Zippeedee

The beds on the Epic can be pulled out from the headboard on the wall. That Can help make it more comfortable.

5 hours ago, RVACruiser43 said:

I would not book Prima again or Viva unless the prices come down and are similar to the other ships.  Not worth any premium.  And definitely not a cold water ship.  The 2023 itinerary to Iceland and points North is not going to be good.

I booked the last Southampton/Iceland/Norway/Southampton cruise for next year on the day they opened booking. Not looking promising. I didn’t factor in the cold temperatures in September and this ship doesn’t seem welcoming in cold weather. I love the spacious cabins and the food reviews are all excellent. Not being able to see a show or find a seat at breakfast are off putting though.
Similar summer itineraries are almost double what I paid. I still have lots of time to decide to keep this one. 

I’m sure someone from the UK will correct me if I’m wrong. “High tea” is supper time in working class British homes. Tea time is 3pm and includes small sandwiches, scones and cream and tea.  Some ships put our scones, tea breads and cookies at 3 pm in the buffet.

The Prima has added a full teatime menu but only in the Haven.

I’m so sorry you have to deal with this on top of having your city destroyed. The real moral of this story is never, ever fly in the day of a cruise.
 

We had family members almost miss our cruise from NY due to flight delays from Boston. A 50 minute flight became a nightmare of fog, weather and every other delay reason we’ve all heard.

2 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

It is one large area with multiple tables. First come, first served. Each table has a tablet with the food listed for every venue. As an example, you can order a salad from The Garden, Chicken Tikka from Tamara, tapas from the truck, etc. It all comes within minutes. If you only want items from one venue, you can sit directly at their counter. Lunch and dinner have different menus. We eat there almost daily and all is complementary. Food in all the restaurants has been great.

Is the food delivered to your table or do you have to go up and get it? Delivery would help with the solo traveler buffet issue of losing your table when you go get something else.

Some people travel in groups. Many groups have door decoration contests as part of the program. Some also have matching t-shirts, private parties, group slot pulls, etc.

Some people just look for things to grouch about.

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

I was on this Sept 22 cruise, and yes, we were disappointed with the trade of Bermuda for cool weather ports. We were also very disappointed with the WAY too long port stay in (boring) St. John.  We were there for 12 hours (didn't depart until 9:30 at night).  On the ship that day/night, only one bar per deck was opened.  It really, really cut down on our fun (read: drinking).  Someone said it was due to some Canadian rule or something.  I've never seen that on a ship before.  If that's a real thing, I'm definitely not cruising to Canada ever again.

 

By any chance was your port day in New Brunswick the day the hurricane was raging through Nova Scotia? Waiting at the pier is much better than trying to sail through high seas and heavy rain.

 

 

10 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Just remember to book  cabins far away from the slides! 

Unless you require an accessible cabin and then you are stuck.

17 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

The dry slide doesn't look that fast. This guy didn't even make it to the end.......

 

 

That looked like a miserable worm crawl at the end. 

The family pool on the Gem has steps along the side. 

6 hours ago, altarr said:

you are all way too obsessed about this. if the slide wasnt there you wouldnt see any more than the balcony sticking out behind it.

But you also wouldn’t hear the screaming.

13 minutes ago, steamboats said:

 

Was he on the inaugural cruise or on the current cruise? On the inaugural cruise streaming was blocked off as everyone had free WiFi. Anyway it was pretty slow and we frequently were cut off and had to build up the connection again. Uploading Instagram reels was slow but worked. I basically did my Insta stories which sometimes was really slow. So each time we´ve been in port I switched to my much faster mobile data plan.

 

Not really comparable but I´ve been on the Pride of America in May. Onboard Wifi was pretty slow so I relied on my mobile data (as I had a US sim card with 5 GB for the trip, for the Norwegian Prima I could use my German mobile data plan as all ports had EU roaming - still available in the UK).

 

steamboats

If it is the same review I saw, he is onboard now. He is using port stops to upload the content for his channel.

6 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

 

From what I understand, the ship sailing in the far northern latitudes does not help with all the satellites being over the equator.  We'll see next month how it is when the Caribbean sailings begin.  

