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

[Buford T Justiice]

Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it. I liked that you welcomed other CC'ers on the TA to comment / post in the thread.

[mking8288]

5 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

So glad that your flight with Norse went smoothly. I also had taken that airline ... not sure I would fly them unless I had a lot of flexibility ... purchsad their classic economy and upgraded for like 200 for premium that day ... Welcome home!

After being away for just a short 15 nights, it's good to be home & sleeping in our own comfortable bed again ... slowly waking up with coffee, no room service and no Hudson MDR or The Local, we only managed to eat once in the Surfside Cafe, a very light meal after a busy port day before dinner elsewhere on board.  

 

DW and I reached the same conclusion about whether we would fly Norse again to/from JFK since this is a new route and if they don't succeed here, they aren't going to get anywhere with the "internal" interline and partner alliance connections as a gateway to other major US cities ... I wouldn't be surprised if NCL would book their "Air" option with Norse. 

 

Hard product - aircraft & seats get a B+ (bathroom conditions 2/3 way into the 7 hour non-stop was becoming gross w the wet floor) but at least it's more "spacious" than those A321 NEO LR or B737 Max used by other airlines flying across the pond.  In-flight entertainment as a whole is a B and too tired to be bothered with getting out our own headset or connect with a Bluetooth adapter (NAA will sell one at $35 for your convenience or $7 for el cheapo wired headset, blanket for $6 but no travel pillow)   Niece sitting behind us (with SIL) was able to switch seat to keep a middle seat/extra leg room open between them - that was good. 

 

There are no 110/220V outlet to charge electronics & keep laptops running and the single USB-A outlet below the 9" TV monitor screen didn't work at all (tried both 11D and 11E, didn't bother w 11F - niece reported 12F worked & her Samsung was 100% charged by the time we deplaned) Our seats were 11C, 11D and 12C and 12D (all aisle seats, mine with extended/extra legroom & bulkhead ... ending up seating in the middle - 11E and 11D and 11F unoccupied, seat width was tight with the tray table & a poor design. 

 

Flight status map gets a D for very limited info (unlike TAP-Portugal & other carriers like Cathay Pacific, Korean Air & Lufthansa.  Not being in a window seat, it was difficult to figure out what's below us flying 550 mph, as I figured we caught a good jet stream and wasn't against a headwind, cut our scheduled flight in-the-air time by 40+ minutes, cruising at FL 400 most of the way with little to no in-flight turbulence, seat belt signs remained off after we're at our initial FL 300 until gradual descent somewhere off Nova Scotia toward MA on the LI approach, and we did a loop or two to circle before coming in for a fairly smooth landing - to be ruined by taxiway delays of 20+ minutes and then gate/jetbridge issues of 20+ minutes before door #2 finally opened at Terminal 7.  

 

Within 5 days of flight departure, offered us the chance to upgrade (15% off) for about $350 per seat to premium cabin ... since we already paid for priority check-in, priority boarding, checked luggage (1 pc at 50 lbs/44 kg) and carry-on (1 at 22 lbs/10kg) and 1 basic meal ... didn't think the extra reclining seat in premium for a 7 hour non-stop is worth it, declined.  Premium cabin was nearly full by departure when door was closed, main cabin was probably 95% full although the forward cabin section was closer to 80% full - most flyers selecting Norse for its bargain fare and not to earn/accure mileage or points, etc. 

 

A few pictures from the boarding area, Gate 15 at Gatwick's South Terminal - security screening was time consuming as they're very strict, laptops & electronics, especially large tablets & iPads, etc. had to be out along with 3-1-1 bags, and bags diverted for secondary were given the visual inspection as well as chemical swipe/analysis before being cleared. 

 

 

 

 

Once they began boarding, as seen below, Priority boarding (Zone 2 for us, Zone 1 is Premium) helped us cut the line of 50+ people and we're seated inside the cabin by 7:45 PM, almost 1 hour before push-back as the door wasn't closed until about 8:25 PM with 1 last pax boarding late.  

