NCL Prima eastbound 15 days TA (Live) 27 Apr, 2024 - N.Y. to Southampton via Halifax, Iceland & EU ports - preview intro

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Did someone say BK? This one is for you @cruiseny4life from Venice with love…

 

 

Also, a large Big Mac meal at the McDonald’s in Venice is €10.10 + €0.40 for ketchup but €11.60 + €0.45 for ketchup at the Venice Mestre train station. 

 

They charge for ketchup? 🤦‍♂️

 

Our foreign McDonald's story was in Paris. DW asked for decaf coffee, and was told "only normal". She also found she could not get decaf coffee in Copenhagen when we stayed there after a day after a cruise.

[brookie848]

On 5/13/2024 at 6:15 PM, mking8288 said:

His recommendation would be to fly in a day or 2 early, picked up and do a 1/2 day tour at Windsor, perhaps stay there overnight, and then go direct to the ship terminal the morning of embarkation and shall personalize options for one to choose (i.e. SIL with some mobility issues & get around with a walking cane ... we opted to do less walking & go easy with fewer steps)  We learned about his services reading Trip* reviews and word-of-mouth from others here on CC.  

 

We're doing a red-eye out of JFK on a Saturday night and will get to Heathrow Sunday morning. Our cruise leaves Tuesday. I thought about staying in London, but factoring in the time of year and our bodies adjusting to the time difference, I decided to just stay in Southampton.

 

I'd love to do Windsor again, but then I think...December...this may not be the best time to tack on a tour.

 

I have looked at the boards and TripAdvisor, but I appreciate your recent first-hand knowledge.

 

Now...if anyone has any suggestions for what to do in Vigo (besides going the pilgrimage site), I'd love to have them. NCL has nothing offered for shore excursions to help guide me in making plans and there just doesn't seem to be a lot of options here.

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/14/2024 at 8:05 AM, mking8288 said:

LoL 😆 glad to see you enjoyed this, once "live" to relive last Nov's Prima TA. 

 

What about KFC in Iceland, apparently very popular whereas along coastal England, it was McK'D's and their driver-thru.  We laughed seeing Domino's Pizza and no Dunkin's spotted.

 

What's on your 2's radar in cruising this year ?  Was checking out the Joy for a last minute, short 7 days to Bermuda out of NY - all sold out this weekend 😳 Oh well, will just wait & see what my BIL, SIL and best friends have to say about the newly refurbished, again, have to say or report back.  

 

Regards 😎 

 

Catching up on posts while we're at sea or away, onboard & ashore as it wasn't easy to keep up w everyone's remarks & comments.

The catch up after a cruise is real!! I actually gave up back in December when we returned. I was 7 or 8 pages deep and figured it would never end. I might be obsessed...but not that obsessed (my husband thinks otherwise) haha

 

Unfortunately, the only cruising we're doing is by car. We have a road trip planned out west this fall. Waiting for the cruising kinks to work themselves out. I want to see what happens in Q1 next year. Once that shakes out, we'll decide if cruising is still right for us (we have two Cruise Next certificates, so we have to book someday)! 

I'm here for the vicarious living - trying to be a bit more positive in my posting and not dwelling on the negatives. We'll see how that goes. 

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your upcoming cruise(s)!! 

[bedfordmom]

17 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

We're doing a red-eye out of JFK on a Saturday night and will get to Heathrow Sunday morning. Our cruise leaves Tuesday. I thought about staying in London, but factoring in the time of year and our bodies adjusting to the time difference, I decided to just stay in Southampton.

 

I'd love to do Windsor again, but then I think...December...this may not be the best time to tack on a tour.

 

I have looked at the boards and TripAdvisor, but I appreciate your recent first-hand knowledge.

 

Now...if anyone has any suggestions for what to do in Vigo (besides going the pilgrimage site), I'd love to have them. NCL has nothing offered for shore excursions to help guide me in making plans and there just doesn't seem to be a lot of options here.

Last October on the Getaway we did NCL Castles tour for Vigo which was disappointing. We went to the border of Portugal ( Valencia Portugal not Spain) to a mid evil area that sold identical linens. No tour there then onto Tui for a walking tour with the guide who had minimal English skills. The cathedral there was closed and the bus was late picking us up. No bathroom or food stops. Would not recommend that tour. I heard that Vigo itself is a lovely town to walk around. Unfortunately the tour took too long for us to see that town. 

[mking8288]

4 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

You must share your secret weight loss cruise diet. 
Weight loss unlikely on my next cruise to Italy, Spain, France and Greece as I plan to dine locally for lunch every day. 

Sy, when you are traveling - eat well and stay healthy, Susan gained slightly while I lost, nothing significant - no secret to it, aside from skipping red meat except when doing specialty dining and we only managed to eat lunch - once, at Indulge FH.  Had cheeseburger and hotdog once, chose fish and/or seafood otherwise, even vegetarian entrees & ate 1/2 of the dessert, fewer bread w butter.  

