NCL Prima eastbound 15 days TA (Live) 27 Apr, 2024 - N.Y. to Southampton via Halifax, Iceland & EU ports - preview intro

[bluefish17]

3 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

well, that's one way to get a seat for "rumours," for sure.

 

bribe the freestyle daily people to relabel the syd norman shows as "cruise next presentations."

I highly recommend seeing Rumors. Wait until the second night later in the cruise. Showtimes at 7pm and 9:30pm. Get in line for the 7pm show just before 6pm. They let us in around 6:20-6:25 and we waited in our seats having drinks before the show.

Just don't order an Old Fashioned at the bar, minimally basic with a bright red Marachino cherry.

Gross.

[Ellis1138]

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Starlink Speedtest on iPhone is slightly better this morning but equally slow as in really slow, but usable.

 

 

 

Just to clarify: Are you on the regular or the "Premium" wifi?

 

(And if anyone is on the Prima with the Premium wifi and wants to post their Speedtest, that would be cool.)

[Fogfog]

21 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

I can confirm that at least one studio occupant on deck 13 has complained about the metal scraping noises from the ceiling.

 

Some noise in a corner. Have asked to have engineering look at it. Given the rolling seas ..we understand. Not new to ships. Hoping they can address it. It’s a bit of an intermittent click. Not constant. And definitely depends on roll/pitch

 

 

Re specialty dining.. we had 6:30 reserv, got seated at 7:10. Food and service was excellent. Best dessert on the ship imho is the orange/ fillo dough basket/ Greek yogurt ice cream thing Palomar .

 

On ship vibe etc…for us bridge players it’s been harder because mahjong groups are big. Guest services has moved mahjong to different venues to allow other board games, cards to have space etc yet some mahjong pax don’t care despite signage and being asked to relocate.

 

Cookies still MIA.

 

TYVM Peter for hosting today. We all had a great time.

 

@graphicguy  we thought of you in the Local.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 2 by Fogfog

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Some noise in a corner. Have asked to have engineering look at it. Given the rolling seas ..we understand. Not new to ships. Hoping they can address it. It’s a bit of an intermittent click. Not constant. And definitely depends on roll/pitch

 

 

Re specialty dining.. we had 6:30 reserv, got seated at 7:10. Food and service was excellent. Best dessert on the ship imho is the orange/ fillo dough basket/ Greek yogurt ice cream thing Palomar .

 

On ship vibe etc…for us bridge players it’s been harder because mahjong groups are big. Guest services has moved mahjong to different venues to allow other board games, cards to have space etc yet some mahjong pax don’t care despite signage and being asked to relocate.

 

Cookies still MIA.

 

TYVM Peter for hosting today. We all had a great time.

 

@graphicguy  we thought of you in the Local.

 

 

 

 

Sounds like I’m an unwitting celebrity!  LOL!

 

Y’all are bringing back a lot of fond memories!

 

Loving all of the reports and pics!  Thx!

Edited May 2 by graphicguy

[UKstages]

14 minutes ago, Fogfog said:

Some noise in a corner. Have asked to have engineering look at it. Given the rolling seas ..we understand. Not new to ships. Hoping they can address it. It’s a bit of an intermittent click. Not constant. And definitely depends on roll/pitch

 

it does indeed depend on roll/pitch. the noise comes about chiefly during inclement weather/high seas. but it's a known problem on the prima and is due to a faulty build.

 

if the noise is only intermittent, then it's probably not this very specific problem affecting a number of prima cabins... then again, most people do describe it as a "click." in my cabin, however, it was constant... 40 or 50 clicks a minute. you can ask at guest services, as all the cabins that are so afflicted are marked in their database. they usually only send engineering when the cabin is not already in the database. frankly, there is nothing engineering can do. it's internal. after two years, they should know which cabins have this problem. it would be unusual for them to discover a new cabin with this problem this late in the game, unless nobody who has stayed in that cabin previously ever complained. 

[Fogfog]

@UKstages

hmmm that sounds like concierge won’t really be sending engineering then…I asked before breakfast…telling them we’d be out of the cabin between 10 and noon.

came back to no notice of anyone having been here..still clicking.

