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

[ontheweb]

11 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Just a few comments referring to the multi post review by @mking8288 comparing it to our Prima cruise experience this past summer from London (Southampton) to Reykjavik.

 

Yes, the facilities on deck 8 with the infinity pools and a walkaround deck are not very compatible with cold weather.

 

According to DW, there was Covid going around our cruise also. (She had to go to medical for another reason and when she went back to get the bill so we could get reimbursed by our insurance met someone picking up a bill for a spouse who had Covid and heard that there were more cases.)

 

No problem embarking in Southampton. We just got off the transfer bus and into the line. No one was asking about what time anyone was scheduled to board. (We were a half hour earlier as we got there earlier than I expected.) I guess there was no priority for those with a higher Latitudes rank, (We are silver as our cruises have been with several different line.)

 

We never had more than a few minutes wait at Hudsons. As I have previously posted we did ask on the first night about reserving a table right by one of the windows on a later night that was our anniversary and were told that it could not be done. But when we showed up on that day and handed in the card saying it was our anniversary, we were taken right to a table by one of the windows. 

 

We enjoyed the small music venues, but often tables were taken up by card players. I agree that is a problem. Also, those venues were by bars and were often noisy for those of us listening to the music. (The card players also contributed to the general noise.) I did at one time catch one of the performers, a solo singer and guitar player, leaving the theater and asked him what it was like playing in front of people not paying any attention to him. His answer was just to shrug his shoulders. 

I tracked down my review from last August. I guess it was not nearly as popular as yours as it is only 2 pages. But, if anyone is interested, here it is.

 

 

[ontheweb]

52 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

She is currently on a shore excursion in Corfu, Greece desperately struggling to stay awake after three straight days of 7:00am meeting times. Come join her Barely A Live thread and read about her follies Escaping on the Mediterranean. 
 

I missed that thread was started by you. I guess when I have more time I am going to have to start reading it. 

[Fogfog]

@Sugar Magnolia Just followed and will catch up on the shenannighans

 

@mking8288

 

Gatwick

 

So transport car from Westminster hotel to Gatwick PU 8:20,

At Gatwick 9:40.

We were at the gate by 10:25. That includes checkin- boarding passes-luggage and walking to the gate.

The longest part was the check in Jet Blue (Mint) as there was a line for reg pax and a pax whose booking or something was problematic had both agents working on it.

One stepped away from him to handle our check in and luggage.

 

We were prepared for security. One baggie with chapstick, eyedrops and a lip gloss. I had everything else went checked) And the cords for my tablet/phone in another baggie. R's tech - not my monkeys (ha)

 

WELL...At the gate -- yikes....

THEN a bunch of security came through and announced they were rechecking every single passengers boarding docs, passports etc. 

THEN yours truly was one of the lucky bunch to be randomly selected to have my carry on and my person checked again, inspected, shoes off, coats off, tablets out, electronics, cpaps out,  wiped etc. We had already been through security to get to the gate.

Well, here at the gate the problem is the young trainees didn't seem to know what to do.

I literally stood there, asking.. "where to you want this?" (carry on)

And being confused said "I don't know what to do, and none of them spoke "

Because no one was giving me instructions. I am just standing there with like 6 of them standing around (and maybe another 6 lucky pax in the same situation as me)

 

One of the pax on the Prima (Dublin folks) had warned me that they use A LOT of trainees at Gatwick and Heathrow for this...and sure enough--I had thought that's what we ran into...but then

 

Boston Logan

Arrive in Logan and Global Entry runs smoothly.

Literally through Immigration in minutes as the facial recog - the agent in the booth sees us on their screen as processed faster than we can see it/read it at the kiosk and move on.

 

We are at baggage claim and wait forever for bags amongst many other flights.  IDK where Logan rates on baggage claim-- I can say it felt slow, congested, dark and confusing.

Claim and recheck our bags-- 

 

Head to next terminal to go back through security for the domestic leg home.

What a mess for domestic security

In spite of having Global Entry and supposedly qualified for TSA etc and the ticket says Priority Security--the lines are slow. 

The agents are not giving us bins in our line and I have to call to them, asking for bins. No directions given. The whole pt of our TSA Global Entry/interviews etc is that we aren't supposed to have to take off shoes etc.

There was no difference in our line-- everything off.

No directions about electronics. Seemed short staffed. 

 

In fact.. Boston Logan gave me a hard time with the cpap... making me take it out of its case, and disconnect hoses etc re-xray it again. I am one the "completed side" having the cpap rescreened" and he is stuck on the start  side yet all of his stuff is in bins xrayed with people walking by.  I had been over at benches putting shoes on etc, and thought he was right behind me--Someone could have picked up his phone/wallet/etc and walked off!!

 

R. was stuck.. They just tell him to wait behind the ribbon. It was crazy. I said to the agent who had my cpap etc..this is my husbands stuff and he's back over there-- (for like 10 min and no one seems to care there is this drop in best practices) There are just so many pax and so few TSA agents. He's stuck over there asking what to do--and they say--just wait, and someone will come....

 

IDK what the deal is with "Priority security" vs TSA precheck and how that differs and what's changed. All we saw was a shorter line "priority" line yet the screening/requirements/shoes off etc were all the same. Maybe worse. 

 

Honestly I wonder whats going on.

 

In other news...

As our flight goes to back up from the gate at Logan we hear a loud BANG and sudden stop. We "hit" something. Sure enough an emergency vehicle had gone behind the plane as the tow vehicle was moving our plane.

Our tow vehicle stopped suddenly.

And --yes, damaged caused.

So we had to go back to the gate. It had to be inspected. Then they had to repair it. And then text the repairs and records it for FAA regs etc before we could fly.

So our last flight was delayed. We were grateful to arrive safely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19 by Fogfog

[mking8288]

13 hours ago, Fogfog said:

@Sugar Magnolia Just followed and will catch up on the shenannighans

@mking8288

Gatwick

Boston Logan

... grateful to arrive safely   ======>>>> (that is the key outcome) 

Wow, seemed like we are had stories about London airport experience, including LHR ... our friends had an early afternoon flight (think it was Delta non-stop to JFK using NCL Air) but somehow, they didn't get home until like 10 PM.  Our 8:40 PM LGW flight left the gate a few minutes early but ... and we got home around 1 AM, exhausted & tired.  Jetlag finally fading with the time zones ... our party girl, Sugar is doing her best on her port intensive Escape cruise.  

 

I haven't fill out NCL's online post-cruise eSurvey, but will give them a piece of my mind for sure.  My guess is that you are probably asleep already & will wake up around 2 or 3 AM local time.  Do catch up and post photos & other stories as you see fit, once you attend to other matters first.  Say hi to Robert for me, regards ... later.  

 

P.S.  I still got a short summary about onboard dining, observations & thoughts to add, that should more or less finish up this "live" chapter on my part.  

Edited May 20 by mking8288

[dexddd]

So the usual lack of good management persists on this ship is what I'm reading.  That was our experience.

 

We didn't get any post cruise grow operation pictures.  Did they all survive? 

[mking8288]

On 5/18/2024 at 10:51 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We hope they will be on through early July. We embark on the Prima in about 35 days. 

Wish you a great cruise "edge" experience onboard with the extra bit of opinions from our cruise.  Would like to read from others & you, however tiny bits of feedback & observation.  Was hoping that someone else onboard the Prima would pick up our report, but we paid to enjoy our vacation and not to be freelance photographers & amateur writers.  Wish I get a chance to ask Duo Rika or find out whether they'll be on next month.  Their choice of music & songs were just wonderful despite all the noise & chatters around them while they were performing.  

 

On 5/19/2024 at 8:21 AM, ontheweb said:

... We enjoyed the small music venues, but often tables were taken up by card players. I agree that is a problem.  Also, those venues were by bars and were often noisy for those of us listening ... card players also contributed to the general noise.) I did at one time catch one of the performers ... asked him ... answer was just to shrug his shoulders. 