 

Memo to others - use the bathroom first before joining the boarding line as there's no access once there, buy your juice/bottle water/soda, etc. at the vending machine before proceeding to board - service once airborne was slow, selling extras before meal service began with the boxed "meal" around 10 PM ... no beverage services at all and no FA come out to offer water (never mind anything else ... unless your "ring" the FA call button for service).  

 

 

 

Between TAP-Portugal & Norse, I think we'll rather book TAP on the same route serviced over Norse ... 

Edited May 13 by mking8288

[www3traveler]

Welcome Home

When is your next Grand Adventure?

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/11/2024 at 7:38 AM, mking8288 said:

Lunch in Le Havre ... BK, checked ... Starbucks, checked.  Hell, no to both.

OH, you know I'd be saying "hell yes to BK!" I wouldn't be able to pass up a French BK.

On 5/11/2024 at 7:38 AM, mking8288 said:

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/9/2024 at 4:53 PM, The P said:

She will succeed as she eyes the goods! I'm keeping the faith....Henry, I'm originally from Amsterdam, NY. Upstate near Schenectady and Albany. We don't have a canal but we have the Mohawk River(!!). No red light district either, LOL.....I visited the A'dam you just left when I was a teen; it looks much nicer now.

 

On 5/9/2024 at 5:49 PM, njhorseman said:

Sure you have a canal...the Erie Canal ! 😉

 

On 5/9/2024 at 8:54 PM, Ellis1138 said:

And don't forget Love Canal (though admittedly, that's closer to Niagara Falls than Schenectady.)

 

Also, I hope that Sexy Loo wasn't the only public toilet. 

 

Late to the party...as always! It was a long weekend away from electronics. 

 

As a native NY'er, I'd be remiss if I don't point out the Champlain Canal, which is a wee bit away from Amsterdam, but still in NY...head to Whitehall, NY where the canal enters Lake Champlain. It just doesn't have a famous mule named Sal! 

 

 

[Fogfog]

On 5/12/2024 at 4:32 PM, Sugar Magnolia said:

You are right…it doesn’t seem that long ago when I stared at my luggage at home while hoping it would pack itself. 
 

Knowing that I would be kicked off the ship this morning was a bit of an incentive to pack, but only a bit. What takes a normal person to pack under an hour would take me 3 hours. 
 

Same.

Took 45 min to throw it into bags to disembark, paying for it while in London.

Should probably unpack a bit to be civilized.

 

We use Intl Friends for transfer. Had seen them mentioned on CC boards. Nice driver. Express trip. Clean vehicle.

We were at hotel by 9:30ish. 
We will need a transfer to Gatwick at the end of the week from central London…Recs?

 

Did changing of the guard.

We decided to skip lunch and did the BigRed Bus blue route ..staying on..to get view of city. Weather yesterday was very sunny and warm. When we got off at the a Tower of London we transferred to the boat that then goes down the Thames, giving great views of the Tower Bridge and many sites from the water.

On Haven and so on

We went in with doubts as we are MSC YC pax most often.

Yet Haven on Prima delivered.
We like the Haven space and staff.

The stateroom was very nice. Plenty of space.

We were happy with the type of suite we chose.

Our butler was fabulous, professional and friendly, as was our room steward.  We did note the carpeting in the sitting room has taken a beating and needs replacing if shampooing won’t fix it … Will note that on post sail survey if NCL has space for that
Dining turned out to be great once we got the hang of it, knowing what flex we had since it was a long sailing. We had been worried about being bored. The quality of food and Bev was great. Only a lunch entree or two were just ok. Food is subjective so ymmv.

Staff in dining was excellent.
We sent laundry out twice and things came back as expected.

We saw the Donna Summer show which was excellent.

We stood in line 3 times for Syds…I get the small venue coffeehouse vibe. Yet to my count it holds like 80. That was a lot of time to stand in lines …and then wait….

Skipped the other shows etc.

Spouse used gym on sea days. Was crowded as this was a cold weather cruise, lots of sea days and long sailing. 
Spouse used both slides and said the Drop was disappointingly slow. Liked the other paired one better.
We liked the Prima boardwalk wrap around. The art, the places to sit and gather. 
We do wonder if we’d have a lot of noise on our balcony from deck 8 pool and such on a Caribbean sailing. 
Met some great folks. Enjoyed the M&G, Pub Crawl and the private excursions put together with other CCers.
NCLs Haven product on Haven is nice..yet comes at a very steep $. 
 

