mking8288

2 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Then I shall write more but post less photos as to not offend anyone.

Absolutely, thous shall not.  Post as much photos as you can take, regardless of how little and how much you can write otherwise, before cocktail hours and/or while you on a slope ... struggling with 4 hours of sleep.  Otherwise, I am going to call in the troops from the Prima TA to twist your arms and I will not tell you where the best Vietnamese dining can be found on the Jersey shore ... the secret isn't the Pho. 

Seriously, you are doing an excellent reporting, barely-a-live 😁

OMG, that's sad looking roast beef for Reuben sandwich served 😳

1 hour ago, MkeCruzn said:

Wonderful so far. Looking forward to more info and postings.

Hi Henry @mking8288!! Nice to see you on here!

Hey, strangers, not ... how are 2 of you, busy traveling as usual ... our Epic TA last April seemed like ages ago already.  We've done 2 more TA since, just got off the Prima last Sunday & flew home ... whereas "Sugar" Sylvia managed to keep going, and reporting her Live "Escape"  Don't mind the jokes, "stalking" her report for ideas for our 2025 plans.  Best regards & wishes, be well & stay healthy. 

HM

13 hours ago, Fogfog said:

@Sugar Magnolia Just followed and will catch up on the shenannighans

@mking8288

Gatwick

Boston Logan

... grateful to arrive safely   ======>>>> (that is the key outcome) 

Wow, seemed like we are had stories about London airport experience, including LHR ... our friends had an early afternoon flight (think it was Delta non-stop to JFK using NCL Air) but somehow, they didn't get home until like 10 PM.  Our 8:40 PM LGW flight left the gate a few minutes early but ... and we got home around 1 AM, exhausted & tired.  Jetlag finally fading with the time zones ... our party girl, Sugar is doing her best on her port intensive Escape cruise.  

I haven't fill out NCL's online post-cruise eSurvey, but will give them a piece of my mind for sure.  My guess is that you are probably asleep already & will wake up around 2 or 3 AM local time.  Do catch up and post photos & other stories as you see fit, once you attend to other matters first.  Say hi to Robert for me, regards ... later.  

P.S.  I still got a short summary about onboard dining, observations & thoughts to add, that should more or less finish up this "live" chapter on my part.  

40 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

I gain an hour back tonight and tomorrow’s excursion is not until 8:00am ... That calls for a party…but a less exclusive one. 

1 hour of partying and 1 extra hour of sleep, be fair & kind to yourself.  I am sure that @Fogfog will agree, given your tough port schedule ahead.

Look what I got ... 

Prima TA Review - section 3 - 

Ship facilities, logistics and operations, etc. - 

Housekeeping - our steward, overall scored above average, not quite vacation hero, but she did the job well and was friendly after a slow start.  Outside along our hallways - Deck 10 starboard side, there're plates, cups, dishes & trays left outside doorways ... waiting for collection or pickup (and, the same cabins involved) ... it might help if notice is given, in writing, on how & where to leave those dirty plates, cups, half eaten food, etc. or to dial 00 for a pickup (if the call is answered)  since the stewards are done with their job by 4 to 5 PM on a routine basis.  (And, they are "off" duty until 8 to 9 AM the following morning, not too bad - tradeoff to clean 22 cabins each, once a day)  Our steward did come into our room while we're out to dinner, to check & leave the FSD on our bed, along with any other notices or to returned our laundry. 

Laundry - $34 Special only offered once ?? during the 15 days w flyer insert - still using the smaller, thin paper bag !  We did 2 free loads (just write Diamond on the slip & bag) per cabin, could've done 2 loads plus extra load at 50% off / Gold discount ... next time, those will be free - reached Platinum status, yay (big deal, not) 

Decorations and signs outside the door, birthdays & crusing, etc. - if there is a corporate wide policy against having them, it isn't enforced or ignored by management & crew on the Prima, at least not on Deck 10 and zero notice/reminder in the FSD, unlike reports from those sailing other NCL ships.  Isn't the ban b/c of fire hazards ??  I dunno, strange & odd.   