 

Enjoy your port intensive "Escape" coming up - are you doing a live or semi-live write up ... and, I have 100% empathy for you to treat yourself nicely and jealous that you are able to keep your cruise heading straight, port to port, city to city, country to country and then back.  Happy, safe & healthy travel ... 

 

Body clock still adjusting to EDT, tired & went to sleep early and both Susan & I woke up at 4 AM - catched up on a bit of CC gossips, oops, I meant news & happenings - then, went back to sleep.  It's now almost 4 PM ?  your way and boosted by a good cup of home brew coffee, awake ... cloudy & wet (occassional showers/light rain & about 60 deg F) 

 

No smoked salmon on a toast bagel this morning, yogurt in the refrigerator past expiration date - LOL.  Lunch - too lazy to cook, either reheat the sandwich from Paris Baguette or call for delivery.  This was our breakfast earlier.   

 

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[Sugar Magnolia]

8 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Enjoy your port intensive "Escape" coming up - are you doing a live or semi-live write up ... and, I have 100% empathy for you to treat yourself nicely and jealous that you are able to keep your cruise heading straight, port to port, city to city, country to country and then back.  Happy, safe & healthy travel ... 

 

Thank you...and maybe...stay tuned. 😊

 

9 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

when you are traveling - eat well and stay healthy

 

My clothes do not feel tighter so that is a good sign. 😅

 

[UKstages]

28 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

No smoked salmon on a toast bagel this morning...

 

yes, but old habits die hard... i see, just as with the lox and bagel, you were able to secure a "double order" of toast this morning.

 

Edited May 15 by UKstages

[JIMESOPUS]

We try to behave eating but that Butterscotch Budino in Onda is my Achilles heel. Along with drinking Mudslides on the Gem at the Great Outdoors, dipping them with chocolate chip cookies and watching the world sail by.

[Fogfog]

R. Has been keeping track of our exercise. Walked about 6 miles the one day in Iceland when we got off the ship early. Now I know why I was so sore.

Avg about 4 miles on several days.

He’s got us walking all over London while we have decent weather. 

FWIW the pollen count has been very high in several places we stopped. It’s true there were some coughed, yet they could be folks like me with allergies/ asthma. Thankful for Zyrtec and inhalers.

 

@mking8288, did your airline send you a pre board contact trace email?

Just curious. Assume it’s mandatory. Though I don’t know how

 

 

[mking8288]

@Fogfog  Pollen count might've been high, outdoors in Amsterdam & Brussels but didn't think it was exceptional high in Le Harve ... taking those (port) shuttles was "risky" business as far as I'm concerned with all the surround sound in a confined space.  Not to stir up the pot & get into a debate here as public health has drastically downgraded the virus threats, well except for high risk individuals with known ...  I should've passed along (too late) the few test kits to @Sugar Magnolia just in case someone can benefit from it, as extended expiration date is later this month (on a cool shelf at home - 2 dozen+ test kits, mostly from iHealth & relatively new production batches, good as late as next year)   Lordy, this is become annual like the seasonal flu with the booster/renewal shot.  

 

 

As for our airline (Norse Atlantic Airways) asking for contact tracking email, not that I'm aware of - I believe we provided them with an email address & emergency contacts, just in case, when we confirmed our booking but nothing since then.  Got prompted twice to bid for upgrade to the Premium cabin.  Perhaps the airline is going above & beyond, for our convenience to have that info collected - doubtful that they plan to do contact tracing,  

 

There was nobody in the Priority Check In line at LGW when we showed up, and they only asked to see & check our passports, didn't even bother with our bar coded reservation number ... proceeded to weight our bags including tagging our carry-on items.  Had I been worried about excess weight, (Rick Scott's) travel vest tricks with 3 to 4 assorted pouches and 7 to 10 lbs of electronics & heavier gears would've definitely passed the "test"  The nice thing about flying A380's and B789's is their large & well designed OH bin space, with the regulation sized bags stowed correctly to max out # of bags per bin.  There was no gate-checking of carry-on bags due to lack of space above, enforcing a 10 kg / 22 lbs limits is good & I support that, watch some of the coach travelers struggled to lift their big & heavy carry-on items to the storage bins overhead.  

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[Sugar Magnolia]

23 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

I should've passed along (too late) the few test kits to @Sugar Magnolia just in case someone can benefit from it,

 

No worries and thank you for thinking of me...I do have a few test kits. Traveling solo for so many years, I am used to packing a whole pharmacy with me.

 

[mking8288]

FYI only - Informational items on next several posts ... feel free to skip them

 

Prima guide - noticed that per NCL, there are 3,099 cabins which typically assumed double occupancies - sailing at 120% maximum berths and souls onboard, up to lifeboat capacity is a lot higher, not counting crew members onboard 😳 

 

[mking8288]

Informational posts only - feel free to skip 

... letter passed along as a courtesy from a friend onboard (and aren't happy with the CAS program "changes" ... discussed elsewhere on NCL forum here) 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Dine With Officers and

Latitudes cocktail reception hosted by CruiseNext

 

 

Where neither the GM or Captain showed up to make the once traditional 60 seconds welcome remarks and 30 seconds intro of the ship's senior team.  

