sharonann24

We were on the same cruise that skipped the ports. We had been to Belgium before so the only disappointment was Isafjourdur but as was mentioned it happened frequently last summer due to the dock issues. Having said that, loved the Prima cruise and the ports. We did the fjords, walking tours, etc. We arrived in Rejchavik pre cruise so we were able to have two days to tour the city as well as do the Blue Lagoon and Golden Circle tour (full day!!) which was AMAZING!!! We were able to take advantage of some of the outdoor features on the Prima and I walked deck 8 almost every day. We will be on the Prima again (so we must like the ship) next week for a 12 day cruise from Southampton to Rome.

So to be clear--even at sea, with the At&T plan you take the phone off airplane mode? Frankly since we have a pretty port intensive itinerary I can't see using it much other than the two sea days we now have. I am just terrified of coming home to have to pay roaming charges. And Bird, BTW, I love reading your posts. You are always on point and your NCl POV is spot on. Wish we could be on as many cruises as you are! Love the vicarious experience.

Quick question. I am once again weighing the options of going with the AT&T Cruise Internet package versus adding extra NCL Internet minutes. We will be on the October 6 sailing of the Prima and have several ports but I still like to be safe on board. Last time we had both and ended up using all of the NCL time and my husband purchased more. I know this topic has been debated before but I can't locate the posts. We like to obviously check email, take pics, text to each other and occasionally home to check in with family. Husband likes to check into news and now my personal daily obsession are the NYT games! Any suggestions/feedback appreciated! 22 days to cruise and 19 days to departure!🛳️

I just check Spain Day Tours and although they do have a tour to Santiago from Vigo it looks like our disembarkation and embarkation times would be cutting this very short. Spain Day Tours says the tour is typically 7-8 hours and that is exactly how long we are in port.

Santiago de Compostela is definitely an option! The cathedral is amazing. I was there when I was in college (45 plus years....) and did Northern Spain "a demo" (hitchhiking! LOL) so I will look into that. They say NCL will post Vigo tours in 3 weeks. I hope sooner than that.

For me Barcelona times are ok since we have been there several times and I planned a short trip to Parc Guell and then some stroll time. But for those who have never been that time should have been included to do some of the major sites, museums etc in greater depth without worrying about making back to the ship in time! I agree about Cannes. Guess that will be a short on and off and then back to the ship to enjoy a port day with less people which we almost never do!

I booked this cruise precisely for the northern Spain and Portugal stops. I am most disappointed about the Portugal port (Oporto) and started researching Vigo. Other than it is in Galicia where we have never been there does not appear to be much. Does anyone know if the town is readily accessible to the port? It is a major fishing port so I am hoping it is. Given the port intensive nature of the cruise one additional sea day is nice since the only other one was day 2. I agree more time in Lisbon and less in Cannes would have been preferable. That is probably going to be the day we do the least in port. But I am still looking forward to the trip--3 days in London pre cruise. And for the record we were also on the Prima last summer when Isjandour (I can never spell that correctly!) was cancelled but the rest of the trip was a dream!

I even pre book the MDR whenever possible! My husband and I would have loved to have been in the Hsvrnnad we have done so twice and it was great. But traveling with my father who will not pay for it so we wait for our next cruise. TheHaven Restaurant was always a pleasure and having the bar was a plus too!

We were on the Prima last July for the Iceland to Southhampton cruise and loved it. My husband and I had a balcony room and my father traveled in a solo cabin. He had no complaints and found it suited his needs both in comfort and affordability since he would have had to pay double for the balcony. We personally love Hudson's MDR and that definitely has lovely window and outside views from almost every vantage point. We are in agreement with the entertainment. We did get into Sydney Norman's and it was crowded but a great show. I heard from another post that Donna Summer is no longer part of the rotation so we will see. We are on the Prima in October for a Southampton to Rome cruise focusing Spain, Portugal and France. We have three speciality dinners and our tours set. We are Platinum on NCL so it goes to show we like the line. I think people's expectations of what cruise life are like have really been blown out of proportion.

We saw Donna Summer last summer on the Prima and did enjoy it. We have never seen BTF and I will look forward to it. We are traveling with my 95 year old father and he really enjoys the shows so I think he will like this. I don't get the appeal with the game shows however other than it is probably a cost issue. Bring back Bingo (even though that is overpriced too!). I personally hate magicians, but again one performer rather than a group. Get better singers!!

Hi, I wore open toe shoes/sandals and then I had some cute white sneakers when I went more casual. I think you dress as you normally would for restaurants and bars with airconditioning. Enjoy! We will be on the Prima again in October for the London to Rome cruise with northern Spain, Portugal and France. Same kind of dilemma!

