Greenpea2

They have upgraded the golf carts. The vehicles now fit around a dozen people. They are electric and eerily quiet!

We were just in a Lagoon Villa 2 weeks ago--I did not see any blow dryer in the bathroom. Just body wash and conditioning shampoo in the shower.

We got them in the terminal before we boarded. This was the Prima. Love those things!

So excited to cruise the Prima again virtually with you! It will be awesome!

To add to the Prima--small open smoking area on the top sun deck in the Haven. I have been told they will improve that on the Prima so that it is a covered area, There are no lounge chairs there but they have about 5 chairs and 3 small tables, with maybe 4 of those stand-up ashtray things metal things.

It was when I cruised on the Prima a couple weeks ago...

Yeah, I think the first experience we had there was basically a one-off. Really glad we gave it another shot!

All I can add to this is that they were NOT sold out on the Feb 26-March 5 cruise. We were in a Lagoon villa and there were two that were empty in the row we stayed in. There were others in the area as well. So I imagine there were a couple other empty ones around and available.

I assume they just took what info they could from my description of our dinner, matched the dishes/martini/desserts to a name. Plus We had reservations under our name, they would know we were in the Haven, I mentioned what we ordered. Easy enough to figure it out based on all the onboard computer info they have on the passengers. Once they nailed us down, it was easy enough to check reservations in the various restaurants for the next night and stop by our table for a chat. They were like Secret Agent Men! Ha ha

It was 15318 I believe. Lots of room on the balcony. I’m glad you are enjoying my report. 🙂 I keep wishing I was back there!

