A Cruise of Firsts to Bermuda 3/28 to 4/2 - Solo Live From Prima

[bluesea777]

Welcome to Bermuda! Enjoy your two days here!

 

[Broons77]

Indeed, it's a beautiful day today. Off for my homes and hideaway tour. 

[styles27]

Enjoy the sunshine! 
 

Is the NCL ferry to St George running?

[mking8288]

NCL's exclusive ferry, Spirit of St. George is running today, just left the East End about 10 minutes en route back to Dockyard, Marinetraffic live AIS showed her at 16+ knots ... should arrive back in about 30 minutes - watch for her at the live stream Bermuda port cam as it pan around the pier - link below :

https://www.portbermudawebcam.com/ 

 

 

[Broons77]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

Enjoy the sunshine! 
 

Is the NCL ferry to St George running?

 

Yes it is!  I will be taking it tomorrow. for my first trip over there.

[styles27]

24 minutes ago, Broons77 said:

 

Yes it is!  I will be taking it tomorrow. for my first trip over there.

Great! Thank you so much! 

[Broons77]

Hello all!  We arrived this morning and spent a fairly nice day on the island.  It's a bit breezy and a little cooler than I was hoping for, but a good amount of sun and definitely warmer than home.  My daughter texted me complaining that it was 30 degrees at school.  'Not fair' was the exact response.

 

Had a bit of trouble getting my tail out of bed, but I managed to make it to breakfast and to the famous homes and hideaways boat tour.  Highly recommended, The guide Robert and skipper Jamie were friendly and personable, and both made for a good time.  They even sang a couple of songs at the end of the trip.  Definitely glad I didn't punt this even though I didn't get my Catherine Zeta-Jones sighting.  Maybe next time.

 

Back on the boat, grabbed a quick bite then to the spa for a bit and back to my room for a nap.  Somehow managed to not sleep for 8 hours even though I desperately wanted to, I'm now sitting at the Soleil Bar on the aft of the ship having my pre-dinner dirty martini.  I decided to actually go for a nice dinner and have a reservation for 1 at Onda.  Report to follow after dinner..

 

Day 3 daily below, pics will follow later this evening.

 

 

 

 

FreeStyle_Daily_(2)_(1)[1]

[OrangeCatRamblers]

How is the seat availability at Indulge and outdoors on deck 8? Have you been able to sit and eat when you've wanted to, or are you getting shut out of places? 

[Rosiesmom1234]

I'm loving your updates. Thank you! I'm heading there from Boston tomorrow. I'm trying to decide what to bring for outerwear. Any advice? 

[Broons77]

2 hours ago, OrangeCatRamblers said:

How is the seat availability at Indulge and outdoors on deck 8? Have you been able to sit and eat when you've wanted to, or are you getting shut out of places? 

 

The weather hasn't been cooperative so the outdoor areas haven't been used all that much. As a result, the food hall has been crowded at peak times, so plan accordingly. One tip, it's a great option for dinner if you're not doing the MDR or specialty dining. 

 

59 minutes ago, Rosiesmom1234 said:

I'm loving your updates. Thank you! I'm heading there from Boston tomorrow. I'm trying to decide what to bring for outerwear. Any advice? 

 

Thank you! 

 

Bring a sweatshirt or two. It's warmer than Boston, but still cool. Was nice today in the sun but was pretty breezy. Have a great trip! 

[GWAE]

3 hours ago, Broons77 said:

 

The weather hasn't been cooperative so the outdoor areas haven't been used all that much. As a result, the food hall has been crowded at peak times, so plan accordingly. One tip, it's a great option for dinner if you're not doing the MDR or specialty dining. 

 

 

Thank you! 

 

Bring a sweatshirt or two. It's warmer than Boston, but still cool. Was nice today in the sun but was pretty breezy. Have a great trip! 

We didn't enjoy endulge at all. I like the concept but I am a meat and potatoes kinda guy and the food there is a little to upscale for my likings. The nochi (sp?) Was really good though. 

[mking8288]

What's new at Clocktower Mall ? Are the shops & stores opened ? Updates on ship's internet ? 

 

Ready for a choppy ride tomorrow en route back to NY ... enjoy your short visit to Bermuda 😎

[Broons77]

12 hours ago, GWAE said:

We didn't enjoy endulge at all. I like the concept but I am a meat and potatoes kinda guy and the food there is a little to upscale for my likings. The nochi (sp?) Was really good though. 

 

I'm actually in here right now as I type this.  Was going to go to The Local for lunch but there was a wait and I was hungry.  I like it, but can see your point, the bbq place is about as close as you'll get to what you like.  

[lilbrownie95]

All aboard!!! Thrusters are on!! I hope everyone made it back on the boat. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!!

[Broons77]

Hello folks, sorry for the radio silence. Internet has been pretty sketchy today and I couldn't get on with my laptop so at the moment, I'm coming to you live from my phone.

 

The big news is that we bugged out of Bermuda 3 hours early today as the forecast for tomorrow is a bit ugly. As predicted, seas will be rough to the tune of 20 to 25 foot swells. Right now there's some movement, but it's expected to crank up by tomorrow morning and as of now they canceled the Donna Summer show. They did issue credits back to everyone's on board account so that should reduce some complaining. 

 

Given how tough it's been to get pictures up, I'm saving them for home along with a better detailed recap. I have some thoughts about this trip and I'm curious if others will agree with me. 