 

Rather, if you can't see anyway 😞 given the physical layout & design of the OL, you get to hear over the loud noises & multiple conversations, the 90 seconds informercial about $1,000 free money 🤑 to use onboard.  Just mind the fine prints disclosures. 

 

Footnote/comment - if you do wish to reach Guest Services onboard by dialing 00 to confirm and/or to inquire, report or otherwise contact someone at the "front desk" be prepared for the call to ring but go unanswered ... there is no voicemail and/or option for them to call back, i.e. if they are busy & occupied assisting other guests, etc. etc.   Hence, for any "emergency" in progress, dial 911 for - hopefully - a life saving & timely rapid response will be forthwith, as always - YMMV.  

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Latitudes Rewards, perks & benefits ... at the Diamond tier ...

comments later w the wrap-up summary

 

There is no laundry coupon and none needed 😆😆😆 but if anyone feel strongly about needing one, see me on the next NCL cruise, I probably have more than 2 dozens in a variety of colors (Platinum, Sapphire & Diamond) "unused" - in short, just write on the laundry slip and the thin (and still small) paper bag, your status and sent it out via your room steward. 

 

 

The photo discount was nice, we got a 30% off a port/gangway photo for under $11's worth of non-refundable OBC 😁

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, brookie848 said:

Now...if anyone has any suggestions for what to do in Vigo (besides going the pilgrimage site), I'd love to have them. NCL has nothing offered for shore excursions to help guide me in making plans and there just doesn't seem to be a lot of options here.

 

Are you saying "besides going [to] the pilgrimage site" because you've already been to Santiago de Compostela, or because it doesn't interest you?  If the latter, all I can say is that the Cathedral is quite interesting, historically and architecturally, regardless of one's religious beliefs.  (I'm not a Catholic.) 

 

We did not find Vigo (where we had a port call on another cruise) to be very interesting.

 

[mking8288]

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. 

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[mking8288]

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. 

 

 

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[brookie848]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Are you saying "besides going [to] the pilgrimage site" because you've already been to Santiago de Compostela, or because it doesn't interest you?  If the latter, all I can say is that the Cathedral is quite interesting, historically and architecturally, regardless of one's religious beliefs.  (I'm not a Catholic.) 

 

We did not find Vigo (where we had a port call on another cruise) to be very interesting.

 

I know that's the big draw for Vigo and I'm definitely not opposed to going, but I'd like to know what others have done. I'm also considering that we're going to be there in December and I'm not sure that's the best time to visit the cathedral/walk around the area.

[KasaMom]

On 5/14/2024 at 10:04 PM, mking8288 said:

My final free "roaming" 5G and 4G LTE data use - associated with the TA - during this billing cycle, 4 GB were for tethering - with up to 4 devices connected concurrently. The only other extra charge is a 28 cents voice call + taxes, other calls using Google Voice & WhatsApp were entirely free. 

 

 

The rest were picked up using the trade-up basic StarLink WiFi data plan from NCL while onboard & at sea, charged against part of the $250 NR-OBC. 

 

Downside, StarLink's bandwidth allocated to pax use was throttled by NCL and slow but usable. Ship & it's crew using far more wireless devices over hidden SSiD.  5 Ghz band remained less congested. 

Since I’m late to the party, can you please provide more info on this? It looks like a great travel item to have but want to make sure I get the right thing. 

[Ellis1138]

1 hour ago, KasaMom said:

Since I’m late to the party, can you please provide more info on this? It looks like a great travel item to have but want to make sure I get the right thing. 

 

They have Google Fi as their phone provider. I think the cost for the International Roaming plan is about $65 (assuming one line). I did look into it, but am just going to do a $25 European nano-sim (my phone can't do eSim). If the nano card sucks, for the next trip, I might go with Google Fi, based on how good the coverage has been in this thread.

https://fi.google.com/about/plans 

(Dislaimer: I do not personally have Google Fi nor have I tread it yet.)

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, KasaMom said:

... please provide more info on this? It looks like a great travel item to have but want to make sure I get the right thing. 

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.  

[tcmagnum]

20 hours ago, mking8288 said:

There is no laundry coupon and none needed 😆😆😆 but if anyone feel strongly about needing one, see me on the next NCL cruise, I probably have more than 2 dozens in a variety of colors (Platinum, Sapphire & Diamond) "unused" - in short, just write on the laundry slip and the thin (and still small) paper bag, your status and sent it out via your room steward. 

We thoroughly enjoyed your trip report.

We could sure use a couple of those laundry coupons come October on our TA.

But we have budgeted for a bag (or two if needed).

Your cruise is one we are looking at doing next.

 

[mking8288]

7 hours ago, tcmagnum said:

... We could sure use a couple of those laundry coupons come October on our TA.

... Your cruise is one we are looking at doing next.

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 16 by mking8288

[tcmagnum]

2 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

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.  

 

We are in a Haven suite so maybe…

Heading to read your ‘semi-live from 2023’.  
Thanks!!!