McGarrett5oh

Good advice! I think our expectations are reasonable. We used to travel the country in our motorhome for weeks and months at a time. So with that, along with contingency plans, alternative itineraries and good preplanning have served us well. Thank you again!

@Sthrngary@CDR Benson et al: So we leave from Florida tomorrow (9/14) for London and board the Prima in the Haven Sunday in Southampton. I want to thank everyone for their input over the past year that I've been following this thread. Being retired and somewhat OCD, I've been able to spend an inordinant amount of time planning our 14-day experience in the Haven. The knowledge that has been shared here has been instrumental in our planning and now we shall see how it all plays out...... In return, I hope to be an active participant upon returning sharing anything meaningful that we may learn on board that hasn't already been completely covered. While I don't plan to do any live reports, if something of immediate interest comes up that I think this thread's community can benefit from and I have any luck with the Prima WIFI, I'll pop in here. I think our expectations are appropriately set, our handcrafted 2-page Butler letter has been prepared, (which I believe [and hope] will be effective for what we want to get out of our Haven experience, our luggage tags are in their plastic shells, our suitcases are all under 50 pounds a piece, our pre-cruise concierge calls have all been fantastic and our requests for embarkation day are in the NCL database, our eDocs are on our phones (and printed), our specialty dining reservatons are set, our excursions are all in place (only 1 actually through NCL) and we're excited and ready to go. (BTW, only the Price is Right show can be booked in advance (for any guests) - not that Haven guests need to worry.) Thank you again community.... and as @Sthrngary says, we are ready to "cruise well and enjoy every moment". Cheers!

Terrific post Maren. I’ve read tens of Prima reviews over the past year as we prepare for our 14 days in the Haven next week and this was one of the best and most level (with the good and bad in an educational frame). Despite my OCD preparation over the past year, your practical suggestions at the end offered some things I hadn’t read before or contemplated. I’m glad you had such good weather in Geiranger and some of the other ports. Thanks and I hope you’re feeling better by now. One question, you commented on the poor internet. Did you find any times or locations it worked better and do you think the unlimited streaming package is no better than the regular unlimited package?

This may have been covered many pages ago, but I'm going to ask again as I can't seem to find the answers I'm seeking regarding WIFI, specifically on the NCL Prima (and its Haven) and coverage in the North Atlantic (Iceland, Norway or even TA). 1) Does the Prima have the Starlink WIFI yet? 2) Knowing it's still going to be slower than home, what has the recent experience been with anyone who bought the UNLIMITED Premium Wifi on the Prima or anyother NCL ship sailing IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC for reasonable ability to access video from the Internet and upload videos and/or photos to Cruise Critic or other common sites (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc)? 3) I have a a note from a Harr Travel article about the (generic) Haven benefits that stated or implied that the NCL has deployed additional wifi hotspots within the Haven. Can anyone substantiate that or how their overall WIFI experience was within the Haven. Thanks in advance! 😀

I've tried to filter the various threads but have not found clear or RECENT answers to our questions: 1) Does the Prima have Starlink WIFI now? 2) Knowing it's still going to be slower than home, what has the recent experience been with anyone who bought the UNLIMITED Premium Wifi on the Prima for reasonable streaming, uploading small files & photos, etc? 3) Understanding that coverage can be spotty on Iceland and Norway itineraries (fjords, northern hemisphere, etc), what has been your experience with Starlink streaming WIFI on any cruise ship or line on itineraries that are primarily in Norway & Iceland? Thanks in advance! 😀

Likewise. Thank you for everything you've shared on this wonderful thread. I plan to reciprocate with helpful input once we're done. We're 14 days in the Prima Haven, so it should be interesting to see how essentially double a typical 7-day cruise is different. Meaning, what with the same daily menu in the Haven restaurant, spending 2 weeks with your butler, concierge, restaurant and other staff, not to mention your Haven guest neighbors, etc. (I'll let you know if I get tired of the almond croissant 😁) I'm really not concerned about the Haven Restaurant menu as we are interspersing specialty dining, in port dining and gosh, I think there might be a few other dining options somewhere on that ship. Cheers!

