Chasing Mediterranean Flavors Aboard Norwegian Encore

I've been on three cruises before, but I've never really *cruised* like a foodie. Usually, I'm the person grabbing a buffet plate at 7 PM and eating the same mediocre pasta I could make at home. This time was different. I promised myself that when we set sail from Barcelona on the Norwegian Encore, I was going to do things differently. I was going to eat my way through the Mediterranean like someone who actually cared about what was on my plate. The first night, I made what might have been the best decision of the entire week. Instead of heading straight to the main dining room at the standard dinner time, I wandered the ship. The Encore is massive—probably bigger than my apartment block—and I wanted to understand what I was working with. That's when I stumbled into The Supper Club, NCL's specialty restaurant with the revolving menu concept. A crew member named Marco was standing outside, and when I asked what made it different, his eyes lit up. "Every night, different cuisine," he said with a thick Italian accent. "Tonight is Tuscany. You come back, you get French, you get Spanish. Is like traveling without leaving the ship." I was sold. At $39 per person, it was more than the ma…