A different mix of "selfish" card players were onboard our Spring 2023 "Epic" TA as well but they're most in the expanded card room/library and inside LeBistro, not as annoying and disruptive to other guests sharing the cruise together (that "batch" of pax also staked out the buffet, dawn to dust, making it harder for others to find a place to eat, but wasn't as bad as this ...)  Oddly enough, they only seemed to go eastbound from NY as they're not onboard in large number to be "disruptive" on our Prima westbound last November.  On Day 2 or 3, the problem wasn't as bad but management noticed the issues, apparently put on bilingual signs to kindly inform, advise and ask them to move & play in the designated space set aside for them, from 8 AM to 3 PM daily -  even provided water & tea ... but, the efforts were hopeless thru the end of the cruise, into the mid/late evening, the herd mentality on full display to others.  You can find them sitting at the Penrose bar, Starbucks one deck up and even on Deck 8 overlooking the atrium.  Some were scattered within Indulge Food Hall ... 

 

Metro Bar and Belvedere Bar seemed to be "safer" lounge to avoid running into these clusters of groups and to possibly have a conversation with friends & others onboard, over a drink of otherwise to just sit back and listen to music and people watch.   

 

Not sure what NCL can really do - sadly - about these behavior observed onboard.  

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, dexddd said:

So the usual lack of good management persists on this ship is what I'm reading.  That was our experience.  We didn't get any post cruise grow operation pictures.  Did they all survive? 

That's the short summary, we cancelled our Prima booking twice last year b/c of the negative reviews and feedback, and dropped our B2B in December b/c of something else last minute.  Not sure if we will book the Prima again in the near future ... with the matrix of bad design/layout from the drawing board and ship management, part of that stemming from corporate policies but the rest, unique to the on ship delegated authority of "command & control". 

 

Captain Kevin "Out" is nice & personable from the bridge and we only saw him twice over 27 days on the ship ourselves, the "senior" leadership keep to themselves while doing the walk.  Perhaps, they act differently with the Haven guests and I'll leave them to our/my fellow CC'ers on the roll call to give their thoughts & impressions ... some are currently sailing somewhere in Europe, reporting from other ships.  

 

Unlike others with pets to worry while away, our plants did well while we're away ... here you go - DW isn't planning to add new ones, 2 of them didn't do as nicely last year.   

 

Road trip coming up to head north to Canada next month and for a change of scenery, the next semi or live report is definitely going to be on Royal Caribbean in the Fall, 3 staterooms booked thus far, not to sail and sustain (given NCL's latest "thrust" to continue cost cutting) but to sail and compare, marking our first return to RC in 10+ years.  Looking at Princess/Holland ahead as well, and never said to not do Cunard - even steerage in their Oceanview is bound to be as good as, if not better than NCL on a fast crossing with just sea days.  

 

As for sailings out of NYC this winter, MSC's "basic" non-holiday prices are battering NCL's extremely limited offerings to a pulp, just need to sit down and do a status match before we book anything with them.  Unless those obscene NCL prices dropped, there is just no way we will sail the Prima anytime soon.  

 

 

Edited May 21 by mking8288

[Fogfog]

For those of you with street cred to give feedback to NCL

 

On the Officers--

We only saw them at the CC M&G and the loyalty event at the OL at the beginning

No other interaction. Didn't see them in Haven- so no different than than anywhere else

 

On card players/game players etc, the ship had problems controlling the large groups of mahjong players that took up tables everywhere in the first sea days. And guides/translators did try to intervene that I saw--and were ignored initially. I watched the one guide, actively speaking with them- showing them the signage and telling groups where to go--and they ignored him. We did see signage in multiple languages appear at several venues in the following days.  Los Labos was for " board games", all sorts. And there were large groups of some kind of card games (tables pushed together so bigger groups, and other smaller board games in groups being played in there. The sushi place was for Bridge. We were usually 2-3 tables. Mahjong was designated to another venue. Did that stop the use of tables elsewhere, IDK. I did see in the Dailies that they were cracking down on the problem of using tables for games near the Starbucks.

 

The ship has many venues, many tables/lounges/public spaces and so the ship needs to make those areas available during the day when people are looking for places to congregate.

If it is impacting dining areas, then mgt needs to move groups out of dining spaces so that diners have places to sit to actively eat/drink. With cruising, and this ship, they do have to consider "turning the table" over for diners/next service.  

 

The few times we went through the OL - it was pretty busy.

Same for many of the bars, lounges etc. 

 

Dining thought-- when we were in LB, it was about 50% full. In Palomar, it was packed early in the cruise and on our second visit later in the cruise, there were open tables. Would have liked to be able to have lunch in Los Lobos during a sea day, or go for sushi a sea day. If they had rotated the SD options for seaday lunch options, we'd likely made use of that as well.

Edited May 21 by Fogfog

[mking8288]

This final sub-chapter deals mainly with onboard dining, food, service-related issues with meals and associated observations: - disclaimer: this is subjective, personal and highly "biased" as seen & viewed thru our lens or "eyes" for our 15 nights onboard, FWIW.  It is filled with opinions that others onboard might disagree and see differently during the same timeline, thus - caution to be a clear case YMMV.  

 

MDR issues – Hudson MDR remained consistently with crowds, lines and inadequate staffing, especially at the hostess station with 3 to 5 crew members busy behind their work stations, and not uncommon to have a supervisor and an additional “greeter” trying to work the surge in passengers showing up for breakfast, dinner and on sea days for sit-down lunch.  It isn’t unusual for the crew to suggest to guests to go to The Local, Indulge Food Hall and the Surfside Café (buffet) instead … which, sometimes, is just as bad if not worst. 

 

The smaller MDR, Commodore Room is only open for dinner and not used for breakfast or lunch, as it has been used on our previous Prima TA (last Nov) and this TA, as the venue for the Art Gallery auction and other “private” functions – otherwise, it seemed to do things better, and the single hostess behind the podium/counter seemed to manage matters just fine … and if you have higher Latitudes status, i.e. Diamond & Sapphire, etc. – the odds of a prolonged wait for an available table (since hardly anyone has advance reservations unless it is for a party of 6 or more) were quite good, and, it is recognized and acknowledged … until the Hudson MDR’s indifference. 

 

F&B managerial staff including the executive chef were spotted outside the Hudson MDR most of the time but it is not clear, to us, what and why they are there to begin with, as for at least the first half of this 15 nights cruise, it was plain pathetic, sad and annoying to watch the chaos unfold and waits of anywhere from 15, 20 minutes to 30+ minutes or longer.

 

With a sold out cruise and the ship sailing at full occupancy, we purposely avoided going to and eating in the Surfside Café (buffet) except once in the mid-afternoon when we came back from ashore, to stop in for fresh fruits, water and light snacks.  It has been mind boggling to see, again, like 2023, why & how on earth ship management can choose to shut down the buffet nightly at 9:00 PM (21:00 ship time) on the dot, regardless - other NCL ships currently sailing (confirmed for the Escape now sailing in Europe - AND, just text message w friends & BIL/SIL now on the Joy's 7 nights to Bermuda out of NY) choose to and have the discretionary authority to stay open until 9:30 PM. 

 

Granted, their O'Sheehan's (and/or The Local if named as such) has more seating capacity & better crew ratios to serve passengers showing late for a meal (i.e returning from a late shore excursion and/or out of a 6:30 PM show (one & only "Donna Summer Live" on Day 13 or 14) - I call it tone-deaf, indifference and poor management, sorry ... feel free to disagree.  Alas, yes - one can call for Room Sevice and for a nominal upcharge of $9.95 ... right, didn't forget about that "option" for the convenience to sail & sustain.   But, it was my understanding some of the passengers returning from late tours in Iceland and Paris weren't so happy as they were tired, hungry and wanted to eat something, not in the relative (dis)comfort of their cabins ... some were in oceanviews & insides, not even a chair or enough table-top space to put down the food trays ...  Oh, yeah, sit on the edge of the bed and those bento box should be okay, a la airplane style dining - cheers to the new NCL innovation, huh.  

