mking8288

Well, kudo for the Escape leadership to use a better venue like the Supper Club to host such a large gathering vs. Prima using that Observation Lounge, not to mention that neither the Prima Captain or GM said a word, if they show up at all ... as we surely couldn't see or tell otherwise. Do tell us later ... is there a door prize drawing ??

Southampton, England - disembarkation ... Sunday, 12 May 2024 It was clockwork precision and aside from the long walk down the gangway, smooth & easy - especially when we're pre-cleared by UK immigration (border police) onboard the Prima, while at sea from Iceland to Amsterdam. Easy walk-off with luggage or waited until color tags were called. It appeared that many choose to use taxi services locally, and there are plenty of taxis lined up that match the long line of passengers with luggage, to be taken to their final destination. NCL buses for the airport transfer is a short walk across and I believed most of them had left already by the time we exited the terminal, around 9 AM then ... as we're probably among the last to leisurely leave. Prima TA - Southampton UK - cruise disembark 12 May 2024.mp4

LeHavre, France ... it is a long walk into town and we watched tours being lead, going across the bridge. Better yet, use the 7 Euro (about $8 USD) - a bargain, frugal way - shuttle services that's just outside the port/cruise terminal gate, making 2 stops in a loop, every 15 to 30 minutes - which is what we did, with nothing planned ahead to do a bit of exploring & sightseeing locally, as we ruled out taking NCL buses or the train to get into Paris for possibly 3 to 4 hours max, despite the day being a long one, arriving & cleared to go ashore around 7 AM and all abroad at 9:30 PM. Crew members on the ship also take advantage of this option & get on the shuttle, as we saw a # of them eating in the same restaurant as us while in town.

The super busy North Sea route in the evening with another beautiful sunset, calm sea state as we head for Le Havre, France - lots of ferries, cargo vessels, cruise ships, oil tankers, etc. Coastal England in the distance ...

The world of chocolates - Belgium

Zeebruggee - Brugge, Belgium: a mandatory, brief & short, 5 minutes shuttle bus ride is required from the cruise ship pier to the gated, secured cruise terminal entrance - unless one is on a "sponsored" NCL shorex tour/bus transfer, etc. - then, you can board upon stepping off the ship's gangways. Once outside the terminal area, you can walk across the street to the building like we did, and collect our independent shuttle bus tickets to go into Brugge ... or figure out the way (walking to) toward the train station, etc. Didn't see any taxis waiting nearby but Uber service is available, and, for the return trip - appeared on the pricey side, unless cost-shared among 2, 3 or 4. Besides the Norwegian Prima, RC's Anthem of the Seas was there in Zeebruggee, docked in front of us - roughly 8,500 or more passengers, excluding crew members on shore leaves ... going into old town area, with all the shuttle buses dropping everyone at a nearby designated parking lot, with another 15 minutes+ of walking. There're apparently others there from river cruises, as we saw numerous tour guides waiving flags and leading mini groups - being herded thru the narrow city streets, once we got out of the park grounds. A number of tourists/visitors friendly restaurants were open early & ready, while others sticked to their normal hours - at 12 noon ... well, we shopped first at the Chocolate Factory before the crowd arrived and did a bit of sightseeing, then, ducked inside for waffles & for a restroom break. 1 Euro is the going rate elsewhere in town for using the bathroom, bring your coins along. River depth is pretty shallow, I assume and that the boat driver is a good swimmer in case ... since the boat is loaded and not seeing any life vests or floatation devices, except for one at the front.

City of Amsterdam - photos ... city centre, within 15 to 25 minutes walking distance of the cruise ship terminal (depending on how fast / slow you walk, on flat & level, sometimes uneven cobblestone pavement ... and, watch or "mind" those bicyclists everywhere ... it's like NYC 😆 ) Sailing west toward the North Sea Lock was definitely a scenic evening after early dinner. We're awake early in the morning coming into Amsterdam, ordered room service hot breakfast w coffee & enjoyed the views from the relative comfort of our stateroom's balcony ... it surely saved us from lining up to get seated in the Hudson MDR in the AM. Room service breakfast for $4.95 + 20% and a small cash tip, I called it a win-win - given how hectic it has been downstairs when it comes to meals ... On full sea days, I don't mind joining the herd and test our patience in madness.

