golden6911

What I realized that for me, I think the itinerary >>>>> the ship. I didn't end up using the things like the slides or the go-carts, mostly because they were closed on the chilly, rainy sea days, but I don't really feel like I missed a lot. My husband loved this part of the world so some of the Baltic cruises look promising. I might look into other cruise lines though - I am pretty agnostic. I do love the thermal spas of NCL though - I used it every day except one.

We left yesterday evening. If you have an evening flight out of London like I did (5:30pm), I would highly recommend the Scenic Tour excursion. They stopped at the Albert statue, Big Ben/Abbey and then lunch at the tower of London. It was a good way to get a glimpse of London while you waited for a later flight. I ate at 7(!) specialty dining venues and I would rate them in this order: 1) Onda 2) Hasuki 3) Food republic 4) Los Lobos 5) Cagneys 6) Palomar 7) Le Bistro Onda was absolutely amazing (that bread service!) and Hasuki I rate higher for the entertainment although the food was also very good. My husband raves about Food republic, particularly the sushi. I thought it was okay, nothing crazy, but I am limited by food allergies, and I don't care for Sushi. Los Lobos I basically ate mostly chips, queso, and fresh guac, but it was worth it! Palomar was very meh and Le Bistro was a dud for us. For me, I can't believe I considered cancelling this cruise based on some of the negative reviews. Does the Prima have some flaws, yeah, particularly the gym above the spa and too small cafe. But the itinerary and Indulge made up for it. It was the trip of a lifetime.

Agreed, today was amazing! My feelings when I woke up and walked up to the top deck were….let’s just say I was not prepared. My husband was done with bus tours so we went Kayaking instead which was really cool! Those little Ecars are super tempting and if we had seen them before 2:30pm we totally would have grabbed one. This is a stop that I wanted 4 more hours in.

Regarding the crowds, I have noticed that as the cruise has reached the middle days, people seem to be spreading to the other venues a bit more. I noticed less congestion the last few days personally, particularly in the buffet. The first few days you could barely walk through it, even really early in the morning. The last two days it has been better, perhaps because people gave up on it and decided to eat at Hudson’s or Commodore instead.

Agreed on the bugs on the Jewels of the North tour. The hubby and I were saying that when the bugs are bad, they should just charge $10 more and include the netting. It was really dreadful and put a damper on an otherwise pretty cool tour. They should have done the stops in reverse order, with Godafoss last since that was by far the best IMO.

Agreed that the buffet is far too small and congested. Getting a seat isn’t the issue since they open up the restaurants across the way, but it takes forever to get your food. It was even mobbed at 6:30 this morning. I will make it a point to try the Local soon. We went to Los Lobos last night and it was fabulous. I ate my weight in guac and chips and barely had room for my fajitas. We ended up doing zip lining yesterday which was pretty fun. It isn’t an official excursion but they put a sign up at the end of the pier and the timing was right. The two girls leading the zips, Ella and Steph, were really funny.

Hey! Pretty funny to see this post because it’s almost identical to our trip. Flew out of Boston, most likely on the same Iceland Air flight, and took the same Golden Circle tour yesterday. Also in a Spa Balcony. So far I really like the ship. I can understand why people might think it is disjointed compared to other cruise ships, but I really like the variety of sights and sounds myself. We were able to get a bar seat at Indulge for lunch since it’s just the two of us, but Hudson’s was a good call because all the casual places were crowded.

I really appreciate this review as I am sailing on this itinerary in a few days. The dailies are a nice touch! We aren't in the Haven, but in a Spa balcony - did you spend any time in the Thermal Spa? Also curious if they offered any spa specials on certain days - I didn't see anything in the dailies. Can you tell I am a spa girl?

Thanks, I didn't use a TA and didn't notice the check box. I do love mocktails so I might let it stand.

Because the Free at Sea came with the price of the cruise - I had no idea there is an option to remove it since it was a free add on. The Free at Sea plus added the Starbucks package. Man, they really need to make this ***** clearer.