Prima is one of the few NCL ship w/o an onboard (physical) library, last November - the promoted Libby App, online library services is out-of-commission/not available.  The iConnect or iCafe could easily be AI operated since it has no (zero) PC terminals or work stations for use, and only wireless printer w DIY instructions on how to connect and print (for a nominal fee, of course)
 

Pool Deck & Outdoors, Ocean Walk - TA crossing with cool weather & northern routes, is just not good by design or being shortsighted, making some of the otherwise "usable" outside space not available for nearly the entire 15 days.   

Others - there were multiple large groups of passengers onboard that are rude, inconsiderate, pushy, loud and just choose not to respect rules or exercise common sense, in public areas including the atrium area.  I don't have the percentage, but guessing probably 20% were playing Mahjong and other card game onboard, everywhere, taking over the Penrose bars, lounges & hijacking Starbucks space into the late evening.  Management did tried but failed to address their behavior despite using posted bilingual signs that're clearly directed at them ... perhaps, establishing & communicating ahead of time with their tour group leader(s) onboard might help, dunno.  

Using the same credit card to pay for room charges on more than 1 stateroom required a work around onboard, as the NCL system rejected it otherwise.  Signing for and accepting financial responsibilities for all charges to the 2nd cabin, and combining the charges into the first cabin using just one credit card is what it took.  We had to make sure that it didn't resulted in problems using our $250 OBC per cabin x 2 or $500 OBC combined, that was all good. 

... and, there, you have our random, somewhat dis-organized thoughts, comments, reflections, and reviews of this Prima TA as we see it.  

Getting late now, still have some brief, short comments on food & dining, will pick up on those over the weekend to close out the live report.  

Prima TA Review - continued (let's take a closer look on our impressions about the Prima, 2nd time around) - facilities, logistics, management and operations, etc. - 

While we recognized and it is true that corporate office at NCL decided that changes to the shows and dining reservations are to be carried out, which isn't exactly crowd pleasing ideas that all embraced - perhaps, those with leadership duties onboard can think outside the box and come up with some practical solutions and/or workaround.  Well, I not sure but it seemed, the GM needs to try a little harder and not answering tough questions asked in the atrium by one of the "upset" passengers who stood up, isn't exactly.  Word of mouth, they travel even faster and can be worst in spreading the negative - than a critically written review on CC or elsewhere.  

Some of us are fine and willing to go with the flow, others that've spend thousands for the TA aren't necessary as easy going and forgiving, i.e. the "mess" with embarkation, delays and the lines inside the cruise terminal.  First impression counts, and starting off a long, 15 days cruise just leave a sour taste among many.  The challenges began by dinner time with the long lines at the Hudson MDR ... not sure about the smaller Commodore MDR (which we subsequently heard and discovered ourselves, to be better managed & organized, with minimal wait for priority seating and they do, in fact, recognized & try to help those with Sapphire & Diamond status to reduce the wait for a table)  

The same cannot be said about the Hudson MDR, and it is the same team of hostess that we saw & recognized from the November Prima TA ... they've taken their vacation and/or are back doing the same again, selectively smiling and greeting some passengers with a smile and acting cold & indifferent to others.  Ask about priority seating consideration and you get a stare and blank expression, and to step aside & wait, with or without a pager ...  It is also obvious, listening from nearby, they're short on "greeters" to escort passengers to the tables.  The uniformed stripes were standing around and/or watching from a distance, busy on their handy phone but hands-off management style, let alone working the crowd standing everywhere looking, waiting and wondering.  This went on for at least several days, as some nights - we're in the specialty restaurants - breakfast and lunch services, really were not better, if not worst or the same.  I won't even get to talk about the Surfside Cafe, one of the smallest buffet by size, even when you compare it against the older ships like the Gem, Dawn or Star, etc. - it's just ... are you kidding me, when we first saw it last November.  Part of the challenge - she is not a cold weather ship and the outdoor space for dining is just, not, usable at all. 