 

Food & Quality - served mostly warm but sometimes almost hot, often just above room temperature and usually at a slow pace except during the latter part of the cruise.  There is a limited excuse for it as the gallery (kitchen) is less than 30 to 40 meters or 100 ft. from the Hudson MDR, and we’re sometimes seat with a direct view into the gallery where entrees & sides were plated.  This was also true with our Dine With Officers, our soup and entrees came out barely lurk warm, and this is NOT the way to host the more valued passengers onboard.

 

MDR solutions and changes midway - it seemed to me, to address the long wait in the MDR and slow turnover of tables in the morning and evening, servers were doing the subtle but not so obvious – rush everything out onto the table, together all at once as they see fit.  After serving the soup, starter or salad, anything & everything else ordered – aside from entrée dishes arrived shortly, not always but without asking or checking to see if it is okay, whether we’re in a hurry to catch a show (never bothered to ask during the 8+ evenings in the MDR) 

 

Dining - attention to details – the dining team seemed to overlook all the time but being who we are, we noticed it many times over.  Forget about getting your empty glass filled with water or someone coming around to check and ask if everything is okay or anything else is needed, i.e. burnt toast needing to be exchanged, spoon and sugar for the coffee, etc.  When was the last time the server swept the table of dirt & bread crumbs, etc. after clearing the plates and before dessert is served, once at most out of the 8+ evenings in the MDR.  Details … yes, we noticed it of not being done.  Perhaps, the new games are in - only do that in specialty restaurants, rush otherwise in the MDR.  

 

Breakfast items –like everything else, the portions were getting smaller, not that we left hungry but I supposed, fewer waste and the marine life might be wondering of the ship’s recycled feeds being less & less.  It became routine to order a doubled order of smoked salmon on a, small, semi-toasted bagel half b/c – it is now standard to use 1 piece of rolled up smoked salmon.  DW said, next time when we go back on NCL again, do a triple order of your favorite breakfast … got it, and have them put it on a full size plate, not a tiny plate.  If you like toast in the morning as part of your breakfast, since NCL no longer bring a (small) basket of 4 pieces of croissants unless requested (1 per person seated) – be sure to specify you want 2 pieces of toast, or else, you only get 1 piece of toast - same when ordering breakfast room service delivery.

 

I get it, it’s not nickels and dimes, rather being penny-wise, huh. 

 

Among all the specialty dining options onboard, we collectively vote for Palomar, thumbs up for the overall dining experience and of course, the baked whole sea brass … skinned, deboned and served tableside in front of our eyes, what a feast and it’s heathier eating – since we aren’t crazy for mostly tough, over-cooked red meat, even when asked for it to be medium or medium-well.  Ask for the “steak” cut to be cooked medium-well and it’s not unusual to see it being well-done. 

 

Palomar, we went for the upgrade to a whole grilled lobsters on the first evening, just to see & taste it -  upcharge was reasonable as we used a bit of our $500 non-refundable OBC anyway.  The 2 lobsters were about 1.25 lb or less each, overcooked and didn't live up to the hype, frozen (of course, not fresh) ... it was just okay, meat was a bit mushy too; subjectively speaking, as we have "high" standard and expectations for fresh & live seafood eaten out at home.  Once & done, will not be bothered with – sorry, cannot recommend doing it … save the “OBC” and use it for something else onboard instead, remember, use it or lose it.  Our favorite server from last Nov’s TA is no longer working upstairs on Deck 17, we saw her in the MDR and were seated at one of her table in the Commodore Room midway thru the cruise, service was excellent as she remember us also from the previous Dine With Officers. 
 

Cagney's - steaks & meat tend to be ovecooked, the sides are a bit larger this time, more than 3 onion rings per side order placed (wow – impressed, maybe they “heard” us or read some of the feedback, probably not really … the junior chef were in a cheerful mode during the TA)  The variety, choice and availability (lack thereof) among the starter/soup/salad columns were just sad, disappointing but to be expected … given what NCLH just announced, the worst is yet to come.  You read my forecasted “outlook” here first – give the server and/or asst. manager a LOL, tell them you already knew reading about it on CruiseCritic. 

 

Onda – already mentioned it earlier.  None of the outdoor seatings were usable & they overbooked.  Inside tables are packed in tightly, very noisy & impossible to carry on a good dinner conversation, same w Cagney's & LeBistro’s physical set-up … unless sailing in warmer climate, don’t expect any solutions or easy fix until the ship’s first dry dock (where perhaps, NCL will swap out to different furniture, tables & chairs, etc.)  That’s a maybe, what do I know since none of us are calling the chess moves.  Staffing seemed to be taking a backseat with the overall personnel reductions, asst. managers helping to clean tables, really … well, they typically started at the bottom & know the ropes, and why not pitch in and move things along. 

 

We ordered a # of starter/salad and 2 pizzas, they’re very good to excellent … and on top of the 4 entrees, way too much food as by mid cruise, we’re not starving and wanted to not gain weight from mostly eggs-based dessert variations on a nightly basis, cream de coco dessert (chocolate and/or coconut) and/or sugarly crème brûlee in the MDR and elsewhere.  Lordy, what has happened to the creativity and imagination in having hundreds of chefs onboard each of the NCL ship – wish I can tell you.  Not to worry if you don’t like those choices, there is always ice cream and fresh fruit plate. 

 

Despite waiting 45+ minutes on Day 4, aside from an apology and explanation when pressed – not even a complimentary glass of wine, soda … wait, that’s revenue for NCL, of course, not.  Darn it, should’ve left a Dear GM note in the mail box, maybe – if I use the code word CruiseCritic again, he will send a bottle of house wine and some … cookies, hahaha.  Two 16.9 oz. cartons of water would be fine to acknowledge some of the onboard issues, alas – some of you should try this approach, if sailing the Prima soon.   Minor issues & first world problem, I did mentioned that NCL never delivered 3 "cartons" of bottled water to our 2nd balcony, should've asked & demanded it ... wasn't going to dial 00 again 3 or 4 times and then walk downstairs to past by Guest Services, hoping the line wasn't too long.  

 

Commodore MDR – this is probably one of the two friendly, well staffed restaurants onboard the Prima vs. Hudson and elsewhere.  We ate there 3 times and there was never a long wait, regardless of what time we showed up without ever being able to make a reservation or call ahead or request a day early … as the niece has severe food allergy and we’ve found the team there to show more patience and take their time to listen, explain and answer questions.  Our wait for a table was never more than 10 minutes, AND, not having to mention priority seating.  DW, however, isn’t fond of the layout and the low ceiling, and the fact that there is virtually no views whatsoever to look outside while dining – aside from a partial lifeboat view from the window seating area. 

 

Well, folks, this is nearly wrapping out the highly emotional, subjective & personal, biased and not-so-straight-forward review of our 15 nights onboard the Prima for the recent TA this Spring.   (And, a few short paragraph is coming next - shortly - to point out a few other subtle observations, exceptions & notes worthy of sharing ... ) 

[Fogfog]

We agree with Palomar (twice withe the salt crusted whole fish)

And Commodore- with fellow CCers (after a Syds show). Had the same experience with reasonable wait--maybe 15-20 min to be seated. 

 

Wish they had promoted the use of the SD for lunches. Los Lobos, Food Republic etc... might have taken the load off on sea days during peak? IDK

 

[mking8288]

5 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

... Wish they had promoted the use of the SD for lunches. Los Lobos, Food Republic etc... might have taken the load off on sea days during peak? IDK

Sharon ... 100% agreed on ship management's consideration to open some of the specialty restaurants for lunch on sea days, and to accept the use of vouchers and/or dining packages.  And, for those loaded with non-refundable OBC, it's an easy way to promote the purchase of more add-on dining packages (extra days) and/or even a la carte charges.  We did that for Palomar and in Onda for our evening dinners there.  If they made the efforts (GM and F&B Director "thinking outside the boxes" to open it up,) to accept or take reservations and/or even consider walk-ins, it can only be a win-win for all ... and revenues for NCL's bottomline earnings.  