Even though me and my husband don't drink, we still got the Free at Sea Plus package for the cruise since the other perks (more specialty meals, unlimited internet, excursion discounts) made it worth the cost. The Free at sea plus upgrades the included "Open Bar" to add Starbucks drinks to your package as well.

Never mind - I found this to answer my questions - it covers 1st and 2nd guest. https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Free_at_sea_Plus_ver_051823.pdf

Hi, I purchased Free at Sea Plus for our trip on the Prima for me and my husband - it includes unlimited Wifi without the streaming option but the boarding pass lists "1". Does that mean only one device gets Wifi or is it one device per FAS+ ticket bought? Us each having access to Wifi is a must since my husband will be working a bit on this trip. Anyone have an idea of what the premium Wifi costs, or how much better it is? Thanks!

How are the NCL bartenders at making fun non-alcoholic drinks? Are there any that people can recommend?

Yeah we just got an updated itinerary change for the Aug 7th cruise and its an overnight in Akureyei arriving at 1pm that day. No changes on the Belgium port for now.

Huh, makes me think that I will miss both Isa and Belgium on mt 8/17 cruise. Two more sea days to plan for I guess.

I have been on both lines and what tips me over to NCL is the thermal spa. I usually spend a few hours there every day.

Yeah the ship entertainment generally isn't my thing. It's okay, but not at the top of the list of things I enjoy. Personally I cruise for good food, the spa, and a good itinerary. The shows and music are a nice bonus, but I am way more unhappy if they skimp out on food selection and quality.

I upgraded and I don't even drink alcohol. I was going to buy the Starbucks package, unlimited internet, more meals and I am booking a lot of excursions. It still saves us money with those perks.

Great thread! I am making notes for my upcoming cruise. I have only been on one other NCL cruise and it was in 2015, but I remember loving the grilled pineapple at Moderno and the meal I had at Le Bistro. I also remember loving the truffle fries at Cagneys.

Funny enough, I have been on Anthem - it was my worst cruise ever, mostly because of my son getting sick and it being overcrowded for Spring break, but still a lot of fun. In some ways, Anthem would be a better ship for a cold weather itinerary, because of the Solarium and the 270 area - lots of indoor spaces.

I like seeing both positive and negative reviews. Rule of thumb in life: Happiness = Reality > Expectations My expectations are now in the toilet for my upcoming cruise so I am likely to enjoy myself.

Yeah I am generally a decently chill traveler, particularly when cruising. I chose this cruise back in 2021 mostly for the itinerary, not the ship as much, although the prospect of sailing on a new ship seemed really fun too. If I want a vacation full of busy, busy, busy, I will go to Disney World. This is my chill vacation for the most part, just looking forward to resting, hanging in the spa, and seeing some beautiful fjords and wildlife. As far as the cold weather itinerary, that was kind of the point for us. We don't like the heat, and we loved our 2015 Alaska cruise in August, so this seemed right up our alley. We will probably be the weirdos sitting outside in jackets watching the fjords go by while other people are huddling indoors, complaining of cold.

Dang, it's getting depressing to read another negative Prima review. I almost cancelled a few months back before final payment because the negative reviews were trickling in back then but decided to go ahead with it. I hope I don't regret that decision in the end. I will go into it with an open mind and hope for the best. At least most of the reviews of the food and cabins are positive. I am not really big on cruise ship entertainment so that doesn't bother me a ton that it seems to be lacking, although having a comedy show or one other show besides the headliner might be nice. I am curious how people who buy thermal spa passes feel about cold weather sailings on the Prima. My thinking was that being a cold weather cruise, having a place to retreat to like the spa would be a big benefit. On my Alaska cruise years ago, I made extensive use of the thermal spa passes and it was great to have that quiet time and space.

I appreciate this review as I am going on the Northern European cruise on the Prima in August so it gives me lots of tips. I am in a Spa Balcony so I am hoping the Spa gives me some more access to indoor space. I also think it should be a bit warmer, so I am hoping the outdoors is a little more accessible and comfortable. Being on deck 16, I will look into taking the slides down whenever possible. You ate in most of the restaurants I booked and most seem good, so that is encouraging.