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kayjaypea42

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Everything posted by kayjaypea42

  1. I can see where you're coming from when it comes to comparing Prima to Escape vs Pearl, etc. But Prima took features from Breakway Plus to make this ship, particularly the design of the Waterfront, and took the idea of dry slides from her giant Royal Caribbean neighbors. The size of Prima is closer to Getaway than Gem and tries to attract both clienteles. I loved the Pearl, and I loved the Escape and Getaway. They both had a solid idea of what they were and who they catered to. The Prima almost felt like being on a sailing identity crisis. I'm sure that will be resolved with further ships of the class. Ultimately, I think the problem is that Prima is a prototype ship, one that did not flunk near as bad as the Epic "class" did, but also left a lot of room for improvement.
  2. I just got off Prima on the 10th. I would rate the ship a solid 6.5 / 10. I didn't hate the ship by any means, but it was not my favorite and I wouldn't book it again. There was entertainment, but not enough and the venues were sincerely too small. There were times where I wanted to go see the entertainment in Syd's but even if I had gotten there early enough to get seats, there were people crammed in there so much that people were propping the door open from standing. It was downright claustrophobic. I did catch a few minutes of a performer by standing at the back and looking over shoulders. From what I could see, they did a great job! But... it was inaccessible and no reservations available. The entertainment also was lacking with the comedians. Neither was remotely funny. One dude had to resort to a type of jazz-hands/surprise face when he wanted you to laugh at a joke that fell absolutely, crickets-chirping flat. The other dude had to resort to raunchy "humor" that wasn't even funny. I don't mind raunchy if it's funny, but both comedians were downright cringe-worthy. As for the other shows, Donna Summer and Noise Boys: AWESOME! I couldn't make reservations but still had no problem getting into the show anyway. The Disco Experience and Sensoria were incredible too, although I thought the Disco Experience was a little more fun. They heavily pushed their custom drinks and some bartenders had an attitude when you requested a standard drink, and no one was able to make a Spicy Margarita. (Others were perfectly charming.) All of them seemed waaay overworked: the bars were always slammed and I never felt like I could linger at the pool bar. Of the new drinks they offered, they were a mixed bag. I surprisingly really liked Monkey Business, and I loved the Watermelon Twist. Others just tasted watered down. I spent about an hour in the Galaxy Pavillion. I had time for about 4 game/rides. Again, a mixed bag. It was ok, but some of the rides were out of order and others had no real tutorial or indication of what it was. I'd like to try it again on another ship with a Galaxy Pavillion since so many rides were down. I didn't have a chance to do the Speedway; it's not my cuppa anyway, so can't comment. I heard others liked it, though. I walked through the area with the mini-golf and darts, etc. Cool area! I didn't partake in that either, though. I did, however, go on the slides. They were a bit of alright! The drop slide was fun, and the water slide was cool, but waaaay too short. For the most part the savory food was great. I didn't have anything that I remember being gross except for some desserts. (The notable exception was the Lava Cake, which was phenomenal!) But the venues closed too early for lunch. There was a period at like 3 or so where the only option was The Local. Don't get me wrong: the Local had awesome food, but I got tired of it pretty quick. There's a large variety, but some was just too heavy for a lunch (for me), so I wound up sticking with the same few items because that's all that appealed right then. Usually, even when they close the buffet, they leave a small section open. I guess that small section was moved to the Observation Deck, but that didn't open until around 4 or so. I know there's only an hour in between, but somehow, I was always hungry RIGHT IN THAT HOUR for a small nibble. Figures! 🙄 The layout took a hot minute to get used to, and the elevators were ridiculously slow, especially since half of them were out of order on any given elevator bank. The outdoor space was nice looking. There were a lot of seats, but most were taken on the sunny-side. (The shady-side had lots of seats available, mostly because of how cold it was...in the Caribbean!) On both the sunny and shady side, it was incredibly windy. I feel like the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships break the wind a lot better; I don't remember feeling like I was going to fly away or freeze in the shade like I did here. That said, I know there's a lot of complaints here, but like I said, the ship was a 6.5 / 10 for me. There were positives too. I had a decent time on Prima; it was better than MSC, but Escape blew the Prima out of the atmosphere, nevermind out of the water.
  3. Hi all. I just got back from a cruise where I went to Chankanaab for the first time. I thought I'd post a few pictures that would help with questions that I previously had. 1. Q: How's the beach? A: The sand is white and soft, and the view is incredible. They have chairs shaded with permanent straw umbrella, chairs that are in direct sunshine, chairs that are shaded by palms, and hammocks both alone and in a "hammock area". I opted to drop my stuff in a shaded chair thinking I'd sit there for a bit, but in the end I just enjoyed the nearby hammock. It was amazing! 2. Q: But how do you get into the water? A: For most of the stretch of beach, you enter and exit the water via stairs that are metal-slatted. Be careful. They are slippery and the waves can really crash into you going in. But once you're in, the water was much calmer and I had no problem snorkeling for 2 hours. There's also a very small area that is a traditional beach with covered lounge chairs and walk-in access to the ocean. It's a beautiful area, but quite small. That said, there are more chairs just a short distance away from it, so if you wanted to stay in that area, you'd just walk the short distance into the walk-in beach area. 3. Q: How was the snorkeling? I've heard mixed reviews. A: I thought it was beautiful! I didn't see anything like a stingray or turtle, but there was lots of colorful fish. There was one moment when a whole school of bright Sgt. Major fish (I think that's what they're called...) swam right around me, some of them even brushing my side. It was quite a magical moment! There are reefs both deep and shallow, and statues as well. Best of all, there was no one to tell me that I had to stay in a small area with 9,000 other snorkelers! If I wanted to swim out, I absolutely could (and did!) (I don't know why the statue images are upside down... I don't know how to fix it.) 4.) Q: How was the food? A: Ok, for this...gotta be 100% honest...it SUCKED, especially for the all-inclusive options. It was a dinky buffet with unseasoned food and lines that spiraled around the building. I would strongly suggest skipping the AI option and instead going to an independent operator in the park for some food and drinks. But for me, that was the only downside and not at all a problem since I had a big breakfast on the ship and I'm not a big drinker. I didn't have time to go explore the replicas, but I sampled some Tequila. Good stuff! All in all, probably my best day on the cruise!