Thanks and we 100% agreed, DW and I would definitely consider going back again to see more of Amsterdam, a half day stopover is just a sampler and one barely touched and see the tips of the iceberg. We choose not to go with NCL for shore excursions and doing a private, shared tour is the best way *** to go ... our driver-guide did all he can to insure that we would be back near the cruise terminal, and gave us excellent direction on how to best walk back to the ship from nearby city centre. It was the holiday and streets packed full of locals and visitors alike, very robust and alive, full of energy and also for us - the sense of safety & security in walking around. *** For those considering DIY on a future visit to see Amsterdam, the shared van cost was only $35 USD p/p (max of 8 in the van) and admission not included, equivalent of $25 USD p/p - that's all. Optionally, we tipped our excellent driver-guide (thanks, Bill for making it possible & that photo-bomb, LOL) One more short video clip from the Keukenhof flower show and I selected a few more pix from DW's smartphone camera, it's all about Amsterdam ... She said, now that we've seen & experienced the sea lock and witnessed how the canal raised and lowered the river/ocean level to allow ships to transit, let's skip doing the Panama Canal and do something else, i.e. come back to see Holland again. The "boss" called it 👍 Prima TA 2024 - Amsterdam Keukenhof flower show.mp4

Good Saturday morning ... CC'er, almost done wrapping up the work on a couple more video clips. Summary report/reflections of the TA is nearly done as well, should be posted - be happy to read comments, answer questions and anything else that we can best try to answer ... as always, my/our sincere thank you to the help from a # of "contributing" CC co-posters, including the "behind the scene" ones, some shall remain stealthy & not named to preserve their "identities" Once in Amsterdam, we meet up with fellow CC'ers, Teri & Michelle @Travelicious - designated organizer for the CC Meet & Greet, a very successful one; along with Bill & Nancy @Coachyo and headed across the city to Keukenhof, Holland for the flower show - sharing a very comfortable van ride for 8 of us plus our driver-guide (thank you) Just 3 short video clips along the way, out of the city thru the countryside with miles and miles of fields of colorful flowers (many has peaked & bloomed, we just missed it) and our driver was able to take us on a quick tour in town where vehicles aren't welcomed, most are on foot & bicycles (watch out for them, silent & they don't ...) Prima TA Amsterdam van ride to Keukenhof flower show - 9 May 2024.mp4 Prima TA - Amsterdam countryside n flowers - 9 May 2024.mp4 Prima TA - Amsterdam quick drive-thru city, 9 May 2024.mp4 Wonderful visual & moving memories of our short visit to Amsterdam ... near/passing thru the red light districts near the main train station, etc.

A number of us dined at Paloma for its seafood options ... well, can't bring the taste of freshly prepared fish to ya, but a condensed video clip of the baked whole sea brass (oven for 35 minutes, we're told) that served 2, deboned fillet and served in front of our eyes - yummy yummy. We'll do this again on our next NCL cruise, if this is available (not necessary on the Prima) It's market priced or has a price tag of $90 and we're advised that we can use the platinum voucher for 2, or dining package for 2 and have this, with no extra upcharge ... along with 2 starter/appetizer each and 2 sides, plus 2 dessert (with French press coffee, complimentary ... better than Starbucks, IMHO) Wow video is about 1 minute long showing the whole fish, freshly baked out of the oven - just about everyone sitting nearby had their heads turned to watch the presentation Prima TA Palomar whole baked sea brass - wow.mp4 Second & longer video is about 3 minutes showing the details involved in deboning the fish and getting the fillet on the plate. Prima TA Palomar 6 May 2024 baked sea brass deboned.mp4

Norwegian Prima leaving the North Sea channel lock at IJmuiden in the early morning hours toward Amsterdam, 16+ miles long or 27 km and taking up to 3 hours to transit thru before the ship can dock. Here's a video clip as the sea lock behind the ship has closed and the water level permitted the Prima to continue its journey inland toward Amsterdam - this is considered among the largest in the world vis-a-vis the Panama Canal lock(s) - with plans to further ... Prima TA IJmuiden North Sea chan lock - Amsterdam - 9 May 2024.mp4

Looks like our new CC friends @Fogfog - hi, Sharon & Robert ... might possibly be home again and catching up with video clips ... this one is for us, others & everyone onboard the Prima TA. Let's bring back a tiny bit of swee memories, for a moment, Duo Rita that sang nightly - sometimes in Penrose & other times elsewhere, their sweet music ... Let It Be Prima TA - Penrose Atrium Duo Rita Let-it-Be 4 may 2024.mp4

