Semi-live 48 day adventure: Prima, Getaway, Dawn, and beyond

[Travelicious]

We are 8 days away from embarking upon a 48 day adventure.  The excuse: my wife’s (hereinafter “Pookie”) recent retirement.  She was a letter carrier for the USPS, mostly in a small town in a southern state, for 20 years, and was able to buy back her 10 years of military service to give her 30 years total.   

I retired in October, 2021, after 28 years as a state employee.  Since then, I’ve done a few solo cruises.  The first was in November, 2021 on the first sailing of the Escape after the Covid shutdown.  It was on this cruise that I first began planning for Pookie's retirement trip.  

 

While onboard, I purchased Cruise Next certificates and used them to book a B2B2B on the Getaway.  This was to have been a transatlantic from NYC beginning April 29, and including many ports in Northern and Western Europe, as well as the Baltics.  At some point shortly after Russia began its current war against Ukraine, we were notified that the last of the 3 cruises, which would have included the Baltic ports, was canceled.  

 

We toyed with the idea of just spending a few days in Copenhagen, where the second cruise was ending, and then flying home.  But Pookie really wanted to go to Sweden, from which her paternal ancestors migrated.  We thought about traveling from Copenhagen to Stockholm, and spending a few days there before flying home.  Ultimately, though, I found the May 24 sailing of the Dawn, which has 3 ports in Sweden, ending in Stockholm.  It also includes other Baltic ports we were wanting to see.  So we booked it in place of the canceled Getaway sailing.

 

Some time back, sailings for the Getaway for this period disappeared from the NCL website.  There was much speculation here and on other sites that these cruises would also be canceled.  Some reported that they called NCL and were told it was just a website glitch.  Others reported they were told by PCCs that they couldn’t say if the sailings would be canceled, but advised to look at other alternatives.  

 

As a result, I looked at the transatlantic sailing of the Prima 2 days earlier.  The Prima would be a 15 day cruise, whereas the Getaway was 14.  This would mean a $250 shareholder credit as opposed to $100.  Also, I wanted to try the Prima, as it is a new to me ship.  Finally, Prima ports in Reykjavik, but we would lose Dublin and, I believe, Belfast from the Getaway cruise.  Ultimately, the Getaway cruise was not canceled by NCL, but we decided to cancel and join the Prima.  

 

So, instead of unpacking once for 3 cruises, we will have to pack up and juggle logistics between the cruises.  We’ll disembark the Prima in Southampton, where we’ll spend one night before boarding the Getaway.  We will disembark the Getaway in Copenhagen, where we will spend one night close to the airport, and will fly early the following morning to Paris.  We will spend one night in Paris close to the train station, and will take a train to LaHavre to catch the Dawn.  We will spend 2 nights in Stockholm post-cruise, and begin our flight home on June 7, hopefully arriving on June 8.
    
We also plan to spend 4 nights in NYC pre-cruise.  After 2.5 years of planning, we leave home in 1 week!

 

I hope to post semi-regularly during the adventure, but the latter 2 cruises have only one sea day each. So we'll just have to see if there is any reserved energy in the tank on some of those days.
 

Edited April 15 by Travelicious

[brookie848]

Just wow with the logistics of all of this!

 

Where are you staying in Southampton? We just booked the Encore TA and I'm looking at hotels for a couple of nights before we embark.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Travelicious]

15 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

Just wow with the logistics of all of this!

 

Where are you staying in Southampton? We just booked the Encore TA and I'm looking at hotels for a couple of nights before we embark.

 

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks!  We are staying at the Holiday Inn on Herbert Walker Avenue.  We picked this one because of proximity to the port and to use an IHG credit card free night.

[Upforfun]

This should be a fun review, can't wait

 

[vacation44]

Wow....wishing you both a wonderful adventure!  What an exciting way to celebrate retirement.   I am looking forward to following your travels.

[dock]

Wonderful. Sounds like it took a lot of planning. 
Looking forward to your review.

Have fun.

[Von & John]

Woo Hoo!

