Norwegian Encore – Emma Cruises

In this article, you'll explore all public areas onboard the Norwegian Encore. The tour begins with the restaurants on lower levels and ends on the highest deck. Information about each venue has been included as well as my experiences cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line to help you decide if the Norwegian Encore is right for you. All restaurants/activities that cost extra onboard are clearly marked. The District Brewhouse - Deck 8 The District Brewhouse is a bar on deck 8. It's one of my favourite places on board and I've never seen a bar quite like it on a ship before! The bar has a biker/motorbike theme and has LOADS of beers on tap. The bar also has a photo booth where, for a charge, you can have photos taken. I visited the Norwegian Encore on a press cruise so it was free to use, I took some photos and left them on the board, I wonder if they're still there... Food Republic - Deck 8 Food Republic is one of the many speciality restaurants onboard the ship. Food Republic is designed to offer little tastes of dishes from all over the world. Travel to Peru and indulge in a reinvented version of ceviche. Jet away to Japan and try a new kind of sushi roll. Or have a hearty helping of noodles from China. - source. In food republic, guests use iPads to order which I like. Each time on the menu has a price and you pay per item. Each item ranges from around $3-$11 and they are small plates. Waterfront - Deck 8 These photos do not do the waterfront justice, AT ALL. The waterfront is an amazing section of the ship where you'll find bars and restaurants which open out onto the promenade deck. In good weather, this is a very popular place and you'll always find people sitting in the bars and restaurants. It's also a great place to come for a stroll along the promenade deck. There is plenty of seating and when I have an inside cabin I like to think of the waterfront as being my HUGE balcony. I'll often be found here with a drink and a book. Cellars - Deck 8 On deck 8 you'll find Cellars, a wine bar with hundreds of wines to choose from. For a bottle of wine here you're realistically looking at around $30-$100 per bottle. The bar is primarily about trying different wines so they do offer wine tasting experiences. The bar has a prime location right in the middle of the ship and can be busy in the evenings. Maltings Whiskey Bar - Deck 8 Maltings Whiskey Bar is one of my favourite bars onboard. Rather unsurprisingly the bar focuses on Whiskey but you can get a variety of drinks here. I'd personally recommend ordering an old fashioned. The seating in the bar is relatively small so at peak times it can be difficult to get a seat here. That said, passengers seem to move around often and with the number of bars onboard Norwegian Encore you'll soon find a seat. The Whiskey Bar is located by the cigar lounge and you can also step out onto the waterfront promenade deck. The Cavern Club In the Cavern club, you'll find a Beatles tribute band. If you do want to see the tribute band make sure that you arrive much earlier than you think that you need to, this bar fills up FAST when the tribute band are playing. There is a bar here, just to the right of this picture and they serve a variety of drinks including brilliant cocktails. Sugarcane Mojito Bar - Deck 8 The Mojito bar on deck 8 is home to my all-time favourite cruise drink, the Raspberry Mojito! This is another very popular bar which can get very busy, it's located by one of the main atriums and a lot of people walk past the bar, stopping, of course, for a Mojito! The bar serves a variety of drinks but is best known, of course, for the Mojitos. I'd strongly recommend that you have one if you are at the bar, I never knew that there were so many ways to make Mojitos. Onda - Deck 8 The Onda by Scarpetta restaurant replaces La Cucina which you'll find on some older Norwegian Cruise Line ships. It is an Italian speciality restaurant which is located behind the cellars wine bar. I've got to be honest, I have no idea who Scarpetta is but Onda seems like a high-quality Italian eatery. A full review on Onda by Scarpetta can be found on EatSleepCruise here: Onda by Scarpetta Restaurant Review. Deck 8 - Tradewinds Norwegian Encore has a large shopping area in the middle called tradewinds. You can buy just about anything here, perfume, gifts, makeup, toys, you name it. Certain items such as toiletries have a huge mark up on cruise ships so I'd always suggest bringing anything that you can instead of buying it onboard. To learn more about what happens if you do get sick on a cruise, check out this post: What Happens if You Get Sick on a Cruise? Simple Step by Step Guide. That said, being able to buy things like an emergency packet of cold and flu medicine can be a real lifesaver. Just be aware that