Glad to hear everyone is traveling safely.

 

Advice to get from central London to Gatwick?

 

@mking8288 TY re carry ones. Good reminder re 3 1 1

and electronics

 

 

 

Edited May 13 by Fogfog

[UKstages]

great report of the last 24 hours, but i'm curious, now that you're home... how long did you have to wait for breakfast or lunch today? were you seated right away or are buzzers in use? and were you able to get a window table?

[debenson0723]

I've always taken the train from Victoria Station to Gatwick, even solo with luggage. 

[Turtles06]

45 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Advice to get from central London to Gatwick?

Are you looking for a car service?  We’ve used blackberrycars.com in the past to take us from LHR to our London hotel, and from London to Southampton. They were fine. 
 

https://www.blackberrycars.com

 

You can also ask in the British Isles ports of call forum, where such transportation questions are regularly discussed. 
 

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! 

[mking8288]

@Fogfog  Here's to wishing both Robert & you enjoying the remaining time in & around London.  Thanks, Judith @Turtles06 in the suggestion about car service ... which I thinks is better suited for 2 of you w luggage.  Otherwise, the train leaving from Victoria Station in London will get you to Gatwick in 30 minutes, we saw plenty of lightly packed travelers going to/from the airport, also saw National Express bus services where our driver-guide dropped us off.  You will need a coin to insert into the slot to use one of those free luggage cart to haul them up 1 level (via elevators) to departure level for your homebound flight check-in.  

 

Allow plenty of time to get thru airport security, after a quick swipe of the bar coded boarding pass (and, if you are out of ziplock bag, not-to-worry, airport has plenty of free zip lock bag just before security, to place all of the 3-1-1 items)  Brits take the screen measures very seriously unlike our embarkation last month.  

 

If the airline is asking to check the weight of all carry-on luggage on the scale while doing check-in & bag drop in issuing those boarding passes - once satisfied, they should give you a tag to affix to the bag, marking it as approved to avoid further issues at the boarding gate (where they just scan & check one's travel documents & BP again).  (My tips for other prospective flyers: this is a travel vest comes in handy by removing a few heavier items (3 smartphones, 1 iPad mini, 1 battery bank, and a batch of charging cables & adapters) can be "worn" on a "temporary" basis, to pass the "test" ... and "wear" the heaviest coat, parka, 3 season jacket, etc. - the magical "expandable" carry-on bag surely can help to pack everything again, once airside)   

[mking8288]

On 5/12/2024 at 12:38 PM, brookie848 said:

Can you give me a ballpark on the cost for this? We are on the Encore TA in December and are staying pre-cruise in Southampton. To keep things simple, we want to hire a car service for the transfer rather than hauling our luggage on trains.

If you go to CC's partner/affiliate site @Tripadvisor ... you should be able to see a ranked list of tour & transfer, car service & taxi companies that offer basic PTP airport-cruise terminal transfer, in addition to the option of half-day add on/side tours.  PT - Adrian's price quotes are very competitive, affordable & reasonable vs. NCL port transfer @ $75 p/p ship to LHR or LGW.  He is very responsive & answer email and questions promptly (take into account time zone difference) and details-oriented.  He was outside Berth 103 with our name on a digital device ready & waiting to greet us & help us get to his vehicle, we're able to SMS/text him using WhatsApp and/or by calling - I'm sure he can do that at LHR or LGW.   He has larger vehicle / van that can fit more adults and more luggage in the back. 

 

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.  

 

It made plenty of sense with our party of 4 to do this vs. using NCL and spending more than 3 to 4 hours sitting at the airport (unless we paid extra for one-day lounge pass x 4 people)  Our ballpark number, including 1 extra hour of "tour" time was about 330 UK pounds (approxm $360 USD) - grats/tips is strictly optional, USD and Euro are fine, as he doesn't expect clients to have the UK currency on hand.  We paid for our Cloisters lunch using c.c. - easy & simple.  

