TR-Prima 1/12-19--Right trip at the right time!

[KKB]

I am not even sure how we stumbled upon this cruise back in August.

January is ALWAYS a good time to get away from Nebraska, and OH BOY, was it this time!

 

Somehow I pulled this up & clicked on the OV category.

The 1st one said "with a balcony"--and it was $1K cheaper than an actual balcony.

(VERY confused...why is it an OV & says "balcony"??)

Well, I was intrigued...So called CAS & inquired.

The CS agent was very excited & said she had booked this one & it was a terrific value. And it DID have a balcony.

Now, it was handicap accessible BUT it was the last one in the category, so we could book--tho they could ask us to relinquish if someone needed it & no other HA room was available at a later date.

Ok...worth the risk!

 

We also have "cruising friends" in Houston, so try to convince them to book.

But NO...she needs to buy new exterior doors for their 40 YO home--WHAT??

DOORS OVER A CRUISE??

NEVER!

Well..the doors won. Boo.

BUT our lovely friends picked us up a the airport, housed us & took us to the port the next morning. SO I REALLY cannot complain.

 

STILL...I held out..HOPING they would book & surprise us...I would TOTALLY do that!

 

 

Edited January 21 by KKB

[KKB]

So DRAMA...

Our flight is 3 days prior to embarkation to spend some time w/ our Houston cruising friends>

Awesome.

WELL...a SNOWSTORM IS COMING.

 

OK..storm is set to hit Monday. Our flight is Tuesday.

We live in Lincoln but fly from Omaha.

No big deal...we will head to the casino (HA!) Sunday.

 

We do.

WOW. 

Things are DEAD at the casino...I appreciate, as I can play the machines I want to. 

But then concerns about getting out Tuesday so look at Weds options...OH SH*T...morning flights r SOLD OUT.

Well crap. 

Decide we should rebook for Weds (free) NOW to avoid issues.

GREAT. 

Now THREE days at casino🤪

It is what it is.

We settle in....

 

Well Weds AM we awake...and find there are issues at home that we need to contend with.

CRAP

Roll my eyes & agree...we now need to rebook for Thursday to Galveston (at a premium as the storms no longer give us that free rebook CRAP)

Drive home.

Deal with issues.

 

WAIT--a NEW SNOWSTORM IS COMING. (yes, 2nd in a week...brutal)

OMG. *****

SERIOUSLY.

 

OK...this IS IT.

Now or Never...DO OR DIE (forgive my drama...)

 

SO Thursday get our butts to the airport & take off JUST as the snowstorm starts...

(and pray our 3 YO car has no issues sitting in sub-zero temps for days...)

 

PHEW--GOT OUR BUTTS OUT OF TOWN

 

Our lovely Houston cruising friends picked us up & fed us a lovely dinner. 

OMG all we do is laugh & laugh... a great beginning to our trip!

.

Edited January 21 by KKB

[KKB]

 

So we got to the port at 9:20AM (our checkin time was 9:30)

WOW--probably 50 people in front of us!

 

Needless to say, embarkation was smooth.

They began to call people about 10:30 & we were onboard shortly after 11.

 

We headed straight to Guest Services, but alas, Vibe was Sold Out.

Turned out to be a good thing...sea days were cool; port days we didn't need it.

Looked very nice, but $500 saved!

 

Then went to the theater to change/aquire dining reservations.

Easy peasy.

 

We then went to Indulge Food Hall for some lunch,

You order from several "venue" options...OMG things came out FAST. (but not necessarily at the same time...so one person may get all they ordered & it may be 5-10 min b4 the rest arrives) YUMMY

 

Our luggage arrive b4 4PM so we unpacked.

 

We were in 11814...HA OV "balcony" as mentioned before.

LOVED the room--we were literally steps from the mid-ship balcony.

Oversized room & bathroom.

Small balcony--JUST enough room for 2 chairs & table. 

