graphicguy

Leaving on the Getaway on December 1 out of New Orleans. Really looking forward to that as it's been eons since I've been to New Orleans and I love both Away ships. Got some surgeries coming up the first of the year. So, don't know how long recovery will be. But, once recovered, I'm going to splurge on some cruise, to somewhere, on a ship that I haven't sailed yet. Could be Aqua, could be Icon. Who knows?

Epic doos not have the Waterfront on the Breakaway and Getaway (and on every ship since the Epic). Observation Lounges started with Breakaway Plus ships onward. Epic, to my knowledge, is the only ship at sea to have a passenger escalator. She's just a great ship with lots of innovations when she first hit the water. I was so happy to sail her again last year and to see how well she was maintained.

LOTS was special for a bunch of reasons. I took my son on it for his 18th birthday. It was the first time I had sailed Royal. I thought the ship, while big, was well kept. Love to hear your impressions of the AQUA! 2025 is up in the air as far as cruises right now. I'm sure I'll find something that "floats my boat"! 😉

Tied to the passenger. You can have dinner with whomever you want as long as you have the Specialty Dining credit!

Thanks for the pics. I’ve been locking around sailing NCL’s smaller ships for a while. Looks in great shape. Plus, I really like your itinerary!

Love....LOVE...Malta!!!!

Personally, it depends on what I'm in the mood for. The larger ships , on every cruise line, are stuffed with things to do. Getting to those things and actually doing them is a different issue. At some point, curiosity will get me to sail something like Royal's Icon. Right now? Not quite in the mood to fight that sort of crowd, especially for the fares they're charging right now. I'm sure the fares will come down to the point I'll jump on the Icon at some point. It's just not in the foreseeable future for me to fight that sort of crowd just to be on a Humongous ship. It's just not that important to me. To this day, Liberty of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are my faves on Royal..both are more than 10 years old. I like the Breakaway Plus ships, too. Again, I have to be in the mood to sail them, though. Personally, I like the layout, the look and the size of the Prima class ships on NCL. I like their entertainment options. I like the way they offer such a variety of dining options. Obviously, you look at all these threads for all these cruise lines, no matter how much the cruise lines try to be all things to all people, someone...somewhere is not going to like something they do or have done. That's just the nature of the beast. It is great we have so many choices.NCL has been scratching my cruising itch for a while. I like them. I keep booking them. In general, I don't agree with some reviewers and some I do agree with. I find I follow the "lack of drama" cruise vLoggers than those who make it obvious all they are looking for. I don't find those folks credible....especially when my personal experiences aren't anywhere close to theirs. Not everyone likes Princess, or MSC , or Royal, or Carnival, or...... It's great having choices.

Have my card scanned when I first board. Actually, they urge you to do that before even going to your cabin. DONE! The rest of those vids they send I just delete. I also liked how Trying to recall, but I think MSC still made me don my lifesaver and report to the safety drill with it on. They may have changed this recently, though. Last Royal cruise I took, those who didn't check in for their safety station weren't allowed to get a drink at the bar until they checked into their safety station. I liked that, too. I'll take NCL's procedure over the MSC one. It sure beats waiting in some theater for those who can't be bothered to do the safety drill to show up while holding up the rest of those who just want to do the safety drill and get on with their cruise, like used to happen.

Epic is obviously an older ship. Sailed her late last year….she’s well cared for. First time cruisers will want to check out THE CAVERN CLUB. She also has NCL’s well known and loved Specialty Dining Restaurants, like Cagney’s, Le Bistro, etc. O’Sheehans is the “grab a bite” when you want restaurant. Spice H20 is an adults area with a big screen and bar that’s always fun. Manhattan Room is a great MDR! It’s the ship that really started NCL’s foray into eat, dine where and when you want to! First time cruisers will be awed by it!

There's nothing but cabins above and below your room. You're fine on that count. Deck 15 has the Observation Lounge. Deck 17 has the Horizon Lounge, Haven Courtyard and Haven Lounge (Haven guests only). Deck 18 has the Haven Restaurant and more Haven Lounge. So, you'll either have to take the stairs or elevators 6-9 decks to get to the Haven bar, restaurant, pool, loungers, etc....if that matters to you.

Watch one. Delete the rest. Problem solved!

15, soon to be 16, NCL cruises. Never had norovirus. Wash your hands people....coming and going to the Buffet and bathrooms. Don't stick your grubby fingers into the buffet food. You'll be fine.

Yeah....Prima spreads out the guests from the Buffet to also include Indulge. There's also the Local. Always found a place to sit and dine, even at peak lunch and breakfast times. Don't know about dinners...never went to Local, Indulge or Seaside for dinner.