I see. Oh dear, Susan and I now extending 300% empathy to you for your challenges ahead ... just to make you feel better (maybe, more like LOL) we both woke up around 4 AM local time here in NY, wide awake, hungry as we are trying to get on our post-cruise diet again. She watched youtube or what not on her iPad while I catch up on gossips on CC, wondering why we no longer heard rattles and squeaks coming from behind the wall, ceiling & bathroom panels, not to mention the cold draft from the sliding balcony door ("poorly" insulated w the cold draft while we're on the North Sea last week) The remedy, go downstairs to O'Sheehan's and order some chicken wings (ordered ours w sauce on the side, it's "better" IMHO) Maybe, Kahlua w coffee ?? and try to call it a night, set a double alarm & use the wake up call service. Thanks for the lookout for the buffet's prompt shutdown time, which is what I expected them to be under new NCL management to sail & sustain, but Prima doing that at 9:00 PM or 21:00 on the dot, is just poor decision making & lack of discretion on ship management ... hearing chatters on the other platform, as I've been told. I'm nearly wrapping up my Live report, working on uploading several more short videos & the necropsy, oops ... meant to say, post-cruise summary analysis that is definitely, personal & biased, non-objective in nature. BTW, how's the ship's WiFi working for you (if you are using mostly NCL's network, as I think the Escape has switched over to Starlink) P.S. 👌 very nice pictures, thank you 👍 Ya better go try to get some sleep or else, be sleeping thru your morning shorex 😎

"Mind" your steps and "rough" seas 😬 😬

Just check out the FSD listing, you don't need to go upstairs to see for yourself ... since you are usually somewhere in the club or dance floor 😁 Yeah, don't short change your beauty rest & sleep on this port intensive itinerary - 200% empathy coming your way 😆 Of course not, you are going to more places in just one season that what I can possibly plan for, let alone do for an entire year. Just do it and you will be fine, practice made near perfect and you become better, wiser doing more semi / live trip report on CC. Just look at Dan @graphicguy he is another prime example with the "can do" attitude/mindset. Wait, ship is docked at Croatia and it's past noon time, you should off the gangway and checking out the landscape ... have a great time and treat yourself well.

Our main desire to do this TA is to see, at least to "sample" Iceland during the short overnight stop and it was worth the trip, mission accomplished - spectacular views and sights, breathtaking vista, it is not Alaska which we've done also. We came back to the ship for a quick break, rest briefly & then went out around 9 PM to explore nearby city centre ... on our way back to the ship after 11 PM, seeing that off-duty crew members permitted to take shore leaves going out in small groups, while some walked to nearby places ?? known to them ... others lined for to share a taxi ride to go somewhere, on a very late Sunday evening (even one of the few grocery stores that was open late on weekends close at 11 PM) - one can appreciate how hard they worked and yet, managed to get out there, even if all abroad time was 2 AM for crew. We drove along the waterfront as by then, it was fairly simple to just get behind the wheels & drive - this video was taken after 9 PM Iceland time and sunset was about 10 PM. Prima TA Iceland, ship-city centre drive May 2024.mp4 All abroad was called and the 4 pier runners were lucky & managed to get back onboard. The visit and the stay was short but worth the trip to get there. Perhaps, this next video can be refreshing for fellow CC'ers on this sailing to re-live the 27 hours, overnight stay there. Prima TA - Iceland sailaway, 6 May 2024.mp4

Good old Supper Club, reminded me of BA's Spiegel Tent with the dinner-show then with a $20 or $25 upcharge back in the days, same "deal" - option was given then for 1 of 2 entrees and also a vegetarian, dessert with coffee ... except coffee that was still being brewed (I sleep better with the weak coffee water served onboard) I see that the Escape keep the buffet open until 9:30 PM (is that special hours on embarkation day only ... please keep your eyes out for it, asking for a curious friend) Prima management shut down the tiny buffet promptly at 9:00 PM nightly, as both you & I know.

