Norwegian Encore in one read
Norwegian Encore is the last and largest ship of the Breakaway Plus family, and Cruise Critic's editor calls her and Norwegian Bliss virtually carbon copies — with one restaurant, Onda by Scarpetta, cited as the main thing separating them. She carries the largest go-kart track at sea: roughly 1,150 feet with 10 turns and four sections cantilevered up to 13 feet out over the ship's side.
She is also the ship where this class's commercial logic is most visible. She currently sits first in Cruise Critic's rolling twelve-month ranking of the whole NCL fleet — while carrying one of the lowest lifetime member averages, and while her own reviewers' single most consistent complaint is that there is nowhere free to sit outside. Cruise Critic's editor states it plainly: the ship prioritises paid attractions over complimentary spaces, leaving sun worshippers disappointed by compressed deck areas.
Fit scores, not review scores — a lower value number means the base fare buys you less of the ship, not that she's a lesser ship.
Travellers who want the biggest go-kart track and the only surviving virtual-reality complex in the family, and who read recent reviews rather than lifetime averages.
Lounging outdoors is central to your holiday. Free deck space is her documented weak point and it is the criticism her own professional reviewers make most directly.
What Encore was built to solve
Encore was built to be the fullest expression of the paid-attraction model — and she is. By 2019 NCL had run the experiment twice: Joy introduced the go-kart track, laser tag and virtual reality, and Bliss repeated it with a bigger track. Encore takes it furthest. Her Speedway is roughly 1,150 feet with 10 turns, two storeys, and four sections cantilevered out over the side of the hull — a genuinely striking piece of engineering, and the largest at sea.
She also keeps the Galaxy Pavilion, more than 10,000 square feet of virtual reality and an escape room on deck 17 aft. Among her sisters she is now the only one that still has it: Joy's was demolished in 2024, and Bliss never had one at all.
The cost of that model is the thing reviewers keep writing about. Her most consistent criticism is not the food or the service — it is that there is one pool, it is crowded, the adults-only sun deck is undersized, and free outdoor space is scarce. Cruise Critic's editor connects the two directly: the ship prioritises paid attractions over complimentary spaces. That is a professional reviewer describing the commercial architecture of this entire class in a single sentence, and Encore is where it is most exposed.
Then in 2024 NCL began walking it back on this hull too — laser tag came out for Spice H2O, and roughly two dozen balcony cabins were carved out of the observation lounge. Free thrill space became adults-only premium space and revenue accommodation.
Is Encore your ship?
Four quick questions and we'll give you an honest read on whether she fits — not a sales pitch.
Where she sails
Durable pattern, not a fixed schedule — verify your exact sailing.
Caribbean and Alaska. Encore alternates between the two in the family pattern, with Caribbean itineraries frequently including Harvest Caye, NCL's Belize destination, which draws consistent praise in her reviews.
One practical note specific to this ship: Miami embarkation is a recurring complaint, described in reviews as chaotic. As with her sister Escape, build margin into arrival and departure day rather than assuming a quick turnaround.
Onboard: her features & standouts
The fullest version of the paid-attraction model, and the clearest view of what it costs. Tap through.
Cruise Critic's editor on this ship: the ship prioritises paid attractions over complimentary spaces, leaving sun worshippers disappointed by compressed deck areas. That is a professional reviewer stating the commercial architecture of the entire Breakaway Plus family out loud, on the hull where it is most visible.
Deck plan logic: bottlenecks & where the dining clusters
Encore's deck plan is Bliss's, with more of the top deck sold. The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place run through decks 6 to 8 in the family pattern and work well. The observation lounge sits forward on deck 15. What differs is above: the Speedway occupies a larger footprint than on any other ship at sea, and the Galaxy Pavilion takes over 10,000 square feet on deck 17 aft.
The consequence is her defining bottleneck, and it is the pool. Reviews describe a single pool that is extremely crowded and impossible to relax at, and swimming through a crowd of people. The adults-only sun deck is reported as undersized. On a ship of 3,958 guests, that is a genuine planning problem rather than a grumble — if outdoor lounging matters to you, budget for Vibe Beach Club or accept that you will be indoors.