Perfect for us.

 

We had dinner at Los Lobos (specialty) that night.

WOW WOW WOW

Seriously, this is one of the best meals we have had on ANY ship (maybe ANYWHERE)

I will go into detail later....

 

We had planned on Syd's sailaway show...but alas, NO SHOW😪

OK, plan B.

Gamble a little..worked well for DH! (not me so much...)

Familiar Strangers (music groups) had a Motown show in the theatre.

AMAZING...

Needless to say, it meant their gigs all over the ship would be well attended all week!

 

DH went to play poker...I wandered into Karoake at the Improv.

SUPER FUN--honestly, the most fun karaoke I have ever seen!

Most singers "got it"--play fun songs that everyone wants to sing along with!

 

Well, DH wandered in towards the end...

And we discovered that there was a "club" at Syd's...

So there were a LOT of young people there (20s-30s).

Well, we are young at heart, so we jumped in.

 

Unfortunately some people didn't understand...no drinks (ESPECIALLY in a glass container) on the dance floor...if you spilled the DJ STOPPED the music, turned on the lights & nothing happened until it was all cleaned up.

WELL

This happened THREE TIMES in about 30 min...

SIGH.

We decided we were DONE with this...and headed to bed sometime after midnight (or was it 1AM?...)

 

(OK ya'll...It's 11:30. I'm DONE...will continue tomorrow!)

Edited January 21 by KKB

[Kealy]

Thank you for sharing your cruise with us -- looking forward to day 2.

[Asawi]

6 hours ago, KKB said:

 

(and pray our 3 YO car has no issues sitting in sub-zero temps for days...)

 

This really made me laugh (in a nice way!). I live in Sweden. I have almost never had a car as new as 3 yo. When winter hits with sub-zero (yes, I mean sub-zero Fahrenheit! We've been at -30 Celcius/-20 Fahrenheit in what feels like forever this winter) my car can be standing for WEEKS. You should be fine!
But what an ordeal with your flights! A big sigh of relief there!

[seemoreroyals]

@KKB Enjoying your trip report.  The Familiar Strangers motown show in the theater first night of the cruise was for us the best entertainment we experienced on the ship.  As you pointed out they were indeed fantastic.  We tried to follow some of their shows later in the week but always had trouble for the four of us finding a place to sit.

 

Sorry you missed out on the vibe.  Don't know if you have ever did it before but it was well worth the $500 you saved .  I think Prima is coming back to Galveston next year so if you plan a return trip you may want to try it then.  It is very popular and for a warm weather cruises you will need to book as far in advance as possible.

 

We also ate at Los Lobos the next to last night on the cruise.  It was outstanding for us as well. Your TR is bringing back some pleasant memories.  Please continue when you have time.

[EllieinNJ]

Great report.  Will be on the Prima out of NY in December 2024.

[graphicguy]

@KKB...this couldn't be more timely given I'm sailing out in a week and a ½ on the Prima.  Looking forward to more.

 

Thanks!

[KKB]

1 hour ago, seemoreroyals said:

@KKB Enjoying your trip report.  The Familiar Strangers motown show in the theater first night of the cruise was for us the best entertainment we experienced on the ship.  As you pointed out they were indeed fantastic.  We tried to follow some of their shows later in the week but always had trouble for the four of us finding a place to sit.

 

Sorry you missed out on the vibe.  Don't know if you have ever did it before but it was well worth the $500 you saved .  I think Prima is coming back to Galveston next year so if you plan a return trip you may want to try it then.  It is very popular and for a warm weather cruises you will need to book as far in advance as possible.

 

We also ate at Los Lobos the next to last night on the cruise.  It was outstanding for us as well. Your TR is bringing back some pleasant memories.  Please continue when you have time.

With the 2 sea days plus embarkation day being quite cool & 4 port days, it does lose it's value.

I tried Vibe on Getaway, and found it not worth the money for me w/ no pool. It was HOT.

