NCL Prima 5-day NYC to Bermuda Semi-Live! (10/10/22)

[Vol_Navy]

@PistolPete13

 

Thank you for snapping a photo of my wife and I in front of the Prima with our camera after we docked in Bermuda last Wednesday.   It will be featured on our holiday cards!

 

I have enjoyed reliving our cruise through your excellent photography and fun reviews this week!

Edited October 20, 2022 by Vol_Navy

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

The casino (Penrose?) bar should comp me a couple of cans.

The challenge is that the "Casino Bar" is also the "Penrose Atrium Bar" which is wall-to-wall people until the evening entertainment ends. While there is entertainment in the atrium, it is impossible to do a drive-by to get a couple of boxes of water or a premium drink. 

[KmomChicago]

7 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

 

That's a very novel idea! I really like it and hope some of the cruise lines are listening...could be a win win for everyone!

 

I've mentioned it here on the boards before and I get feedback that it would be a security nightmare but I don't see why.  It might also violate their port agreements by siphoning more money back to the cruise lines rather than to local excursion operators. But here again, we all pay port fees whether we get off or not, and more and more passengers talk about staying on the ship in port so I doubt it would actually impact the ports.

Edited October 20, 2022 by KmomChicago

[KmomChicago]

8 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Ah well, it's late and I have to head into the office tomorrow so no more detailed posting tonight.  If you'll indulge me, I'll post a few sunset photos from the sea day and photos of the Carnival ship that was in port at the same time we were.

 

 

 

I was on this ship, Carnival Legend, from Baltimore this past Christmas, on what will almost certainly be my mom's last cruise. Thanks for bringing back those memories, unexpectedly, on your Prima cruise, Pete!

 

[Red-Sol]

4 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I've mentioned it here on the boards before and I get feedback that it would be a security nightmare but I don't see why.  It might also violate their port agreements by siphoning more money back to the cruise lines rather than to local excursion operators. But here again, we all pay port fees whether we get off or not, and more and more passengers talk about staying on the ship in port so I doubt it would actually impact the ports.

I understand that there could be potential security concerns but as long as groups touring are kept small and there is at least one person from the ship leading and maybe two following to prevent anyone from wandering off it seems to me it could work. Keeping the tours short (maybe no longer than say 30 to 45 minutes) should also quell some of the other concerns.

[KmomChicago]

53 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

I understand that there could be potential security concerns but as long as groups touring are kept small and there is at least one person from the ship leading and maybe two following to prevent anyone from wandering off it seems to me it could work. Keeping the tours short (maybe no longer than say 30 to 45 minutes) should also quell some of the other concerns.

 

Who do we talk to? 🙂  Even if it only stays within the same line, for example there are often two RCI ships in Cozumel right next to each other, and three Carnival ships.  I could see the line willing to advertise their other ships, or other ships in their parent portfolio rather than competitors.

[Red-Sol]

4 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Who do we talk to? 🙂  Even if it only stays within the same line, for example there are often two RCI ships in Cozumel right next to each other, and three Carnival ships.  I could see the line willing to advertise their other ships, or other ships in their parent portfolio rather than competitors.

 

The cruise lines really constantly monitor cruisecritic (they rarely if ever post anything but they do read them) so hopefully we have already talked to someone! 😉 They also tend to copy many things that each other is doing...so if even one would start something the others would surely follow. 

[KmomChicago]

2 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

 

The cruise lines really constantly monitor cruisecritic (they rarely if ever post anything but they do read them) so hopefully we have already talked to someone! 😉 They also tend to copy many things that each other is doing...so if even one would start something the others would surely follow. 

 

I Follow John Heald on Facebook and he has answered me before - Carnival Brand Ambassador. I will try mentioning it to him. 

[PistolPete13]

21 hours ago, Vol_Navy said:

@PistolPete13

 

Thank you for snapping a photo of my wife and I in front of the Prima with our camera after we docked in Bermuda last Wednesday.   It will be featured on our holiday cards!

 

I have enjoyed reliving our cruise through your excellent photography and fun reviews this week!

You're very welcome!  It's a big ship and you need to work hard to not cut the legs or heads of the people off in the photo just to fit the ship.  LOL

[PistolPete13]

Day 4, excursion day!

Not knowing how long I would be out in the ocean bouncing around in a small boat, I opted to restrain myself and have a tiny breakfast.  I'm weird in that if I have something interesting to do or keep me occupied, I can go for many hours without eating a thing and it won't bother me.  Probably indicates some latent mental issues, but we won't go there.

This was my first visit to the Indulge Food hall for breakfast and they had all sorts of items set out at the various food stations for grab and go purposes.  It worked out perfectly for me.
 

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by PistolPete13

[PistolPete13]

So my excursion was the shipwreck and corral reef snorkel experience.  As soon as I got off the ship I knew there could be a potential issue.  Even though it was bright and sunny, the wind was something else.  

The last time I cruised I had a snorkel trip cancelled in Harvest Caye due to the wind and sure enough we were told the excursion would need to be modified.   The shipwreck location was far out from the island and the waves were too rough to have us in the water.  They would however give us more time in a protected corral reef area.

I was perfectly OK with this but as least half the participants decided to bail and go for a refund.  I came all this way to jump into the water (not the human soup infinity pool, no thanks) and I'm going to do it no matter if we have to snorkel dockside!

The good thing now is that we had a huge boat to ourselves, unlimited free rum swizzles, and plenty of room to move around for photos.  Will you just look at that water?  That's not the Hudson river sewage brown color I'm used to in NYC.