Asked Concierge again..saying I didn’t know if they had been by..and we’d be out after 2…

Mentioned it to Butler where it is

 

Did get a cheese and fruit plate…

Still clicking.🥸

 

We are veteran cruisers so the pitch and roll is definitely in play here.

Edited May 2 by Fogfog

[mking8288]

4 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

Just to clarify: 

(And if anyone is on the Prima with the Premium wifi and wants to post their Speedtest, that would be cool.)

Basic or regular unlimited WiFi, Android and iOS device running WiFi 6ax spec.

[mking8288]

Sea state has eased & much calmer, great for dinner at Le Bistro, almost mixed up w Cagney's reservation for this Saturday. 

 

 

Our table is ready & we were promptly seated, another party of 6 was sent to wait in the nearby Metropolitan Bar.

 

*** Code Alpha over ship PA, cabin #15xxx Deck 15 ...

 

Nice chandelier, oversized x 3 of them, by design 🤔  Space to add 3 extra indoor dining tables. 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

@graphicguy …

 

While at the start of the pub crawl (special thanks to @Taxvp for coordinating) @Fogfog and @mking8288 mentioned that there is an active leak coming from the Local bar, so a crew member has been standing with a mop at the ready. 
 

And in case there are any nonbelievers…

 

 

We have all been thinking of you. 

 

Edited May 2 by Sugar Magnolia

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

hmmm that sounds like concierge won’t really be sending engineering then… I asked before breakfast…telling them we’d be out of the cabin between 10 and noon.I

came back to no notice of anyone having been here..still clicking.

 

Asked Concierge again..saying I didn’t know if they had been by..and we’d be out after 2…

 

Mentioned it to Butler where it is

 

both the butler and cabin steward can confirm if the noise is usual and customary for that cabin. i suspect it is. when i played a recording for my cabin attendant, he said, "oh, yeah, sure. i hear that all the time."

 

here's a link to a recording of what the noise sounded like in my cabin...

 

it's post #113 if the jump doesn't work properly.

 

Edited May 2 by UKstages

[mking8288]

Photos from tonight's LB dinner 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We haven't done LB for quite some time, tonight, we're pleasantly surprised with good food, excellent services and treated to a complimentary wine & bubbles tasting after dinner, before dessert topped off with French press coffee. 

 

Our niece drank the most, oops, I should say she sampled them all for me & the rest 😁😸🫢.  Then, she's off to catch up with other friends to party & dance away. 

 

Edited May 2 by mking8288

[againsthesun]

5 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

both the butler and cabin steward can confirm if the noise is usual and customary for that cabin. i suspect it is. when i played a recording for my cabin attendant, he said, "oh, yeah, sure. i hear that all the time."

 

here's a link to a recording of what the noise sounded like in my cabin...

 

it's post #113 if the jump doesn't work properly.

 

I played the sound recording for my fiancé who immediately says “that’s it - that’s the sound!”  So glad to know nothing can be done, unfortunate that it is such a known problem. At least we now won’t waste time going to guest services!

[mking8288]

Smooth sailing this evening again with fairly calm sea state, waves 2 to 3 m or 5 to 9 ft. and being midship on Deck 10, barely feeling any motion - going at a leisurely 13 kts. 

 

 

 

We do, however, hear the occasionally rattling sound behind the wall panels, strange & odd, high pitch noises from inside the bathroom - somewhere, maybe the pipes & vibrations when faucets are turned on.  Tonight, I can hear a steady, humming sound as well, as if it is the engines idling in neutral - hard to explain ... Nothing like or close to what @Fogfog or others experienced as we talked about that during the pub crawl. 

 

But, we can feel the cold draft, leaking thru the balcony sliding door - insulation issues ? ... maybe an extra thick, blackout curtain might help. 

 

Thank you, Peter on the CruiseCritic pub crawl in coming thru & pulling some of us together to get social & laughs and shared tales from pier embarkation, etc. 

 

From the unofficial cruise channel including NCL's instrumented data - 

 

 

Special thanks to Jim's help looking up detailed charts & trending data from his "command" 👍👌

 

Tomorrow is a "busy" one, morning, "power breakfast" with 2 good CC friends & neighbors from home, that we first met onboard being in a M&G together.  Dinner with 2 NCL officers in the evening. 

 

[mking8288]

We tried to put together a CC cabin crawl as Peter was willing & available to put together a plan as a backup for the group. 