 

But still having a great time, I do like my solo experience and would encourage others to give it a shot. What you want, when you want is just the best! 

[GWAE]

2 hours ago, Broons77 said:

Hello folks, sorry for the radio silence. Internet has been pretty sketchy today and I couldn't get on with my laptop so at the moment, I'm coming to you live from my phone.

 

The big news is that we bugged out of Bermuda 3 hours early today as the forecast for tomorrow is a bit ugly. As predicted, seas will be rough to the tune of 20 to 25 foot swells. Right now there's some movement, but it's expected to crank up by tomorrow morning and as of now they canceled the Donna Summer show. They did issue credits back to everyone's on board account so that should reduce some complaining. 

 

Given how tough it's been to get pictures up, I'm saving them for home along with a better detailed recap. I have some thoughts about this trip and I'm curious if others will agree with me. 

 

But still having a great time, I do like my solo experience and would encourage others to give it a shot. What you want, when you want is just the best! 

It is weird that when I connect to wifi with my laptop it does not work well but if I connect through my phone and then Hotspot to my laptop it works just fine.

[Broons77]

4 minutes ago, GWAE said:

It is weird that when I connect to wifi with my laptop it does not work well but if I connect through my phone and then Hotspot to my laptop it works just fine.

 

I couldn't get my hotspot to work, but even on my phone today it seemed really slow. Not hopeful for tomorrow...

[Broons77]

13 hours ago, mking8288 said:

What's new at Clocktower Mall ? Are the shops & stores opened ? Updates on ship's internet ? 

 

Ready for a choppy ride tomorrow en route back to NY ... enjoy your short visit to Bermuda 😎

 

Nothing new but plenty of shops were open at the mall, which surprised me. I was expecting most to be still closed. Only the Gosling store was open by the pier but there were a couple of places open in the old fortress area on the right as you come off the pier. 

[mking8288]

@Broons77  Cruisemapper has the Prima on a direct NW heading toward NY, +1 to 2 knots from 20 knots earlier & now pushing 23 knots (she was going as fast as 24-25 knots coming up to NY from FL) - leaving 3 hours earlier than planned definitely helping to bring the ship another 50 to 60 n.m. closer to NY.  Per Windy app, things will get choppy by 10 to 11 in the morning and worst in the mid/late afternoon, depending on the ship's heading, track and location vis-a-vis the wicked weather/storm system moving across into the Atlantic ... severe weather warnings posted, including gale force wind & threats of severe t-storms.  Tornados spotted in the South & Midwest, moving across - barf bags should be out in the morning.  

 

Satellite WiFi onboard later today will likely be worst as you expected, with everyone going nowhere & outdoor spaces likely securely locked down for safety reasons.  

 

It's good to know that most of the stores at Dockyard are open, as their survival depends on cruise ships docking and pax stopping inside to shop, spent & buy.  Weather turned out to be good, aside from being a little cooler.  Look forward to reading your report later.  

Edited April 1, 2023 by mking8288

[GWAE]

4 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@Broons77  Cruisemapper has the Prima on a direct NW heading toward NY, +1 to 2 knots from 20 knots earlier & now pushing 23 knots (she was going as fast as 24-25 knots coming up to NY from FL) - leaving 3 hours earlier than planned definitely helping to bring the ship another 50 to 60 n.m. closer to NY.  Per Windy app, things will get choppy by 10 to 11 in the morning and worst in the mid/late afternoon, depending on the ship's heading, track and location vis-a-vis the wicked weather/storm system moving across into the Atlantic ... severe weather warnings posted, including gale force wind & threats of severe t-storms.  Tornados spotted in the South & Midwest, moving across - barf bags should be out in the morning.  

 

Satellite WiFi onboard later today will likely be worst as you expected, with everyone going nowhere & outdoor spaces likely securely locked down for safety reasons.  

 

It's good to know that most of the stores at Dockyard are open, as their survival depends on cruise ships docking and pax stopping inside to shop, spent & buy.  Weather turned out to be good, aside from being a little cooler.  Look forward to reading your report later.  

Thanks for the info. Got our sea bands ready and I guess will take dramamine as well. 

 

We have our behind the scenes tour in 90 min. I wonder if they will cancel. If not cancel I wonder if we will see the bridge. Not sure if they are in panick mode with this.

Edited April 1, 2023 by GWAE

[Broons77]

Things are picking up, but not too bad yet. Ship is rolling a bit but nothing too dramatic. No bags out yet which surprised me. I'm sure they'll be along soon... 

[GWAE]

This is like a free excursion. 

[skatie]

@Broons77 thanks so much for the reports - we are on that cruise on April 16.   Looks like its more pants/long sleeve cruise and sweatshirts vs shorts and t-shirts cruise.   Were you wearing shorts in Bermuda?  More importantly, will there be a place on the ship that will show Bruins games!!!???? 🙂 

[BeaverPT]

Seeing a lot of white out there. Stay safe. 

[OrangeCatRamblers]

8 minutes ago, skatie said:

@Broons77 thanks so much for the reports - we are on that cruise on April 16.   Looks like its more pants/long sleeve cruise and sweatshirts vs shorts and t-shirts cruise.   Were you wearing shorts in Bermuda?  More importantly, will there be a place on the ship that will show Bruins games!!!???? 🙂 

 

I'm on the Prima April 16 and not packing shorts, just jeans. I sailed the same week last year and wore a puffer coat, hat & scarf the first two days. 

 

Pack from one extreme to the other, honestly, just to be prepared!!