nybumpkin

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.

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....

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.🙂

Looking forward to this! Last year we stayed aboard at HMC - as much as I love it, we were late and missed out on a cabana, so we decided to take advantage of our Cheers package and stay on board. It turned out to be a good decision - one of the tenders broke down, so everything ran late. And we liked our day aboard - we just hung out near the aft bar with our favorite server, and were never lacking.😃

They were designed like placemats, but I wouldn't use them as such without laminating them. We got one per person (there were five of us).

My next adventure - out of NYC, though. Never sailed NCL before. Greg, thanks so much for taking us along again!

Here's my placemat collection. Our server from Liberty (2007) autographed that set.

We have them from Victory (multiple cruises), Conquest, Liberty, Valor, and Legend - I think the latest was Valor in 2008. I'll post a photo if I can. I've been meaning to get them laminated.

Download maps on a phone? A bit beyond this Luddite.😮 My camera is a Canon PowerShot. I've used it on cruises for at least 10 years now, probably more. I'm by no means a great photographer, but I like the photos it takes and I'm more comfortable with it than I am with my phone. I read not long ago that these cameras have become popular with twenty-somethings. Guess I need to keep it away from my sons....😉

I'm doing a NCL cruise next month and all I keep reading about is how I have to sign up for shows as soon as I board....

Jeff - Thanks so much for making your way down the beach to Jack's! It has always been our "go to" place in Grand Turk - the beach and the water are so much nicer than by Margaritaville. When we visited back in August, I think two chairs and an umbrella were $23. We had no service issues - but then, Jack was still there. In talking to him, it sounded as if he wasn't sorry to leave - many of his friends had already left Grand Turk. We don't have another cruise right now that's going to GT, but it sounds as if the new owner needs to get their act together. There's a fair amount of competition on the beach between the cruise center and Jack's. As much as I love that stretch of beach, I may not walk that far next time....

I refuse to carry my phone. I look at the Hub App in the morning before I leave the cabin and then look at the dinner menu in the afternoon. Aside from that and going ashore, the phone stays in the safe. I don't even take many pictures with my phone - that's why I have a compact point-and-shoot camera that fits in my pocket.

Just so you know, it's only the eastern half of PA rooting for the Iggles. (Pronounced correctly.) 😉

Apparently Albany wasn't even regional, despite son the Mets Fanatic.

That's what You Tube is for. 🙂

Sid, thank you so much for taking the time to do a live review. I'll be aboard Prima in 7 weeks or so, and this has helped me prepare for stepping out of my comfort zone. 😉

Mine too. Now my problem is next month I'm sailing on Norwegian Prima - first NCL cruise. Any suggestions for reasonable facsimiles?

I didn't know some of the ships still had the hot tub in the spa area - I think they got rid of them on most ships. I loved it when Glory had one - it was never crowded. The down side with them on the Spirit-class ships is that there's an overhead skylight that is in the middle of the mini golf course. Nothing like having golfers look down at you in the hot tub.😮

Agreed - they should have comped you. I'm sorry the woman didn't feel well, and I'm glad they sent out a hazmat team to clean up - but you shouldn't have had to deal with it.

Greg, if you do take in the Super Bowl, you might want to keep an eye out for the 30-second ad the Mets are running. Apparently it will air in the 45 minutes before kickoff and again during the first half. It features Nimmo, Lindor, and Mr. Met. 🙂

JB, thanks so much for your input. I'm thinking that a stay in either Southampton or Winchester and doing day travel likely will be our best option. Personally I'd love to visit Hever Castle, but that's not an option unless we rent a car or hire a driver. DH isn't averse to driving, but just isn't interested in dealing with a rental on this trip. And for the record, we love London - much like NYC, no matter how many times we visited we'd always find new places to visit.💗

Jeff, I have had pretty good luck visiting the tree early in the morning. You don't get as good lighting - the tree is lit, but the lights aren't bright - but the crowds aren't there.

I was very partial to the outdoor area on Deck 5 outside and around Ocean Plaza. We loved after-dinner drinks outside the Red Frog Rum Bar.

DH and I are doing a Norwegian Fjords cruise in early June 2023, returning to Dover 18 June. We then travel to Southampton to board the QM2 on 23 June to return to the US. I'm trying to plan the 5 days between sailings. While DH has driven in the UK before (with stick shift, no less!), I don't think he's inclined to do it this time - so I think it's going to be trains. My one "must" is Winchester - I wanted to visit when we cruised QM2 in 2019 but it didn't work out. Any thoughts/suggestions for an itinerary between Dover and Southampton?

Oh, dear. Sid, Jeff and Greg all posting at the same time. Makes me glad I retired so I can keep up!