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

[Travelicious]

On 5/11/2024 at 2:37 PM, MzShae said:

The Mexican Coke also comes in glass bottles & is real Coke, with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. You can find it in most large grocery stores and Walmart, sometimes in the ethnic area.

Good to know!  I’ll have to look for it when I get home and to my second home (Walmart).

[Travelicious]

We were not the last off of the Prima.  Not by a long shot, but it was an easy walk off, grab the luggage and about a 5 minute wait in the taxi line.

 

But first, I woke up a few minutes before my alarm was set at 6:30.  Soon after, I heard the announcement for walk-offs.  We took our time, planning to head to Hudson’s around 7:45, but we ran early, and actually were finished close to 8:00.  We got to see @mking8288 in the dining room and bid him farewell.  Saw @snorklinbarb yesterday, and @Coachyo a couple of days ago.  Sadly, I haven’t seen @Fogfog since the beginning, or @Sugar Magnolia since about day 4.  So many other CCers and others met along the way.  Hope to see you again someday!

 

Back to the taxi:  it was a small van and the driver needed help loading our bags due to sciatica.  That’s fine.  I understand back issues.  We got in and I told him we were going to the Holiday Inn.  He apparently wasn’t happy, saying the hotel was “right there.”  It would have been a pretty good walk with luggage.  But anyway. He wasn’t happy with the fare, even though he go 11 pounds to go “right there.”

 

We brought luggage in to store and set out for a walk about.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

Today was almost 7 miles, and we decided to see a movie at West Quay to burn some time before 3:00 check-in.  We saw If, which I had never heard of but the timing was right.  More Pookie’s thing than mine, but it was entertaining enough.

 

When that was over, we started walking back toward the hotel, with 2 stops for drinks.  First up, beer, then a margarita and French martini, with a side of onion rings.  
 

 

 

 

We arrived at the hotel and were shocked to see there was no line.  However, there was also no room available.  We were offered a free drink, which was accepted, and about 20 minutes later a key was delivered.  
 

We brought out drinks up then went back down for bags, and are now in the room enjoying a bottle of wine that we were gifted on the ship, along with some cheese and crackers collected along the way.

 

Tomorrow we will board the Getaway, hopefully in time for the traditional embarkation lunch.  Stay tuned!

 

By the way, I have just not been able to keep up with Henry’s live.  Guess I can re-live the Prima after I get home and see what all he did.

Edited May 12 by Travelicious

[mking8288]

We are airside now at Gatwick, 2 hours to priority boarding, security screening is strict.  Wish 2 of you a great continuation of cruising to celebrate retirement. 

 

Don't worry about catching up till later. Best wishes & regards - Henry a/k/a mking8288

[GALSews]

On 5/11/2024 at 12:37 PM, MzShae said:

The Mexican Coke also comes in glass bottles & is real Coke, with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. You can find it in most large grocery stores and Walmart, sometimes in the ethnic area.

The Kosher for Passover Coke (the plastic bottles with the yellow caps) also is should be made with sugar, not corn syrup as some groups don't accept corn as okay for Passover,

 

Our local Costco carries Coke in glass bottles.

[cruiseny4life]

9 hours ago, GALSews said:

The Kosher for Passover Coke (the plastic bottles with the yellow caps) also is should be made with sugar, not corn syrup as some groups don't accept corn as okay for Passover,

 

Our local Costco carries Coke in glass bottles.

Oh! I'm going to look for these yellow capes, when in season. I bet it'll be a wee bit less expensive than our Costco purchase of Mexican Coke. 

[Travelicious]

We awoke around 7:00 this morning a bit hungry from only having cheese, a few crackers and wine for dinner.  And popcorn (no butter) for lunch.  We don’t enjoy instant coffee offered in the room, so headed out for a light breakfast and Americanos.  It was about 8:30 and all of the Costa Coffee places we saw yesterday were still closed.  Even Burger King did not open until 9:00.  Lucky for us, as we found Poppins Restaurant!