When it comes to details, I wonder do the various departments really coordinate and communicate well, even among themselves.  We should have our cartons of waters waiting onboard or at least delivered by Day 2 ... nope, didn't happened and by late afternoon of Day 2 - started a friendly chat with our room steward to ask.  The runaround or passing the hockey puck or field goal kicking began ... oh, really ... call Guest Services ... contact CruiseNext ... just dial 00 and they'll deliver ... oh, they should be ... I mentioned this early on, apparently the 00 operator is always busy and they do not have a voice mail system active, nor have a call back system in place and god forbid, you dial 00 with a medical emergency that the call could go unanswer for 10, 15 rings, etc.  (correct action, dial 0 for emergency and hopefully, trust that security or someone will answer that possibly life saving call within seconds)

  We had 3 Code Alpha and 1 Code Bravo at sea, en route ... sadly, learned that not 1 but 2 of them didn't ... despite the race and efforts to reach Iceland after we sailed from Halifax.  Thoughts & prayers to their traveling companions, love ones and those that knew them onboard ... partially realizing as we watched crew members taking sizable quantity of checked luggage and bags off the ship in Iceland, likely to hand them off to port agent for arrangements. 

With 2/3 of the passengers onboard the Prima TA being Latitudes members, 900 being Platinum and 300 Sapphire (not sure how many Diamond, but we knew there were Ambassadors onboard too. as they're briefly acknowledged) - split "everyone" into just 2 groups and to try to pack all into the Observation Lounge with its known layout/design, perhaps counting on plenty of no-shows or why-bother-mindset, is just poor planning and/or judgement, IMHO.  CC'er currently on the Escape reported that they are holding their Latitudes cocktail reception in the Supper Club is a much better choice.  Prima could've done this in the main theater/club space ... setting the time for 1 PM, is just bad - smack in the middle of lunch time on a sea day.  Hello ... use those brains, good grief. Just as well, b/c while some of the senior/senior officers were present as we walked past them to try to find a corner or somewhere to stand since there're at least 75 to 100 behind us, with 75 to 100+ already inside ... none of them spoke and that included the GM (if he did, none of us heard) and don't believe Captain Kevin "Out" came up from his bridge duty to say a few words.  Afterall, it was the Cuise Next Manager that spoke briefly and did the welcome & apologized for using the space, done & bye, thank you all for coming.  Simple & straight forward, huh.  Impressed, not.  Well, it did gave us the excuse to eat lunch early & hit Indulge Food Hall, the one & only time we ate there ... not easy to find a table for 4 to sit, order & eat; taken over by the hogs using it for card games and social gathering.  

While these comments is just our snapshots of what we've seen and noticed around the ship, others probably seen things from their angles & quite possible not the same as us ... the style of management on the Prima isn't what we've come to expect when cruising other ships in recent years, each team has their leadership dynamics and style ... the ones on the Prima, sorry, I cannot credit them much for problem solving and facing those difficult moments by taking the heat and to defuse.  Striped officers are always busy and walking from one area to another, but very few, if any, actually stop and make any sincere efforts to chat and talk to the average passengers (only the ones that they apparently met or been in contact with) to listen and to troubleshoot.  Seeing dozens of folded chairs in the Penrose Atrium lobby set up nightly for entertainment and performing singers isn't exactly a best practice when it comes to egress with others standing and/or just hanging in clusters among the crowds - that is a design fault when the ship was built, compounded by improvised solutions by adding extra chairs.  

Solutions probably won't come until the first dry dock, if and should NCL choose to select & use different furniture and new, slimmer seating for the public space ... to safely pack more passengers into the same volume of open space.  Ditto for the Observation Lounge, aside from Day 15, the last day while docked in LeHavre where many were still off the ship - the chair & lounge hogs were up there, reserving seats and space, blocking anyone else from daring to even sit nearby.   

... continued to next section 

Review / looking back - impressions of this Prima TA and indirectly, NCL's directions

that we disembarked less than a week ago ... subject, biased & highly personal.  Fellow CC'ers that shared this TA, feel free & we welcome your thoughts and comments on the overall experience as you saw.  