Just got off the phone with Haven Pre-Cruise Concierge. Man, they are ALL so GREAT! Really looking forward to our Haven experience next month. Forgot to ask if there is any rush to check in 21 days out if we want to get on board as early as possible. For example, is there any need to check in just past midnight on the 21st day out or as Haven guests there is no rush, just go on line the morning of the 21st day before departure, when the check-in opens?

We have an Alaska cruise booked for next summer using a Travel Agent for the first time. When flights opened up last week, I asked her to compare the Holland America flight options to what I could book directly with an airline. The prices came back exactly the same as what I saw online. When I asked the TA what the advantage was to booking through the cruise line, she said "NONE". Even the included "transfers" only apply if you arrive same day, not if you arrive the day before, which is what we will do via our own airline bookings. We get what we want, when we want, seats we want etc. by doing it ourselves.

If you need more proof, read this: https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/state-regional/norwegian-cruise-line-jewel-denies-refund-to-family-that-missed-ships-departure/article_6c0623e9-4cef-5d43-8612-a70f57ed7959.html

@PhillyTravelBug Thanks that helps a lot We’re there next month and expect a dip in temperature as we climb and praying for similar sunny weather that you enjoyed. Thanks for a great live report!

@PhillyTravelBug Fabulous pictures with fabulous weather. Good for you all! Question: How much of a temperature drop do you think you experienced from the port up to Eagle Road and/or the Dalsnibba Skywalk??

Was this trying to get a menu item from one of the Specialty restaurants prepared and served in the Haven restaurant? TIA

Where was this stop? TIA

Do you remember the name of the bakery? TIA

Prima was scheduled to be in Isafjordur today (8/18/23) and appears to be planning to spend an overnight in Akureyri instead. In looking at the size and weight of the ships that did make it into Isafjordur this summer, Prima is the largest by Gross Volume Weight (GVW): 143,500 Gross Tons. As a comparison, Celebrity Apex weighs 129,500 Gross Tons and tendered last Sunday (8/13/23). Most of the ships that did dock this summer with closer or below 100,000 GTs. As an example, the Holland America Rotterdam, which is also 2 years old an can hold a slightly smaller but similar number of passengers, only weights 99,800 GTs. On September 6, when the 139,072 Gross Ton MSC Preziosa is scheduled for Isafjordur and is the largest ship, besides the Prima, to come to port in the past 2 months. It is the only cruise ship scheduled in port that day. If it tenders, I would say we can count on what @imstewart says above, that Prima will be skipping Isafordur on its remaining schedule port calls this year (last one is 9/24/23)

@PhillyTravelBug Did the crater have a name and/or where was it located on the tour? TIA

Excellent resource! Thanks

Looking forward to photos from the Golden Circle. Have fun!

Thank you for the detailed review. It appears you were in the Haven, however you didn’t comment on the Haven Restaurant or anything else about the Haven other than the elevators and your suite. We’d be real interested to hear more about the Haven on the Prima as we will be on board for a Norway/Iceland itinerary next month also in one of the 2 bedroom Haven suites. Thanks in advance

Thanks for the live report. Found your comments on the Haven and vegetarian life on board very helpful.

My Windy app monitoring the coast of Norway showed some incredible swells and 30+ mph winds. How big did the swells and wind eventually get for you ? Thanks for the live report.

That’s what I saw at first too! 🥴

I was born in NY too, have lived in Atlanta and Charlotte and now Florida (which may be south but is not “THE South”) for the past 30 years. Don’t know why I didn’t get your handle pronunciation until now! 🤪

@Sthrngary Having followed this forum for over a year, I’ve wondered how to pronounce your handle. I’d be interested to know how you say it (phonetically) as well as how your “friend”, the “Haven Expert” pronounced it with you sitting there? 😁

Two photos of the port at Isajfordur taken from the Viking Saturn on 7/29/23. Didn't see any dredging equipment, just earthmoving on shore.