 

Being in England, we figured at least we would understand the menu.  Pictures told us our bacon is not their bacon, and we’re not much for breakfast beans.  We both decided on scramble eggs on “brown” toast, with melted cheese.  
 

 

OMG!  It was so delicious!  I only wish we had realized how much it would be so we could split one order.  Neither of us could eat more than one.  The coffee was also very good.  Tab with an extra coffee to go was 25 pounds.  I confirmed with staff that my four 1 pound coins were no longer valued.

 

Returning to the hotel, we used the taxi phone to arrange a pick up at 10:20.  We returned to the room, finished repacking, and went back down to the lobby a few minutes early.  Our taxi arrived a few minutes early, and what a change from yesterday!  The driver was polite and eager to help.  Despite the distance being longer, the charge was 6 pounds as opposed to 11 yesterday.  He earned a tip, which he seemed surprised to receive.

 

Our check in experience was also a drastic change.  There was no line for either security or check in, though most seating was taken.  Again, people too eager to arrive early.  After about 15 minutes, we were able to board as Latitudes priority.  

 

We went by for our muster check in, then to the bar between Taste and Savor.  Had a couple of Moscow Mules.  Finally had our embarkation day lunch:  tomato soup (excellent), Cobb salad, risotto, turkey cottage pie, orange chocolate mousse.  Only mains are pictured.

 

 

 

 

 

We have Ocean Blue at 5:30, so chose not to eat it all.  As of this writing (posting later), still waiting for rooms to open at 2:00.

 

At 3:00, we are having our Cruise Critic meet & Greet, which is not arranged through NCL.  However, it will be a chance to meet and we are having a raffle of CC swag provided by the powers that be.  I’m hoping to dump stuff in room before then.

 

***************

 

(Written later in the evening):  Our Cruise Critic meet and greet was in Sunset Bar, along with a number of other patrons, so it was quite loud.  But, I would say it was a smashing success.  Probably not as many showed up as scheduled, but enough to make it a good time.  After about an hour of visiting, we raffled off Cruise Critic branded items provided by LauraS.  We intended to be finished by sail away, but completely missed it before noticing that we were moving.  Thanks to all who came, and a big thanks to our original and main organizer, @traveljunkie88!

 

After this lovely event, we found our luggage and got unpacked before going to dinner at Ocean Blue.  We used the Latitudes voucher with wine for this meal, mainly because I saw the voucher and took a little coupon.  For appetizers we had the scallops and blazing shrimp.  For salads, the beets and wedge salad.  By now, we were already quite full.  For mains, the salmon and filet.  I was happy with all of mine.  Pookie later told another cruiser that it “sucked.”  I guess we are getting to that point in the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuffed to the top of my rib cage, we went to the Prime Meridian bar, where we each got the usual:  a sidecar for me and a double sambuca for Pookie.  We walked through the casino, and I scoped out my intended machine.  Pookie decided to retire to the room.  I returned to my chosen machine to find it now occupied.

 

I picked another while striking up a conversation with a fellow guest.  Eventually, I cashed out $27 up and came to the room.

 

Tomorrow is our first really long day:  the D-Day tour, starting at 8:00 in the morning.  That means up much earlier than we have become accustomed.

 

So, good night, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

[Sugar Magnolia]

@Travelicious it is so nice to still hear from you through this thread for another few weeks. Sorry we missed each other before the Prima cruise ended. I don't like goodbyes anyway so I wish you and Pookie safe journeys until we meet again. I shall wave to you from the Escape way over yonder.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

On 5/12/2024 at 11:48 AM, Travelicious said:

He apparently wasn’t happy, saying the hotel was “right there.”  It would have been a pretty good walk with luggage.  But anyway. He wasn’t happy with the fare, even though he go 11 pounds to go “right there.”