The 2nd Transatlantic for us onboard the Prima, last in Nov. 2023 westbound to NY instead of eastbound, NY to England ... aware of and knew some of the shortcomings & negative reviews.  Perhaps, we dare to give Prima another try - besides, with FCC and other available discounts and sailing schedule - went ahead & book this right around final payment deadline, less than 130 days out (shortly after we came home from the Prima TA) 

  We reached Diamond tier in 2023 and with 4 of us cruising, decided to split our booking into 2 oceanview and then do 2 upgrades (one-time & BOA points) ... got to select our upgraded cabin deck & location, in early January, shortly after we booked, close to final payment deadline.  

MDR reservations are not accepted for parties of 5 or less at 125 or 120 days, and "major" production shows could not be reserved in advance ... any and all "relevant" Latitudes Diamond (ditto, Sapphire or Platinum) benefits or perks with pre-cruise assistance useless and non-existent.  Feeling special, not a chance - not even a "personalized" welcome abroad form letter in the cabin.  Of course - to sail & sustain, with 300+ Sapphire alone onboard, they should've know better - indifference ?  It is what it is, largely corporate's "fault" but not entirely.    

A little more than 2 weeks before embarkation, all Prima TA guests were emailed and message bombed with notices of the ship being delayed arriving into NY and that no guests should arrive before 12 noon or risk being turned away and come back later.  Really, huh - we suspected something was up when we did the online check-in at 21 days, and the earliest check-in/arrival time was 12-12:30 PM and as late as 3:30 to 4:00 PM.  Scheduled sailaway was 4 PM ... subsequently changed, adjusted & delayed to 6 PM ... resulting in plenty of chatters on a very busy & sometimes confused roll call.  

   Had been tracking other NCL ships doing the TA, the Pearl TA leaving NY 2 days earlier than us and Getaway TA 2 days after us, all being informed of the delayed arrival, etc. etc.  Not to sail & sustain alone, rather due to Right Whales & speed reductions / maritime protections ... along/near NY - NJ coastal routes due to sightings.  Funny thing is, ships were speeding along most of the way and doing fine, and could've easily make the efforts to make up for the slow down & get in earlier than 9 to 10 AM but ... heck, what do I / we know, we aren't up on the bridge and/or sitting in Miami calling out the orders to the engine room below deck.   

Embarkation disaster ... ships being delayed on arrival isn't new, sometimes due to unscheduled inspections that triggered massive embarkation backup inside the terminal building.  In 2022, we experienced similar mishap on the Norwegian Joy on a routine turnaround to Bermuda on a 7 days run ... had onboard discussion with asst. manager for guest services - apologized and passed the bucks to shore-side NCL contractors & pier operations, beyond their direct control ... okie dokie. 

  Of course, some passengers will show up no matter what & whenever they like, ignoring instructions and then try to push their way ahead to board first, etc.  If you announced that nobody is going to be allowed to enter until 12 noon, then why turn your back & allow 500+ people to start lining up inside anyway before 11 AM.  Haven guests were left waiting in the lounge for hours and from what I understood, herded abroad - earlier than the rest, of course - in large groups together ... so much for personalized attention & services.  Just be glad to be among the first onboard after 1:30 to 2 PM, and finally enjoy lunch.  To make matters worst, stories told - not verified - that NCL didn't have enough crew members on hand to help those needing wheelchair assistance to board, leaving some waiting inside the building for a while.  It would help, if the ship's "leadership" team in command positions can come inside the terminal and do a brief walk to see what's going on, and start talking to others & ask questions ... nope, that didn't happen as far as I could tell.  Not a soul with stripes in Pier 88.  Not in their job descriptions, I suppose. 