We are sailing on the October 6 NCL Prima and will be taking a private transfer to the ship from London that morning. We disembarked in Southampton from the Prima last August and that process was fairly smooth. I do recall a little confusion to find our bus transfer to the airport but that was also fairly quick. It was the airport (Heathrow) that was more challenging! I will also check back with this post to see how everyone fares with their embarkation. We are also Platinum but I am not sure what that will mean.

I just booked Cagney's, Onda and Le Bistro for our October cruise. We ate at Cagney's and Onda on the Prima this summer and liked them. I have been at Cagney's and Le Bistro on the Breakaway and enjoyed them. We are not sushi folks and the Japanese restaurant is just too much food. But Hudson's, which is the main dining room is also a pleasure. We have done breakfast lunch and dinner there. Not as fond of the Commodore Dining Room. The Locale is good for lunch and we also liked the Indulge Food Hall. I will never get to Los Lobos if we are traveling with my father since he does not like Mexican! LOL.

Bring a shower scrubby! Adding that to the packing list because a face cloth does not cut it with the shower gel. I also will be bringing my own shampoo/conditioner products this time since NCL has the shower containers. Just wondering if the Haven has the individual products because when we traveled in the Haven the toiletries were very nice.

We always take the drink package and most recently the package that includes water and coffee. To me it is worth it to pay up front and not worry about settling up at the end. I haven't purchased the extended package as yet for our cruise in October. Waiting to do our final payment and then decide. If you enjoy your beverages one of the nice perks is always having that option.

If you are on a NCL tour they provide the headphones. I always bring Euros because they will not accept dollars so you will have to use a credit card. I don't really recall paying for rest rooms, particularly if you are on a NCL tour since they are pretty good about finding a gift shop, etc. that has facilities. But if you purchase a drink at a cafe you can use the rest room. Music on board ship is not really reflective of the region, just the theme of the bar/restaurant. As was mentioned no adapters needed on board but if you are doing pre or post on land you may need one. I bought one on Amazon when we went to Iceland. Find one that adapts to many different options. You will love the Mediterranean in the summer, but it is hot! Bring plenty of sunscreen! You didn't mention the ship so entertainment does vary a bit.

For the Spain and Portugal ports check Spain Day Tours. We took a tour in Lisbon and one in Spain and they were good and reasonable. We will not be doing anything formally in Sevilla or Barcelona as we have been there before and will do it on our own. Cannes is the same. I think we are going to do the NCL in Bordeaux, La Corona, Oporto and Florence. Still deciding about the others.

I have heard good things about Overlord; however, when we went on our cruise to Le Havre and the D Day sites we took an NCL tour. Now more than ever I think for distance tours I will stick to NCL. The Santiago day trip looks fairly reasonable,

So I will add my comments to the board though it seems I am in the majority this time. It is clearly stated each day that you are in port the time at which you MUST be aboard. Taking a non NCL tour can be a gamble so you need to check the length of time and the time of return. We took a non NCL tour in St. Petersburg against the advice our our TA but I had done my homework and the reviews were accurate and we were back well in advance to boarding time, which for me is key. We did a NCL walking tour last summer in Bergen and the tour director did dally a bit and we just made it to the ship--HOWEVER since it was an NCL tour, the ship was in contact with our guide once it became clear we were running late. I had to assure my very panicked 94 year father and a seasoned veteran cruiser and my DH that we would be fine since it was NCL. This now affirms to me that I will book only NCL tours when we cruise in October. I want that peace for mind (also the tours seem reasonable by NCL standards). I think this also is a caution that you should carry a copy of your passport at all times and have at least one credit card.

I am also leaning to taking NCL excursions on our October 6 cruise from Southampton to Rome on the Prima. I am particularly interested in the northern Spain, Portugal and France ports and they look pretty reasonable by NCL standards. The winery tour in Bordeaux is a definite particularly since will be our 41st wedding anniversary. We probably will only do Hop On Hop off tours in the south of Spain, Barcelona and the Med ports since we have been there a few times and will be content to be on our own and just soak in the local atmosphere. 7 months and counting!

I have done both the International Day pass for $10/day per phone as well as the $50.00 at sea package. Since we get internet minutes included in our cruise package I find that to be a better deal. We did buy extra minutes for my husband since he is not always careful about closing out the app. But I will not do that AT and T package when we cruise in October. Just the NCL package and the day pass.

Just as easy to go to Starbucks! Lol. Although the line can be long at times. I usually was there around 730-8 after a walk.

Enjoyed reading all of the posts and I have to say we loved our recent cruise, despite missing the two ports in Iceland and Belgium. And to prove it...just booked our next cruise on the Prima for next October 2024 and convinced (it did not take ANY effort!) my father to join us again. This one originates in London so we will get that pre cruise time. Going to re-read the post again for any pre cruise suggestions. Again, ignore the negative reviews!