Iceland videos - (these are not from) Golden Circles, Lagoon & what not offered via NCL ... we rented a Toyota Highlander 4WD hybrid, together w our friends, Mary & Alex, ventured on our own ... struggled with the in-dash navigational system as it wasn't in English (at least, we couldn't figure out how to change the "default" to another language, which I'm sure there is a setting for it. Station Zebra isn't the expert on everything, just a jack of almost all trades, LOL. We are known to plan a little bit, otherwise just "wing" it once we are there and/or ashore, make good use of Google Maps & other apps to. With the unexpected, unplanned early arrival into Iceland - we're able to contact MyCar.is via email and they nicely changed our 2:30 PM pickup time to 11 AM instead, and it was ready & waiting for us when Alex and I showed up. The taxi ride over - 4 to 5 minutes - was about $20 USD (a flat/zone rate, I believe) vs. doing a 20 to 25 minutes uphill walk with a modest wind & cloudy skies. By the time we returned & dropped off the car the following day, late morning ... we used a little more than 1/2 tank of gasoline or "petro" by the liter, about $58 USD to refill & top off the tank. If retail gasoline prices were about $9 USD equivalent in Iceland, then the driving around only used about 6 1/2 gal of gas - on a loaded SUV with 6 adults, not bad, not at all ... strictly observing posted speed limit (and, in most instances, you really do NOT want to go or drive fast on mostly a single lane of traffic each way, outside the city going anywhere. And, the nice gentleman drove us back to the ship, saving us from walking or calling for a taxi ride. Here's 2 videos from Thingville National Park, free admission and open 24/7 ... about a 35 to 40 minutes from the ship, heading east - be mindful of those rotary or traffic circles and taking the proper "exit" as the signage aren't English friendly. There is a fee to park in the lots, mostly on a honor system (I think ... unless they scan for license plate) With a 3+ hours headstart vs. the possibility of most NCL bus tours and/or probably private, independent small group tours showing up - it was not crowded at all and the lines for the public restrooms wasn't that long at all, clean & washing station all working well. Prim TA 2024 Iceland Thingvellir Nat'l Park.mp4 Prima TA 2024 Iceland Thingvellir NP Waterfall.mp4 Footnote, from the N.P. parking lot, it's a gradual but rocky uphill walk on uneven ground to reach the top here, not that far in distance but not for anyone with mobility challenges ... walking poles along with comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended.

Not to worry, you truly do not need to have those coupons in getting free laundry as long as you are Platinum and/or staying in a Club Balcony Suite (or higher, I believe) ... I just wish that they run out of those tiny, small paper bag and go back to the regular, full size paper bag used for laundry services ... charging otherwise $34 a bag nowadays. We got over $400's worth of free laundry between our 2 cabins, twice per stateroom over 15 days, a nice perk that is actually useful. We had a great time on the Epic TA and if you haven't check out our "old" Semi-Live from 2023, link is below. Here is my bonus video "gift" to fellow CC'ers - just spend a few hours "raiding" DW's Samsung for extra photos & videos, with a bit of editing - here are a few short video clips in 1080p ... best viewed on a HD monitor, iPad or tablet. For those of us that disembarked, may it bring back positive chi, vibe and memories of good times, 15 days went quickly ... more to come as I get them done. Calm seas en route to Iceland (from Halifax) - the foggy video taken from the Hudson MDR over lunch showed the "roughest" part of the crossing with moderate seas and waves of 10' to 12 or 13' which only lasted a few hours aside from overnight while rocking most to a gentle sleep. Otherwise, a near perfect TA crossing. Prima TA Halifax-Iceland Sea Day Lunch at Hudson MDR.mp4 Prima TA evening to Iceland at 9.30 PM.mp4 Prima TA - Iceland drive thru.mp4

Girl, I don't know how you manage to do this, living out of a backpack & suitcase for weeks at a time. Susan & I slept well last night - being home - and woke up late, close to 10AM in NY (4 PM for you, hahaha) Did you checkout McD's hash browns along with other regional specialty items (i.e. Spam in Honolulu/Hawaii) ?? Loving the pictures and just keep posting them, that's all you need to for barely-a-live report ... the rest is gravies & trimmings to enrich, to make the rest of us CC addicts jealous of your port intensive cruise. Looking at Escape's live webcam feed ?? - she is posed to sail but not yet moving, per CruiseMapper.