 

There should be enough crew members onboard during the entire cruise to work in select & popular SD places, like Cagney's, Le Bistro, Onda & Palomar - with the Commodore Room staying closed b/c of the Art Gallery show & auction (which, by itself - is a poorly planned choice )   Lots of the semi-public space are poorly used and under-utilized, i.e. those hallway shops & displays on Deck 7 by/near S. Norman's and Improv and the photo gallery corridor with all those electronic gadets & adult camera/video & accessories kiosk.   NCL needs a design team to come in and re-configure that space and re-distribute the crowds on sea days when everyone is basically "stranded" indoors with few places to go.  Hey, what do we know, right - keyboard warrior critics calling NCL out as we see it.  

 

On a wild swing, maybe they can set up some card tables there and convert part of Deck 8 into multi-functional.  Again, thinking outside the box & come up with better use of the wasteful space.  I understood the Aqua will be different and the ship is bigger, fine but these problems aren't going away for the Prima.  

 

P.S.  getting over jetlag yet ... we are, finally. 

[JIMESOPUS]

@mking8288 Thanks for the great review again, but may I suggest you try the Prima or Viva in warmer weather? Our sailing on the Viva in the Mediterranean last November was phenomenal, being able to utilize the outdoor venues elevated the overcrowding feeling. 

Some things won't change like Hudson MDR ( everyone wants that view ) and that super small buffet but I'll take the Indulge food hall every time.

Jim

[Fogfog]

Why do cruise ships offer premium space to  photo shops when things have gone digital?

 

You are correct about premium space that we walk through-- shops and such -- 

That's true for all cruise ships.

Shops. We don't shop though some do. 

Photos. We see a lot  of premium space when one would think digital access via your stateroom acct- sent via pdf paid would be simple, no?

 

 

 

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS Jim ... true, I can see sailing the Prima/Viva toward warmer ports - if they are price competitive and all other elements being nearly equal.  Indulge Food Hall experience is fun & cool, the lack thereof would not - in our case - tilt or flip the go/skip or look elsewhere decision matrix.  NCL's dice, slice & cuts are just beginning and DW isn't prepared to pay a premium just to stick with NCL to visit Caribbean ports, many of which we've been to.  And, I have nearly zero faith about the winter stopover in Bermuda, and those last minute port changes, due to unforeseen circumstances to sail & sustain.  

 

The next two cruises are with the competition either out of Red Hook, Brooklyn or Cape Liberty since I believe in The Price is Right and it is a Deal.  NCL is booked solid and ships sailing full - stilll; and, the corporate charter business is doing well, good for corporate profit as we can see that as shareholders.  As a consumer, voting with the charge card on how & where to spend our vacation dollars is our choice - NCL has serious credit issues with others and with us.  Cruising is relaxing but not necessary the ideal way for us to get to Point B and back ... we'll see how things go in the coming weeks & months.  

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Why do cruise ships offer premium space to  photo shops when things have gone digital?

... lot of premium space when one would think digital access via your stateroom acct- sent via pdf paid would be simple, no?

Exactly the point ... other NCL has gone thru dry docks years ago, and remodeled, downsized their onboard photo space to free up valuable floor space for other use, think about the iConnect Center on the Prima.  A number of wall mounted monitor can be used there, shared with photo shop, to access the internet and to view  & order photos, etc.  There can be an extra dining space on Deck 8, starboard side, i.e. relocate Food Republic or perhaps, expand The Local.  

 

But, I.T. competency is in question here, despite a robust Starlink configuration and onboard servers, since wireless handheld devices are used almost everywhere by the crew.  Asking for a friend with interest, anyone have a clue what happen to the digital Prima library interface using Libby ... I knew there's a good reason to "trust" Amazon to at least deliver their eBook & Kindle promises.  

 

I never did get around to watch offline Prime Video content on the tablet or any of the dozens of free PPV movies via interactive stateroom TV ... that 15 days flew by us.  Did Robert or you get to check out any of the free moves since they are free for Haven guests (I believe) ?? 

[Fogfog]

The internet up/down was throttled down wasn't it?

Though R seemed to have fewer problems on this TA than several years ago on X with working from the cabin. He did take some wifi calls. I don't think he tried to upload very large files though.

I found the app glitchy- and had restarted my phone. Couldn't see all R could see on his. Thought  it was my android since his is an iphone. 

We watched movies that were running. (Like Secretariat)  Though we didn't choose from the library of available titles.  

 

There were many activities, things to do and so on that we just didn't get to as the days flew by. Some was weather driven. Some by the crowds. I didn't use the slides yet R did. 🙃

He used the gym and the Haven pool daily. Yes even in the cold and fog during the crossing.

I had wanted to get upstairs to use the putt putt and the circular ping pong on a sea day yet where did the time go? Then again it was foggy and wet so there was that. Ha!

The Prima has a lot to offer that we didn't make use of it - 

At least with Peter and Penny's Pub crawl we met other CCers and saw other pubs! 

 

SO - Just my opinion/query... Do these art shows sell enough to be a valuable cost center still now? 2024? 

 

 

 

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, mking8288 said:

This final sub-chapter deals mainly with onboard dining, food, service-related issues with meals and associated observations: - disclaimer: this is subjective, personal and highly "biased" as seen & viewed thru our lens or "eyes" for our 15 nights onboard, FWIW.  It is filled with opinions that others onboard might disagree and see differently during the same timeline, thus - caution to be a clear case YMMV.  

 

MDR issues – Hudson MDR remained consistently with crowds, lines and inadequate staffing, especially at the hostess station with 3 to 5 crew members busy behind their work stations, and not uncommon to have a supervisor and an additional “greeter” trying to work the surge in passengers showing up for breakfast, dinner and on sea days for sit-down lunch.  It isn’t unusual for the crew to suggest to guests to go to The Local, Indulge Food Hall and the Surfside Café (buffet) instead … which, sometimes, is just as bad if not worst. 

 

The smaller MDR, Commodore Room is only open for dinner and not used for breakfast or lunch, as it has been used on our previous Prima TA (last Nov) and this TA, as the venue for the Art Gallery auction and other “private” functions – otherwise, it seemed to do things better, and the single hostess behind the podium/counter seemed to manage matters just fine … and if you have higher Latitudes status, i.e. Diamond & Sapphire, etc. – the odds of a prolonged wait for an available table (since hardly anyone has advance reservations unless it is for a party of 6 or more) were quite good, and, it is recognized and acknowledged … until the Hudson MDR’s indifference. 

 

F&B managerial staff including the executive chef were spotted outside the Hudson MDR most of the time but it is not clear, to us, what and why they are there to begin with, as for at least the first half of this 15 nights cruise, it was plain pathetic, sad and annoying to watch the chaos unfold and waits of anywhere from 15, 20 minutes to 30+ minutes or longer.

 

With a sold out cruise and the ship sailing at full occupancy, we purposely avoided going to and eating in the Surfside Café (buffet) except once in the mid-afternoon when we came back from ashore, to stop in for fresh fruits, water and light snacks.  It has been mind boggling to see, again, like 2023, why & how on earth ship management can choose to shut down the buffet nightly at 9:00 PM (21:00 ship time) on the dot, regardless - other NCL ships currently sailing (confirmed for the Escape now sailing in Europe - AND, just text message w friends & BIL/SIL now on the Joy's 7 nights to Bermuda out of NY) choose to and have the discretionary authority to stay open until 9:30 PM. 

