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nybumpkin

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  1. Bermuda This was my third visit to Bermuda, all on cruise ships, and Amanda’s first visit. (I need to do a land-based vacation at some point.) For Day 1, Amanda wanted to see a beach, so we took one of the $7 per person shuttles to Horseshoe Bay. Pretty easy – the bus is waiting right at the end of the pier and once they have a full (or nearly full) load of passengers, they leave. It was about a 20-minute drive from Dockyard to Horseshoe, and Amanda was able to get a look at houses and churches along the way. Once at Horseshoe, we walked down the beach as far as Butts Beach and enjoyed the views for a while – no swimming for us, just not warm enough. There were folks in the water, though. After that, we walked back along the beach to the refreshment stand for some drinks before taking the bus back to Dockyard. Lunch for us was at Frog and Onion in Dockyard. Usually I’d go back to the ship for lunch – but we had received word that Day 2 would be cut short due to weather; Prima would have to leave Bermuda at 1:00 instead of 5:00, which meant we wouldn’t have time for shopping on Day 2. So we opted for lunch ashore followed by shopping. It was a good choice for us; Frog and Onion was very good – especially the beer on tap, brewed right in Bermuda (I had the Somers Amber Ale). For shopping, we visited some of the local craft stores, and I also bought tee shirts for those left behind.
  2. Sailaway happened fairly close to 4:00, as scheduled. Carnival NYC sailaways are usually late. My goal is to be under the bridge before dinner. We went to deck 17 port for photos of Manhattan (deck 18 is better because you aren't shooting through plexiglass), then went to our cabin on deck 12 starboard to see the Statue of Liberty. As always, we loved sailaway – NYC has fantastic sights, and it takes a while to get out into the ocean. Dinner was at Hudson’s. We had dinner there twice, along with a breakfast and a lunch. The food was always good, the service was great, and only once did we wait for a table (for just a few minutes). Hudson’s is a very comfortable dining room with nice views. I didn’t have an issue with the repeating menu – there were plenty of choices.
  3. We sailed Norwegian Prima March 28-April 2, NYC-Bermuda. It was the first time I’ve ever sailed from New York at a time other than summer, and it was my first time sailing a NCL ship and first time sailing without DH. As you can see from my signature, we’re primarily Carnival cruisers – 27 cruises up to now, with #28 booked for this summer. Instead of sailing with the usual suspects, I was accompanied by my daughter-in-law Amanda, our oldest son’s wife. They live in Virginia, where son is a Navy lieutenant on a destroyer and she is a graduate student. So why Norwegian and an early Spring cruise? I retired at the end of 2022, but DH is still working (community college professor). As he notes, he gets three months off in the summer and a month between semesters – he has plenty of time off and isn’t ready to retire. He gave me this cruise as my retirement present, and I felt I needed to go this week – it’s a week I never would have been able to take off during my career. Amanda was able to take the time to go – she’s a distance student, and son was out at sea while we sailed. Good timing for a “girls’ cruise.” And up to now, Carnival hasn’t done NYC cruises outside summer/fall; they tried a number of years ago with Carnival Splendor, but didn’t continue with it. We’ll see how it works out with Carnival Venezia. Norwegian Prima is a new ship, sailing for the first time in fall 2022. And not only is Prima a new ship, she’s first of her class. Another new experience for me. As with other reviews I’ve done, I’m going to go over “what we did” followed by “what I thought.” Also as with other reviews I’ve done, your mileage may vary. A lot of this is subjective. I’ll include photos along the way. I post reviews in segments, with photos to go with the segments - hopefully it makes it easier to read. Amanda flew into Albany the day before sailing and we took a car service to the pier the morning of sailing. We had an embarkation time of noon, but since the ship sailed empty from Port Canaveral after her Caribbean season, the cabins were ready and we were able to board when we arrived around 11:15. We did not have to do an in-person muster drill; instead, before sailing they made us watch the safety video (and sent us multiple e-mail reminders to watch it). They directed us to the muster stations immediately upon boarding, and we checked in. We found our cabin, dropped off our carry-ons and went to find lunch.
