Review of the Norwegian Encore: 7 Days in Alaska (Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria) in May

After years of talking about taking an Alaskan cruise, I finally had the chance to cruise Alaska earlier this month!

My husband became a fan of cruising after our cruise on the Jade around Greece last October, so before we even disembarked that ship, we put down deposits for future cruises. I used the opportunity to push for Alaska, and we ended up booking for mid-May because my husband was so impatient to have our next cruise on the calendar rather than waiting until later in the summer, haha!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

tips and general info:

Food and drink: The Norwegian Encore offers plenty of dining (the complimentary dining includes a buffet at the Garden Café, 24-hour eatery at the Local Bar & Grill, and sit-down meals at Savor, Taste, and the Manhattan Room Room, and the specialty dining includes seafood at Ocean Blue, Italian at Onda by Scarpetta, Asian at Food Republic, Japanese at Teppanyaki, Mexican at Los Lobos, French at Le Bistro, and Cagney's Steakhouse, as well as Dolce Gelato and Coco's for sweets). There are also numerous bars and lounges, including Sugarcane Mojito Bar, Maltings Whiskey Bar, and even a Starbucks, among others! 

I order the smoked mozzarella ravioli in lobster cream sauce every time I see it on the menu, and it's always worth it (though the portion size seemed smaller in May 2022 than in October 2021... shrinkflation!)

Activities: The Encore also offers a variety of activities, including a go-kart track, laser tag, and water slides, as well as a fitness center, jogging track, casino, and spa.

View from a fitness center treadmill!

Entertainment: I thought the entertainment is incredible! Whether you enjoy trivia, stand-up comedy, karaoke, or performances — there's something for everyone!

This had some tough questions!

Shopping: You can also shop on the ship, from jewelry to souvenirs to any items you may have forgotten. While on the ship, we considered buying a selfie stick (I forgot mine!) and binoculars, both of which were available in the store. There were also a few binocular stations on the ship — see below (though be warned, they were in high demand during certain times, like during Glacier Bay).

Book reservations early: As we did for the Jade, my husband and I purchased a sailing with the the Free-at-Sea promotion (which included 2 specialty dining meals and a beverage package for all drinks $15 and under). I recommend booking your dinner reservations as quickly as you can, either before boarding or once you board, to ensure you get the reservations you want (e.g., if you know there's a night you want to do dinner early at a certain restaurant because you have an early morning the next day).

Sweater: Banana Republic Factory (affiliate link)

Book excursions early, too! While we had only booked one excursion during our 7 nights on the Jade, we decided to book more for Alaska to make the most out of it because we felt as though the vibe in Alaska would be different than in Greece (e.g., we wanted to be more active in Alaska, whereas in Greece we were mostly content just wandering the port cities on our own). 

Note: If you book excursions through the ship, they will likely be more expensive than private excursions through external vendors, but you gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing the ship will wait for you if you are late returning from your excursion (or knowing your excursion will wait for you if the ship is late arriving to the port beforehand). We booked our excursions in Juneau and Skagway several months in advance and Ketchikan a month or so in advance.

Make the most of your room TV: One tip I'd read was to leave the TV in your room on and turned to the channel for ship announcements, as the ship will often announce any spottings of wildlife during Alaskan cruises. This was especially helpful for Glacier Bay as I was getting dressed, as there were announcements letting us know what we were approaching and how much time we had.

In the ship's enormous Observation Lounge

Bring lotion! Between trying to avoid COVID-19 and trying to avoid norovirus, I was washing my hands non-stop ("washy washy! happy happy!"), so my hands were seriously chapped and painful by the end of the cruise.

A balcony room is worth it for Alaska. We opted for a balcony room again, which I thought was completely worth it for this trip. It made the room seem bigger (which I liked because this room was definitely smaller than our balcony room on the Jade); I loved seeing the view as I was getting ready and falling asleep to the sound of the waves; and perhaps most importantly — the deck during Alaskan cruises can get particularly crowded, so it was nice having our balcony to ourselves when we didn't want to fight for railing space.

Maximize your suitcase(s): If you need more drawer space, open up your suitcases, then put them under the bed so that you can slide them in and out. (Our balcony room had plenty of drawer and closet space, but you might need more if you have more than 2 people in a room.)

Don't just assume it'll be cold and raining: Dress in layers, but also check the weather rather than assuming Alaska will still be cold, especially because the weather can be unpredictable. 

When we checked the week before, it looked like non-stop rain, but then the weather for us from May 15 through May 22 was mostly in the 50s and 60s (one day in the 70s!), with only a slight drizzle the first day in Juneau. I packed a few outer layers that I never ended up wearing, so they took up unnecessary space in my suitcase because they were puffy. (And I didn't see anyone using umbrellas, so I'd recommend leaving that at home and making do with a raincoat or poncho.)

The ship is what you make of it. I used the fitness center (and could have even ran on the jogging track at least 2 days because of how warm it was), while my husband went to the Observation Lounge. Though I would have been content to just laze about the rest of the time, my husband wanted to go to every comedy show and musical. This made our time seem packed, but I ultimately recommend it, as the performances were so good — and the performers will definitely appreciate having an audience!

Folks watching a Marvel movie in the Atrium

I didn't experience seasickness. I packed Dramamine and Pepto-Bismal, but neither of us ended up using it. The Encore is definitely bigger and newer than the Jade (the ship from our Greek cruise), so we barely noticed any rocking or swaying this time, and I didn't feel any residual swaying (aka Mal de Debarquement Syndrome) at all this time after disembarking.

Three of the ship's 17+ floors.

what i packed:

I brought one checked suitcase, one carry-on suitcase, and a travel tote for the plane.

Outerwear:

• Sam Edelman knee-length puffer coat and Old Navy waist-length puffer coat (neither of which I used because it was so warm)
• L.L. Bean 3-in-1 jacket with fleece (affiliate link)
• Old Navy puffer vest
• Barbour jacket (affiliate link)
• Express utility jacket
• Banana Republic Factory jean jacket (here, similar here and here, affiliate links)

Sweaters/shirts:

• Thread & Supply fleece pullover (which I did not use because it was so warm) (affiliate link)
• Abercrombie snap-up fleece (affiliate link)
• 2 flannel shirts to layer (from Express and Old Navy)
• 2 long-sleeved staple shirts from Gap Factory (here and here, affiliate links)
• Long-sleeved shirt from Lulus (affiliate link)
• 3 sweaters
• "Thick and Sprucy" sweatshirt from Etsy (here, similar here, affiliate links)

Pants:

• Under Armour leggings
• Plush leggings (affiliate link)
• Old Navy blue jeans
• Express white jeans

Shoes:

• Hunter short packable rain boots (affiliate link)
• Lands' End duck boots (affiliate link)
• Hiking boots (affiliate link)
• Brooks running shoes (affiliate link)
• Old Navy flip-flops for the shower and pool deck (affiliate link)

Note: I probably could have gotten away with only bringing running shoes and either duck boots or rain boots and then leaving the other boots at home.

Miscellaneous:

• Sleeping eye mask — the sun rises before 5am, so it helped me sleep longer!
• Exercise clothes
• Baseball hats from Pink Lily (affiliate link)
• Pom pom beanies (affiliate link)
• Gloves (affiliate link, similar available here)
• Hiking socks for hiking boots and duck boots (affiliate link)
• Purse (affiliate link)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Swimsuit for the hot tub (affiliate link)
• Dramamine
• Pepto-Bismal
• Bug spray (which I did not ever need to use)
• Nail polish + nail polish remover pads from CVS — I love painting my own nails but hate having any chips, and these pads take off even my red polish easily.
• Hanging make-up organizer and toiletry bag — I ordered this one from Amazon (affiliate link) and LOVED it — it was affordable, saved counter space, and I didn't have to pull all my make-up out at once.
• Quick-drying hair wrap (affiliate link)
• Binoculars if you have/want them
• Fancy clothes for one night (I did notice that people on our ship were dressed up one of the nights, though I'm not sure what for!)

itinerary:

Saturday: Flew to Seattle and stayed the night.

I can't recommend Seattle enough! One of my best friends lives there, and I'd previously written about my trip visiting in this travel diary. It was my husband's first time in Washington state, and he also loved it. During our time here, we went to the top of the Space Needle, visited Pike Place Market, and rode the Ferris wheel — can you see Mt. Rainier in the photo below from the Ferris wheel?

Sunday: Embarkation Day! (depart 5pm)

We were hoping for a quick and easy embarkation process like we'd experienced previously with a Norwegian cruise, but this one took much longer. When we arrived at 9am for our window to board, there was already a long line, and once we got through the line, we sat in a waiting area for 2 hours or so before we could board. We spent the rest of the day exploring the ship, eating at the Garden Café, and relaxing in the Observation Lounge, and we went to a comedy show that night.

The Choir of Man performance

Monday: Sea Day!

Since we didn't have any Sea Days on the Jade around Greece, we were excited to have more time on the ship. After relaxing and taking in the sights, we watched the Choir of Man (a singing and dancing performance — which was incredible) and used one of our 2 specialty dining options to eat dinner at Ocean Blue.

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Fleece: Abercrombie (affiliate link) | Leggings: Amazon (affiliate link, also available here) | Duck boots: Lands' End (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link)

Tuesday: Juneau (arrive 2:30pm, depart 11pm)

We paid for the Mendenhall Glacier & Evening Whale Quest (more info here). After getting off the ship, we climbed on our tour bus, which took us first to the glacier and later to our whale-watching tour, before dropping us back off at the port. We really enjoyed wandering around the glacier and taking in the view. We beelined straight for some overlooks and so unfortunately didn't realize that there was a trail up to the nearby waterfall (called the Nugget Falls Trail), which we would have done first if we'd known (by the time we realized, we didn't have enough time to go and still catch our tour bus). The whale-watching tour was the only time it rained on us during our week, and even then it was only a sprinkle — we got very lucky with the weather!

We liked this excursion because it included two different experiences, and we were thrilled we got to see whales!

Other advice I read online was taking the Goldbelt Mt. Roberts Tram for a view of the channel and to see Native artwork. And we saw several helicopter tours flying up to the glacier, which my husband would have loved to do, but I found out in New Zealand that helicopters make me anxious so we opted against it this time. 

We ended up watching Choir of Man again when we got back to the ship because I had enjoyed it so much!

Taking in Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

Wednesday: Skagway (arrive 7am, depart 8:15pm)

We paid for the Laughton Glacier Wilderness Hike & White Pass Railway excursion (more info here). We met up with our tour guides at the port, then walked about a mile through the town to the railroad, which took us 14 miles into the wilderness. 

We were expecting a typical hike (and had packed our hiking boots for the occasion), but then our guides pulled out waterproof pants, over-the-shoe boots, and snowshoes so we could hike through the snow to a glacier view — it was an incredible day. Our guides were fantastic, friendly, and excellent chefs (they made sandwiches for us for lunch and then provided hummus and salmon pâté at the end as we waited to board the railroad back to the town).

At one point, the guides offered us a choice to keep hiking to see an additional view or turn back. A few people (out of our group of 15-20) chose to turn back because they felt hiking through the snow was more difficult/strenuous than they'd anticipated, so one of the guides went back with them.

Skagway is the place that most matched up with the mental image I have when I hear "Alaska." Giant snow-covered mountains, a nearby town filled with mentions of the White Pass railway, Yukon River, and Klondike gold rush, etc. I thought it was incredibly pretty, and it reminded me simultaneously of Lord of the Rings (because of the mountains) and Harry Potter (because the train coming through the mountains looked like the Hogwarts Express). 

I will say that I've read online that others argue it's "fake" and propped up by cruise lines, but I still think this was my favorite stop of the trip!

Skagway included the Klondike gold rush, White Pass railway, and mountains — what I always think of when I think about Alaska!

Thursday: Glacier Bay National Park (aka a Sea Day)

We chose this cruise and itinerary specifically because it included Glacier Bay, which I had read was a must for any first trip to Alaska.

And now I can see why — this national park was incredible! Our itinerary didn't include any actual stops; we just cruised through the park (only 2 cruise ships are allowed per day) as they announced information over the speaker system about the different glaciers and as the boat spun 360 degrees for a comprehensive view from everywhere on the ship. 

National Park Service rangers also boarded the ship for presentations. This provided a great opportunity not just to learn about the park, glaciers, and wildlife but also rangers' personal experiences and their interests that led them to such a career. One of my favorite things I learned was that glaciers provide an opportunity to watch and study as ecosystems are re-born.

Johns Hopkins Glacier, with Mount Orville and Mount Wilbur in the background

Friday: Ketchikan (arrive 7am, depart 1:15pm)

We paid for the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour (more info here). This was my husband's favorite excursion (though seeing the orcas in Juneau was a very close second). 

The Ketchikan port isn't near the town and requires a shuttle (though there is a cute market right off the port!). Our shuttle took us to the Aleutian Ballad, which you may recognize from Discovery Channel's The Deadliest Catch. The fishermen taught us about different styles of fishing; caught and showed us crabs, octopus and prawns; and took us to a nearby island where we saw dozens of bald eagles (one of the highlights of the entire trip for me!). We also heard personal stories from two of the fishermen and learned about the challenges of the life of a fisherman, both for the fishermen themselves and for their families.

Fisherman Dave told us that we got to experience Ketchikan on one of the approximately 100 days of sunshine that the town experiences — so if you're going, check the weather and prepare for rain!

One of the most valuable parts of each stop was learning about the Native people of Alaska. Southeast Alaska is home to the Tlingit, the Haida, and the Tsimshian. In Ketchikan, we learned that Annette Islands Reserve is the only remaining Native reservation in Alaska and is the location of one of the communities of the Tsimshian people. At one point during our tour, Fisherman Dave explained that anything they caught that could be released back would be, per the agreement that allows them to conduct tours in Native sovereign saltwater. 

Other excursions we considered in Ketchikan: We looked at trying to tour Misty Fjords, which seemed like a highly recommended experience, but we couldn't find a related NCL excursion. There is also the option of kayaking or snorkeling, the latter of which I've read is particularly unique in Alaska!

We ate dinner at Le Bistro, the second and last of our 2 complimentary specialty dining, and it was just as delicious as it had been on the Norwegian Jade.

Saturday: Victoria (arrive 7:30pm, depart 11:59pm)

Foreign-flagged cruise ships that depart from the U.S. are required to stop at a foreign port, so this was the Canadian stop on our itinerary to check that box.

Because of the small window (less than 5 hours), we decided not to leave the ship and treat this as a Sea Day. However, we were very conflicted about our decision and still aren't sure we made the right one — it would have been my husband's first time in Canada! But it was nice to relax our final day and night on the ship.

We played bingo, but we sadly did not win anything this time, and then listened to karaoke.

Maybe next time we'll win the raffle for a free cruise.

Sunday: Disembarkation Day/Seattle (arrive 6am, disembark by 9am)

We played tourist again, eating brunch at Bacco Cafe (my dungeness crab benedict was amazing), stopping for gelato, and waving good-bye to the Encore, which was busily being cleaned and prepared for the next week of Alaskan cruisers that sadly did not include us.

Monday: Flew home to D.C.

We opted to book our flights through Norwegian, and we wanted to have an extra day before and after the cruise so that we could see my bestie, wander Seattle, and not worry about rushing to/from the airport.

photo diary:

Juneau

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Fleece: Abercrombie (affiliate link) | Leggings: Amazon (affiliate link, also available here) | Duck boots: Lands' End (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link)

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Fleece: Abercrombie (affiliate link)

Dessert on the first night

View from the pool deck as we made our way to the Juneau port.

Jacket: L.L. Bean 3-in-1 (affiliate link) | Sunglasses: Illesteva (affiliate link) | Leggings: Amazon (affiliate link, also available here) 

I wear this 3-in-1 jacket all the time — you can wear it with the fleece attached or unattach the fleece and wear either the outer jacket or the fleece by itself. I wear it in the rain, skiing, cold... everywhere!

Standing in front of Mendenhall Glacier!

Sunglasses: Illesteva | Jacket: L.L. Bean 3-in-1 (affiliate link) | Shirt: Gap Factory (affiliate link) | Leggings: Amazon (affiliate link, also available here) | Duck boots: Lands' End (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link) | Gloves: Isotoner Signature (affiliate link, similar available here)

There was a little hill on the shore that my husband climbed up to take this shot :)

Getting ready to board our evening whale-watching tour! When I heard it was an evening tour, I was confused because I thought it'd be dark — I forgot that the sun didn't set until late during the summer in Alaska!

2 of the 6 orcas we saw during our whale-watching tour in Juneau! We also saw a few humpback whales.

Skagway

The White Pass railway in Skagway — doesn't it look straight out of Harry Potter? (Although, admittedly, the inside isn't quite up to J.K. Rowling's magical standards)

Wearing the gear our guides lent us — waterproof pants, over-the-boot shoes, and snowshoes!

Our guides also provided the yellow hiking sit pad, so we could comfortably sit on the snow without freezing when we stopped for lunch.

The Laughton glacier behind me!

Experimenting with photography ;-)

Photos I took from the White Pass railway on the way back to the port... I kept jumping out of my seat and running outside the train car to take in the views.

Walking through the town of Skagway

The Skagway port — it was so dreamy sailing into the port surrounded by beautiful mountains.

Sunglasses: Illesteva | Jacket: L.L. Bean 3-in-1 (affiliate link) | Leggings: Under Armour | Hiking boots: Merrell (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link)

I had packed hiking boots for this excursion because I didn't know what to expect and didn't want to be uncomfortable, but I could have left them at home and only worn running shoes.

Trying to make the most of our remaining time in Skagway!

Sunglasses: Illesteva (affiliate link) | Jacket: Banana Republic Factory (here, similar here and here, affiliate links) | Sweater: Banana Republic Factory (affiliate link) | Jeans: Express

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Tank top: Old Navy (affiliate link) 

Glacier Bay

Sunglasses: Kate Spade (old but similar here and here, affiliate links) | Purse: Longchamp (affiliate link) | Beanie: Kyi Kyi (here, also available here, affiliate links) | Sweater: Loft | Scarf: J. Crew

Margerie Glacier. My husband was outside when some glacial calving occurred (essentially, chunks of the ice break off), and he said it sounded like an explosion.

This is one of my favorite photos I took because the small boat on the left and the bigger ship on the right really put the mountain into perspective.

It was a national park like no other I've seen before.

Sunglasses: Kate Spade (old but similar here and here, affiliate links) | Beanie: Kyi Kyi (here, also available here, affiliate links) | Sweater: Loft | Scarf: J. Crew | Jeans: Express | Duck boots: Lands' End (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link)

The ship had tons of adorable seating areas like this.

And for Glacier Bay, they even opened up the crew deck on floor 8, for more views. I felt as though this was the best place to be for closer views, though there wasn't seating. (They did have stations set up for drinks and offered clam chowder!)

No better way to end an already perfect day than by getting an extravagant milkshake (from Coco's, one of the specialty dining on the restaurant).

Ketchikan

Our fisherman's tour in Ketchikan! The Aleutian Ballad crew converted a crab boat so that it was better for tourism, including these seats against one side; a galley that offered snacks, souvenirs, and free hot chocolate; and functioning bathrooms. (They also provided warm jackets, which was nice during the cool morning!)

My husband kept quoting It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "We're crab people now!"

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Beanie: Kyi Kyi (affiliate link) | Shirt: Old Navy | Blue jacket: Provided by the boat!

The bald eagles!!!

I couldn't believe how many there were or how close they got!

Did you see the second bald eagle in this photo? ;-)

"We'll live and die by the crab."

Ketchikan was incredibly scenic.

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (affiliate link) | Beanie: Kyi Kyi (affiliate link) | Utility jacket: Express | Shirt: Old Navy | Leggings: Under Armour | Duck boots: Lands' End (affiliate link) | Socks: Darn Tough (affiliate link)

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from Victoria, since we stayed on the ship. Here are some photos from our time in...

Seattle

We visited the Space Needle with my best friend, and I loved it! It was great to see the city from this angle and height, and there is a nifty revolving floor and restaurant at the top. We wanted to stay for a few drinks, but we had dinner reservations.

From the bottom of the Space Needle

where to eat and drink:

• In Seattle, we ate at Bacco Cafe; Von's 1000 Spirits; and Shaker and Spear.
• On the ship, we chose Le Bistro and Ocean Blue as our 2 specialty dining options, because I love French food and because you can't go wrong with seafood in Alaska, respectively.
• During our time in Greece, we ate many meals off the ship, particularly because we're conscientious of the complaint that cruise passengers don't contribute enough to the local economy of the ports on their itinerary. But we were feeling a little frugal this trip because of our 3 excursions, so we tried to avoid spending money on food in the ports and to make the most of our food cruise package.
• However, some restaurant recommendations I received were the Rookery and Tracy’s Crab Shack (in Juneau); Skagway Fish Company and Red Onion Saloon (in Skagway); Alaska Crepe Co. and Cape Fox Lodge’s Heen Kahidi Dining Room (in Ketchikan); and Shanzee’s Biscuit and John's Place (in Victoria).

what to do:

Honestly, there are so many options, and it really depends on what you want to do. If you're cruising to relax, you can sit in the Observation Lounge or on the pool deck and read all day long. If you want to be active, there's the fitness center, spa, go-kart track, or laser tag. If you want to be entertained, there's so many options — here were my favorites:

• Choir of Man (we went to it twice!)
• Kinky Boots
• Karaoke at the Cavern Club
• Stand-up comedy in Social Comedy and Night Club
• Bingo
• Harry Potter trivia

links I used or recommend:

I couldn't find very many NCL Alaskan cruise recaps beyond those on Cruise Critic and Reddit — so I hope this helps others who are looking for extensive travel diaries to learn more about cruising in Alaska!

We enjoyed our experience so much that we want to book an Alaskan cruise every summer. It's a fantastic trip, and there are so many more ports to see, excursions to do, and months to travel during. I've read that different months offer different experiences (like around wildlife and the Northern Lights) and different departure cities offer different itineraries (like the Inside Passage from a Canadian port), so I want to visit Alaska as much as possible to experience everything!

love from