RCL partnering with StarLink is a smart move and may force other lines to upgrade.  Internet access is too ingrained in most people's day to day now that it's almost impossible to disconnect.

I saw a star link map on another thread and it doesn’t cover either of the poles or the arctic. No service in Iceland, Greenland etc.

1 hour ago, Karaboudjan said:

You say that like it's a bad thing.  Companies that want to be successful are always looking at ways to streamline and cut costs.  I suspect that NCL knows the average guest eats significantly fewer than 7 MDR meals on a 7 night cruise so it's probably more realistic to compare the new menu to 20 or 25 choices.  

To further your point, pre-shutdown I’ve been on five NCL cruises and haven’t eaten in an MDR since 2006. I also eat a late breakfast and seldom eat lunch. They’re saving $$ on me.

Not opening the spa onto the outside area is a lost opportunity. The spa on the Epic has an outdoor deck with a hammock and loungers. It is wonderful.

16 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Everyone is entitled to his opinion. For me, the one that counts most is from those who live on Bermuda. And I've heard Bermuda residents consistently say they have to protect their island from disease. If that means every passenger aboard a cruise ship that calls in Bermuda has to pay the $40, so be it. And yes, that includes passengers who don't plan to disembark, too. Why? Well, I don't make the rules and it's not my place to judge those who do. But I'd say what happens if a sick passenger who had previously not intended to disembark had to, for health reasons? I also think it'd be a logistical nightmare to try and figure out who'd paid the $40 and who hadn't, who planned to leave the ship and who didn't. BUT EVEN IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, BERMUDA MAKES THE RULES AND IT'S THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR DECISION. If you don't like the rules, cancel. Simple as that.

Isn’t the worst case scenario that so many people test positive that Bermuda refuses to allow the ship to dock? It doesn’t matter who is planning to go ashore. 

Call me cynical, but those two balconies on each side set just behind the slides like 14192 and 14792 are the handicap accessible cabins. People needing those rooms don’t have a choice.

Wishful thinking that it is only a matter of time before those slides disappear during a dry dock.

15 minutes ago, mianmike said:

Isn't it?  If you grab and spin the earth you can see the lack of Starlink satellites over both poles. 

Looks like I’m doomed for Iceland!

I just read the menu. A fish Reuben? Reuben is spinning in his grave! Please tell me the Reuben in the Local is still corned beef!

4 hours ago, crazycatlady82 said:

We were on the Star in July. My husband was told no, he could not get his meal to go. He was pretty bummed as he wanted to just chill in the room.

 

I talked to another person on that same cruise, they told me that they were also denied taking their carrot cake to go...so they just picked up the plate and left lol. I suggested to my husband that next time, if the food is served in those wire baskets, we should just grab some extra dinner plates from the buffet and put it on them to go. 

Is this new? I have always asked Cagney’s to wrap my chocolate cake and they deliver it to my cabin. This was pre-shutdown. I’ll be so disappointed if they won’t do it anymore!

40 minutes ago, styxfire said:

NO.   NCL isn’t changing their source supplier.  The quality of their ingredients will not be improved by streamlining their menu. Good grief.

 

So I’m dumb enough to fall for the press releases that announced the huge new investment in dining. Time will tell.

I prefer the specialty restaurants and the Local or the buffet when I need a break from big meals.  I haven’t been in an MDR since 2006, but if the quality is improved, this menu may make me try it. With less options they should be able to focus more on quality ingredients and consistency in preparation. Less waste should also allow budget for better quality food.

I’m booked on the last Prima cruise in September 2023. I booked day one and m still waiting to see what the next cruise will be. Hoping for a transatlantic, much more fun than just flying home. Chances are not looking good though.

I’m confused. You paid $199 and NCL paid $1295. I don’t see a profit for them. They have received their payment back, as you have. Why would you get back their cost of the unused flight?

I booked a 14 day Prima cruise on the fist day they were announced. My “one person in a balcony” has increased from around $9000 (before my credits from cancelled cruises) to about $15,000 now. Glad I booked early!