tcrandal

Echoing the overwhelming majority of response, it's silly to worry about things out of your control and impacting your trip over "worries" that you hear about on the news. Humans used to get up every day and needed to face dangers to merely survive, but in today's world, we manufacture issues, because we have so few REAL issues that personally impact those of us living in the 1st world reality. We all will move on from this world one day, and my approach to it is to see and do as much as I possibly can, not cower in fear of the unknown and do so in the name of trying to protect a life that wouldn't be worth living if we considered all of the dangers we face on a daily basis. One of my favorite quotes... One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it's worth watching.

Drop off luggage outside, wait in line with everyone else for security (I didn’t see a Haven area pre-security). Then, You go up the escalator and there is a Haven check-in area on the left. They check you in, you can snack on some finger foods, and enjoy some coffee and juice. They will walk you onboard when the ship is ready in smaller groups. Not sure if you’re looking for anything specific, but they will point you to the right direction. One thing I didn’t realize, we are in a suite, but not Haven, but they still processed us in the Haven area.

Yes, we did dock near city center… walked along the water, turned left after the transportation center, crossed the canal and boarded a hour canal tour, then explored the city a bit on our own. All new ports to us, so it has been amazing.

Lol I just posted and watching the gate open right now, guess it brought good luck!

I’m onboard right now, and am very pleased with the ship so far. We are currently stuck in a lock that is not operating correctly leaving Amsterdam and have been here for a while. I won’t be surprised to read someone complaining that the Casino never opened tonight as people were camped out in the Casino impatiently waiting for us to clear the lock. Captain announced the lock is malfunctioning, so we may be here for a bit. Here’s a link to the picture of the exact lock we are in… https://www.dw.com/en/netherlands-unveils-worlds-largest-canal-lock/a-60564264 Plenty of minor issues, but man oh man do I hear people onboard complaining about the most minor things. Can’t people just enjoy the trip for what it is? No way any line would be able to please some of these people!

Thank you for your post, onboard now for the June 25th sailing, and so far so great here. You confirmed for me that earplugs ‘ white noise would most likely address the cabin noise, which we also always travel with due to hotels having thin walls or wild kids above us while we try and sleep. Doesn’t excuse the issue, but certainly helps those to plan for mitigation. Love the ship so far, needed a new layout to explore!

First night on the Prima for us, and so far so good! Luckily, not experiencing the cabin noises others have, but maybe it’s because we haven’t hit the open seas yet. Have seen plenty of miserable people in the boarding process, that definitely confirms some of those that complain are just “complainers”. I am NOT referring to the OP when I state that, as he definitely has plenty of valid complaints, but I can say to those that nitpick about every little detail and badger the crew… please try some self-awareness. I think that is why some people are quick to jump on the negative people, like one in another thread that just sounded like they should stay home, as they were “bored” onboard. I don’t understand what it is about cruise ships that brings out so many miserable people, but maybe it’s an age thing. I do appreciate the OPs very detailed review, although to the level he has carried it, and continues to, I still believe the gambling losses didn’t help set the stage for the experience outside of the noise, which nobody should need to deal with. If nothing else, use it as a warning to bring a noise machine, as mine plays in the background right now, not much could break through that, but obviously, not everyone is used to sleeping with white noise either. Not even 24 hours in, we’re thrilled to be onboard in our forward suite right below the bridge. Just adding this for those that get scared away by negative reports, as I assure you, every ship has negatives. Hopefully they figure out a way to fix the problem In the cabins that are impacted. For all we know, it may be a handful, but that’s enough to ruin 1-2% of the travelers vacation. Maybe continue the crusade and start a Google sheet of the impacted cabins?

Have you beat with BBS’s with 300 baud cradle modem (I don’t recall a 900 baud modem, was 300, 1200, 9600, etc..)

Lets be fair, did you try either one?