  Oddly enough, Norwegian Joy is currently inbound toward NY this evening (again) from its 7 days Bermuda run, and appeared to be going slower as usual.  But, no delayed arrival expected or announced - ETA is around 4 to 5 AM docking at Pier 88.  Funny thing, those whales are seasonal & migratory, they surely can alert NCL operations 2 weeks or more ahead, of their movement to plan for ships to slow down ... or, is AI doing the work for NCL to sail and sustain.  But, I digress again - let's sail and sustain, for our (in)convenience.  Life goes on, first world problem.  To NCL's credit, Prima somehow managed to sail just a little after 6 PM, practically on-time for its delayed departure as scheduled - and, loaded plenty of provisions onboard, as when I came back to the pier around 1:15 PM - a long line of trailers were waiting nearby to unload & transfer onto the ship.  Except, no hash browns or cookies, apparently some of the specialty restaurant's breads aren't freshly baked daily onboard - rather they are sourced outside & loaded onto the ship at the port(s) - perhaps, cheaper as a cost-saving measure (confirmed to the niece as she has severe food allergies.)  

  End results, there're plenty of horror stories of passengers spending 2 to 3 hours (or more) waiting to get thru security, check-in and finally boarding ... scrambled to find & get something to eat in the mid/late afternoon, before dinner or the MDR is open for service at 5 PM.  We must be lucky as we made it to the Hudson MDR still serving lunch around 3:15 to 3:30 PM - staterooms were not ready (surprised, not) until 4 PM as I recall.  We happened to walked by Improv, Deck 7 MID - noticed the signage outside, luggage held/storage ... except, by then - the room was nearly empty and everyone had returned to reclaim their bags, trying to make their way into their staterooms.   Had they posted a nice, big sign near the gangway (or, assign a greeter to spot anyone hauling large luggage, etc.) ... I wonder if we might've taken advantage of the services, maybe ... maybe not.  Too late.  Sometimes, it's more than poor corporate communications but also onboard timely communications, or the lack thereof (case in point, confusion created by the FSD printed info about when or what date/time the mandatory UK passport inspection onboard would be taken place)  

  Also, don't change the clock onboard the ship's public area at 6 AM when your printed FSD stated that the clock will be advanced at 2 PM in the afternoon - happened not once, at least twice - confused some of the passengers as to what time it really is. 

  Part of the pier check-in delays, my understanding, was due to large groups of travelers with travel document (visas & passports) issues - further delaying their processing by shore-side agents.  Latitudes Platinum, Sapphire & Diamond members were not given priorities or preference and treated equally like everyone else - I cannot confirm nor rule out the claims reported.  It is however, factual, based on observations everywhere, that there was a substantial group of non-native English speaking passengers onboard the TA cruise, and none of the key announcements were attempted or made in their homeland language.  Once upon a time, NCL used to do key announcements in Spanish, French, German & even Japanese to communicate to those onboard - nope, not on the TA.  Surely, with a trained international crew onboard, management onboard could've ... What do I know as a keyboard warrior, moving on. 

... to be continued 

Hearing & reading about other Prima TA cruisers sharing news of some of them getting sick onboard and/or testing positive surely isn't good for peace of mind.  Well, I am quite sure now that we are cleared w 2 rounds of rapid testing since flying home last Sunday evening - tested negative this morning again.

Subsequently, we had a nice weekend brunch with 2 of our best friends at one of our favorite local restaurants nearby... as good as the specialty restaurants onboard, if not better.  They are embarking on the Joy tomorrow for a 7 days Bermuda run, no delays or whales outside NY harbor to slow the ship down. 

One of the reasons we tend to steer clear of the Asian themed venues on NCL ... upcoming Thai option on the Aqua, it's a wait & see for us. 

13 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

So essentially there are:

And people are really saying they don't see the cuts? 

Well, some aren't bothered by it ... a few, cheerleading always but for a handful of us, seeing the same old again and again for 15 days recently, many sea days within TA, was pretty sad, to say the least.  Of course, that's my biased & highly personal opinion, not "evidence-based"  

There are cuts for sure, IMHO but perhaps one can disagree, respectfully, whether they are consider major cuts, or minor cuts, maybe LingChi cuts.  Serving portions are smaller as a whole, except for the last day, disembarkation evening in the MDR - never failed on longer cruises.  