A second, more fixable bottleneck is the buffet schedule. It closes at 9.30 in the evening and shuts for roughly two hours between lunch and dinner, which catches out anyone coming back late from a port day. Know the gap and plan a specialty lunch or a late port snack around it.
Dining otherwise clusters in the family pattern through 678 Ocean Place, and food quality draws better marks here than on most of her sisters — above average is a phrase that recurs.
Value strategy: what to pre-book, what to skip
On Encore the pre-book decisions matter more than on any of her sisters, because free space is the scarce resource.
Worth locking in
- Vibe Beach Club, without hesitating. On a ship whose defining complaint is crowded free deck space, guaranteed adults-only outdoor seating is the single highest-value purchase available.
- Go-kart races on day one. Waits of up to two and a half hours have been reported; early in the week and early in the day are both materially better.
- Onda by Scarpetta — her exclusive restaurant and, per Cruise Critic's editor, the main reason to pick her over Bliss.
- The thermal suite. Weekly passes are capped at roughly 200 on this ship and they sell out.
Save your money
- Deal or No Deal and the arcade-style paid games. One reviewer reported $29 to play a single card. This is where the nickel-and-diming criticism is most deserved.
- The unlimited Speedway pass unless you are genuinely racing several times — with the reported queues, most people manage fewer runs than they plan.
- Assuming laser tag is still there. It was removed in late 2024 and replaced with Spice H2O.
- The beverage package for light drinkers — $28.50 per person per day.
Structuring a day
- Claim outdoor space early or pay for it. There is no third option on this ship.
- Race first thing. The queue builds through the day and the reported worst-case wait is two and a half hours.
- Plan around the buffet gap — it shuts for roughly two hours between lunch and dinner and closes at 9.30pm.
- Give Miami embarkation day plenty of margin. It is a recurring complaint on this ship specifically.
Free at Sea's beverage perk carries a $28.50 per person per day charge and its specialty dining perk $20 per person per meal. A couple on a seven-night sailing taking both pays roughly $519 on top of the fare for perks marketed as free. Daily service charges are separate: $20 per person per day in standard cabins, $25 in the Haven.
Cabins & suites
What's aboard
- Standard interior, oceanview, balcony and Club Balcony Suite, plus solo studio cabins.
- Reviews describe her as beautiful and very well maintained — she came out of a refit in late 2024.
The Haven
- Across decks 15, 17 and 18, with penthouses also on deck 15 aft — a slightly more spread-out arrangement than her sisters'.
- Branded Horizon Lounge, shared with Joy and Bliss.
- Premier Owner's Suite expanded from two bedrooms to three with three and a half bathrooms in 2024. Reviews describe the Haven here as a slice of paradise.
Her sister ships
Three sisters — one of whom Cruise Critic's editor calls her virtual carbon copy.
Norwegian Bliss
Her near-twin, one year older, with the better observation lounge and the better design reviews.
Sister shipNorwegian Joy
The ex-China build with the largest crew in the fleet.
Sister shipNorwegian Escape
The free ropes course and the free deck space Encore doesn't have.
Class guideThe Breakaway Plus Class
All four ships and the free-to-paid timeline.
The honest read
Encore is simultaneously the best and worst reviewed ship in her family, depending which window you use, and both numbers are real. On Cruise Critic's rolling twelve-month ranking she is first in the entire NCL fleet. On lifetime member score she sits at 3.2 out of 5 across roughly 567 reviews — joint-lowest with Joy. The most plausible reconciliation is her late-2024 refit: recent guests are rating a freshly refurbished ship, and the lifetime average carries five years of everything before it.
Her praise is specific and consistent: beautiful and very well maintained, above average food quality, great staff throughout, and a Haven described as a slice of paradise. Harvest Caye draws repeated positive mentions on her Caribbean itineraries.
