Cobra1365

We used NCL Air two yrs ago to go Philly to Barcelona. Direct flight on American. I was able to grab upgraded seats on the return. We’re using them again on our July Prima cruise out of Southampton, UK. Haven’t recd the flights yet. But, even if they’re a one stop, I can’t find anything to London cheaper than what they offer. If available, I plan to use the savings toward seat upgrades. Two couples going with have opted out of the air package and are seeking their own arrangements. I guess we’ll see how they compare.

Thanks for the feedback. We’re talking to the other couples. We are now deciding whether to get a hotel in London proper and sight see or get a hotel in Southampton. some in the group have never been to London. Personally, I prefer getting a National Express coach when we land and head straight to Southampton. Several decent looking hotels close by the coach station and an easy taxi lift over to the port. We’ll see what the group wants to do.

The main reason we’re now doing this is we’re part of a group of four couples. Since they’re all staying there, we decided to join them rather than be “that couple” that had to be different. So, we’ll eat the pain and I will hold it over their heads forever more! 😄

We’re flying in to LHR two days prior to our NCL cruise out of Southampton. We were going to use the NCL Hotel/transfer package. But, they said they had no hotels in Southampton and were using the Millennium Gloucester in Kensington. But, that would be $1200! So, our TA recommended we get a hotel by LHR and just use their transfers on the day of the cruise. I know there are other opinions. But, that ship has sailed (see what I did there 😉?). My question is how easy is it to use the buses from Terminal 3( I assume that’s where we’ll arrive from Philly) to the Marriott on Bath Road with luggage? Then, if we want to do day trips into London proper, would it be best to just get back on the bus to an airport terminal and take the tube in? I don’t see on the map where there’s a tube station along Bath Road. Lastly, any idea where we pick up the NCL transfer from LHR to the cruise port? Thanks!

We were on Anthem last week. A bit underwhelmed this go around. We’ve sailed her twice before and had great journeys. This one just didn’t live up to expectations. Being Thanksgiving week, it was very crowded with a lot of kids. Nothing wrong with that in itself. But, I felt rules were bent to accommodate the kids. Solarium is a nice relaxing place…18+ for a reason. We had a lot of kids in there. We liked to listen to Iconic band (she has a marvelous voice) but kids doing cartwheels across the dance floor was very distracting. And please folks…we know your kids are adorable…but, enforce some table manners in the MDR! The crew was great! Very polite and accommodating. Marina at Guest Services was awesome. She was surprised when I pointed out what an apt name it was to be working in the cruise industry! we never saw our stateroom attendant. But, the cabin was always spotless. Benford and Sheldon were our servers and they did magnificent. I feel the food was kinda bland this time, too. Maybe I’ve just hit the crotchety years! LOL.

We’re slated on the July 14 sailing on Prima. Does anyone know what hotel NCL is using for their pre-cruise stay package? We’re coming in a couple of days prior so as to wander Southampton a bit. Thanks.

Did you go thru BlackBerry cars? We used them in ‘16 and the driver actually waited 2 full hrs while we cleared passport control. Was waiting outside our hotel for our return trip to LHR. Great service!

Ok, Thanks a lot for checking! Wife and I chuckled when I asked. We just spent a week in Italy where we didn’t get the chance to try any locally and now we’re asking if it’s available on a Cruise ship! 😄😄 We don’t usually cruise in the Summer due to the crowds. But, wife was getting antsy to go and we cancelled an Oasis cruise during the height of the Pandemic. So, when we saw this one and it being over my BDay…..(I’ll be 29 for the 34th time!).

Ugh! we’re on the Jul 22 sailing. With numbers like that, I’m NOT looking forward to it! Benny, Could you do us a favor and see if the Italian restaurant serves Cacio e Pepe? I’d appreciate it!

When we went to Barcelona in May, for the NCL Epic Med cruise, we had to have either a PCR or Antigen NET 72 hrs prior to sailing since we were traveling internationally. We used Curative 2 hr PCR. No fee and you get your results in your email within an hour and a half. Just Google Curative COVID 19 testing and put in your location. Not all locations have it avail. But, if it is, it makes it very convenient!

After reading this thread, I called to change our dining time from “My Time” to the Early Seating. The rep said it is full. But, put us on a waiting list. What time does the My Time open for first seating? I agree with Sea Dog. That’s a pretty sorry stock of bourbon. Last thing I want is Jack in my Manhattan!

We just returned from a Med cruise. We tested on Thursday and sailed on Sunday out of Barcelona. We didn’t want to risk flying all that way and not being able to sail. For the return, you have to test within 24 hours of your return. So, if you’re spending an extra day, I’m thinking you’ll be on your own to find a testing site.

Ship was at approx 50% capacity. Personally, I was not crazy about the layout of the ship. Counter intuitive for most cruisers. Took til about halfway thru to be comfortable with where things are. For example; it took a long time to get used to the Buffet being at the front of the ship! No big issues in the cabin (balcony on 11th deck). Bathroom layout was weird. But, no big deal. Our return flight was at 1:40pm. Friends had a 10:00am and tho they got to the airport in plenty of time (docked by 5:00am), none of the Delta check in gates were open!

Just returned from Barcelona Round trip. Briefly….great cruise to see fantastic historic sites, beautiful country side! Rundown. Arrival into Barcelona: contrary to what has been posted, there was no NCL rep at baggage claim area to facilitate transfers to heal (we arrived a day early). There were drivers lined up and two people in our party of 6 had a guy with their names on an iPhone. Until he made a call, there was nobody there for us. Very chaotic. At the hotel, there is an NCL rep to help with transfer to the ship the next day. Be prepared to load/unload your own luggage on the bus! check in at the pier was quick and easy for us. Though our friends did not have their key cards ready. Tours: The tours listed on the NCL site seem to reflect activity one level BELOW what they actually are when you get your tickets. Be careful if you have mobility issues. Expect a LOT of walking on very uneven streets. This became an issue for one of our party. When we pointed out the difference to the Shore Excursion desk rep, we were greeted with, and I quote “you’re in Italy, what did you expect?” ! That did not go over well. Other than that, we had great tours with super guides. Camilla, on the Rome and Vatican tour was amazing. She was talking about typical Italian meals and said she eats pasta everyday. All of the women in our group said “we want the skinny pasta she eats!” 😄 We didn’t set our bars high for onboard entertainment and meals as this was a destination cruise. That said, the shows were limited and if you want to go, make reservations! Dinner meals were average, in my opinion. Cagney was great, as usual. COVID testing: You’ll receive a notice of when to go to get tested. You have to go online and register with Eurofins for the free Antigen test. We had to go to the Manhattan Dining Room Sat morning between 8:00-11:00am. You then receive an email approx 1-2 hrs later and a hard copy of the results that evening delivered to your stateroom. Debarkation: Straight forward. The Barcelona airport layout is confusing though. After going through security, you have to also go through Passport control. We were using gate E so, after security screening, we made a right and had to go back upstairs where it looked like it was going to lead us back through Security and outside. But, that’s Passport control and after you go through, it takes you around to the gates. There’s not much right by those gates. So, if you want to shop at Duty Free or need a Starbucks, get it before going thru Passport control Overall, it was a great time. We had attempted this last year for our 40th and had to pause as the World stopped turning. Happily, we made it this go around and we’re accompanied by great friends.

Thanks!