This one looked much nicer.

But on port days we spent a bit of time at the infinity pool with just a few other passengers.

[KKB]

3 hours ago, Asawi said:

This really made me laugh (in a nice way!). I live in Sweden. I have almost never had a car as new as 3 yo. When winter hits with sub-zero (yes, I mean sub-zero Fahrenheit! We've been at -30 Celcius/-20 Fahrenheit in what feels like forever this winter) my car can be standing for WEEKS. You should be fine!
But what an ordeal with your flights! A big sigh of relief there!

We know it is more likely to happen in such weather, so always have a plan!

(It's only 3 years old but "spoiled" as is usually in a garage)

It was negative temps & up to -45 wind chills all but one day we were gone...BRRRRRRR

[Sand and Seas]

Can't wait to hear more about your cruise.  Glad you made it to Galveston on time!

[schmoopie17]

11 hours ago, KKB said:

I

Somehow I pulled this up & clicked on the OV category.

The 1st one said "with a balcony"--and it was $1K cheaper than an actual balcony.

(VERY confused...why is it an OV & says "balcony"??)

 

Still trying to figure what what an Oceanview with balcony is. Have never seen or heard of such a thing before. 

[schmoopie17]

11 hours ago, KKB said:

 

STILL...I held out..HOPING they would book & surprise us...I would TOTALLY do that!

 

I started a thread about surprising friends on a cruise a short time ago. It's a great idea and a lot of fun for all concerned. We're doing it again next month to two long-time friends. Well, the wife knows. But nobody's telling the husband...surprise!

 

Edited January 21 by schmoopie17

[KKB]

OK at this point I am going to divide by topic.

 

CABIN

--has already been covered...we would recommend to others!

(tho it does lack privacy on the balcony; being in the corner, we were cozy neighbors!)

 

FOOD

WOW--the BEST overall NCL food we have had (have sailed Getaway & Breakaway).

Honestly, some of the best overall food at sea we have had!

 

We LOVED that there were so many choices.

 

We did buy a 2 specialty  meal package before boarding so we had 3 total.

 

LOS LOBOS

OK I have to admit when DH picked this one, I thought--Mexican, really?

We have great local MX places. Our kids went to TCU so we have eaten at many in Fort Worth.

OMG--Yes, we put this up there w/ Chef's Table on Celebrity Beyond.

EVERYTHING was just SO GOOD.

Jalapeno margarita

Tortilla soup & Coxtel Mixto

Shrimp & Bacon tacos and Skirt steak tacos

Elote, Jicama slaw (we put it ON our tacos) & plantains

Pastel de TreLeches (coconut cream cake) & Guava sorbet

We seriously were rolling our eyes as we ate!

We even thought about going back...but that place was packed nightly.

 

CAGNEYS

Had 6PM ressies, but went at 530 to assure getting into Syd's & got in no problem. 

Place was almost full at 630.

This is my fav Cagneys--very classy, you get to choose which steak knife you want! (French? Italian?)

Never had that option before!

Crab Cake & Ahi Tuna Tartare (foolishly told DH to order the crab cake & we would share...RIGHT)

Onion soup & Caesar salad (first one we have seen with whole anchovies on top!)

Petite Filets--peppercorn & chimichurri sauce

(only misstep--mine was dry. Odd. I added butter & salt and all was good!)

Baked potato, Scalloped potatoes (my fav!), mushrooms & zucchini

Took Caramel cheesecake to room for later--I much preferred a slice as before than this. 

VERY good overall, as always.

 

ONDA

Our least fav of the 3, but do not mistaken that--still very good.

Burrata & Miso Fritto--both HUGE & excellent

Truffled Spinach Mezzelune (ravioli) & Branzino--LOVELY crisp skiin

Panna Cotta

 

OBSERVATION LOUNGE

Grabbed a late breakfast one morning...pretty limited.