Hi, this has to do with our home cellular services plan & its network coverage, especially when traveling abroad / overseas, not a "travel item" although the specific hardware (as in Android smartphone or iOS / Apple iPhone, also make a difference - and, I use both ... primary & secondary is data on iPhone SE 2022) - it is provided by Google Fi, which is backed/affiliated domestically via T-Mobile (USA) and abroad in Europe and Asia, with the "top" Unlimited Plus, allows for 50GB of 5G broadband data, texting and WiFi calling ... and inexpensive voice call rates over cellular, i.e. a single 28 cents "mobile" 1 minute call in Iceland. The other important feature is that my choice of smartphone, Pixel 7 Pro supports WiFi 6e (also on spouse's Samsung Galaxy S22+) and MiFi hotspot tethering, sharing the inbound signal, securely, with other devices. Complicated, huh ... This "top" Fi plan for 1 line is $65 a month + taxes, about $76 a month w. taxes/fees, etc. but when we don't plan to travel overseas/beyond Canada, Mexico, etc. - "downgrade" at the next billing cycle to the "basic" Unlimited Plan, which is $50 a month + taxes/fees - to avoid paying for unnecessary services (international/global data coverage at 200+ countries and hotspot tethering on an unlimited basis, no "caps" or data speed reductions, etc.) There are other benefits like VPN and cloud storage, etc. We came back last February to our home's fiber-optics home broadband internet outage due to pesky squirrels in the townhouse basement chewing out "sweet" wiring runs (LOL, true story) - Google Fi provided that "lifeline" broadband services for almost 3 weeks of uninterrupted home coverage, with the hotspot feature enabled & running a dozen+ smart home automation devices and desktop PC, laptops & smartphones ... until after 3 Verizon Fios field visits by techs - to reinforce & added extra shielding to restore full services (it was "taken down" by the squirrel family 3 times ... thankfully, repair at no costs to us) Fi's plan, while on the "Plus" plan, allows for 3 nano-sim data only card to be added, free, for use in tablets, iPads and even MiFi device - sharing the data on the same line, at no extra costs. I have a data-only sim in the iPhone, 2nd sim in a Samsung that can be easily switched into the iPad/mini w cellular - no fuzz or well worth that extra $15 or $25 a month over other provider plans from AT&T and Verizon, etc. Lots of details, it's a bit more pricey than 2 lines for seniors/older adults over 55 on T-Mobile w taxes/fees added, but T-Mo's extended coverage doesn't come close to what Google Fi offer to us, and it is what I wanted to have. It is not a budget plan if you compare to prepaid and AARP plans out there that offer, domestically, unlimited coverage for as little as $20 a month for the "average" user that do not travel often and prefer to add and pay those extra $10 a day add-ons, and have to worried about staying in airplane mode, switch off/on data roaming, and tethering "traps" while in EU or South America, etc. etc. There is a learning curve involved to know & understand, and to get the most & best out of it, and to not spent more than necessary ... do look into the option and feel free to ask (Siri and Google search online for other feedback & advice too) @Ellis1138 thanks for the short intro / lead ... I upgraded all our devices in 2022 to be dual/eSim compatible, and the Fi's primary/voice nano-sim can "reside" on the eSim slot, leaving the physical sim slot free/open to use another "foreign" or burner/disposable nano sim card (which, obviously, isn't necessary anymore for us) - just nice to know. From what friends shared, the major eSim providers mentioned from time-to-time on CC are very good & works well, just as well as the physical nano sim card used for travel & mainly 4G/5G data use ... *** On the previous TA port stop in Ponta Delgada and this time in England, WhatsApp worked great over WiFi/cellular to text & call our private tour guide and taxi/car service ... alerts/updates & messages (from Paragon Taxis) were received onboard the Prima while at sea, since we had unlimited Starlink WiFi coverage on the ship.

Portsmouth, UK seafood prices on the harbour's waterfront ... except it was still early, not yet open. There's always a next time 🤗 Buffet, AYCE ... wow 😲 - like I said, not open yet and it's across the street from the seafood shack.

Nice 🙂 thank you, madam Sylvia... promised to be kind, nice and empathetic; being #2 to check in here to follow, this is something that we might consider ahead - 2025, perhaps.

Southampton- Disembarkation info as a general reference for, perhaps, similar NCL cruises that pre-clear UK immigration prior to arrival ...easy walk-off with luggage (Caution: it was a very long z gangway that gradually descent into the main level for the luggage hall, elevator is available but ... ) Our thoughts on disembarkation - folks at UK truly got their acts together and the pier personnel were highly effective & efficient moving carts after carts of luggage off the ship and into the terminal ... they're practically done before 7 AM. Alvin, CD began calling the colors earlier than scheduled (not surprised ... watching from our balcony above) We were not in a hurry and wanted to give others rushing to the airports & ground transportation the edge in exiting the terminal ... went to Hudson MDR for breakfast, returned to our cabin to double-check, use the restroom & say goodbye to our steward, Nelcia before taking the elevator down to Deck 6 to exit the ship around 8:25 AM. We're outside by 8:50 despite the series of long "Z" style gangways that descend from equivalent of Deck 6 to Deck 1 on the pier (easily 10 minutes with others moving just as slowly as everyone else ... couldn't imagine how fun it might've been pushing & pulling those 50+ lbs rollerboards & spinners plus everything else needed to be taken off) - it's freestyle cruising, afterall. Line for taxi was long but seemed to be moving, pre-arranged pickup would've been nicer and porter services were available at the luggage hall. By the time we walked to the "yellow" tag area, maybe 2 dozen bags remained sitting there to be claimed. Not stopping for immigration & customs - nice & easy, quick & simple. If only NYC can do that each & every time we disembark ... wishful thinking, I know, one can dream, haha.

Hahaha ... this is the Getaway, who's GM onboard and who's CD, curious minds wants to know, asking for a friend. For me, I always believe in going with the flow, pack patience & humor. Have another night cap and sleep well. Tomorrow is a brand new day, is it going to be nice & sunny. Loving those pictures.