DW usually isn't the one to be critical, said, why is NCL serving some sort of eggs based dessert every night.  Me ... speechless, maybe let's leave a comment for the F&B Director or GM.  With a bit of luck, we'll get a note and plated cookies for our inconvenience. 

4 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

Let’s see what kind of secrets they will share at this Exclusive Gathering. 

Well, kudo for the Escape leadership to use a better venue like the Supper Club to host such a large gathering vs. Prima using that Observation Lounge, not to mention that neither the Prima Captain or GM said a word, if they show up at all ... as we surely couldn't see or tell otherwise.  Do tell us later ... is there a door prize drawing ?? 

Southampton, England - disembarkation ... Sunday, 12 May 2024

It was clockwork precision and aside from the long walk down the gangway, smooth & easy - especially when we're pre-cleared by UK immigration (border police) onboard the Prima, while at sea from Iceland to Amsterdam.  Easy walk-off with luggage or waited until color tags were called.  

It appeared that many choose to use taxi services locally, and there are plenty of taxis lined up that match the long line of passengers with luggage, to be taken to their final destination.  NCL buses for the airport transfer is a short walk across and I believed most of them had left already by the time we exited the terminal, around 9 AM then ... as we're probably among the last to leisurely leave.  

LeHavre, France ... it is a long walk into town and we watched tours being lead, going across the bridge.  Better yet, use the 7 Euro (about $8 USD) - a bargain, frugal way - shuttle services that's just outside the port/cruise terminal gate, making 2 stops in a loop, every 15 to 30 minutes - which is what we did, with nothing planned ahead to do a bit of exploring & sightseeing locally, as we ruled out taking NCL buses or the train to get into Paris for possibly 3 to 4 hours max, despite the day being a long one, arriving & cleared to go ashore around 7 AM and all abroad at 9:30 PM.  Crew members on the ship also take advantage of this option & get on the shuttle, as we saw a # of them eating in the same restaurant as us while in town.  

The super busy North Sea route in the evening with another beautiful sunset, calm sea state as we head for Le Havre, France - lots of ferries, cargo vessels, cruise ships, oil tankers, etc. 

Coastal England in the distance ... 

The world of chocolates - Belgium

Zeebruggee - Brugge, Belgium:  a mandatory, brief & short, 5 minutes shuttle bus ride is required from the cruise ship pier to the gated, secured cruise terminal entrance - unless one is on a "sponsored" NCL shorex tour/bus transfer, etc. - then, you can board upon stepping off the ship's gangways.  

Once outside the terminal area, you can walk across the street to the building like we did, and collect our independent shuttle bus tickets to go into Brugge ... or figure out the way (walking to) toward the train station, etc.  Didn't see any taxis waiting nearby but Uber service is available, and, for the return trip - appeared on the pricey side, unless cost-shared among 2, 3 or 4.  

Besides the Norwegian Prima, RC's Anthem of the Seas was there in Zeebruggee, docked in front of us - roughly 8,500 or more passengers, excluding crew members on shore leaves ... going into old town area, with all the shuttle buses dropping everyone at a nearby designated parking lot, with another 15 minutes+ of walking.  There're apparently others there from river cruises, as we saw numerous tour guides waiving flags and leading mini groups - being herded thru the narrow city streets, once we got out of the park grounds.  A number of tourists/visitors friendly restaurants were open early & ready, while others sticked to their normal hours - at 12 noon ... well, we shopped first at the Chocolate Factory before the crowd arrived and did a bit of sightseeing, then, ducked inside for waffles & for a restroom break.  1 Euro is the going rate elsewhere in town for using the bathroom, bring your coins along.  

River depth is pretty shallow, I assume and that the boat driver is a good swimmer in case ... since the boat is loaded and not seeing any life vests or floatation devices, except for one at the front.  