OK, I'm back for my final wrap-up. I disappeared and so did my thread. Life moves on, eh? I have been buried in work since I returned. And I'm sorry this took me so long. I had a wonderful time. This cruise was in my top 3 NCL cruises, along with the Gem 15 years ago (the new Haven entity plus DH and I were married onboard), the Sistah's cruise 3 years ago on the Bliss--and this one. The best. My "wrap-up" ended up really long. My how I do go on...but here it is. NCL, are you listening? ;-0 Best Things About the Prima: Crowded/Not Crowded It never felt packed, elevators or public decks. I can't speak for the general pool decks because we did not hang out there. But we walked around all over the ship, went to shows and restaurants, visited the casino, etc and never felt squashed (even in the elevators) in any way, which we always have at one time or another on other ships. Noise Boys show Best show I have ever seen on NCL or any other cruise line. Staff/All Levels The true pride in the Prima that 99% of the staff we interacted with showed us every day (from Managers of all levels to wait persons to Concierges to the Cruise Director to cabin stewards to butlers to bar tenders, etc). They work so hard, and they take pride in it. And if that is not really true every minute of their day, you would never know it. We saw and felt that every day in small ways. And once in a really big way, which was high-level management response to a less-than-wonderful dinner we had at Cagney’s. (The second one was PERECT. So do go have dinner there!) I went into this previously in my review so won’t repeat the whole story it. But I will add that the response was not because we were Haven guests. It was because we were guests cruising on the Prima who did not have a great experience and they were able to find out about it because I talked about it on CC in my report. They heard of a poor experience, and they wanted it fixed, period. The night after the not great Cagney’s experience while eating at Hudsons, DH and I were approached by Adrian Dumitru, NCL Prima Restaurants Manager and Nicholas Tranda, NCL Prima Executive Chef. We had a long conversation. They keep on top of trip reports on CC, yes it’s true. They do. And how smart is that! Very impressed by both these gentleman and the pride they have in NCL and the cruise experience for their passengers. And they did fix it. Cagney’s 2.01 was wonderful. I would eat there again in a NC minute! Best things about the “new” Haven: Having the Haven in the aft. SO MUCH better and more enjoyable. Having an outside bar on the lower sundeck. Having a snacks menu (which are definitely more than just a snack) on the sundecks. Having a Haven elevator, not because it’s “special” but because it really helped me “find home” when I got lost … at least when I could find the Haven elevator (more on that later). Our Cabin: We had an H6 2-Bedroom suite with angled (so larger) balcony on Deck 15. It was beautiful and comfortable. Bedding was luxurious, beds super comfortable, shower large. I am sure all the cabins are beautiful as she is a beautiful ship. Tweaking that I would really like to see done: Haven infinity pool is cold! I never submerged higher than my waist. Other people there agreed. NCL: Please fix that! Cabin: It was beautiful, as I said, But there seemed to me (and DH agrees) some disconnects between (beautiful) form / design and (confusing/frustrating) function. I would imagine there must be a number of these same disconnects in all the cabins. Some are maybe just in the Haven, though. Here are a few: Sink: a. Good: The double sink is beautiful—one long inset rectangle marble-type sink with no exposed drains. b. Not so good: There was no space on the sink at either end/behind or in front to put anything, other than about 3 inches on either side. Any “attractiveness enhancing” items I may have used were in a cosmetic bag, but where to put it?? The inside of the sink is always wet (with no drains, the water drains out from a maybe third of an inch space on all sides of the bottom of the sink. I eventually just used a towel to wipe out the sink to set my cosmetics bag on it. Form = beautiful. Function = fail. If I dropped anything like an eye pencil or hair pin, it inevitably rolled down into the space alongside the sink and I had to dig it out. Hang your towels … where? Where do you hang your wet towel after a shower? Choice #1: Walk 4 steps (wet and chilly) to the 2 hooks on the inside of the bathroom door across the room, or Choice #2: (Rather strangely), open the door to the toilet area, walk in, close the door and hang it on the back of that door. Not one hook on any wall or by the sink. So no place to have a hand towel handy either. Toilet area Good: it’s really pretty and there is a door for privacy. Puzzling: 1) there is a full-length mirror on the back of the toilet area door … so when you go in there, sit down, and close the door for privacy … I guess, what, you watch yourself? It’s possible I am just out of synch with things. Can’t say I have ever had the urge to watch myself in that particular situation. 2) There are 3 or 4 deep shelves embedded in the wall across from the toilet. (Shelves I wish were in the main bathroom area, frankly.) What are those for? It’s not like the room steward puts extra rolls TP in them. Oh wait, I just realized -- maybe for a magazine or a book (several shelves worth?). Hair Prep Good: There is a blow dryer and it’s a good non-weenie one. Stupid: It is plugged in somewhere on the wall down low behind the sink, behind the lower drawer it lives in. I could not for the life of me get it to head level. The cord allows you to comfortably aim it as high as your chest. I am 5”4 so you taller ladies are even more out of luck than I was! I had to bend over and dislocate my shoulder (OK, I exaggerate) just to get it high enough to dry my hair. Advice: Bring your own blow dryer. Unless it’s just that way in the Haven, in which case bring your own blow dryer if you stay in the Haven. On the Prima, at least. And the Viva probably… NCL: Please change this! Cabin Lighting Good: All kinds of lighting options in every room. Not so good: Toggles on the walls everywhere, it took me 2 days to figure out what toggle was for what. (Turns out the main living room toggles were inside the Master bedroom, so I am thinking they were just playing with me there.) Onboard Shops Good: They looked pretty? Bad: Where are all the affordable clothing, gifts, jewelry? There was nothing. For the first time ever, I did not buy one thing at any onboard shop. In the past I would buy an interesting piece of jewelry for maybe $75-$100. Now you ask what something (not interesting) costs and