 

[PistolPete13]

And the best part of this excursion for me was that I asked the boat captain if he could take the long way back to the dock so that we could all get a look at the Prima without a dock blocking her.  Dock blocking, get it???

These are some of my most prized photos of the entire cruise:

 

[PistolPete13]

All too soon the excursion was over and it was time to get back onto the ship for me.  After huddling around with about a dozen WiFi addicts at a free WiFi hotspot at the dock, I got on what was my first line since embarkation day.

I ended up behind a very interesting group that sounded like they had a bit too much to drink.  In less than 3 minutes, I had ascertained that they were all from the Bronx, NY and every place else was second rate compared to the Bronx.  How?  They made sure everyone around them knew.  They kept switching back and forth between English and Spanish.  Do I look like I understand Spanish?  <looks at profile pict>. Yes I do because I grew up in the Bronx during the same Jurassic era as the group in front of me did.

They were asking everyone around them where they were from and once they answered, they would say something snarky about that location, but all in good fun.  So here I was waiting for them to call on me because I would've loved to have seen their faces when I told them I was from exactly their neighborhood remember their street (Creston Ave. if you don't believe me).

But alas their ringleader took one look at me and probably decided I didn't speak any English and skipped me to torture the poor Venezuelans behind me. 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

You're very welcome!  It's a big ship and you need to work hard to not cut the legs or heads of the people off in the photo just to fit the ship.  LOL

Decapitation and amputation are sometimes needed to get the "perfect picture".  It's a byproduct that dedicated photographers can live with. 😁

[Blossom73]

On 10/18/2022 at 9:31 PM, PistolPete13 said:

That is quite the itinerary change!  Hope you had enough time to pack warmer clothes!

No, unfortunately we didn't get the notification until the evening before the cruise, when we were already in NYC. 🤷‍♀️

[Harratine]

On 10/10/2022 at 2:46 PM, CleverUserNameHere said:

 

I'm so bummed you all are skipping Norfolk (although I bet you're not!), we were excited to see the ship in dock!

Would have liked to see Prima coming into Norfolk and Roads.  Sorry to hear it didn’t happen yet

[PistolPete13]

Hi all!  Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend traveling by car.  Seems like non-stop traffic and borderline road rage has become the norm in my area of travel.  Plenty of accidents seen and the weather was blue skies and clear.  Go figure.

Where was I?

Oh yes, dinner after not eating all day due to the excursion.

Indulge food hall (can you tell it's my favorite now?) following by dinner at Hudsons.  I made the mistake of having dinner at Hudsons way after the sun had set so I missed out on the spectacular views of the place during the day.

Indulge Food Hall dishes:

- Tuna Tostada
- Deviled eggs
- Roast lamb
- Beef kebabs
 

[PistolPete13]

Hudsons dinner items:

 

- California roll
- Crab cakes

- Seafood paella 
- Lemon Sorbet (pretty much melted by the time it got to me)

[PistolPete13]

Some late night views of the observation lounge and the Indulge food court.  A bit surreal to see it so empty because both places get crowded during the day.  From what I've heard, out 10/10 sailing from NYC was basically full and I'm sure most future sailings will also be full for the next 12 months because "new ship".

 

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by PistolPete13

[KmomChicago]

15 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Hi all!  Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend traveling by car.  Seems like non-stop traffic and borderline road rage has become the norm in my area of travel.  Plenty of accidents seen and the weather was blue skies and clear.  Go figure.

Where was I?

Oh yes, dinner after not eating all day due to the excursion.

Indulge food hall (can you tell it's my favorite now?) following by dinner at Hudsons.  I made the mistake of having dinner at Hudsons way after the sun had set so I missed out on the spectacular views of the place during the day.

Indulge Food Hall dishes:

- Tuna Tostada
- Deviled eggs
- Roast lamb
- Beef kebabs
 

 

Beautiful. Who needs the buffet with options like this?

[fstuff1]

14 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Beautiful. Who needs the buffet with options like this?

yup.

thats why the buffet is so small.

they need to put a sign in front of the buffet saying that

[PistolPete13]

So Friday was a full sea day and we made a beeline back to NYC going about 21 knots.  The wind was a constant and the seas were stormy in the morning before the sun came out in the afternoon.  Definitely not balcony or pool deck time even with the sun.

I was one of the few crazy enough to sit out on deck 8 but I had my pants, sweatshirt and light winter jacket on the full time.

Keep this in mind when sailing out of NYC in October.  Besides the random hurricane, you may get a cold front passing by that limits the use of a balcony and outside spaces.

 

Breakfast was at the Food court again.  No crowds if you go early and they had a variety of choices.  I got a fruit bowl and a egg concoction with chili. 

[PistolPete13]

Time to get on the scale in the gym.  The verdict?  Gained 3 lbs.  Guess I didn't eat enought!

Here is a look at the storm seas from the front of the ship.  Remember, don't hit your forehead on the sloped glass!

 

 

[PistolPete13]

Soon enough it was time for lunch and I had to round out trying most of the menu items at the Food Court.

- Fried okra
- Beef kabab plate
- Pai Thai
- Tuna tostada
- 4 scoops of ice cream
- coffee and a delicious cake

[PistolPete13]

I spent the afternoon relaxing and processing photos in the observation lounge.  It was just too cold and windy to be outside, even on the sunny side of the ship or the top decks.

The observation lounge was packed in the prime seating areas near the front but with some patience you can find some quiet nooks on the side.  One thing for sure, I didn't see any long term nappers with blankets sleeping in the lounge like I did on the Bliss.

 

Want to know why?  It's so damn loud in there with the ceilings so low.  I'm used to riding on the NYC subways and other forms of public transportation so loud doesn't bother me as I can tune it out.