[mking8288]

5 hours ago, UKstages said:

… curious, now that you're home... how long did you have to wait for breakfast or lunch today? were you seated right away or are buzzers in use … 

Hahaha, breakfast was just oatmeal & coffee in the good old dining table, no window views or watching ship’s wake. Good enough, no buzzer and no wait, but I missed having a double order of smoked salmon w bagel & yogurt.

 

The good news is that I didn’t gain weight, actually slimmer by 2 lbs while DW complained about the scale being off by 3 lbs, gotta get a new digital scale, lol.

 

Before I even get to decompress, NCL already sent out the post cruise surveys … will write up the final report this week, and see if others wish to pool their thoughts too.  

 

Lunch treat from another niece as we safely got mommy home for them - Shabu Shabu or hotpot, DIY cooking in a personal pot w choice of soup stock or broth. 
 

 

Lunch price - a fraction of NCL’s specialty dining costs, wait - this isn’t an option at all onboard.  We better get  on a diet starting tomorrow.

 

Meanwhile, our steward isn’t answering anymore so Mrs M is in the laundry room - reality  ….

[mking8288]

7 hours ago, www3traveler said:

When is your next Grand Adventure?

Mandy, thanks ... we have a road trip planned next month.  Nothing for the hot & humid summer months.  Next mini adventure will NOT be on NCL - 9 nights on another line in 2nd half of September, drive-park-cruise.  The bigger one in late Fall is booked but ... having doubts, may cancel & move the booking w discounts to another ship/date/itinerary.  

[www3traveler]

4 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Mandy, thanks ... we have a road trip planned next month.  Nothing for the hot & humid summer months.  Next mini adventure will NOT be on NCL - 9 nights on another line in 2nd half of September, drive-park-cruise.  The bigger one in late Fall is booked but ... having doubts, may cancel & move the booking w discounts to another ship/date/itinerary.  

Prayers and love always

BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

[mking8288]

On a sad note of closure, without further details - please do not ask and to respect privacy - my understanding that one of the Prima guest taken ashore for medical care in Iceland has been granted eternal membership on a different heavenly cruise line, in good hands.  Thoughts & prayers for the family, loved ones & friends and thanks, NCL in  providing urgent care, speeding up arrival time to Reykjavik and doing all the trained professional onboard can do to help.  

[www3traveler]

6 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

On a sad note of closure, without further details - please do not ask and to respect privacy - my understanding that one of the Prima guest taken ashore for medical care in Iceland has been granted eternal membership on a different heavenly cruise line, in good hands.  Thoughts & prayers for the family, loved ones & friends and thanks, NCL in  providing urgent care, speeding up arrival time to Reykjavik and doing all the trained professional onboard can do to help.  

OH WOW!!!  How very sad.  Prayers for family, friends, fellow cruisers and the Prima staff.

[mking8288]

19 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

OH, you know I'd be saying "hell yes to BK!" I wouldn't be able to pass up a French BK.

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.

Edited May 14 by mking8288

[mking8288]

@schmoopie17  I believed you asked the question of where's the RLD in Amsterdam, we apparently drove right by and even walked around the "fringe" boundaries while in town, heading back toward the ship in the failed quest to find a place to eat.   

 

 

Now that you can share this w a friend, just take the "Fifth" should Mrs S asked what this is about if she see the red circle on this localized map ... tell her it's a reference point to the nearby Central Station (trains & transport, buses & ferries, etc. along the riverbank) 

 

 

[schmoopie17]

41 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

@schmoopie17  I believed you asked the question of where's the RLD in Amsterdam, we apparently drove right by and even walked around the "fringe" boundaries while in town, heading back toward the ship in the failed quest to find a place to eat.   

 

 

Now that you can share this w a friend, just take the "Fifth" should Mrs S asked what this is about if she see the red circle on this localized map ... tell her it's a reference point to the nearby Central Station (trains & transport, buses & ferries, etc. along the riverbank) 

 

Thanks...I'll pass along this valuable info to my friend. 