 

However, thanks to a good CC friend, was given a private tour of the Solo Lounge area, inside the solo cabins located on Deck 12 and 13 Fwd - without naming the unsung CC hero (thank you) - took a number of pictures in the exclusive lounge ... here they are, to enrich this Live report's content 👍🤗 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can confirm visually, they do not have cookies either - was asked again - nope, as I was there & heard the response or answer given along with 2 others there.  

 

 

[mking8288]

P.S.  Specialty Restaurants onboard the Prima apparently overbooked on this TA, and it's quite possibly that you might have to wait anywhere from 10 or 15 minutes to more than 30+ minutes until "the table" is available to you.  We also witnessed at least 2 solo cruisers dining alone, being asked and agreed to share that table half-way into their dinner, with another solo cruiser with a reservation.  

 

Logistical planning and management have room for innovations.  The Commodore Room is used in the morning into the mid afternoon for the art gallery & auctions - no lunch services possible until and unless the arts are moved elsewhere 🙄😳😔

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, againsthesun said:

I played the sound recording for my fiancé who immediately says “that’s it - that’s the sound!”  So glad to know nothing can be done, unfortunate that it is such a known problem. At least we now won’t waste time going to guest services!

 

well, that's up to you. it sounds like its bothersome to you guys, but not completely debilitating. in my case, i lost at least three nights of sleep. you can read that whole thread if you want to, but spoiler alert: it ended with me being given another room to sleep in and $500 in OBC.

 

the team on the prima have a playbook, so to speak, on how to handle noise complaints from these rooms and they seem to max out at $500 per person in service recovery when a guest lodges a serious complaint. 

 

so, i wouldn't say that nothing can be done. they can't fix the noise problem, but you may be able to get something for your troubles. but it's really a question of degree. if the noise is only intermittent and moderately bothersome, then maybe not. if it's keeping you awake at night, by all means go to guest services. or reach out to the GM, my good buddy marc (i hear he's now very responsive) or the assistant to the GM. that was the way i ultimately got my case resolved, although i also reached out to NCL corporate in miami via email while i was on the ship.

 

i did this same transatlantic journey last year at this time, so i'm sad to hear that this problem is still ongoing, but i'm not terribly surprised. i always said they wouldn't be able to fix it till dry dock, if they can fix it at all. the really sad part is that they continue to sell these rooms, despite full documentation of the problem. i encourage everybody in one of these rooms to register their concerns... otherwise, NCL may think this is no longer a major problem or that guests will happily tolerate it.

 

20 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

The Commodore Room is used in the morning into the mid afternoon for the art gallery & auctions - no lunch services possible until and unless the arts are moved elsewhere

 

same art gallery block on my prima cruises. and on one cruise, the commodore room was completely taken over by a large group with special dietary preferences. so i never got to eat in there at all. and, based on the many from that group that i saw dining around the ship, neither did they.

 

they closed the commodore room for gen pop dining for the entire cruise, but the special group almost never ate there. it sat empty most of the time and that was a damn shame because i really liked the special menu they had in there and would have liked to have crashed that party! but, alas, i wasn't a member of the group.

Edited May 3 by UKstages

[Sugar Magnolia]

My six person posse tonight had reservations at Onda for 8:15 and again, there was no wait to be seated at that late hour.

 

I know that there are many La Cucina fans but I am not one of them. I think Onda is exceptional and likely my favorite restaurant on the Prima.

 

The dining package allows one to order 2 starters, 1 entree and 2 sides, whereas the Platinum+ vouchers allow 1 starter, 1 entree and 1 side. I knew that were would be plenty of food so I did not ask for an extra side. I find that most side dishes at the specialty restaurants range from not terrible to most definitely terrible.

 

The standout starters were the macellaio pizza, calzone, beef carpaccio and braised octopus, except for one rubbery piece of octopus. The burrata and prosciutto were good but the tomatoes were oddly cold.

 

The group enjoyed the short rib ravioli, lobster tagliatelle, veal milanese and tuna. The pappardelle bolognese was uninspiring.

 

The best desserts were butterscotch budino and panna cotta. The tiramsu and chocolate cake were in second place. The cheesecake was inedible.