Had egg bites, whole fruit & small pasteries. 

Seating was hard to find at 10:30AM

 

LOCAL

Always a fav. Tried for all 3 meals & an occasional snack. Everything was good.

Burgers, nachos, spinach dip, pretzel bites, cobb salad, chicken salad sandwich, breakfast.

 

INDULGE

A new fav! We LOVED the concept. Tried for both lunch & dinner a couple times...menus slightly different for those.

Service was CRAZY fast...BUT sometimes things come out very staggered.

The last day a couple items we had to ask for again.

We LOVED the deviled eggs, jalapeno cornbread, bacon wrapped dates (didn't know I liked dates!)

Tried numerous other things...not unusual to see a table full of plates at anyone's table!

This was also a small buffet breakfast venue & was never crowded for that.

 

HUDSONS

Tried for lunch one day--a LOVELY venue.

Very good lunch.

Caesar & Shrimp fritters (OMG SO good--but you only get 3, so I did NOT share!)

BLT & fried fish tacos

 

COMMODORE

Ate one night for dinner--my fav menu

Very good as well

Caesar, Corn bisque, mushroom caps & lime & dill shrimp

Bacon Wrapped shrimp & grits

Banana split (a whole banana & one scoop of ice cream--actually the way I like it!)

 

BUFFET

Ate for a lunch a couple times.

This venue is WAY too small & as small as it was, I was stunned to see duplicate items as I wandered.

THAT BEING SAID--might be the best flavored food buffet I have had at sea!

On the Getaway in 2022 the buffet food was BAD. (OSheehans was not great on that one either, tho we had loved it there in 2018), so I have a tendency to avoid NCL buffets.

But EVERYTHING I took was VERY good. 

 

That was the theme of the trip--EVERYTHING was flavorful & very good.

There was not one thing I took a bite of & thought, NOPE.

(and I refuse to waste calorie on anything that doesn't taste good!)

 

Service was VERY fast everywhere. 

I don't think lunch was over 30 min & a dinner much over an hour!

 

Some venues a bit small, but with so many options (which, again, we LOVED), people did seem to spread themselves out amongst them.

We like to eat dinner early so that helps.

And we slept LATE many days so we often just grabbed an early lunch.

 

 

 

  

[KKB]

11 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Still trying to figure what what an Oceanview with balcony is. Have never seen or heard of such a thing before. 

Yep, me neither.

I read & reread the description & finally called & the CAS agent confirmed that it was just that!

Perhaps with the cozy balcony they have a hard time calling it a true balcony. 

It is a triangle...we had 2 chairs & small table. No room for anything else.

 

[KKB]

CREW

FANTASTIC

Now we feel this on pretty much all cruises we have been on, but overall it just seemed this crew was having FUN & really enjoyed their jobs, passengers & each other.

 

LOCAL: the Bar

With NFL playoff games this place was HOPPING. A LOT.

Not really big enough for the crowds (I mean, it was out of TX & the Texans were playing...but let's face it, NFL is a pretty big thing all over the US)

You COULD watch it in your room.

 

DRINKS

Yep, this gets it's own category.

We LOVED the variety of unusual (and delicious!) drinks around the ship.

NOW, not all were offered everywhere.

Local had the yummy smoked peach marg (originally found at Q on Encore for us) & Monkey Business (DH drinks beer & frozen drinks...he LOVED this one).

Metropolitan bar had Watermelon Fizz, Cucumber Cool & many others (Jonathan was a HOOT--telling jokes, doing "party tricks")

Decent sauvignon blanc & pinot grigio choices under regular plan.'

[KKB]

OK that was the GREAT.

Now for the GOOD to VERY GOOD.

 

SHIP

Absolutely beautiful. 

Extended Waterfront w/ infinity pools is wonderful.

(tho WHAT is the point of the "wading" area around the beds...odd)

There is ONE bar on the back of Waterfront. Miss having one on each side as on Breakaway Class.

