Huntingdon1701

Has anyone come across Mary Sanz lately? She was an absolutely brilliant butler.

O'Sheehans works really well for the early tours. They've got an express hot breakfast, but you can also get a fruit plate/toast very quickly.

You could easily fill it with the acropolis and museum on 1 day, then the oracle at delphi, then corinth canal, and then a day to just wander athens and recover. If you've had a busy cruise then you might not want to go as far as corinth and delphi as they're full day tours, albeit not very strenuous coach journeys. Recommend the Athens Gate Hotel if you do stay - fantastically located and the restaurant has the best views of the acropolis at night.

Given the issue was quite a big one, I would. They pull out general trends from the reviews but not always things like this. It's up to you, of course.

I'm not trying to say it. I have said it, several times. I'm sorry you can't grasp things outside of your experience, but we have discussed this enough now.

They have lifeboats - that is apparently not the same as a tender. Most ships have some that double up, but it's by no means the case that all of them can do it.

Yes, I did too, but the Prima captain has stated otherwise. I assume the sister ships are similarly deficient.

Probably this. If Viva is the same as the Prima, then she doesn't carry tenders so her only choice is docking. If she can't, and there are no local tenders, the Prima Class have to go elsewhere. Although I have to say NCL is very poor at communicating changes, for whatever reason they happen. I had one trip where the shore excursion company notified me of changes a week before boarding, while NCL only admitted the change two days before docking in a note to cabins. That's deliberate deception.

Have you written to MSC explaining this problem? The guy is clearly annoying a number of customers, but if head office don't know, they can't take action. Putting it in writing has more chance of securing improvements.

Another vote for Barcelona. Very easy to get to, and a nice city to stay in.

An amazing experience - you'll love it.

Virtuosa has several pools so people should be spread out between those - better than most other ships. The buffet is likely to be where you encounter most crowding. I've done a June cruise on her and it felt very spacious, but ships generally are much busier now so not a great comparison, I think.

I had that in Martinique, but showed up around 11.30 and walked straight on. So did everyone else.

Thanks - that's really helpful to know. It's only a five day cruise so I have to book on the first day or I won't be able to fit them all in. 😆 Not until October. I've sailed on her 3 times before, but this is the first time not in Yacht Club.

Hi All, I know I have to book the actual times on board, but do I need to go to each of the individual restaurants? Or is there a central point where I can book all the restaurants in one go? If so, where is it? Thanks,

It's got more complicated since they prevented docking directly in Venice. As many ships are using different nearby ports, there's not such a clear focus for the transport providers. Personally, I use Welcome Pickups who are incredibly reliable and speak great English. They're usually a reasonable price too.

You'll be fine. Especially if you like sushi, because the sushi bar always has space to spend dining credits. Le Bistro, Teppanyaki, and Cagneys will typically fill up first, so prioritise those.

Personally, I couldn't stand Los Lobos on the Prima. Dark and gloomy, and not with a very good menu. So if you're not a fan of Mexican do consider that carefully. I would also agree that Le Bistro is not great as a venue on Prima due to bad design, although the food is good. Onda is definitely worth it, and Food Republic and Hasuki were enjoyable. Cagneys was good but is the same as other ships so might be less of a priority. Indulge is a great free venue if you can get a seat.

If you go earlyish when it opens you probably won't have to wait at all for the MDR. Prima has lots of small venues and people tend to crowd more in the food court, the Local, or the buffet. You can make reservations on most ships for the MDR - I've not heard Prima is different. The menus rotate now, so you never know what will be available, aside from a small number of set items.

The main focus for the evening is more the suite of bars on deck 6. You've got the whiskey and beer bar, martini bar, and champagne bar all in a group, and they have a soloist or small band playing down there as well. It's quite a hub. The lobby on Jade is more for guest services, but as far as I remember the bar has always been manned in the evening.

Yes, you can sit there without eating at the restaurant. It's one of my favourite bars because it tends to be quite quiet so the bartenders get to know you well. It has a set of mojitos on the menu that you can't find elsewhere, but does serve other drinks. https://profcruise.com/norwegian-bar-menus-2022/ [scroll down]

First, check that your ship actually has a solo lounge. Only a minority do. If it is one of the ones with a lounge, then they will usually open up the lounge for solo meets. You could then ask to have access added to your card. About 50/50 as to whether they do it not - seems to be at the whim of whoever you speak to, although the policy is probably not to do it.

Great picture of the Southern Caracara! Did you have a preferred spot on the ship for viewing outside? Was it too cold for Spice?

It will be very quiet on port days. They don't always offer day passes so it's not certain you'd be able to do that, but if they do it will be for a port day.

I should have added that one of my cruises was a 19 days Suez Canal trip. The thermal suite is older but proportionate to the number of passengers on board. It tends to get busy on sea days for a few hours in the morning but is really quiet in the afternoon and evenings. It has actually has one of the best saunas because you can look out over the sea, while the loungers have a great view ahead of the ship. Contrast it to the gloom of Epic or the totally enclosed rooms of the Prima/Viva and it has some definite advantages. Less so if you're travelling as a couple who want to spend time together because that part is more limited in space.