City of Amsterdam - photos ... city centre, within 15 to 25 minutes walking distance of the cruise ship terminal (depending on how fast / slow you walk, on flat & level, sometimes uneven cobblestone pavement ... and, watch or "mind" those bicyclists everywhere ... it's like NYC 😆 ) 

Sailing west toward the North Sea Lock was definitely a scenic evening after early dinner.  We're awake early in the morning coming into Amsterdam, ordered room service hot breakfast w coffee & enjoyed the views from the relative comfort of our stateroom's balcony ... it surely saved us from lining up to get seated in the Hudson MDR in the AM.  

Room service breakfast for $4.95 + 20% and a small cash tip, I called it a win-win - given how hectic it has been downstairs when it comes to meals ...  On full sea days, I don't mind joining the herd and test our patience in madness.  

8 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Amsterdam is such a great city! We've been there twice by land and twice by cruise ship. 

... There is so much to see. Keukenhof. which was an included excursion on our river cruise, is beautiful, and we were so excited when we found a tulip named after the family that are my wife's maternal ancestors. There are great museums, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House to name a few. And there are more than those major ones. We enjoyed especially visiting the Portuguese Synagogue (dating from the 1500s) when we were on our Prima cruise.

 

Another very interesting attraction that we visited our first time there was the Rembrandt House ... 

Thanks and we 100% agreed, DW and I would definitely consider going back again to see more of Amsterdam, a half day stopover is just a sampler and one barely touched and see the tips of the iceberg.  We choose not to go with NCL for shore excursions and doing a private, shared tour is the best way *** to go ... our driver-guide did all he can to insure that we would be back near the cruise terminal, and gave us excellent direction on how to best walk back to the ship from nearby city centre.  It was the holiday and streets packed full of locals and visitors alike, very robust and alive, full of energy and also for us - the sense of safety & security in walking around.  

*** For those considering DIY on a future visit to see Amsterdam, the shared van cost was only $35 USD p/p (max of 8 in the van) and admission not included, equivalent of $25 USD p/p - that's all.  Optionally, we tipped our excellent driver-guide (thanks, Bill for making it possible & that photo-bomb, LOL)  

One more short video clip from the Keukenhof flower show and I selected a few more pix from DW's smartphone camera, it's all about Amsterdam ...  She said, now that we've seen & experienced the sea lock and witnessed how the canal raised and lowered the river/ocean level to allow ships to transit, let's skip doing the Panama Canal and do something else, i.e. come back to see Holland again.  The "boss" called it 👍 

Good Saturday morning ... CC'er, almost done wrapping up the work on a couple more video clips.  Summary report/reflections of the TA is nearly done as well, should be posted - be happy to read comments, answer questions and anything else that we can best try to answer ... as always, my/our sincere thank you to the help from a # of "contributing" CC co-posters, including the "behind the scene" ones, some shall remain stealthy & not named to preserve their "identities"

Once in Amsterdam, we meet up with fellow CC'ers, Teri & Michelle @Travelicious - designated organizer for the CC Meet & Greet, a very successful one; along with Bill & Nancy @Coachyo and headed across the city to Keukenhof, Holland for the flower show - sharing a very comfortable van ride for 8 of us plus our driver-guide (thank you)   

Just 3 short video clips along the way, out of the city thru the countryside with miles and miles of fields of colorful flowers (many has peaked & bloomed, we just missed it) and our driver was able to take us on a quick tour in town where vehicles aren't welcomed, most are on foot & bicycles (watch out for them, silent & they don't ...) 

Wonderful visual & moving memories of our short visit to Amsterdam ... near/passing thru the red light districts near the main train station, etc. 

A number of us dined at Paloma for its seafood options ... well, can't bring the taste of freshly prepared fish to ya, but a condensed video clip of the baked whole sea brass (oven for 35 minutes, we're told) that served 2, deboned fillet and served in front of our eyes - yummy yummy.  We'll do this again on our next NCL cruise, if this is available (not necessary on the Prima) 

It's market priced or has a price tag of $90 and we're advised that we can use the platinum voucher for 2, or dining package for 2 and have this, with no extra upcharge ... along with 2 starter/appetizer each and 2 sides, plus 2 dessert (with French press coffee, complimentary ... better than Starbucks, IMHO)

Wow video is about 1 minute long showing the whole fish, freshly baked out of the oven - just about everyone sitting nearby had their heads turned to watch the presentation 

Second & longer video is about 3 minutes showing the details involved in deboning the fish and getting the fillet on the plate.  