But it lacks flow--it was challenging to get from point A to point B

Venues have been shrunk even more than Breakaway Class. WHY??!!

Syds seems smaller (I could be wrong), Improv is maybe half the size as is Observation Lounge.

Pool area is VERY tight--no inclination to even try to be there.

Buffet--maybe 1/4 the size of typical buffets. No joke. It is one side only, about half as long as usual.

I wouldn't seek out the Prima class again but I would sail again if itinerary and/or price were right.

 

CASINO

VERY large.

SMOKE FREE (small enclosed smoking area)

Quite a few video poker machines (and I hit my biggest jackpot ever, SO love that!)

DH did well at cash poker game a couple nights.

Would love some daily cheap poker tourneys like Princess does.

Not a fan of their poker tournament structure (hate Celebrity's too). Blackjack tournament too.

 

ACTIVITIES

Activities staff was a lot of fun.

Trivia & most game shows well done--in Improv or Metropolitan.

The atrium does NOT lend itself to these things at all...well, they just did things in "the middle".

Some games in there we never quite knew where to go...

Karaoke was a BLAST. I rarely care for it, but these folks chose fun, singalong songs.

Perfect Couple was held in the Improv--WAY WAY too small for that show.

Newlywed Game was held in the theatre--SMART. We had met the winners (59 yrs!) the night before in line at Syds & they were a HOOT!

 

SYDS

Ok, anyone who knows me here knows that I am a Syd Norman's groupie.

This ship brought a new Syd's crew--very young ones at that!

They were lovely humans!

The shows were still well done & fun.

Each show the chemistry got better & the harmonies got tighter.

Alice (tall blond) NAILED Stevie Nicks voice in Rumours.

Alice sat out the 2nd show of the week due to vocal strain & Jess (short brunette) definitely stepped up to the task of being the only female vocalist that night.

I HATE that I do not remember the guy's names!

The blond was from Iowa (I meant to ask him where!)--he was always on point & the most theatrical.

The brunette was from Scotland & I said he looked like he was the son of Tom Cruise & Harry Stiles.

SUCH great energy!

But lining up beginning 1.5- 2 hours early not great. 

And hit a wall on the last day so missed prom😪

I was hoping to be Prom Queen again...😆

 

(FUNNY side story. As we watched the 1st night, DH says, "This is weird. But the brunette looks A LOT like my ex-wife" Side note: we both had early short lived marriages before meeting over 30 yrs ago.

I said, "Huh. Well, the guitarist looks a lot like my ex if he had blond hair"

Weird for a few minutes...then memories from so long ago faded away....LMAO)

 

 

Edited January 21 by KKB

[KKB]

OK...our least fav parts of the cruise (MINOR details)

 

PRODUCTION SHOWS

ONE

ONLY ONE

Donna Summer show.

And all I hear was "Great talent but BORING story line" Over & over.

So we didn't go. 

Comdedians--maybe 3 shows all week? Timing never worked w/ Syds

Familiar Strangers doing Motown in the theater was brilliant--they are GREAT.

70s & 80s nights in "Club" were fun but personally I just want to hear music from those decade & dance. I don't need the production crew doing...well, whatever the bits they were doing. (they are talented, that isn't it...I just don't care for the concept)

 

Then one night The Price is Right was in the theatre the whole night. (not our thing tho heard it was good)

Sadly no Syd's show that night either.

OK

We will sit & listen to music & play cards--something we like to do on cruises.

Well, the couple in the Atrium we like but his guitar was VERY loud. Grating to the ears.

We even went up to 8 thinking that would help. Nope.

OK

We will go to Metropolitan.

WELL the music was so loud that we were yelling at each other to be heard before we even got inside.

So NOPE.

OK

We went up to Observation Lounge.

DARK. QUITE DARK.

Yes, it was open, but most tables did not have a direct light over the table. 