 

I had a similar experience yesterday taking a taxi from Horizon Terminal to the Moxy Hotel. The fare was around 8 pounds but I gave 10, which I thought was generous for a less than 5 minute ride, but still felt like I was an imposition.

 

On 5/12/2024 at 11:48 AM, Travelicious said:

we decided to see a movie at West Quay to burn some time before 3:00 check-in.

 

I also went to the cinema at West Quay before check-in and saw The Fall Guy as I was nostalgic for Lee Majors. Let's just say I can always earn back the money spent but I can't earn back the time wasted. But to be fair, the lead actors had great chemistry and the stunts were fun to watch. 

 

[YVRteacher]

I’m so excited to read this trip report! Thank you for writing and I hope you have a wonderful cruise on this next leg of your journey. I have a lot of catching up to do here!

[Travelicious]

8 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

I’m so excited to read this trip report! Thank you for writing and I hope you have a wonderful cruise on this next leg of your journey. I have a lot of catching up to do here!

My hero is reading!

[Travelicious]

6:30 came mighty early this morning.  We were ready and headed to O’Sheehan for breakfast by 7:00.  I was not too hungry, so just ordered a fruit bowl.  Realizing I left me water bottle, I returned to the cabin to fetch it.  Back to breakfast, I ate a few pieces of fruit, some of which was ripe and some of which was crunchy.  Realized I didn’t get my medicine, so back to the room.  Back to breakfast.  By now I’m about worn out.

 

Our tour with Overlord was to begin at 8:00.  We were about 20 minutes late getting started and about an hour and a half late getting back.  No biggie - still plenty of time before all aboard.  

 

It was a really good, informative tour.  We had to other very nice couple along with us.  I won’t try to go into a bunch of detail because there is no way I would do it justice, but here are a few photos taken along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the historical portion, we had a bit of free time in Bayeux, where we enjoyed a nice beer - my favorite of the trip.

 

 

 

It was approaching 7:00 when we got back on the ship, so we stopped by the room briefly.  We checked our onboard account to make sure OBC had been credited, as it had not yesterday.  Today, all of the non-refundable was showing up.  However, the $200 refundable credit from my TA was not there.  I sent an email asking her to get it rectified ASAP.  This is not the first time she has failed to provide promised OBC.  Last time she said she would make it up on the next one, which she didn’t, so we’ll see what happens now.  I don’t have a good feeling.

 

We headed to Taste for a light dinner.  We stopped at the bar first for a margarita for Pookie and a gin and tonic for me.  My drink was fine.  For some reason, they seem to be making margaritas with orange juice, and lots of it.  So Pookie is not happy about that.

At dinner, I ordered another G&T, and this one was undrinkable because it tasted so salty.  I told the waiter it was not good, and he said he’d get me another.  The next was just as bad.  The only thing I can figure is that the tonic from one soda gun at that bar was used on the first, and a different one on the next two.

 

Prima wins on drinks, hands down.

 

We headed to Prime Meridian for sambuca and sidecar.  But first, I needed to use the restroom.  Stopped in the public facility on deck 6, which has automated flushers.  However, none of them work and you can’t do anything about it.  I opened every door and none would flush.  Slamming doors as I went, I finally yelled FFS and stormed out, irritated.  

 

Anyway, the public facility on 8 has the manual push flushers, so I got relief but was still irritated.

 

I hate to be this person, but I’m also irritated by the state of our balcony.  We have one of the large balcony staterooms, but it doesn’t appear to have been cleaned in a long time.  There a loose paint chips everywhere - all over the chairs and the floor, and it just appears rather nasty.  I don’t want to sit out there.  I guess I’ll leave a note asking my steward to clean it or, alternatively, to leave me a broom, dust pan and other necessary cleaning supplies.

 

It was mostly a great day, but between my TA not taking care of the OBC, the bad drinks, unacceptable condition of public restrooms, and our nasty balcony, I’m ending in not a great mood.  

 

But tomorrow is a brand new day!  Hey, hey, hey!