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

What about KFC in Iceland, apparently very popular

 

this was the key takeaway from one of my excursions in iceland!

 

the tour guide stopped in front of a KFC and explained that the popularity has a lot to do with it being among the very first fast food restaurants. and, today, it remains the oldest surviving fast food restaurant from that original bunch from the early 1980s. the locations are a bit more upscale than their american counterparts and have a more extensive menu.

 

this year, when the president of iceland announced he would not run for another term, the first person to declare his candidacy was the guy that used to play colonel sanders in the icelandic KFC ads! folks have an expression in iceland... they say they are going to "go kentucky," meaning they are going to dine at KFC. 

[Fogfog]

16 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@Fogfog  Here's to wishing both Robert & you enjoying the remaining time in & around London.  Thanks, Judith @Turtles06 in the suggestion about car service ... which I thinks is better suited for 2 of you w luggage.  Otherwise, the train leaving from Victoria Station in London will get you to Gatwick in 30 minutes, we saw plenty of lightly packed travelers going to/from the airport, also saw National Express bus services where our driver-guide dropped us off.  You will need a coin to insert into the slot to use one of those free luggage cart to haul them up 1 level (via elevators) to departure level for your homebound flight check-in.  

 

Allow plenty of time to get thru airport security, after a quick swipe of the bar coded boarding pass (and, if you are out of ziplock bag, not-to-worry, airport has plenty of free zip lock bag just before security, to place all of the 3-1-1 items)  Brits take the screen measures very seriously unlike our embarkation last month.  

 

If the airline is asking to check the weight of all carry-on luggage on the scale while doing check-in & bag drop in issuing those boarding passes - once satisfied, they should give you a tag to affix to the bag, marking it as approved to avoid further issues at the boarding gate (where they just scan & check one's travel documents & BP again).  (My tips for other prospective flyers: this is a travel vest comes in handy by removing a few heavier items (3 smartphones, 1 iPad mini, 1 battery bank, and a batch of charging cables & adapters) can be "worn" on a "temporary" basis, to pass the "test" ... and "wear" the heaviest coat, parka, 3 season jacket, etc. - the magical "expandable" carry-on bag surely can help to pack everything again, once airside)   

Thanks.

We will check our airline and ticket restrictions. Have shifted so much around. One pair of shoes is going in the trash as planned. Have not purchased anything. Hadn’t even thought about them weighing carrying on… 

 

So sad to hear the news about the pax and Iceland…as we all knew, NCL made that decision to change timetable etc because of critical care and did all they could. 🙏🏻🙏🏻
 

 

[mking8288]

Our body clock adjusting a little better to another new time zone, now that we've been home for almost 48 hours - EDT, up to 6 hours vs. Europe. 

 

Those rich Belgium chocolate made it and we passed rapid testing again, did it once onboard early on to establish a baseline ... prepared as best as we can against those invisible micro-devils. Our last booster is more than 6 months ago ... 

 

During the course of the TA cruise, especially towards the 2nd half, more coughing can be heard around us at times ... respiratory illness know no boundaries and I didn't see best practices before meals.  They do theirs & we did ours ... worn our mask once on the plane, for the duration except for the short late supper break. 

 

We're blessed with not noticing any signs of possible norovirus activities onboard. 

 

I've been alerted that "a few" have tested positive during and after disembarking the vessel ...  Since some of our free test kits w extended dates are going to expire soon, will do a final round of testing this weekend, out of an abundance of precautions. 

 

 

Selected random photos coming soon once I sort them out, plus a final summary review. 

 

Stay tuned as I think a few curious friends are probably going to ask questions. 

 

[mking8288]

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. 

Edited May 15 by mking8288

[Sugar Magnolia]

On 5/14/2024 at 12:41 AM, mking8288 said:

The good news is that I didn’t gain weight, actually slimmer by 2 lbs

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. 
 

[Sugar Magnolia]

On 5/13/2024 at 6:32 PM, cruiseny4life said:

OH, you know I'd be saying "hell yes to BK!" I wouldn't be able to pass up a French BK.

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. 

 

Edited May 15 by Sugar Magnolia