it'll likely cost 3-4x the land price. Photo Gallery - Deck 8 Norwegian Encore has a modern photo gallery where photos are shown on screens. If you have photos taken of you when on board this will be linked to your cruise card and you'll be able to see them when you get to the photo gallery. On many older ships and other cruise lines, the photos are physically printer and you have to look through them to recognise yourself. I do quite like looking at other peoples photos but this gallery style is much more efficient. There are also gifts and gadgets to buy if you wish. Theatre - Deck 7 One of my favourite things about Norwegian is the theatre shows that are put on daily. On big ships like Norwegian Encore, you'll find a broadway-style production and other shows performed throughout your cruise. Due to the size of the ship the shows are repeated on multiple nights. This means that you won't be able to go to the theatre to see a different show every night which is something that I usually like to do. That said, that's the price you have to pay to see popular shows like Kinky Boots or Priscilla Queen of The Desert. It's worth noting that all shows here are included in your cruise fare but you do have to book a space ahead of time to see the shows. This can be done on the Norwegian Cruise Line app, on your TV in your cabin or at the theatre desk. I'd strongly advise that as soon as you step onboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship that you book your entertainment for the week. You can cancel if you would like to but some shows fill up FAST and it would be a shame to miss out. The Local The Local is one of my favourite places onboard Norwegian Encore. The Local is the new version of 'O-Sheehans' or the 'Blue Lagoon' on older Norwegian Ships. It's a great place to grab a quick burger, hot dog, chicken wings or sandwich. It's usually open 24 hours a day and it's included in your cruise fare. The local overlooks the atrium and has a bar too, many people sit here to watch sporting events which are shown on the big screen. This area is exactly the same as what you'll find on the Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. The three ships are actually all pretty similar. To find out more, including which I prefer, check out this video: https://youtu.be/ARFgshKH9S0 Casino - Deck 7 On Deck 7 you'll find a HUGE casino. The casino spans across half of a deck and has various machines, tables and games to play. The casino has a designated smoking room but guests aren't able to smoke in the rest of the casino. Many people walk through the casino to get to other areas of the ship as it has a central location, for this reason, I'm glad that smoking is confined to a smoking room. Manhattan Room - Deck 7 On Norwegian ships, you'll find multiple main dining rooms. The Manhattan Room is located at the back of the ship and it is the biggest dining room onboard. To dine in the dining room you just show up as you would to a restaurant on land and are seated, there's no need to book and there are no set dining times. To learn more about all of your included food options on a Norwegian cruise, check out this post: Do Norwegian Cruise Line Cruises Include Meals? Included Food Guide. Savor & Taste - Deck 6 There are two more included main dining room options called Taste and Savor, these are located opposite each other and are pretty much the same restaurant, they serve the same menu and provide a slightly more relaxed dining experience than the manhattan room. That said, all dining on a Norwegian cruise is incredibly relaxed. Norwegian don't have any formal nights but do still have SOME dress codes, to learn more about this, check out this post: Norwegian Cruise Line Don't Have Formal Nights, Here's What They Have Instead Teppanyaki Teppanyaki is a speciality restaurant which serves Japanese cuisine. The food is cooking on the table in front of passengers and its as much about the entertainment as the food. You'll find Teppanyaki style restaurants on many different cruise ships and on other cruise lines. Social Comedy and Night Club - Deck 6 On deck 6 you'll find the social comedy, this is an entertainment area with a bar and is decorated in bright colours. It's located right in the heart of the ship. By day you'll find various events scheduled here and you'll find passengers enjoying the space late into the evening. Behind the main room, you'll find a green room, I'm not too sure why everything is green but it's certainly an interesting place to hang out! Starbucks - Deck 6 For those who need a Starbucks fix there is a Starbucks on deck 6. The drinks are priced similarly to how they would be in a Starbucks on land and the majority of the drinks you'll find on land are available here. Drinks will be charged to your cruise card and added to your onboard account. It isn't