[Travelicious]

On the train waiting to head to Ghent.  Unlike when we were here a few days ago on the Prima, there is no NCL sponsored shuttle to Blankenberge.  We got in the long taxi line, but there was not a line of taxis.  Checked on Uber, and it is available here.  Arrived within 1 minute, and got us to the train station in Blankenberge quickly.  We were here quite early, but now about 15 minutes until the train leaves.  
 

Hoping for a good day with nicer weather in Ghent.

[Travelicious]

We had a great day in Ghent!  The train was super easy, with only 2 stops between Blankenberge and Ghent:  Bruges and Aalter.  Bruges is only about 11 minutes from Bkankenberge.  It took about 40 minutes to get to Ghent.  No one ever asked to see our ticket, so I guess it is kind of the honor system.

 

We had to walk about 30 minutes to get to my pre-planned stops.  I had 5 or 6 places on my list, and used google maps to navigate.  Once we arrived at the first stop, all were close by.  Here are a few of the sights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My primary objective was to stop in for some favored gins at a place originally recommended by someone in our roll call.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get a drink there, as we arrived around 2:30, opened the door, and a rude old man told us they were not open.  Instead, we got a beer at the place next door, and the rude old man sat outside his door smoking a cigar.  Here is the place I was so looking forward to.  
 

 

 

After a beer, we went to have a closer look at the big cathedral.

 

 

Then headed back toward the train station.  We kind of hustled to get back for the 4:24 train.  It only runs once per hour.  We caught it, a little hot and winded.  
 

At the train station, there were waiting taxis, and we took one back to the cruise terminal for a bit less than the Uber this morning.  It was 22-something Euros, as opposed to 25.  
 

After taking the shuttle from the terminal to the ship, we discovered that there was only one entrance operating, with only one security line.  It was a longish line when we got there, and by the time we got in it was at least 3 times as long.  And, of course, we always wind up behind the people who wait until they actually get to security to start taking things that beep off.  I was starting to get irritated again, as it seems the ship is very poorly run, especially in comparison to the Prima.

 

Happily, things started improving after that.  But first, one more negative update:  my former TA has not responded to my email about the missing OBC, and it has not appeared on my account.  I think it is safe to say that our relationship is over.  It was coming to an end anyway, as I’ve found someone else who provides more benefits, if less personal experience.  So, no free gambling money for this cruise.  Oh well.  Luckily, the first and the last of this trip were not booked through her.

 

Now on to the improvements.  Our balcony appears to have been cleaned today!  I didn’t even have to ask.  I actually wasn’t going to ask today, as it had rained and was all wet.  But, it was done and I am pleased.  Hope it stays clean.

 

But it appears he was so busy cleaning the balcony that he only pulled my top cover up without straightening the bottoms sheet.  This is the appearance when I pulled the top back.

 

I guess you just can’t have it all!

 

O’Sheehan was not busy, so we sat at the bar, where were ignored for a pretty good while.  When someone finally decided to ask, I tried the gin and tonic.  It was pretty good, not salty.  So that is an improvement!  Pookie is still trying to find a good margarita.  This wasn’t it.  Still mostly orange juice, but we did note that it was on tap.  When this was mentioned to the bartender, he claimed it is all hand made the way it is supposed to be, and put in a keg to save time.  He claimed it is supposed to be orange.  🤣

 

Anyhoo, drinks in hand, we headed to Tropicana to check out the menu.  It looked good, and they were not busy, so we got seated.  I had Asian rib and summer vegetable spring roll.  The Asian rib was outstanding - the best thing in the main dining room since the bacon wrapped shrimp!  Everything else was good enough, but not really worth detailing.  I didn’t have my phone, as I had almost run the battery out using it for navigation today.