Thank you for posting noise, was definitely curious about it for our cruise this week, now I’m relieved to know that our white noise machine (you can alternatively use an app) will easily mask any issues with that. I would highly recommend people to look into that if they encounter similar issues. Not much different than hotels that we stayed in with thin walls and floors that you could hear everything all night long, so we now travel with a small white noise machine and sleep blissfully through any noise. Our secondary mitigation would be noise cancelling earbuds, but that would have to be an extreme issue. I recall the hanger issue keeping us up all night in our early days of cruising, until we learned to remove all empty hangers from the bar in the closet.

Well said, that is my attitude too, but you know as well as I do, most people playing don’t have that take and shift ownership from themselves losing money to every other reason in the world instead of taking personal responsibility for sitting at the table or slot. Glad to hear that you aren’t one of them! As far as the cabin noise, did you think about using a white noise app or similar?

I think it’s important to understand that negative reviews, are written with much more passion and detail than the positive, so they not only get posted more, but they get more traction too (true psychology is that people are more drawn to read / watch negative blogs/vlogs). I will never forget our first time cruising many years ago, we were pretty nervous, mainly because of all the negative things we read! Thank goodness, we didn’t listen to them! If we took a look at a sampling of all ship reviews over the last year, I would venture to guess that the ratings are low across the board. I also think it is important to point out that in the OPs roll call board on this site, there were 3 positive postings about the sailing and one negative, by the OP. Of course there are always issues on every vacation, but a lot is to be said on how you roll with things, and much of that can be gathered and assumed from the posts. My own take for you is that the cabin noise and casino losses may have helped throw the trip into a spiral. I think everyone knows the payout in the casino is subpar to most land casinos, but like you, we choose to still reap some benefits and take on the risk of the losses outweighing the benefits, which over a long period of time, they will. I do appreciate your posts, and that you took the time to share your experience, but it doesn’t do anything at all to concern me for my trip this week onboard the Prima. We already plan for mitigation of noise while we sleep. I will also say that going in with the expectation of problems, often creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Onboard the Prima in 7 days, can't wait! No, I haven't sailed this ship yet, and yes I've read ALL of the recent negative trip reports from the players in this thread. Not concerned in the least... We always find a way to enjoy our well earned vacations, and I am happy to be sailing a ship that I don't know well.. Whether RCL or NCL, we love them both. Are there ever issues? All the time, but we've learned to avoid a good deal of them. I suppose if I lose 20k in the casino, or if we don't bring warm gear to enjoy the cold weather cruise and the countless activities onboard, I might be a little grumpy. But we have the sound machine all geared up as usual to mask any unwanted cabin noises (we always need that at hotels), putting ourselves in vacation mode, and letting the ship take us where it may, and enjoying every moment with each other! Will always be negativity, much of it warranted, much of it not. If I come back pissed off, you will know something really hella bad went down.

We will be sailing aboard the Prima in a couple weeks. We have a Studio reserved for one member of our family, and a suite for the other two. We purchased a large number of specialty dining nights for the person in the Studio, but forgot about the Platinum benefits so we have a few extra meals for that person. A couple nights of the 11 day cruise, we'd like to order specialty dining to the Suite, and have the 3 of us enjoy dinner on the balcony. Can we order three dinners at the same time, and have them subtract the three dinners from the guest staying in the studio and have them delivered to the suite? I don't believe we can use a specialty meal for someone else in person, at any of the restaurants, so not sure if they would look at it differently for this? I'm sure it's one of those unique try it and see, but figured I'd post to see if anyone has done similar, or know for sure what their official stance is on this? Thanks in advance!!

We build these things into something they aren't. Everyone in Haven is an average Joe from many diverse areas of life. None better than the other, so relax, and enjoy the heck out of the experience with an ice cold beer without a glass.... ;)

JB- Just wanted to pop in and thank you for your postings. Our family of 3 will be traveling from the states to visit the UK on June 22nd and board the Prima in Southampton on June 25. I have been trying to figure out the best way to see Stonehenge on 6/24, and was looking at a lot of different tours, but your train / Ho-Ho bus seems to be the best idea yet. Greatly appreciate you taking the time to outline and detail the plan to follow for the trip, while it's simple for you, for people visiting for the first time it's extremely valuable information!! I'd really like to proceed with the idea, but my wife has some limitations to consider from a car accident (brain injury) a couple years back and just need a couple contingency plans for her in case fatigue sets in. In a pinch, is it easy enough to take a Taxi from Salisbury to Southampton (I'm sure it's pricy)? Are there any "quiet" areas in Salisbury in which my wife could rest, for example a peaceful park or other area without many crowds on a Saturday? Sorry for the odd questions, just takes a little more creativity with proceeding with the plans than it used to! Again, thank you for spending your time helping others visit your neck of the woods! Cheers!