it’s $1800! Hey, buy a super set of binoculars or a watch for thousands of dollars! Or a handbag for $500 to a heck of a lot more than that! Raise your hand if you think that is what the vast majority of mainstream cruisers want. I didn’t think so. I used to love to buy a pretty blouse or skirt or dress for $50-$60 or less. No NCL tees that I could see except a small table outside the stores on one day that seemed kind of after thoughts. Really thin, cheap tees that were not even NCL branded. No candy or “things you forgot to bring” items. Very disappointed in that. NCL—please change that! Opinion: Getting around the ship to where you want to go is confusing. This is a definite learning curve, be ready for it and pay attention. Yes, I know not everyone had as hard a time navigating/finding their way as I did. But I spoke with any number of people (usually while we were all trying to get somewhere) who found it very confusing. So I know I am not alone in that! The Prima not like any of the other ships. There are “zones”. And the design is based on that. To the management it all makes sense and should not be all that confusing (from a conversation I had with one). Well, it did not make sense to me. I was commiserating with a lovely woman I became friendly with (hi Ruthie!). She got very lost on about day 2. It was late in the evening, and she stepped away from her cruise mates. And never found her way back to them. Decided to just go back to her cabin and it took her so long she was near tears. It was late so she never ran into staff to be able to ask directions. Eventually she did find her cabin, but it upset her a lot. On day FIVE, I woke up early and headed out to Starbucks for my morning jumpstart, just as I had done every morning before. But on this morning, I made a wrong turn after I left Starbucks and could NOT find my way to our cabin, or even to the Haven! To the point where (as embarrassing as it is to admit this) I was literally wiping tears from my face. It was early, no one around as I wandered the mazes of staterooms on various floors. Finally I saw a staff member in one of the halls and asked him how to find the Haven, I was lost. “You need a special pass for the Haven” he said. “Yes” I said, I know that. I am staying in the Haven. But I can’t find my room!” He pointed to a hall and said “Go there and walk straight down the hall. It brings you right to the Haven.” So I did … and found myself outside the entrance to the Vibe. It took me at least 5 more minutes to finally find one of the Haven entrances. It kind of was a minor nightmare. The NEXT time I went to Starbucks I was all tense and made note of EVERY SINGLE turn I made going there, repeating it in my mind several times. I made it back “home” fine that time by doing that. I don’t know what the solution to this is. Maybe more signs? It will not stop me from cruising on the Prima again (or the Viva) but if/when I do, I will be more prepared for it. And I will be more ready to just not get upset, to just go with it and consider it an additional tour of the ship. Or something. Restaurants - Awards The “All-Around Best Restaurant” award goes to …Onda! Incredible food, service, great atmosphere, etc. We are both continually wishing there was an Onda near us in NC! The “Most Original, Interesting, Seriously Yummy Food Choices” goes to … Indulge Food Hall. We were all over that stuff, especially the Indian food. We love Indian food and have only found one place that is good (not great) which is 35 minutes away. After our second meal there, I decided I had to go find the Chef and tell him how much we enjoyed it. We went over to where the cooking spot was and asked the guy there (I think he delivered the food to the tables) if we could speak to the chef to tell him how much we loved his food. I don’t think he understood the second part, just that we wanted to speak to the Chef. He looked kind of serious and went to find him. A minute later the Chef slowly appeared around the corner from the kitchen, looking nervous. We immediately blanketed him with verbal praise and compliments and thanks. I don’t think he understood all our words, but he got the gist! And seemed quite pleased. The ”Most Consistently Good” Restaurant goes to the Haven Restaurant. The service there is always incredible, the food cooked well, and they are always open to add-ons, switching, special cooking requests. They rock. (Also VERY good was Los Lobos, and Cagney’s the second time around.) Casino Good We found it large, airy and never packed. Bad (personal opinion, of course) We are not casino hounds, but I have always set aside a couple of hundred dollars to “play” there for a while, pretty much every day or night. We only went twice. I came home $30 ahead and had no desire to go back. There was not one slot machine that I recognized or have always liked. They were all huge screen, no “interactive” aspects, just bet bet bet and punch the button over and over. No fun at all for us types. Elevators Good As I mentioned they were never stuffed. Yes! The lighting inside is pretty and nice. Bad When you get in an elevator, you can’t read the deck numbers on the buttons. The lighting reflects off them. It was not just me and my older eyes, either—every time I was in one and someone got in no matter what age they were, they hunched over trying to see what the heck button was the one they wanted. There were brief conversations about it almost every time I was in one. Whoever was standing in front of the buttons became responsible for pushing them for anyone else who got on. It is a nice thing to do for others, just keep in mind it involves regular bending over and squinting to do so. If you are not up for that responsibility, step to the rear, buddy. Because someone has to do it! NCL: Please fix this! Bottom line: I have loved cruising on NCL for more than 20 years and I still do. I would and will cruise with them again, absolutely. They keep their finger on the pulse of cruiser opinions and sometimes they change things that should be changed. Best idea ever: The Haven. Wonderful restaurants and choices of where to eat. I love NCL. But please get those elevator buttons readable, if nothing else. I can bring my own blow dryer but I need to easily hang up a towel. I don’t mind getting lost every couple of days, I just needed a heads-up, and maybe some added signs “You are HERE” signs. But if not, ok. I’m game to roll with the punches, tears streaming down my cheeks, heart racing. For you, NCL, I will do that. If I have to. But I’ll also spend more money if you get more “everyday cruiser things” to purchase. Fancy is fine. But mix it up a little! Stock some candy bars and well-made tees too.