 

The dessert choices were not appealing, so we decided to go to Prime Meridian for cocktails and night caps.  I had another gin and tonic, which was very good, not salty.  Pookie noticed there was to tap, so decided to make one last attempt at a margarita.  Ding, ding, ding!  This one is a winner, Baby!  It was hand made, and while it appeared he put a shot of orange juice in it (I’m assuming because cheaper than an orange liqueur, the whole drink was not orange in color.  We talked to the bartender, found out when and where he works, and will be following him around for excellent drinks.

 

[Travelicious]

The beer we had in Ghent:

 

 

Pretty good, but seemed to affect my unfortunate allergy to some alcohols, as I turned all red-faced and exuded heat on the train ride back.

 

Finally, more evidence of a poorly run ship.  This is for tomorrow’s day in Amsterdam.

 

 

Note the top shore excursions.

 

But it was a great day!  Calling it a night.

[mking8288]

57 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

The beer we had in Ghent:

 

... more evidence of a poorly run ship.  This is for tomorrow’s day in Amsterdam.

 

 

 

Note the top shore excursions.

But it was a great day!  Calling it a night.

 

Hahaha ... this is the Getaway, who's GM onboard and who's CD, curious minds wants to know, asking for a friend.  For me, I always believe in going with the flow, pack patience & humor.  Have another night cap and sleep well.  Tomorrow is a brand new day, is it going to be nice & sunny.  Loving those pictures.  

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

 

Hahaha ... this is the Getaway, who's GM onboard and who's CD, curious minds wants to know, asking for a friend.  For me, I always believe in going with the flow, pack patience & humor.  Have another night cap and sleep well.  Tomorrow is a brand new day, is it going to be nice & sunny.  Loving those pictures.  

There is a General Manager's Conference being held in Miami right now.  All 19 General Managers are in attendance.

[Travelicious]

9 hours ago, www3traveler said:

There is a General Manager's Conference being held in Miami right now.  All 19 General Managers are in attendance.

When the cat’s away . . .

[Travelicious]

Great day, but too tired to post tonight.  Tomorrow is a sea day, so will get caught up then.  

Edited May 16 by Travelicious

[Travelicious]

Yesterday was our half-way point in this journey.  In some ways, it seems to be going fast, and in others it seems like New York was months ago.

 

In Amsterdam, we walked to town and just looked around.  It is a neat place, but after our walkabout, I would not be heartbroken if we are not able to go out again when back for the final time on the Dawn.  We stopped for a drink, and were given a plate bearing some semblance to nachos “on the house.”  We looked for packaged assorted cheeses like we found at Keukenhof last week, but did not find them.  All of the souvenir shops seemed to have only magnets and marijuana products.  
 

 

 

Speaking of marijuana products, we did not go into any of the famed “coffee houses.”  Pookie hates the smell.  Although there were a few places we walked through where we could smell it, it was not as prevalent as in NYC, and certainly not as much as in Las Vegas.  That was kind of surprising.

 

If the weather is nice next time, we’ll plan to get “pancakes” or bitterballen, and continue the search for cheese.

 

We returned to the ship after a few hours to find the entrance had been reduced to one.  It wasn’t a big deal for us, as there were not many getting back on at the time, but later in the day I could see a very long line.  Again, the single entrance had only one security line.  
 

We went to the nearly empty pool deck and got a drink, then went to the passengerless Spice H2O.  It was lovely enjoying this area without the usual crowd.  A bartender was working.  Eventually, another passenger came and enjoyed the hot tub alone.

 

Both ping pong tables were free, so we played for about an hour.  We used to have a ping pong table in the dining room in lieu of a dining table.  Our rules are just to keep it going as long as possible, regardless of whether it bounces, how many times it bounces, whether it hits the floor, etc.  It was fun, and something we haven’t done in years.

 

Dinner was on Amex at Le Bistro.  We opted for something different this time.  I had the mushroom soup and the duck, while Pookie had escargot and coq au vin.  We enjoyed this meal more than the last time at Le Bistro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we found our favorite bartender at Prime Meridian.  I got very tired so we came to the room just as we were pushing away from the dock.