  4. I sailed on Prima with my daughter-in-law on the March 28 sailing. I think I may have had an advantage to never having sailed a NCL ship before, but I really didn't find the layout confusing. Yes, there were a few times I found myself going the wrong way, but then I've done that on ships I've sailed multiple times. 😮 My main observation about Prima is that I thought she is best suited for warm-weather sailing. The North Atlantic in late March/early April is chilly. So many features of this ship draw you outdoors - there are wonderful outdoor dining areas, especially around Indulge. (We never made it to Indulge, BTW - just too crowded.) I'd love to sail Prima in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.
  5. My vote is for the Green Tea Jar at Food Republic. Brownie, green tea mousse, and cookie crumble. I'm afraid I didn't take pictures, but it was one of the best desserts I've had on a cruise.
  6. I just went two weeks ago with my daughter-in-law. Before that, I went in 2017 with DH and sons. Price is around $25/pp now, but I think it's worth it - probably the most challenging mini-golf I've ever done. Just don't expect things like windmills - the hole layouts are all based on holes in Bermuda, Scotland and the US. Here's some of my photos from two weeks ago.
  7. As much as we love HMC, last year we stayed on the ship. We had the Cheers package, which doesn't work on HMC, so we stayed by the pool and used our package.
  8. Hi - I'm not Broons77 but I was on this sailing. The only day we didn't eat lunch on the ship was the first day in Bermuda - and that was our choice to go to the Frog and Onion in Dockyard. For our lunches in Hudson's we had little to no wait. As for the buffet - well, if you want to sit next to a window right in the buffet area, good luck. I think there were people camped out at those tables from breakfast right through lunch until the buffet lines closed. And even then a number stayed to drink tea or coffee or go to one of the bars and bring back a drink. (This isn't just Norwegian - I saw the same thing on the Queen Mary 2, where people staked out prime tables in the buffet.) Our usual dining spot for lunch was the overflow seating in the Food Republic area. It's a nice area - the only drawback for me was having to open a heavy door to get to the seating, which I couldn't do when carrying both a plate and a drink. At any rate, there was plenty of seating available - maybe just not in a prime location.
  9. Hi jimbo5544 (and Jeff) - I just returned from a 5-day NYC-Bermuda cruise on Norwegian Prima - the first time I've sailed out of NYC at a time other than summer. (I'm writing a review now that will explain why Norwegian in early spring). We did have rough weather on the return, and Bermuda is only marginally warm this time of year (although much warmer than Upstate NY😃). The ship was full, but more than a few people commented that they wouldn't sail the North Atlantic this time of year again.
  10. Broons77, they didn't even look at our passports. It was all biometrics. Scary.😮 I'm sorry I missed you aboard - for a variety of reasons we missed the get-togethers. That aside, we enjoyed the cruise. I felt we were well informed about the weather and I thought the compensation for the shortened port day was more than fair. Daughter-in-law spent much of yesterday in bed, but today she's saying she had a good time.
  11. I'm on the cruise with Broons77, along with my daughter-in-law. We did get reservations for this show - didn't go for Price is Right, just not interested. If DH was with us (this is a girls' cruise), we probably wouldn't be seeing Donna either - he can't stand her music. I'm not really a fan, but since I've never sailed NCL I'd like to see what they offer.
  12. The entertainment is NOT better. With a few exceptions, I avoid most of the production shows (I've disliked Playlist Productions since they started) and opt for music in the lounges. The app? I hate it. I refuse to walk around with my phone all day. If those are the value adds you're thinking of, they're not for me. Am I a dinosaur? I guess so, according to your definition. However, I'm not dead yet - and I'm still spending my money. Other cruise lines? Well, we have expanded. Cunard, not HAL. And Viking. And American Cruise Lines. I won't look for you on those sailings. But you're not getting me off Carnival.