Her criticism is equally specific, and it is about space. One pool described as extremely crowded and impossible to relax at. An undersized adults-only sun deck. A buffet that closes at 9.30pm and shuts for two hours mid-afternoon. Miami embarkation described as chaos. Staff described as visibly overworked. Go-kart waits reported at two and a half hours. And a $29 charge to play a single card of a game show.
Cruise Critic's editor draws the conclusion for us — limited complimentary outdoor deck space, a windowless cramped kids' club, and a ship that prioritises paid attractions over complimentary spaces. That is the most direct statement of this class's design philosophy available from any professional source, and it is made about this ship.
The honest booking advice: Encore is a genuinely good ship if you engage with what she sells and budget for it. She is a frustrating ship if you arrive expecting to sit outside for free.
Norwegian Encore at a glance
The numbers, stated once, with the basis named.
| Ship class | Breakaway Plus Class |
| Entered service | October 2019; christened at PortMiami, November 2019 |
| Shipyard | Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany |
| Gross tonnage | 169,116 GT — agreed across all sources, unusually |
| Guests, double occupancy | 3,958 per NCL. Other sources give 3,998 and 4,004 |
| Crew | 1,735. Wikipedia's figure of 2,100 is erroneous — it is inconsistent with sister ship Bliss at 1,716 |
| Guests per crew | 2.28 |
| Decks | 20 |
| Go-kart track | The largest at sea — roughly 1,150 ft, 10 turns, two storeys, four sections cantilevered up to 13 ft over the ship's side |
| Galaxy Pavilion | Over 10,000 sq ft on deck 17 aft, including the Captain's Quest escape room — the only surviving one in her class |
| Exclusive restaurant | Onda by Scarpetta |
| Observation Lounge | Reported as the only two-storey one in the family; partially converted to cabins in 2024 |
| Removed in 2024 | Laser tag, replaced by Spice H2O |
| Most recent refit | November to December 2024 |
| Recent form | First in the NCL fleet on Cruise Critic's rolling twelve-month ranking |
| Lifetime member rating | 3.2 out of 5 on roughly 567 reviews — joint-lowest in her family |
| Documented weakness | Limited complimentary outdoor deck space; one crowded pool; undersized adults-only sun deck |
| Primary demographic appeal | Thrill-seekers and food-focused travellers who will pay for premium space |
| Durable deployment | Caribbean and Alaska |
Ask Seabound about Encore
Tell us about your trip.
Homeport, group size, kids' ages, budget and length — and we'll tell you honestly whether Encore is your ship or another Norwegian fits better.
Instant answers from our guides · always verified against current Norwegian information before you book.
Quick answers
Why is Norwegian Encore ranked number one when her reviews are low?
Two different measurement windows. Cruise Critic's rolling twelve-month ranking places her first in the NCL fleet, while her lifetime member average sits at 3.2 out of 5. She came out of a major refit in late 2024, so recent guests are rating a freshly refurbished ship while the lifetime figure carries five earlier years.
How big is the go-kart track on Norwegian Encore?
The largest at sea — roughly 1,150 feet with 10 turns across two storeys, including four sections cantilevered up to 13 feet out over the side of the ship. It runs around $15 a race. Waits of up to two and a half hours have been reported, so race early.
Does Norwegian Encore still have laser tag?
No. Laser tag was removed in late 2024 and replaced with Spice H2O, an adults-only outdoor area. She does still have the Galaxy Pavilion virtual-reality complex — the only one left among her sisters.
What is the difference between Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Bliss?
Cruise Critic's editor calls them virtually carbon copies. The substantive differences are Onda by Scarpetta, which is exclusive to Encore; Encore's larger go-kart track; Encore's Galaxy Pavilion, which Bliss never had; and Bliss's much larger and better-regarded observation lounge.
Is the pool deck crowded on Norwegian Encore?
Yes — it is her most consistent criticism. Reviews describe a single pool as extremely crowded and impossible to relax at, with an undersized adults-only sun deck. Cruise Critic's editor cites limited complimentary outdoor deck space and says the ship prioritises paid attractions over free ones. Booking Vibe Beach Club is the practical workaround.