 

Granted, their O'Sheehan's (and/or The Local if named as such) has more seating capacity & better crew ratios to serve passengers showing late for a meal (i.e returning from a late shore excursion and/or out of a 6:30 PM show (one & only "Donna Summer Live" on Day 13 or 14) - I call it tone-deaf, indifference and poor management, sorry ... feel free to disagree.  Alas, yes - one can call for Room Sevice and for a nominal upcharge of $9.95 ... right, didn't forget about that "option" for the convenience to sail & sustain.   But, it was my understanding some of the passengers returning from late tours in Iceland and Paris weren't so happy as they were tired, hungry and wanted to eat something, not in the relative (dis)comfort of their cabins ... some were in oceanviews & insides, not even a chair or enough table-top space to put down the food trays ...  Oh, yeah, sit on the edge of the bed and those bento box should be okay, a la airplane style dining - cheers to the new NCL innovation, huh.  

 

Food & Quality - served mostly warm but sometimes almost hot, often just above room temperature and usually at a slow pace except during the latter part of the cruise.  There is a limited excuse for it as the gallery (kitchen) is less than 30 to 40 meters or 100 ft. from the Hudson MDR, and we’re sometimes seat with a direct view into the gallery where entrees & sides were plated.  This was also true with our Dine With Officers, our soup and entrees came out barely lurk warm, and this is NOT the way to host the more valued passengers onboard.

 

MDR solutions and changes midway - it seemed to me, to address the long wait in the MDR and slow turnover of tables in the morning and evening, servers were doing the subtle but not so obvious – rush everything out onto the table, together all at once as they see fit.  After serving the soup, starter or salad, anything & everything else ordered – aside from entrée dishes arrived shortly, not always but without asking or checking to see if it is okay, whether we’re in a hurry to catch a show (never bothered to ask during the 8+ evenings in the MDR) 

 

Dining - attention to details – the dining team seemed to overlook all the time but being who we are, we noticed it many times over.  Forget about getting your empty glass filled with water or someone coming around to check and ask if everything is okay or anything else is needed, i.e. burnt toast needing to be exchanged, spoon and sugar for the coffee, etc.  When was the last time the server swept the table of dirt & bread crumbs, etc. after clearing the plates and before dessert is served, once at most out of the 8+ evenings in the MDR.  Details … yes, we noticed it of not being done.  Perhaps, the new games are in - only do that in specialty restaurants, rush otherwise in the MDR.  

 

Breakfast items –like everything else, the portions were getting smaller, not that we left hungry but I supposed, fewer waste and the marine life might be wondering of the ship’s recycled feeds being less & less.  It became routine to order a doubled order of smoked salmon on a, small, semi-toasted bagel half b/c – it is now standard to use 1 piece of rolled up smoked salmon.  DW said, next time when we go back on NCL again, do a triple order of your favorite breakfast … got it, and have them put it on a full size plate, not a tiny plate.  If you like toast in the morning as part of your breakfast, since NCL no longer bring a (small) basket of 4 pieces of croissants unless requested (1 per person seated) – be sure to specify you want 2 pieces of toast, or else, you only get 1 piece of toast - same when ordering breakfast room service delivery.

 

I get it, it’s not nickels and dimes, rather being penny-wise, huh. 

 

Among all the specialty dining options onboard, we collectively vote for Palomar, thumbs up for the overall dining experience and of course, the baked whole sea brass … skinned, deboned and served tableside in front of our eyes, what a feast and it’s heathier eating – since we aren’t crazy for mostly tough, over-cooked red meat, even when asked for it to be medium or medium-well.  Ask for the “steak” cut to be cooked medium-well and it’s not unusual to see it being well-done. 

 

Palomar, we went for the upgrade to a whole grilled lobsters on the first evening, just to see & taste it -  upcharge was reasonable as we used a bit of our $500 non-refundable OBC anyway.  The 2 lobsters were about 1.25 lb or less each, overcooked and didn't live up to the hype, frozen (of course, not fresh) ... it was just okay, meat was a bit mushy too; subjectively speaking, as we have "high" standard and expectations for fresh & live seafood eaten out at home.  Once & done, will not be bothered with – sorry, cannot recommend doing it … save the “OBC” and use it for something else onboard instead, remember, use it or lose it.  Our favorite server from last Nov’s TA is no longer working upstairs on Deck 17, we saw her in the MDR and were seated at one of her table in the Commodore Room midway thru the cruise, service was excellent as she remember us also from the previous Dine With Officers. 
 

Cagney's - steaks & meat tend to be ovecooked, the sides are a bit larger this time, more than 3 onion rings per side order placed (wow – impressed, maybe they “heard” us or read some of the feedback, probably not really … the junior chef were in a cheerful mode during the TA)  The variety, choice and availability (lack thereof) among the starter/soup/salad columns were just sad, disappointing but to be expected … given what NCLH just announced, the worst is yet to come.  You read my forecasted “outlook” here first – give the server and/or asst. manager a LOL, tell them you already knew reading about it on CruiseCritic. 

 

Onda – already mentioned it earlier.  None of the outdoor seatings were usable & they overbooked.  Inside tables are packed in tightly, very noisy & impossible to carry on a good dinner conversation, same w Cagney's & LeBistro’s physical set-up … unless sailing in warmer climate, don’t expect any solutions or easy fix until the ship’s first dry dock (where perhaps, NCL will swap out to different furniture, tables & chairs, etc.)  That’s a maybe, what do I know since none of us are calling the chess moves.  Staffing seemed to be taking a backseat with the overall personnel reductions, asst. managers helping to clean tables, really … well, they typically started at the bottom & know the ropes, and why not pitch in and move things along. 

 

We ordered a # of starter/salad and 2 pizzas, they’re very good to excellent … and on top of the 4 entrees, way too much food as by mid cruise, we’re not starving and wanted to not gain weight from mostly eggs-based dessert variations on a nightly basis, cream de coco dessert (chocolate and/or coconut) and/or sugarly crème brûlee in the MDR and elsewhere.  Lordy, what has happened to the creativity and imagination in having hundreds of chefs onboard each of the NCL ship – wish I can tell you.  Not to worry if you don’t like those choices, there is always ice cream and fresh fruit plate. 

 

Despite waiting 45+ minutes on Day 4, aside from an apology and explanation when pressed – not even a complimentary glass of wine, soda … wait, that’s revenue for NCL, of course, not.  Darn it, should’ve left a Dear GM note in the mail box, maybe – if I use the code word CruiseCritic again, he will send a bottle of house wine and some … cookies, hahaha.  Two 16.9 oz. cartons of water would be fine to acknowledge some of the onboard issues, alas – some of you should try this approach, if sailing the Prima soon.   Minor issues & first world problem, I did mentioned that NCL never delivered 3 "cartons" of bottled water to our 2nd balcony, should've asked & demanded it ... wasn't going to dial 00 again 3 or 4 times and then walk downstairs to past by Guest Services, hoping the line wasn't too long.  

 

Commodore MDR – this is probably one of the two friendly, well staffed restaurants onboard the Prima vs. Hudson and elsewhere.  We ate there 3 times and there was never a long wait, regardless of what time we showed up without ever being able to make a reservation or call ahead or request a day early … as the niece has severe food allergy and we’ve found the team there to show more patience and take their time to listen, explain and answer questions.  Our wait for a table was never more than 10 minutes, AND, not having to mention priority seating.  DW, however, isn’t fond of the layout and the low ceiling, and the fact that there is virtually no views whatsoever to look outside while dining – aside from a partial lifeboat view from the window seating area. 

 

Well, folks, this is nearly wrapping out the highly emotional, subjective & personal, biased and not-so-straight-forward review of our 15 nights onboard the Prima for the recent TA this Spring.   (And, a few short paragraph is coming next - shortly - to point out a few other subtle observations, exceptions & notes worthy of sharing ... ) 

Our experience with Hudsons on our cruise last August was totally different. I never remember a wait of more than a few minutes. And as I have previously mentioned, although they said they could nor reserve a table when we asked about being right by a window on our wedding anniversary, when that night came and we gave them the card saying it was our anniversary, they put us right by a window.