Can't wait...
Wishing You an Amazing Voyage(s) & days filled with Happiness, Excitement, Adventure & FUN!!

Cheers  --  Von

[lepidoptera]

Congrats on retirement! 

 

Can’t wait to read your adventures while I wait for my June 7th cruise. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. 

[JIMESOPUS]

Band Camp in Europe !!!

[cabincop]

Hi I’m on Getaway with you guys. Can’t wait to read your review. Enjoy & congratulation. Btw great planning MariaBella

[CruisnHallelujahs]

Sounds wonderful.  Looking forward to following along. 

[graphicguy]

15 hours ago, Travelicious said:

We are 8 days away from embarking upon a 48 day adventure.  The excuse: my wife’s (hereinafter “Pookie”) recent retirement.  She was a letter carrier for the USPS, mostly in a small town in a southern state, for 20 years, and was able to buy back her 10 years of military service to give her 30 years total.   

I retired in October, 2021, after 28 years as a state employee.  Since then, I’ve done a few solo cruises.  The first was in November, 2021 on the first sailing of the Escape after the Covid shutdown.  It was on this cruise that I first began planning for Pookie's retirement trip.  

 

While onboard, I purchased Cruise Next certificates and used them to book a B2B2B on the Getaway.  This was to have been a transatlantic from NYC beginning April 29, and including many ports in Northern and Western Europe, as well as the Baltics.  At some point shortly after Russia began its current war against Ukraine, we were notified that the last of the 3 cruises, which would have included the Baltic ports, was canceled.  

 

We toyed with the idea of just spending a few days in Copenhagen, where the second cruise was ending, and then flying home.  But Pookie really wanted to go to Sweden, from which her paternal ancestors migrated.  We thought about traveling from Copenhagen to Stockholm, and spending a few days there before flying home.  Ultimately, though, I found the May 24 sailing of the Dawn, which has 3 ports in Sweden, ending in Stockholm.  It also includes other Baltic ports we were wanting to see.  So we booked it in place of the canceled Getaway sailing.

 

Some time back, sailings for the Getaway for this period disappeared from the NCL website.  There was much speculation here and on other sites that these cruises would also be canceled.  Some reported that they called NCL and were told it was just a website glitch.  Others reported they were told by PCCs that they couldn’t say if the sailings would be canceled, but advised to look at other alternatives.  

 

As a result, I looked at the transatlantic sailing of the Prima 2 days earlier.  The Prima would be a 15 day cruise, whereas the Getaway was 14.  This would mean a $250 shareholder credit as opposed to $100.  Also, I wanted to try the Prima, as it is a new to me ship.  Finally, Prima ports in Reykjavik, but we would lose Dublin and, I believe, Belfast from the Getaway cruise.  Ultimately, the Getaway cruise was not canceled by NCL, but we decided to cancel and join the Prima.  

 

So, instead of unpacking once for 3 cruises, we will have to pack up and juggle logistics between the cruises.  We’ll disembark the Prima in Southampton, where we’ll spend one night before boarding the Getaway.  We will disembark the Getaway in Copenhagen, where we will spend one night close to the airport, and will fly early the following morning to Paris.  We will spend one night in Paris close to the train station, and will take a train to LaHavre to catch the Dawn.  We will spend 2 nights in Stockholm post-cruise, and begin our flight home on June 7, hopefully arriving on June 8.
    
We also plan to spend 4 nights in NYC pre-cruise.  After 2.5 years of planning, we leave home in 1 week!

 

I hope to post semi-regularly during the adventure, but the latter 2 cruises have only one sea day each. So we'll just have to see if there is any reserved energy in the tank on some of those days.
 

Now THIS sounds fantastic.  What a great adventure.

[schmoopie17]

I'm already exhausted just reading your itinerary. But will catch my breath and continue to follow along vicariously.

[Travelicious]

The first cruise will be the April 27 sailing of the Prima.

 

 

[Travelicious]

The second is the May 13 sailing of the Getaway.

 

 

[Travelicious]

And the third is the May 24 sailing of the Dawn.