 

[Travelicious]

Today is our lone sea day on this cruise, and also marks the beginning of the second half of the trip.  We went to breakfast in Taste this morning.  I had been eagerly awaiting the egg and avocado wrap special, as it was really good a couple of years ago on the Epic.  Finally, it was on the menu.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t as I remembered.  Tasteless, with already blackening avocado.  It seemed they also forgot the cheese.  I also ordered well done bacon, but received a pile of bacon, stuck together, and not at all well done.  I picked through to find a few edible bits.

 

Pookie order the biscuit and gravy with sausage.  It looked terrible, with one of this very dense pucks they call a biscuit, and only a smear of gravy on the plate.  She described it as “disgusting.”

 

It is a shame, really, as all other breakfasts have been very good.  Today, even the potatoes were undercooked and tasteless.  The plan had been to have a big breakfast and skip lunch to ensure hunger for Cagney’s tonight, but I’m already hungry at 10:30.  Guess we’ll get a little something from the buffet in a bit.

 

We are just resting in the room for a while.  I wouldn’t mind playing a bit more ping pong today.  
 

Tomorrow we will be in Oslo.  I’m excited for this, and it is supposed to be a beautiful sunny day, with a high of 70, at least according to the weather app.

[schmoopie17]

Marijuana is so prevalent, it looks like they put it in Pookie's drink.

 

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

10 hours ago, Travelicious said:

 

Affligem!  One of my most favored beverages! Hard to find nowadays in NY, unfortunately. Hope it was tasty!

[Travelicious]

Not too much to report today.  We ended up getting a little something from the lunch buffet, and were still a bit hungry.  We held out until dinner at Cagney’s, but first stopped for a drink at Prime Meridian.  
 

At Cagney’s, we split a ribeye and each had a lobster tail.  The rails were much larger than we have had before.  Could have split one of those too.  I had the OMG cheese cake, and Pookie had the 7 layer chocolate cake.

 

 

 

 

Stopped at Prime Meridian on the way out for our night caps.

 

We walked through the casino and I got the fever.  Talked Pookie into playing coin pusher while I ran to the room to get money.  I was about $50 up going into tonight’s round, and am now about $15 up, so I lost a little bit tonight.  
 

But what I need to report is that I was playing on what I thought was the non smoking side, which should be everywhere except the starboard corridor.  I was playing in the main section above the atrium, a bit port side.  A man two machines down was smoking, with ashtray and all.  After I cashed out, I found a casino worker to inquire about the smoking area.  Unbelievably, she said the ONLY nonsmoking area is the center corridor.  All the rest is open smoking.  As a former smoker and current anti-smoking snob, I’m flabbergasted that this is the policy.  Look, sometimes the best machines are in the smoking area, and I assume the risk going there to play.  But it is astounding that the great majority of the casino allows smoking.  It is so 20+ years ago.

 

I hate that I am griping so much about this ship.  I have sailed it before and enjoyed it.  If I hadn’t just come off the Prima, it might be different.  The smoking thing, though, is inexcusable.

[cruiseny4life]

19 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

At Cagney’s, we split a ribeye and each had a lobster tail.  The rails were much larger than we have had before.  Could have split one of those too.  I had the OMG cheese cake, and Pookie had the 7 layer chocolate cake.

I am consistently awed by your food photos. Yum! But, also, amazed at how little y'all ate. I'd devour that steak, a couple of sides, appetizer, and full dessert. But I'm a feefifofatty! 

[Travelicious]

7 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I am consistently awed by your food photos. Yum! But, also, amazed at how little y'all ate. I'd devour that steak, a couple of sides, appetizer, and full dessert. But I'm a feefifofatty! 

That photo was half of the steak and one tail.  Honestly, way too much.  We would never have made it to dessert if we had not split.  I’m amazed by the people who do not feel the FAS package allows enough!