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Our experience with Hudsons on our cruise last August was totally different. I never remember a wait of more than a few minutes. 

I would say, perhaps mid-way thru our 15 nights onboard, if & when 3 or 4 of us showed up in the Hudson MDR, depending on how busy it is, it's a 50:50 chance of being seated next to those giant windows but if we had to queue and wait, then it's whatever table for 4 and ours to sit.  By then, we've gotten the attention of 2 of the asst. manager there - one from the last TA (she's rotating among different restaurants daily/nightly) and that probably helped flag our stateroom accordingly when we showed up - not absolutely sure what they did ... and we never specifically asked for any special consideration (only on the first 2 to 3 days as it was nearly complete meltdown in crowd management).  NCL being what it is, consistently, inconsistent.  

[mking8288]

Time to edge toward closing out the final "review" of misc. observations for the TA.

 

CruiseNext & Latitudes recognition - failed grade.  Not warm or fuzzies on this cruise, but let's see how many CN certificates ("no" expiration date - good thru 2099) you have and how about getting $1,000 free money ... errr, can I use it for DSC (already well informed & aware of the corporate policies, perhaps - they have discretionary authority ... NOT)

 

Cruise Director & team - the friendly Alvin, has been visible throughout and his voices on a steady, daily basis from/for the bridge ?  but his communications can be better, i.e. the posted FSD had conflicting & misleading information about the date/time of the mandatory UK face-to-face immigration & passport inspection, and also about taking the original passport as it is needed on returning to the ship in Belgium (it was never asked or checked, matched ... not even against a "valid" government photo ID ... just like all of the other ports during our transit)  

 

 

Time zone changes - some of the changes are done overnight (2 AM) while others are done in the mid afternoon ( 2 PM) later in the cruise.  While adjusting & checking for the correct time vs. the clock as displayed on the ship - beware of "correct" time onboard was done earlier than announced.  Sometimes, the notice is only found in the FSD - instead of housekeeping leaving a card in every stateroom as a reminder.  It is usually repeated in the morning or afternoon but one cannot always hear the CD's announcement/reminder, sometimes too late for breakfast and/or tours/shorex. etc.

 

 

Big Shows - very little to say or comment here - we avoided them entirely, in part b/c we couldn't book any of them before embarkation and when we did checked for availabilities, both Donna Live and The Price is Right were sold out/fully booked already (that was on Day 2 or Day 3 ... really, nothing available or schedule for the remaining 11 to 12 days ??)  What are the production crew members and support/back stage people doing the rest of the time, more rehearsals ... maybe, they are leaving the ship in Iceland or rejoining later, taking a short vacation or shore leave.  Sour taste about NCL's products, really.  Subsequently, we did see one more Donna shows added - toward the end of the cruise, one and only scheduled for 6:30 PM in the evening while the ship is en route between Belgium & France, I believe ... okay, managed to book 2 space for cabin #2 and by the time I switched to book 2 more for cabin #1, all sold out & gone, nothing - zero availability. 

 

Do I feel like calling the box office and/or taking a walk to stand there and ask, see if - perhaps, by chance, there's any possibility ... or, just try the virtual queue and/or go to the standby line, 30 to 60 minutes prior to show time and as others reported, "should" and probably, likely get in - since it's prime time for evening dinner.  Nope - seen both Donna & The Price last time, the niece & SIL hasn't and thought we might go with them - that would mean not going to dinner early & hope to get out of there by 6 PM and/or wait until the show is done, then race ahead to beat the crowd and hope to get a table without waiting too long ... maybe better luck at the Commodore Room.  Well, with surround sound coughing heard all over the ship and even in some of the elevator rides - smart choice made, let's just skip it and go enjoy dinner, slow & easy and not rush ... and have more French Onion Soup (again) in the MDR.  There is no longer a daily chef's choice or special offered, at least not on the posted or printed menu, and of course, servers no longer introduce or explain the surprise option(s) for that evening or afternoon.  

 

 

Pool Deck & Outdoors, Ocean Walk, etc.  - not for cool weather & northern routes, not good by design and being shortsighted.  Unlike other ships, the lifeboat deck(s) are closed to the public or passengers as well, zero access ... maybe, they don't the passengers to see or know, otherwise check out those lifeboats that are NOT certified or approved to be use as tender boats to ports where the ship cannot dock for find a berth.  Those invaluable space can be used as a jogging and/or walking trail, since it's somewhat "sheltered" against the outside  elements.  Ocean Walk is the only viable option for (warmly & appropriately dressed) joggers … or else, stick with the fitness center and its assorted machines to exercise.  

 

We never got around to check out the upper, top decks with mini golf and go kart racing (hours were rather limited, open subject to weather & sea state/conditions, etc. etc.)  Where did all our time disappeared to ... with many days at sea.  

 

 

Observation Lounge – (between our 2 TA cruises) remained status quo, nothings changed since we last spend time there in Nov. 2023 on the TA.  Oversized lounger/furniture, hogs reserving space & their obvious, not-so-subtle, anti-sharing posture, blocking others from getting near them and the chairs nearby, claiming “reserved” and discouraging anyone from even daring to sit nearby.  The solution, not necessary a fix, maybe the card games and mahjong players should join them there – let them co-exist and enjoy the public settings together, and share it ... okay, just kidding, or not.  If they don’t like it, pack up & go; and/or bring a noise-cancellation headphone to block out the ambient noises.  Footnote – it would help if NCL figured out what happened to the virtual online, digital Library access on the Prima, via the once advertised/promoted Libby App, which clearly was down and offline, nobody onboard had a clue and of course, not a word in the Freestyle Dailies.

 

 

The iConnect or iCafe  a/k/a  Prima internet Center onboard, semi-hidden next to/behind Starbucks, with not a single PC terminal or work stations, just a wireless HP laserjet printer with DIY instructions on how to connect (hopefully) and print, if it is successful, for 50 cents (USD) a page for your convenience.  Thankfully, nowadays, digital airline boarding pass & QR codes (and PDF saved to iPhone or smartphone) almost eliminated the need for a paper one. 

 

 

Starlink satellite WiFi inTERnet access:  speed-wise, it’s slower than EMC’s older hybrid orbit satellite but this has better latency and ping time due to configurations and coverage.  We upgraded one line in one of our 2 cabins to unlimited basic WiFi on Day 3, true net cost was zero since it came out of our non-refundable OBC

 

Seriously, NCL really, really throttled (limit) and restrict the available download speed and bandwidth from Starlink, on a pure speedtest basis, the older ships pre-Starlink conversion days delivered a faster upload & download speed than the consistently slower but more reliable connectivity now ... (not so obvious to the average non-tech cruisers that just like it to work) it's NOT a win-win change.  Hey, thankfully, prices hasn't been raised YTD, yet.  Later this year, sailing RC for a 10 days, their plan at sea costing less than $20 a day and it is faster and superior, by all accounts - can't wait to check & compare to see how WiFi 6e and 6ax delivered for "Station Zebra" 

 

 

Gift Shops & onboard shopping experience – compared to other NCL *Away/Plus ships in the fleet, a fairly large amount of public space on Deck 7 and 8 are set aside for upscale shopping, including pre-owned handbags, along with fashion wear and duty-free merchandise, watches & cosmetics, etc.  While these give that upscale, Fifth Avenue and/or Beverly Hills boulevard look – on the TA, didn’t appear to us that shopping was anything near frenzy, and those bargain $15 a piece, 2 for $25 “sale” only offered mostly, what we consider, junk items worthy of holiday stuffings for office party grab bags … better deals can be have anywhere, not just at the local flea market.  Imagine the overhead costs and the payroll for the contracted sales agent onboard.  