Norwegian Prima leaving the North Sea channel lock at IJmuiden in the early morning hours toward Amsterdam, 16+ miles long or 27 km and taking up to 3 hours to transit thru before the ship can dock.  

Here's a video clip as the sea lock behind the ship has closed and the water level permitted the Prima to continue its journey inland toward Amsterdam - this is considered among the largest in the world vis-a-vis the Panama Canal lock(s) - with plans to further ... 

Looks like our new CC friends @Fogfog - hi, Sharon & Robert ... might possibly be home  again and catching up with video clips ... this one is for us, others & everyone onboard the Prima TA.  Let's bring back a tiny bit of swee memories, for a moment, Duo Rita that sang nightly - sometimes in Penrose & other times elsewhere, their sweet music ... Let It Be 

7 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

If you were wondering whether I dined alfresco tonight...I did not. If you were guessing that I likely skipped dinner tonight...you would be correct. I did, however, pop up to the buffet for some fruits because I did not want to get scurvy.

@mking8288 the buffet shut down at 9:30pm without hesitation.

... The catnap was all I needed but unfortunately I am now wide awake approaching midnight and have another early morning excursion in Dubrovnik, meeting at 7:15am. It's a vicious cycle.

I see.  Oh dear, Susan and I now extending 300% empathy to you for your challenges ahead ... just to make you feel better (maybe, more like LOL) we both woke up around 4 AM local time here in NY, wide awake, hungry as we are trying to get on our post-cruise diet again.  She watched youtube or what not on her iPad while I catch up on gossips on CC, wondering why we no longer heard rattles and squeaks coming from behind the wall, ceiling & bathroom panels, not to mention the cold draft from the sliding balcony door ("poorly" insulated w the cold draft while we're on the North Sea last week)  

The remedy, go downstairs to O'Sheehan's and order some chicken wings (ordered ours w sauce on the side, it's "better" IMHO)  Maybe, Kahlua w coffee ?? and try to call it a night, set a double alarm & use the wake up call service.  

Thanks for the lookout for the buffet's prompt shutdown time, which is what I expected them to be under new NCL management to sail & sustain, but Prima doing that at 9:00 PM or 21:00 on the dot, is just poor decision making & lack of discretion on ship management ... hearing chatters on the other platform, as I've been told.  I'm nearly wrapping up my Live report, working on uploading several more short videos & the necropsy, oops ... meant to say, post-cruise summary analysis that is definitely, personal & biased, non-objective in nature. 

BTW, how's the ship's WiFi working for you (if you are using mostly NCL's network, as I think the Escape has switched over to Starlink)  

P.S.  👌  very nice pictures, thank you 👍  Ya better go try to get some sleep or else, be sleeping thru your morning shorex 😎

46 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Well.....what are they saying?  

"Mind" your steps and "rough" seas  😬 😬

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

…9:30 might be way past my bedtime 😅

Just check out the FSD listing, you don't need to go upstairs to see for yourself ... since you are usually somewhere in the club or dance floor  😁   Yeah, don't short change your beauty rest & sleep on this port intensive itinerary - 200% empathy coming your way 😆 

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

I love the idea that I have become the @mking8288 spinoff. That’s high praise. Hope I don’t get canceled after one season. 

Of course not, you are going to more places in just one season that what I can possibly plan for, let alone do for an entire year.  Just do it and you will be fine, practice made near perfect and you become better, wiser doing more semi / live trip report on CC.  Just look at Dan @graphicguy he is another prime example with the "can do" attitude/mindset.  

Wait, ship is docked at Croatia and it's past noon time, you should off the gangway and checking out the landscape ... have a great time and treat yourself well.