  4. PS, I don't know why the pics of the statues came in upside down. I don't know how to fix them.
  5. I went to Chankanaab this time, and I LOVED it. I'm about ready to put up a review with pics, but I'll show you some of the snorkeling pics here. The only thing is you need to be able-bodied to get in and out of the water to snorkel. The waves crash into the steps pretty hard (or it did when I was there), but once you're out even a little, all was smooth swimming, and the reef is gorgeous right off the shore. They also have a beginner's scuba course, and I might try that if I go next time. I went with NCL and so utilized their $50 shore excursion credit. Considering I went alone, it was a great deal: I wound up paying only $19.
  6. No, I didn't. I strongly considered it, but in the end I took up NCL's $50 per port offer and went to Chankanaab for $19 instead. Maybe next time. 🙂
  7. I was on this same cruise! I wonder if I might have seen you in passing? Anyway, The pics make the room look huge. Granted, I sailed with three people and we had the beds configured as separate beds with the couch pulled out, but this was the tightest balcony room I've ever been in. We had to shuffle sideways to get from the vanity to the balcony or from the last bed to the bathroom and closet area.
  8. Awesome! Good to know! Thank you!! Alas I am travelling with a large family group, some of whom have kids, so abandoning them all for the sake of the Vibe is not in the cards for this trip, though I might consider it for the next one. Thanks!!
  9. Hello. So I was looking at the bar menus, and while there are a lot of drinks that I would very much like to try, I notice that there are some classics that are conspicuously missing, like Pina Coladas, Strawberry Daiquiris, Bushwhackers, or any other frozen drink. I also don't see traditional mojitos or margaritas (though there are other tequila and rum drinks.) Are the bar tenders able to make those kinds of drinks even if they're not on the menu? Thanks!
  10. So that answered a question I had: are you allowed to take food/drink off the ship in like a metal Yeti cup? If so, I'll just order a couple of margaritas, fill my cup, and I'll be good to go!
  11. Thanks for that! There's no need for child seats for the taxis?
  12. Hi all. We're about to embark on a family reunion cruise on Prima. We will have a 3 year-old and 18 month-old baby with us. I have some questions. First, has anyone used the kids club for those ages yet? Can you comment on requirements or general experiences with it? Also, will we need to take child seats with us for excursions, independent or otherwise? It's a Western Caribbean cruise (Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Coxumela, and Roatan). Do any of the beach clubs have age restrictions? I really appreciate the input, as I've never travelled or cruised with kids so young before. Thank you!
  13. Ugh. Ok, then. Any way to change the primary person on the reservation post final payment, then? Thanks for your help!
  14. Hello all! Has anyone had experience with booking an excursion for only one person in a multi-person party? I'd like to book an excursion for a single person in a party of 3, but that person is not the primary passenger. How do I get the $50 credit to be applied? Online, it looks like it will only be applied for the primary passenger. Does the name on the ticket matter? (If it's dependent on which excursion, I'm specifically talking about either Chankanaab or Playa Mia -- haven't decided on which yet.) Thanks!
  15. Good to know! That way I can hang at the nearest bar until it's time to go
  16. I'll be on her right after you. I saw on one YouTube vlog that it appears as though they have virtual queues, which would make things much easier. (Maybe...in theory...) Can anyone confirm that or give details on how that works? Thanks!
  17. I was helping my cousin try to checkin on the NCL app too, and that stupid picture was the bane of my existence!! The effort I had to go through to get a pic that met their criteria was ridiculous.
  18. Yeah, there's gonna be 8(!!!) ships in port on our Cozumel day. I wouldn't do one of the super popular places, like Mr. Sanchos when the port is so busy. Maybe do an off-the-beaten path tour. I'm considering doing an excursion for Tortugas' parasailing and beach day, myself. /shrug
  19. Hi! Does anyone have any experience with Tortuga's Parasailing excursion? https://www.tortugascozumel.com/parasailing. I'm strongly considering it for myself, but I'd like to get some feedback from anyone else who might have done it. What was your experience? Any catches I need to know about? Would you recommend? Also, how was the snorkeling from the shore? Thanks!!
  20. Hi all! Has anyone successfully booked Infinity Bay through their website directly? I've tried to send a request twice (I think... I'm not 100% sure if I actually sent it the first time, but I think I did...) So far, I've gotten radio silence. No confirmation emails. Is this normal? Should I wait and trust? Call them directly? Go through a 3rd party? Anyone else experience this? Thanks!!
  21. That is super helpful! Thank you so much!
  22. This was taken from a 2019 Escape Daily. It was from the first Sea Day. It was also called "Norwegian's Night Out" We are not making this ***** up. If you don't know the answer to a current question or even know what the question refers to, no worries! But don't insinuate that we're fabricating a past phenomenon. To the others who have answered with your personal experience of the here and now, I do appreciate you and thank you!!
  23. Dude. I know. I wanted to know if they still specified a day for Dress up or not like they used to. I know their policy / attitude re: dress. Been on quite a few NCL ships, but all pre-covid. Thanks.
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