 

We only purchased 2 "gangway" port photos this time and with our generous Diamond discounts, symbolic of this TA cruise taken with 4 of us together - actually, "free" since it's offset with NR-OBC (use it or lose it ... already paid for cans of soda during dinner onboard)

Photographers appeared to selectively approached passengers only in the specialty restaurants, not sure why - maybe, there aren't as much of them working onboard ??  Of course, most folks are fine taking selfies these days, they are just as good vs. going to the "studio" for portraits.  

 

 

Room Services – we only used it 3 times ... especially on sea days (lazy & not in a mood to deal with the madness in the MDR or walk around Indulge FH to look for a table to sit & eat … forget the buffet) and early AM (port of call, to avoid lines & wait) worth it for a few $ charged against our consolidated OB account plus cash tipping for the delivery person.  Trust the advice, it is worth not getting the headache downstairs (or upstairs in the buffet, holding the plate & looking a place to sit and eat without being bumped)  We like this “new” bento-box delivery approach, compact & managed to keep the eggs & omelettes warm, utensils & other items fitted within and space-efficient ( see – giving NCL credits when it is appropriate & due)  

But, we also see plates, cups & bowls left outside in the hallway/corridors next to the stateroom doors – NCL can and should give better “instructions” to all guests onboard as to best way to and where to leave them, otherwise, it’s a free-for-all and created tripping hazards along those narrow passage. 

 . 

 

Dine with Officers – Fire Officer and Safety Officer ... fine dining with good company, what more can we say.  Not a bad one but certainly not highly rated among the many that we've been to lately.  

 

 

(P.S.  apology for typo, spellings, omissions, and other errors ...since these composed notes were cut-n-paste, merged & edited; not writing a book about this cruise.  Your understanding is appreciated, with thanks in advance for those following along.  )

Edited May 22 by mking8288

[ontheweb]

23 hours ago, Fogfog said:

For those of you with street cred to give feedback to NCL

 

On the Officers--

We only saw them at the CC M&G and the loyalty event at the OL at the beginning

No other interaction. Didn't see them in Haven- so no different than than anywhere else

 

On card players/game players etc, the ship had problems controlling the large groups of mahjong players that took up tables everywhere in the first sea days. And guides/translators did try to intervene that I saw--and were ignored initially. I watched the one guide, actively speaking with them- showing them the signage and telling groups where to go--and they ignored him. We did see signage in multiple languages appear at several venues in the following days.  Los Labos was for " board games", all sorts. And there were large groups of some kind of card games (tables pushed together so bigger groups, and other smaller board games in groups being played in there. The sushi place was for Bridge. We were usually 2-3 tables. Mahjong was designated to another venue. Did that stop the use of tables elsewhere, IDK. I did see in the Dailies that they were cracking down on the problem of using tables for games near the Starbucks.

 

The ship has many venues, many tables/lounges/public spaces and so the ship needs to make those areas available during the day when people are looking for places to congregate.

If it is impacting dining areas, then mgt needs to move groups out of dining spaces so that diners have places to sit to actively eat/drink. With cruising, and this ship, they do have to consider "turning the table" over for diners/next service.  

 

The few times we went through the OL - it was pretty busy.

Same for many of the bars, lounges etc. 

 

Dining thought-- when we were in LB, it was about 50% full. In Palomar, it was packed early in the cruise and on our second visit later in the cruise, there were open tables. Would have liked to be able to have lunch in Los Lobos during a sea day, or go for sushi a sea day. If they had rotated the SD options for seaday lunch options, we'd likely made use of that as well.

I just got an e-mail from my local library---I can register for a 4 day course on learning to play mah jong. 🤣

 

A comment on the card players who took tables and seats on our Prima cruise---I really do think they were there before the scheduled time for music, so I really cannot blame them, The Prima seems to have been set up to have several small venues, but I do not think that they took into account that venues might already be filled with card players (or mah jong players) when musical acts were then scheduled to appear there.

[mking8288]

@ontheweb  speaking of online library access while the Prima at sea, just went back into my Amazon Fire Tablet's Libby App, Norwegian Prima is listed as being there; but no way to set up an account or reach support.  Another dud 🙄  it's promising with many good titles shown to take out, sit back & read ...  Initially, I was able to open the sample read within a given title, then it crashed, clearing cache & storage, re-installing the app, etc. - fruitless.  

 

 

 

 

Edited May 23 by mking8288

[Fogfog]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

@ontheweb  speaking of online library access while the Prima at sea, just went back into my Amazon Fire Tablet's Libby App, Norwegian Prima is listed as being there; but no way to set up an account or reach support.  Another dud 🙄  it's promising with many good titles shown to take out, sit back & read ...  Initially, I was able to open the sample read within a given title, then it crashed, clearing cache & storage, re-installing the app, etc. - fruitless.  

 

 

 

 

This could be a great feature. I hope they fix the bugs in it.

If it is user issue, I'd need someone to walk me through the fix

 

 

FWIW, the NCL app was still better than other cruise lines apps for cell phones even though it was glitchy. It had more information and was far more helpful. 

 

Do you know if they will make the newer ships "smart" and wristband friendly?

 

FWIW, Some of the things we experienced with NCL--happen on all ships and other lines

-rude folks who hog chairs

-inept staff at hostess desks

-waitstaff who drops the ball

-apps the deliver less than they promise

-cost cutting measures that leave loyal pax feeling cold

So I think overall you find a product you like, a class of ship you prefer and try to avoid the issues as best as we can

 

Unfortunately We have "money on the table" with NCL as our cruise rate went down and we have to use this FCC on a 1 week sailing within a yr of disembarkation. We would have even taken even 50 cents on the dollar of OBC on the Prima instead of the many 100s tied up with NCL now. 

We don't think it will pencil out if we want to sail in spring to sail NCL compared to a competitor. We shall see

 

[mking8288]

20 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

FWIW, the NCL app was still better than other cruise lines apps for cell phones even though it was glitchy. It had more information and was far more helpful. 

Do you know if they will make the newer ships "smart" and wristband friendly?

 

FWIW, Some of the things we experienced with NCL--happen on all ships and other lines

... find a product you like, a class of ship you prefer and try to avoid the issues as best as we can

 

Unfortunately We have "money on the table" with NCL as our cruise rate went down and we have to use this FCC on a 1 week sailing within a yr of disembarkation ... many 100s tied up with NCL now.  We don't think it will pencil out if we want to sail in spring to sail NCL compared to a competitor. We shall see 

Thanks, Sharon ... it's good to get your RC, and, MSC perspectives.  We sort of knew & expected some of the issues to be onboard, no matter which cruiselines we sail on, managed to had a fine 15 nights onboard - didn't missed any of the port of calls.  The best among the better NCL teams & crews, aren't on the Prima, perhaps on the Viva (which we aren't planning to cruise anytime soon, given the asking prices & ports/itinerary ... forward looking, NCl going back to shorter cruises with a Caribbean focus, which really isn't our cup of tea - rather, coffee w good pastries for us, cookies are fine but not a deal breaker.   Now that we (6 of us) are months away from our next Fall foliage cruise (summer is off for us) on RC's Freedom class, neither of us are fans of the ultra jumbo mega Icon class, it's going to be a relaxing 10 days to familiar ports plus a brand new stop - Sydney, NS.  Getting tired of NCL's shortened time ashore & last minute "unforeseen" changes to sail & sustain ... Should be refreshing to see, feel, look, taste and compare how times and ships have evolved since the C19 restart and return to cruising.  

 

One of our other CC friends, Sharon - also - has booked NCL out of NY - solo but usually with plenty of friends and she's literally walking distance to Pier 88.  I'm scanning to see what's ahead in Fall/Winter into early Spring 2025, nothing that ring a bell or flip a light on our radar screens - starting prices for Prima is just mad and not a chance for us.  I do see something next March that's within the ballpark for us, that is and only if we don't bail and book sometime else ... MSC, Princess & even Cunard on a TA for a change.  