Very odd.

Finally found one & played one game...but the dimness made us drowsy!

OK

WHAT NOW?

Too windy on deck to play cards.

Local had no open seats.

Kid you not, we finished the game in our room.

Never had the problem on any other ship...

 

 

Edited January 21 by KKB

[KKB]

OOPS FORGOT PORTS

We booked this cruise mostly to sail from Galveston so we could see our friends from Houston & to sail a new class of ship. We had just hit these ports in April & have several times before.

 

Costa Maya

I lounged around the Waterfront. DH wandered into port are for a couple beers.

 

Belize

I lounged around the Waterfront. DH wandered into port are for a couple beers. (yep there's a pattern)

 

Roatan

We wandered into port & got fish pedis. It's a tradition once on a trip!

 

Cozumel

We wandered around the shopping area. I headed back to lounge at the Waterfront & DH hit Hooters for a couple beers. Unfortunately by the time I got my suit on, dark clouds rolled it. It rained on & off most of the rest of the day. There was a little reprieve & got a bit of sun, but the showers were pretty good that day.

 

 

 

[KKB]

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

We had a great time--we always do.

Stayed up much later many more nights than we usually do.

(this was the party-est cruise we have ever sailed on any line...well except the 5 day Celebrity spring break cruise that was 75% FSU students...)

Loved food, crew, activities, Familiar Strangers, Syds.

 

I wouldn't seek out a Prima class ship to sail again BUT I wouldn't say NO. 

(for instance, I will sail a Celebrity Eclass ship anywhere if the price & time is right)

Prima will be relegated to itineraries we want to sail.

 

Not sure I'd sail from Galveston in the winter again.

You really lose 3 days of warm weather (days 1&2  and 7) 

Sailed out of there last March & didn't notice that.

 

If you have any questions about the ship, port, itinerary, I will try to answer!

Thanks for reading!

[PhillyTravelBug]

A little behind, but yes, Los Lobos impressed us as well. We just went there to use our last FAS meal and it was the best meal we had on the prima.

[UKstages]

thanks for sharing your thoughts on the prima.

 

los lobos is indeed exceptional... one of the best restaurants on the ship.

 

(i am curious as to which restaurant in lincoln you think has the best mexican food... i've spent a lot of time in lincoln and i thought the mexican food was just OK. my favorite was a fast casual place called lina's - from omaha -  but i believe they closed several years ago.)

 

i liked onda a lot more than you did. i think it, too, is one of the best restaurants on the prima, along with the indulge food hall.

[wilsonhold]

On 1/21/2024 at 12:25 AM, KKB said:

Then went to the theater to change/aquire dining reservations.

Curious . For our 2024 Primi April Transatlantic sailing , reservations are not available for the two main dining rooms (that never showed being available either except party of 6 or 8). Were you able to prebook the Mdr meals at the theatre for party of 2? Thanks

Edited January 22 by wilsonhold

[KKB]

12 hours ago, UKstages said:

thanks for sharing your thoughts on the prima.

 

los lobos is indeed exceptional... one of the best restaurants on the ship.

 

(i am curious as to which restaurant in lincoln you think has the best mexican food... i've spent a lot of time in lincoln and i thought the mexican food was just OK. my favorite was a fast casual place called lina's - from omaha -  but i believe they closed several years ago.)

 

i liked onda a lot more than you did. i think it, too, is one of the best restaurants on the prima, along with the indulge food hall.

Copal is our fav

[KKB]

45 minutes ago, wilsonhold said:

Curious . For our 2024 Primi April Transatlantic sailing , reservations are not available for the two main dining rooms (that never showed being available either except party of 6 or 8). Were you able to prebook the Mdr meals at the theatre for party of 2? Thanks

I am not sure about that--we just walk up as a party of 2 w/ no issues (and we eat early so that helps).

It seems you book this at the restaurant directly, but you could ask in the theatre.