You are so right! And thank you for the kind words.

We just got off the Prima on 3/5. Noise Boys' final show was that cruise. It honestly was the best show I have ever seen on a cruise ship! But if they get Six, that was excellent too. We got 2 free bags of laundry. We are Sapphire so maybe the second one was due to being in the Haven? Our favorite meals were at Onda and Indulge Foothill (yes, still free there). I have actually been craving another dinner at Onda since we returned ... DH agrees on that.

I was booked in the Haven and bid on an OS. They let me know it was not accepted on the morning of the cruise.

So funny you should ask that about the shrimp, lol. I was SO not in the mood for it as I had had the coconut shrimp for the second time at Hudson's the night before...plus, what if it was icky again! But yes, I ordered it. It was delicious. Big, plump, no limpness (!) and yummy. And yeah, somewhat to my surprise DH had as great a time on the cruise as I did. And he did surprise me at Salsa and Salsa. Who was that outgoing guy?! And DANCING?? (Or trying to)

I don't think it's fair to say that NCL did not honor that. The bartender referred to whatever he had there at the bar listing what is available. So his mistake clearly was based on the info he had. Believe me, those bartenders were happy to give us any top-shelf item we wanted that was included in our package.

Maybe they had reached a "moment of complacency", which I think just happens sometimes. But it certainly seems they have jumped back into the fray of excellence again. The response was so quick and complete that I'm sure they are at peak performance once again!

I thought I answered this, but now I don't see my reply! So no, there is not exercise equipment in the Haven, and yes, the pool is chilly. BUT there are a a couple of hot tubs on both Haven sun decks--never crowded. Maybe 1 or 2 people now and again in each. I would imagine those hot tubs would be awesome in Iceland. And the views on the top sun deck would be so good.

Yes do it! Life seems to go by so quickly. You Sistahs will have a great time!

We did. It was really a wonderful week!

I am am home once again. A long day. I have a wrap-up to do and I will do it. But I have 16 e-mails with work attachments to deal with so might not be for a few days or maybe bits and pieces in the next couple days. I so appreciate those of you who joined me and hopefully enjoyed my Live Posts. I will say that our Cagney's 2.0 visit was absolutely fantastic. Perfect. We had so many "visitors" we were overwhelmed. Quite a memorable meal! We lost count after 6 visits by any number of levels of NCL personnel. Very grateful to know, see, hear, and experience the pride and caring and love for NCL at so many levels. They wnted it RIGHT--not just for us. For any NCL passenger. That was very clear to us.. And it was RIGHT. It was wonderful. I will be back to finish things up. And again, thank you to anyone who followed. We had a beautiful cruise. Cagney's has NOT lost it. If you think it has, as we started to, give it another try. Give them a chance. You will be glad you did. And...if not, TELL them. I would and will eat there again in a NC minute. 🙂

Yeah but it was the Haven bar that said it is not. Who knows!