  13. Last year on Magic we found a wonderful server by the aft Lido bar who treated us well - and that extra dollar tip was well received.
  14. I remember when this was the honest-to-goodness cigar bar and they had a jazz trio playing. I'm not a smoker, but we loved this lounge.
  15. Hi Karen - Just my experience with dessert a few years ago. The creme brulee was one of the desserts on the first night menu, and I commented to our server how it was my favorite dessert. Didn't make a request or anything, but he replied "I will have it for you every night!" And he did. I have to say it was a bit much, but it was appreciated.
  16. Hi Maggie - I'm brand new to NCL (so no, I'm not a cheerleader), but not to cruising. I'm booked on Prima with my daughter-in-law in three weeks. Yes, I've seen the reviews - but I also realize that in my past experience, I've seen reviews for the same sailing I was on that I wondered whether the reviewer was even on the same ship. That's why, when I write reviews, I always say "Your mileage may vary." I'm going with an open mind.
  17. Five sailings on her - yeah, I know her. Some spots are "out there," but I never found anything outrageous - like Miracle's dining room, which DH describes are being done in "early bubonic plague."😃 And I think I prefer the Farcus designs to the current cookie cutter spaces - face it, if you've seen one Red Frog Rum Bar, you've seen them all.
  18. I've always had a soft spot for Glory. - Five sailings: 3 NYC-Canada, 1 Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, and a Western out of Miami. I've always said that out of all the ships I've sailed that Joe Farcus worked on, Glory is the one ship that doesn't have a lounge/restaurant where I said, "What was Farcus thinking?"😄 TxTeach79, I hope you enjoy your well-deserved vacation!
  19. I just ended a 35+ year career that required frequent stays at both the Marriott Marquis at Times Square and the Midtown Hilton (arriving by train in any event). They're both comfortable hotels and it's easy to find a cab from either. My thoughts - your mileage may vary. The Marriott Marquis is right in the heart of Times Square. If you like being where the action is, this is it. If you'd like to consider a Broadway show, the TKTS booth is a block away for same-day sales. (You're not likely to get one of the top shows, but I've had luck with shows that have been around a while or off-Broadway.) The hotel can be noisy; the lobby is on the 8th floor, so if you have a room below the 15th floor or so you can get lobby noise that comes up through the atrium. I haven't had an issue on higher floors. The Hilton is in a more business-oriented area, although still within walking distance of Midtown sites. Dining on-site is limited, although I generally recommend that folks leave the hotel to find food. It's generally quieter than the Marriott, although both are huge properties - if you're looking for something more intimate, neither will meet your needs.
  20. Chris does a fantastic show. Hard to believe a solo performer could pivot from singing an aria to singing Whitesnake.🙂
  21. We had aft wrap 8465 on Horizon and our sons were in 8461, which is not a Havana cabin but which is one of the "L"-shaped cabins with a large balcony. We were able to open balcony partition between the two cabins. The crew stairwell was between the two cabins, which wrapped around it. The only time I saw the stairwell in use was during the boat drill (this was pre-Covid) and neither we nor our sons ever heard any noise from the stairwell. The stairwell Eli_6 is talking about is on the port side and is for passengers' use in going down to the Havana bar area. It was very convenient.
  22. Great memories! I love thinking about the smiles on our boys' faces. One of my favorite memories is our oldest son on our first cruise, when he was 13; we saw him at a kids' pool party, pizza in one hand, ice cream cone in the other, grinning ear to ear and saying "This is great!" I wish I had a picture....
  23. Hi tripleboom - I'm here because I'm sailing my first NCL cruise on Prima next month with my daughter-in-law, so I'm trying to "learn my way around." I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying your sons' obvious excitement at sailing. Our first cruise was in 2004 with our then-13, 8 and 4 YO sons, and they stayed with us on cruises for many years. Your photos are bringing me back to our early days of cruising.🙂
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