 

[Travelicious]

So, the map for the Dawn cruise looks different because, for some unknown reason, I have never been able to see the map for this on NCL's website.  This is copied from information received from my TA.

 

As you can see, there are 3 ports that will be visited 3 times.  But that's okay, as we will be able to go to different places or maybe even take a day to rest.

Edited April 16 by Travelicious

[The Traveling Man]

17 hours ago, Travelicious said:

Thanks!  We are staying at the Holiday Inn on Herbert Walker Avenue.  We picked this one because of proximity to the port and to use an IHG credit card free night.

We also stayed there on a one day layover.  We chose it because it's next to an entrance to the port, so we figured that we could walk to the cruise terminal with our luggage in tow.  Unfortunately, for security reasons the port authority had closed access at that gate, so we had to take a taxi on a two mile roundabout journey to the gate at the other end of the port.  Let's hope that they have reopened the gate next to the Holiday Inn by the time you travel.  Looking forward to hearing all about your adventure.  Bon voyage!

[The Traveling Man]

17 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

As you can see, there are 3 ports that will be visited 3 times.  But that's okay, as we will be able to go to different places or maybe even take a day to rest.

Plus two more that you will visit twice.  There's lots to see and do in many of these ports.  Do you have your tour plans in place, or are you looking for suggestions?

[Travelicious]

3 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Plus two more that you will visit twice.  There's lots to see and do in many of these ports.  Do you have your tour plans in place, or are you looking for suggestions?

We have a few specific things planned, which will be detailed later, but mostly will do our own thing:  walking around to see the sights, trying local foods, drinking local beers.  I'm certainly open to suggestions, though.  Thanks! 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Be sure to visit Pippi Longstocking's home in Visby.

See you on the Prima!

 

[cruiseny4life]

WHOA!!! What a freaking incredible month and a half of adventure! 

 

I'd love to hear more about your shore excursions. Are you taking a lot NCL excursions? Doing your own thing? A mish mash of everything? 

 

Your Pookie is one lucky lady who worked a heck of a tough job. She certainly deserves this lovely and crazy time aboard a few of NCL's lovely ladies. 

 

I really hope you're able to keep us updated here, but understand if all the shore days and exciting wanderings keep you engaged, then napping!

 

Y'all are peripatetic souls after my own heart. 

[Travelicious]

38 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Y'all are peripatetic souls after my own heart. 

Peripatetic.  Learned a new word today.  

[Travelicious]

4 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

I'm already exhausted just reading your itinerary. But will catch my breath and continue to follow along vicariously.

Good thing we are retired so we can rest when we get home!

[Travelicious]

A trip of this length requires some preparation beyond the norm.  Sadly, I currently do not have pets, so nothing to line up there, unlike past trips.  It is the first time since 7th grade (and I'm now 60) that I have had not a single dog.  I miss having one, but with this trip and another, even longer one we have scheduled in 2 years, it is for the best right now.

 

But bills still have to be paid, and it has become increasingly difficult to access online bank accounts while traveling.  I mean, not too difficult as long as you have good wifi or cell service to receive a code for two-factor identification, but you don't always have that in the middle of the Atlantic.  So I've set up auto withdrawals, which is something I have been resistant to until now.  I don't really like giving corporations access to my bank account, but it seems like the simplest solution.  I set it up a couple of months ago to make sure everything went smoothly.  So far, so good.  I'm sure I'll turn it off when I get back as I like to feel more in control.

 

The other thing is that we had an inground pool installed a few years ago.  We usually open it around the middle of May, and I've read if you wait until it gets very hot to open (mid-June in the south can be pretty warm), you wind up with lots of algae.  Otherwise, the water is clear.  So we solicited commitments from my brother-in-law and a couple of friends to help take care of it, clean it, etc., in exchange for its use while we are gone.  We have these three people coming over the next couple of days for a "pool school" session.  I also just completed a "how to" list.  Hopefully, they will also mow at least the back yard.  I mean, it wouldn't be much fun to use the pool with knee-high grass all around, now would it?  Anyway, we won't book another trip during pool season.  Lesson learned there.