Italian ice cream)
• Atrium Boutiques (tax-duty free shops); Photo Gallery & Shop
• Waterfront Promenade (1320 ft/402 m long; open air dining and entertainment venues)
• Aqua Park (3-deck, with two pools, 2 racing twist-slides and 5 multi-level waterslides)
• Kids venues, club lounges (Kid’s Aqua Park, Splash Academy for kids 3-12 yo, Guppies Nursery for kids 6 months to 2 yo)
• Mandara Spa & Fitness (Thermal Suite, Snow Room, Salt Room, Medi Spa, 24 Treatment Rooms, Beauty Salon, Barber Shop, fitness classes)
• Spice H2O (adults only; served by Breezeway Bar & Grill)
• Entourage Teen Centre (jukeboxes, table football, video arcades, teen disco)
• “The Haven” (Suite- and Villa-passengers only complex; consists of The Haven Courtyard, The Haven Restaurant, The Haven Lounge)
• Rock Climbing Wall; Jogging Track; Sports Complex (Spider Web - enclosed 24ft/7m tall kids climbing wall with spiral slide, Bungee Trampoline, 9-hole Mini Golf course, the largest at sea Ropes course, Zip Line, The Plank - 8ft/2,5m extending platform)
• Vibe Beach Club (adults only).

• On January 31, 2018, was held the vessel's steel-cutting ceremony at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg Germany. With this officially started the ship's construction. The ceremony was attended by NCL executives gathered at the yard's laser cutting center. The ship's delivery was scheduled for October 31, 2019.

Inaugural cruise itineraries 2019

On March 22, 2018, were opened the NCL Encore bookings on all Caribbean 2019 voyages. The inaugural season (November 2019 through April 2020) offers Miami roundtrips (Sunday departures) on 7-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries with call ports San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI and Tortola BVI.

Next tables show the ship's "Inaugural Cruise" itineraries with call ports times and prices per person (USD, based on double occupancy Inside Cabin rates).

11-day "Inaugural Cruise" Europe-USA (repositioning from Southampton to Miami) - from USD 1200 pp

7-day Inaugural Caribbean cruise from Miami - from USD 1000 pp

Godspeed to the new ship!