Have done both RCL and NCL. -FAS dining is truly "show up and be seated". I think the longest wait I've ever had for an MDR meal was less than 10 minutes. Specialty Dining on NCL is a little more difficult, but not by much. Although they have screens throughout the ship that show how busy each venue is, I have found if you show up to the venue, and tell them you'll wait for a table, you usually don't have to wait as long as making a reservation would have you believe. -Royal has had "any time dining" for quite some time. They still can't quite figure out how to do it. You still have to make a reservation, and if you don't, you're waiting a long time to be seated. -FAS (or MAS after 1/1/2025) covers most drinks (except for Starbucks and bottled water). That said, NCL's tap water is quite good. I've toured the water filtration system. It's probably better than any municipal water in any city. NCL's "urn coffee" in the buffet is NOT GOOD. So, if you're a coffee lover, either spend a few extra bucks in addition to the FAS drinks and go to the Starbucks on board. Or, I take those Starbucks instant packets (which are quite good) and add hot water to those. Alcoholic drinks on NCL are mostly covered by FAS. Any alcoholic drink not covered by the $15 max, you only have to pay the difference plus tip. For example, if you order a $17 drink, you'd pay the $2 difference plus a 40¢ tip. More at Sea (MAS) which goes into effect on January 1, 2025 covers everything (except the stupidly expensive alcoholic drinks). I found Royal's drink packages to be very expensive. Plus, if you go looking for a discount, there's no rhyme nor reason when you can get it, or how much it will be. Even then, it's still expensive. As mentioned, if you're sailing on the Prima to Bermuda (and only to Bermuda) for a multi-night stay, I wouldn't worry about being detoured. Something extra-ordinary would have to happen if they can't make it to Bermuda. Prima.....sailed her at the beginning of this year. Beautiful ship, contemporary, unique and probably in the top 2 or 3 of my favorite ships I've ever sailed, on any line.

Thanks...it's hard to keep track of where y'all are going and when. @Mike B Landlubber...double sorry for the side step. You're doing a great job and enjoying this thoroughly. You're bringing me right back to the Getaway, that I truly love and headed back to in another 6 weeks.

Or, there will be those who jumped over to MSC and Celebrity to try them, and decided they liked NCL better. Although, I did like Celebrity. Just not enough to make a wholesale transfer to them. At some point, I hope to sail them, again. To each their own. Every cruise line seems to have their fair share of "nay sayers". Kind of have to shove them aside to get to the meat and potatoes of getting the true flavor of any of them. NCL, Celebrity, Carnival, HAL, MSC...being similar in many ways, all still have their own flavor to them.

BTW...are you leaving on 10/21?

You rebel..... 😉 I feel obligated to eat the dessert that is presented to me at the venue I dined in. There is structure, not chaos, in how I dine. 🙂

So true. BTW...I'm loving your live review!!!!!!

Have sailed NCL a lot over more than a decade and never know that. Learned something new. Thanks! Although, that begs the question, did they have to make a dinner reservation just to get a dessert?

I think the Prima is the perfect ship for a first time cruiser. It has all the "goodies" that NCL offers. And, it's not a behemoth ship like the Breakaway Plus class. -Indulge is the BEST dining concept at sea, on any cruise line. You dine inside or outside. You choose from a variety of cuisine (Indian, Salads, etc). It's made fresh and served pronto to wherever you are seated in "INDULGE". -the outdoors area wraps around the entire ship, with chairs, couches, infinity pools and a walking path. It's the kind of space that makes cruising "cruising". -the decor is fresh, modern and appealing -Burn the Floor, Bossa Nova show is amazing -The Syd Norman's shows are phenomenal (get there early to get a seat) I could go on, but if there were ever a ship that's a good introduction to cruising, it would be the Prima.

Not out of NYC, but I sailed Prima out of Galveston earlier this year. The actual cruise portion of the review (with pics) starts on page 9. LOVED sailing her. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2982046-live-prima-feb-2-9-2024-from-galveston-western-caribbean-with-pics-haven-he/page/9/

Yeah....I literally got my money's worth in OBC when I had shares at $11. Sold at $16. Now it's $22. Should have held on to it. Good to see it's still a good buy. Hockey isn't my "thing". But, it's a major sport, so this is a good thing for NCL. I know they've had some sponsorships by soccer leagues in the past, too. Those were very apparent when I sailed on the Epic last year. Now, if they found a way to get MLB and/or NFL sponsorship, I would definitely get excited about that.

Most definitely. You'll love it!

Admittedly, I tend to put money I'd spend on the VIBE towards a Haven Fare. But, I can see the allure of the Vibe if you're in a Balcony (or below) cabin. The Vibe level of service matches that of the Haven pool/hot tub area. It's not crowded. The waitstaff and bartenders are more engaging than they are on the other parts of the ship. The chairs and couches are nice in the VIBE. And, I've never seen a chair hog anywhere in the VIBE. That said, no one can control the weather. So, if it's really windy in the Vibe, that might be an issue. That said, the last time I was on the Getaway, in the VIBE, the cost was $79/pp. This was before the Covid shutdown, though.