 

The service was generally fine, but we felt rushed in between courses. One of my pet peeves is when the waiter moves someone's plate before the rest of the group has finished. Also, when some were still eating their starters, the waitstaff wanted to start clearing the plates even though there was still food on the plate. And the worst was when the waitstaff started to place new utensils for the main course in front of us while we were still finishing our starters.

 

We were all baffled by this.

[Fogfog]

Good morning.

We enjoyed Rumors last night though thought the a Rock the Pour House was more fun. Dinner in Commodore after the 7:30p show

Did go by the 80s event at 10:30p looking for @Sugar Magnolia and posse yet didn’t see anyone from Cc group or those we’ve met onboard.

 

Flatter seas so the click in the one corner has subsided. Normal creaks 

Hear that it’s a WD 40 thing 

 

we get it..Heavy seas, pitch, roll. 
we do wish we had gotten an answer…If it comes back I will ask the direct question.. if it was looked at.

 

 

 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

2 hours ago, Fogfog said:

 

Did go by the 80s event at 10:30p looking for @Sugar Magnolia and posse yet didn’t see anyone from Cc group or those we’ve met onboard.

 

Sorry we missed you last night. Our gang did not arrive at the party until after 11:30 and once again, we shut down the Prima Club. 
 

Body clock still thinks I am in New York. 
 

 

 

[mking8288]

Good morning  🌅 as we sailed toward Iceland & North Sea at 13 kts. and outside air temp of 39 deg. F.  

 

A little bit of sun behind the clouds in the distance to our east.

 

 

Hot running water out of the bathroom faucet is back now - yay.  We heard several loud pipe noises late night, around 12:30 AM 🤔 

 

Our big load of free laundry came back this morning, neatly folded & stacked tall in the wicker basket. 👍

 

[bedfordmom]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

Good morning.

We enjoyed Rumors last night though thought the a Rock the Pour House was more fun. Dinner in Commodore after the 7:30p show

Did go by the 80s event at 10:30p looking for @Sugar Magnolia and posse yet didn’t see anyone from Cc group or those we’ve met onboard.

 

Flatter seas so the click in the one corner has subsided. Normal creaks 

Hear that it’s a WD 40 thing 

 

we get it..Heavy seas, pitch, roll. 
we do wish we had gotten an answer…If it comes back I will ask the direct question.. if it was looked at.

 

 

 

 

How were the lines for Rumors? We waited one hour in line on the Escape for standing room ( actually hanging over table) I swear I saw people eating their buffet supper in line.  Rock the Pour House on our late sailing was empty. And their last show at the end was also a walk in for a fair seat. 

[kattybiz]

@mking8288 Got Iceland all ready for you.   Cool but not too cold yesterday...walked around the downtown area since we'll be doing the Golden Circle next year.  Free shuttle running about every 15-20 minutes from the port to Harpa Hall.   Foggy and raining today, cast off in about an hour heading to Belfast. Internet pretty strong over T-Mobile, have been catching up on email.   

 

Hope you all have a wonderful time!

[mking8288]

2 hours ago, kattybiz said:

@mking8288 Got Iceland all ready for you ... Hope you all have a wonderful time!

Thank you, have a great cruise to Belfast and I am sure the rest of the CC'er on the rollcall appreciate the info & tips about free shuttles. 

 

Do you see taxis at the cruise terminal, might grab one to nearby car rental place instead of doing a 15 to 20 minutes walk if it's raining when we dock this Sunday. 

[kattybiz]

3 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Thank you, have a great cruise to Belfast and I am sure the rest of the CC'er on the rollcall appreciate the info & tips about free shuttles. 

 

Do you see taxis at the cruise terminal, might grab one to nearby car rental place instead of doing a 15 to 20 minutes walk if it's raining when we dock this Sunday. 

 

Taxi line was right outside the terminal between the shuttle and the excursion busses, and very clearly marked.    Several pulled up while we were waiting for the shuttle.

 

One more note for the roll call...the hop on hop off bus WAS running, but the busses were pretty far apart.

[mking8288]

Movie w free popcorn in Sy Norman's at noon - "Mulan"  ... packed full with poor seating set-up and bottom of TV screen too low to see the captions.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Pearl departed from Reykjavik on time around 1PM, pier will be ready for us.