 

Ever-popular "Sugar" is loading up with sweets on her adventure-filled Escape, glad to have the chance to meet her, Robert & you and others from the roll call - 99.75% sure some of us will stay in touch on private messaging since CC has disabled that a good # of years ago.  

 

The Norwegian App has come a long way and is better than before, with plenty of enhancement and fine tuning still to come to polish it up ... FSD can be downloaded and the MDR menu were accessible on the smartphone, account charges are showing up.  I wish their inconsistent I.T. people would fix the Libby App and move toward digital library for the fleet, will make solo cruisers and others happy on sea days when other onboard activities aren't attractive.  Going to see if I can get an "user account" created and access "granted" to explore it.  

 

How would you summarize your shore excursions on the TA ?  Going over all the bits & pieces of notes I've saved, realized that I should add our thoughts about NOT doing NCL shorex and how we fared doing third party or independent excursions, pro's & con's - as I suspect, in 3 or 4 months (maybe less) those on the next Prima TA might possibly be looking for ideas, tips & suggestions based on this one, and what to do/not or avoid.  Chartered NCL buses that ran without air conditioning on at Zeebrugge, apparently, was a miserable 30+ minutes ride and sounds of coughing being heard all around - from what I learned.  

[mking8288]

These were the NCL shore excursion prices and offered options, for future reference & comparisons.  

 

With a CC roll call that gradually picked up momentum after final payment, there're plenty of discussions about alternatives and booking local tours, word of mouth recommendations, and sharing of ideas, etc.  - see next post 🤫 

 

There were no sales onboard with these $$$  NCL tours 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Look back, quick recap - tips, tricks, surprises and the unexpected for this TA: 

 

Since both DW and I reached Diamond status in 2023 and both of us owned NCLH stocks held in different brokerage accounts, with 2 others sailing along ... we strategically booked 2 cabins, one under her name with the niece (Gold, now Platinum) and the second cabin under my name with the sister-in-law (Gold, now Platinum) to leverage those Latitudes perks or benefits, mainly the dining and laundry; and, $250 OBC for each of the cabin - total of $500 non-refundable OBC.  We found out on Day 2, that since the Bank of America credit card (joint account) that we used can only be used to pay for onboard charges on one of the cabin, not two - it's NCL's system restrictions or limitations.  The workaround at Guest Services, the cardholder signed the release and agreed in writing to be responsible for charges on the other cabin as well, thus the charges will show up in the "other" cabin only, "mine" balance subsequently were showing zero.  It didn't stopped the niece from paying for her own expenses or onboard charges posted, as she used a different credit card while doing the pre-cruise, online check in.  Whatever ... I made it a daily habit to review and check all the accrued charges and keep tab on offset against the $500 OBC, as they're pooled together as well.  

 

We spend a good amount against the unlimited basic  WiFi upgrade, 13 days worth plus another fraction shopping duty-free ... the rest were spend mainly for sodas and specialty dining upcharges, misc. fees like 3X Breakfast Room Service delivery "fees"  and 2 gangway photos.  

 

I've mentioned in the beginning that we booked 2 Oceanviews (OB) and upgraded both of them to Balconies (BB) - preferring midship and chose Deck 10 ... BOA agent offered us a good # of cabins, including Deck 11 but we opted for one deck lower, for a better & smoother ride, just in case.  The 2nd. balcony that was given to us as the complimentary one-time Diamond upgrade was further back, AFT & overlook the Ocean Walk, not really what we requested but acceptable as given.  Except for Day 15, there wasn't much, if any at all, to see and look out below by the loungers & Infinity Pool ... aside from a few bundled up joggers & walkers braving the outdoor elements while we're at sea.  

 

While others took advantage of using NCL Air, we booked our own one-way return airline tickets.  Non-stop (Sunday evening - embarkation "day") flight using Norse Atlantic Airway, including priority check-in & boarding, 1 checked bag and 1 carry-on bag each plus 1 basic meal in-flight.  Very reasonable & fair prices and at a fraction of what NCL Air quoted, not counting ground transfer ($75 p/p from Southampton to LHR or GTW as offered onboard)  We shopped & purchased third-party travel & medical insurance online for the trip, a fair to good amount in savings; which covered us the moment we leave from home until our return, unlike the coverage offered via NCL.

 

Shorex – Halifax, NS - we Uber around town on our own - quick, easy & inexpensive as we've been to Halifax quite a few times ... not interested in spending hours on a bus going to / from places ...   Google AI mapped a nice place for lunch in town, popular with off-duty ship crews, within easy walking distance from the ship terminals.  No fresh lobsters for us on this run ... just had them earlier in the month.  

 

Iceland – rented our own Toyota 4WD that seats 6, shared cost with 2 others and sightsee/explore on our own, mainly doing the semi- Golden Circle route, 2 stops at the Þingvellir National Park, headed south to the Kerio Crater with a nice late lunch stop, then headed east toward the Valley in the direction of Reykjavik thru downtown & as far out as the lighthouse at the western tip, before going back to the ship for a brief rest.  We went back on around 9 PM toward the waterfront again, stops at landmarks like the church and did a bit of shopping at one of the few grocery/mart that’s open late on a Sunday, before calling it a night.  Next morning, after early breakfast - we went into town again, more pictures & sampled the famous hotdog, brought souvenirs and then dropped off the pax at the ship before filling up the gas tank, and return the rental – driven back to the ship by the nice folks at car rental, a quick 4 to 5 minutes drive.  KFC is apparently a useful reference point in Iceland, LOL. 

 

Amsterdam – arranged & joined up with CC’er on a private van tour to see the flower show, saved money & had plenty of spare time once back in town near the ship.  We can see ourselves easily spend 2 to 3 days exploring the city and landmarks nearby in the countryside.  

 

Zeebrugge: non-NCL shuttle bus to Bruges, arranged by another CC’er’s TA, a slightly longer walk from the designated bus parking area once dropped off – definitely not for those with mobility issues & challenges.  Famous for its Belgium waffles and chocolate – checked & sampled, brought & eaten, plenty of scenic photos, worth the effort.  Downside, shuttle bus did NOT turn on air conditioning, only natural air via the roof vent, pretty warm but we managed, very few coughes onboard the bus (yes, we masked up, just in case)

 

Le Havre, France – nothing planned, long train or bus ride into Paris for 3 or 4 hours aren’t our cup of tea.  Just took the port shuttle bus to down, 7 Euro per person round-trip, with 2 stops … town centre and shopping area.  Lunch locally and ran into ship crew again – found their secret spots to dine when not working, hahaha.  Back to the ship by late afternoon and began packing.   

 

Southampton, England - disembarkation was precision clock work and very early.   We took our time, went down to the Hudson MDR at 7 AM to enjoy a sit-down hot breakfast, and reluctantly joined others to queue for the gangway exit around 8:30 AM.  By 9 AM, we had collected our luggage waiting inside the terminal, used porters to help haul our bags and met up with our taxi-driver/guide ... Adrian from Paragon Taxis, based in Southampton ... and spend the next 6 hours seeing Portsmouth & Chichester, before a relaxing ride to not rush on the busy motorway to LGW for check-in & going airside after security, to get ready for the 7 hour non-stop flight to get home. 

 

 

Overall - expenses-wise, we came in under or below budget, especially when factored against NCL's fees & charges for excursions and transfers, etc.  

 

Having full cellular services abroad including 5G and 4G LTE ("roaming") services in all the ports also made a difference and our live easier, able to call, text and use WhatsApp to communicate and reconfirm, etc.  Between Susan and I, we only spend an "extra" $40 USD on cellular charges or expenses vs. our regular monthly charges for both lines - it was a little higher than expected with the continuous MiFi tethering once we moved away from ship's Starlink signals.