necessary to spend anything on tea or coffee when you cruise, this is one of those expenses which I avoid and you can learn how to too by watching the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzQzfHvv4E8 Atrium Bar - Deck 6 Located right in the centre of the ship you'll find the atrium bar. This is a very popular place for passengers to meet up before dinner and can get very busy. Q Texas Smokehouse Q Texas Smokehouse is a speciality BBQ restaurant onboard Norwegian Encore. I had a meal here and it was fantastic. If you are a fan of meat and BBQ's this is the place to be. The restaurant itself is rather dark and mysterious, it's decorated with neon signs and has cups which LOOK like plastic cups, but they aren't! As we're here near the subscribe button, make sure that you've subscribed to my YouTube channel for weekly cruise tips, news and tours. You will find my Norwegian Encore ship tour here: Norwegian Encore, Ship Tour. Observation Lounge - Deck 15 At the top of the ship, you will find a HUGE lounge. This is one of my favourite places on the ship to grab a drink and sit down in a comfy seat while watching the world go by. The lounge stretches along two sides of the ship and around the back. Cruise ships of this size can feel very busy but it was always possible to get a drink and a seat in this lounge. You'll also find a very breakfast option here in the mornings which is a great alternative to the buffet or main dining room. In the evenings the lounge is very popular and you'll find live music and passengers enjoying drinks here. Sun Deck - Deck 6 It might not have been very sunny when I took this photo but this is the sun deck. It's quite small compared to other ships of her size because there is a go-kart track/laser tag course at the back and the Haven (a premium area) at the front of the ship. This means that there is less space for sunbathing than you'd find on other ships. The main pool is a good size and there are waterslides here too, one of which actually goes over the edge of the ship. I loved the Norwegian Encore but this small sun deck is one of the things that I didn't like. To find out more, check out this video: https://youtu.be/4YGE8Er9hOI American Diner - Deck 17 On deck 17 you'll find a speciality restaurant which is styled as an American diner. I ate here during my trip and although the food was good I don't know that I would recommend it due to the charge. The included food found in other restaurants is of similar quality so really what you are paying for is the atmosphere. We had a great meal here and the restaurant is well decorated. Speedway - Deck 18 Right at the top of the ship, you'll find a Go-Kart track called the speedway. This is what Norwegian Encore is famous for and it makes the ship instantly recognisable from a distance. The go-kart track takes up around 1/3rd of the top deck and it costs approximately $15 to ride the go-karts. Laser Tag - Deck 18 Also on deck 18, you'll find laser tag. The laser tag course is outside and has a snake theme. It's actually a very big space, no photos/videos do it justice. Unfortunately, the laser tag course can' be used in heavy rain because it's outside, not a problem if you're sailing somewhere warm but if you're taking a cold-weather cruise, this may mean that the course is closed. It costs around $10 for a game of laser tag or it is possible to purchase an unlimited pass. The Buffet (Garden Cafe) - Deck 16 Norwegian Encore has a HUGE buffet with various different stations. The buffet is open from early in the morning until late in the evening and instead of closing the buffet completely between meals various stations usually just open/close. This means that you're able to find food all day long. You'll find food from all over the world and plenty of places to sit. It's quite a long walk to the end of the buffet because it is so huge but we never struggled to find a seat and would usually walk to the end. There are also lots of stations where you can get tea, coffee or glass of water. Tea and coffee in the buffet are always included in your cruise fare and there is usually quite a lot of variety. To learn more about what's included in a Norwegian cruise line cruise, check out this post: Do Norwegian Cruise Line Cruises Include Meals? Included Food Guide. Galaxy Pavilion - Deck 17 On deck 17 you'll find another paid for area called the Galaxy Pavilion. Here you'll find a variety of VR games with quite elaborate setups. I'm personally not a big fan of VR (makes me feel queazy) but if you are a VR lover you'll definitely enjoy the games here. There is a charge for each game which is charged to your room key. Video Version: This post was based on the video tour of Norwegian Encore. If you'd like to know more, check out the full video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAoThWTNYQ0