05/24/2026
Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise: My Random Thoughts & Review
For our first cruise to Alaska, it was important that we visited Glacier Bay National Park. Out of the mainstream cruise lines with permits to go there, we chose Norwegian mostly based on price. We were happy just knowing Glacier Bay was included and honestly didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the itinerary.
I’ve had some of my best cruises on Norwegian, as well as some of my least favorite. I REALLY love the Aqua and Luna, but outside of those, I don’t really care for most of the fleet. This was cruise #38 for me, and it’s easily my favorite cruise so far simply because of Alaska.
So many of my Caribbean cruises have been decided by the ship itself since the ports are places I’ve visited countless times. Nothing I’ve ever done in the Caribbean — outside of diving — comes close to what we saw and experienced in Alaska. I already wrote about Skagway and Ketchikan in other posts if you care to read about the challenges we faced in each port.
The highlight of this itinerary was Glacier Bay, and seeing it for the first time was incredible. No amount of YouTube videos or pictures can prepare you for the moment you wake up, open your cabin curtains, and catch that first glimpse of what is honestly one of the most beautiful and haunting places I’ve ever seen.
What stood out to me most was the stillness and silence of Glacier Bay (outside of the rowdy ladies laughing nonstop nearby). As you begin the approach, there are otters everywhere in the water, providing the only movement you really see. Once we reached the turning point near the glacier, the atmosphere completely took over. It was quiet, mysterious, eerie, and peaceful all at the same time.
We had a balcony cabin and invited my parents to spend the day with us since they booked an inside cabin. Even with a balcony, I highly recommend getting out and exploring different areas of the ship throughout the day. My favorite views were actually from the top deck where you could see Glacier Bay from both sides of the ship. The full experience isn’t just about seeing it — it’s about feeling the air, the silence, and the scale of everything around you.
I had read recommendations about watching Glacier Bay from the Observation Lounge, but I honestly think you’re doing yourself a disservice if that’s the only place you experience it from. The whole day is something I’ll never forget, and I already can’t wait to go back.
As for Norwegian, without having another cruise line to compare the Alaska experience to, I think they handled a lot of things well. In some ways, the ship’s weaknesses actually became strengths on this itinerary.
The biggest example was the entertainment.
Had this been a normal Caribbean cruise, I would’ve been really disappointed with the entertainment lineup. Choir of Man absolutely lived up to the hype and was worth waiting in line for now that Norwegian has mostly eliminated show reservations fleetwide. But a lot has already been said about the decline in entertainment across the cruise line, and unfortunately I think some of that criticism is fair.
I LOVED the entertainment on Aqua and Luna, but on a ship this size, the rest of the nightly entertainment felt embarrassing at times. Moving game shows that cost money and have poor prizes like Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal into prime-time theater entertainment as your main entertainment for the night is a huge miss for me, and we skipped them entirely.
Also, if you’re going to move smaller venue acts into the main theater, you need to increase the production value. The Beatles tribute band, for example, could’ve benefited tremendously from better use of the massive screens and technology available in the theater. Instead, it felt like four talented guys doing their best with very little support. The whole thing came across low budget.
Oddly enough though, this ended up being a positive for Alaska.
Since we skipped a lot of the nighttime entertainment, we went to bed earlier — which worked out perfectly because Alaska is best experienced in the early mornings anyway. On this itinerary, the lack of entertainment wasn’t a huge deal. On almost any other cruise, though, it probably would’ve been.
The other issue — and this pains me to write because I know how hard cruise employees work — was the staff.
The crew looked overworked, stressed, unhappy, and in many cases completely burnt out. The ship simply feels understaffed for the number of passengers it carries, and honestly I worry about what happens moving forward now that Elliott Investment Management seems to have such a strong hold over Norwegian the same way they do with Southwest Airlines.
Our service was rarely excellent. Most of the time it was inconsistent, and at times genuinely bad, especially in restaurants where it was obvious the staff was covering way too many tables.
My last Norwegian cruise was on Luna, and it was rare to walk past a crew member without getting a smile or greeting. On Encore, it was the opposite. When something happens once or twice, it’s an employee issue. When it feels widespread across an entire ship, it usually points to budget cuts, understaffing, and exhausted employees.
I really hope something changes because these crews deserve better.
On the positive side, I enjoyed the food onboard and had very few misses. Freestyle Dining is honestly a major strength for Alaska itineraries because port days and excursions can throw your schedule completely off. Being able to eat whenever worked perfectly for this trip.
None of the issues above prevented me from enjoying the cruise. They’re just observations — and honestly a reminder to treat cruise staff with kindness no matter what. The sacrifices they make so we can have vacations like this are bigger than most people probably realize.
For our first Alaska cruise, Norwegian was perfect for us. But for our next visit, I’d love to experience Alaska on a smaller ship, whether that’s with Norwegian again or another cruise line.
