Our 35-day Norwegian Encore cruise from Seattle to Southampton was both very good and very bad. The ship, service, food, drinks and entertainment were wonderful. Probably best ever of any cruise.
The bad had to do with me. Maybe it was the traveling east, or that I'm more of a landlubber. My body is old, and could not adjust to the constant time changes. I found in the past that flying east was terrible for me. So all my global journeys have been in the westward direction. It's possible that I will in the future avoid anything going east, including on ships. The worst thing is that I had difficulty sleeping. Sleep is very important. Last night, for example, I was in bed for 14 hours and slept only 3 hours, at most. On land. I'm worried about the remaining days. We don't return to Hawaii until December 7, which is 16 days away. I hope I can ultimately recover at home.
With that dire thought, let me mention some of the other negatives.
- I drank, ate and partied too much. Way, too much.
- Did not exercise much.
- Went on only one tour, mostly because we were sleeping until at least noon all the time. Plus, you had to pay for them.
- Room air-conditioner sometimes did not work well.
- I either caught a cold...or contracted COVID-19, a week into the cruise. Never tested myself. Thus, some coughing and congestion still remain today. Hurts trying to sleep.
- The immigration check system in Miami was way too time consuming.
- The performers in the main theater were mediocre.
- The room TV was small and stations were terrible. The same films played for 35 days. There was MSNBC, Fox and CNBC, but not much else.
- Donald Trump was re-elected president. Probably affected my sleep pattern.
The positives.
- The workers were well-trained and made you feel welcomed.
- Almost everywhere, and especially in the food service areas, there was constant cleaning.
- The food was uniformly outstanding.
- The noodle station at lunch was a must stop.
- We had three meals in Le Bistro, the French restaurant, with the escargot and endive salad particularly outstanding.
The entertainers in the various small rooms were excellent. Beatles, Adda Band, etc.- Good karaoke in The Cavern Club, which is fashioned similar to where the Beatles performed in Liverpool.
- Dancing to the great sounds in the Social Club with a DJ at least gave me some exercise.
- The WiFi mostly worked well.
- The bathroom was superior, with a safe and reasonably large (for a ship) shower and double sinks.
The Panama Canal transit experience should be experienced by all.- The ship did not encounter any bad seas. We barely missed two hurricanes, but the ride was smooth and safe throughout.
All in all, weighing the pluses and negatives, I would give this cruise a C+ grade, only because I just could not sleep well. I know at least one other person who gave it an A. Still have the Viking Christmas River Cruise remaining. I just hope I can sleep better.
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