It boggles my mind as to why people would ever be loyal to a cruise line to begin with! We cruise on the ship and schedule that meets our needs, this isn't a monogamous relationship here, it's a business transaction.

We've been in the Aft Haven suites too on each corner, and never had an issue. I do wonder if it's just a matter of them putting an access point in the Haven rooms, and not the regular Aft balconies? I should have loaded WiFiman on my android and took a deeper look to pinpoint the access points and signal strength (in db, but we had only 1-2 bars for WiFi unless I wedged phone near entrance door, but since we were in port so much in Miami and Port Canaveral it wasn't a huge deal. Just hated paying for the streaming upgrade, and not being able to use it in our cabin. I literally couldn't even load facebook feeds consistently in the cabin.

What a small world! We were in room 13308, a door or two down from OP. We had a great time on the cruise, no major complaints, and we let the minor ones slide away.. here were some of the "minor" items we noticed: - Internet was terrible in Aft cabin. I assume it may have been WAP placement, as when we were out of the cabin it was much better. Paid for the premium streaming, but couldn't stream ANYTHING in cabin on phone or tablet - Thermal Spa - We've done this on almost every ship and for some reason it was much hotter than normal in there, and not enjoyable at all. Ended up only using it twice because of how hot it was in there. Usually the pool is "warm", but it was on the hotter side, and so hot in the space that we didn't even try using the Saunas. We were thrilled with the schedule change for Bermuda that allowed us to stay at the private island longer, and generally warmer weather for a longer period of time! Even though they arrived late to Port Canaveral, we got to Hollywood Studios around 5:15pm and rode almost every key ride except ToT and Aerosmith with some decent advance planning (along with DAS pass and Genie+). Don't like the "dishonesty" that they pretended both being late to Port Canaveral and Bermuda were surprises, but we fully expected both, and understand they are caught in a difficult place to announce it before they did. Can't wait for our next NCL cruise, although the tie between RCL and NCL in our minds is slowly shifting to RCL. Main reason is room types at suite level, and Star class inclusions.. NCL used to win out because of their Haven space (when we splurge) and thermal spa, but we found we barely use Haven space when we sail in that class, since we prefer an AFT Haven suite (those are a few decks away) and thermal spa was a disappointment and waste of money this cruise. RCL star class inclusions are so much better than Haven, but they need a better suite area for guests.

We are always able to find quiet places, you just do the opposite of what everyone else does.

Thank you, I did not realize that. I considered booking a car and just driving, but with the 5pm close, I didn't think it worth it, but if they allow people there already to stay later that's great information to consider!

Didn't everyone already get an onboard credit and a small FCC? Good luck, and knock yourself out.

Call me crazy, but I think you're overstating the advantage you have from "being on the inside" of government, you're a cog in a very complex system. Complaints are great, there are things that NCL should really be held accountable to that from recent posts I'm seeing are code violations in relation to food and egress pathways. But by golly, if you have the entire arsenal of the US government backing your cause, then bless your heart!

I'm neither a stock holder nor a die hard NCL fan, as I cruise with many different companies for a variety of different reasons. I understand being disappointed, what I guess I'm not clear on is what you believe you would be entitled to if for some reason a decision was in your favor. If you're being honest with yourself ( and us), would you have decided not to go on the trip if you found out prior to the cruise that they weren't going to the port? Since weather conditions are the deciding factor here, wouldn't you want NCL to hold off as long as possible before they make the decision to cancel in hopes that conditions improve? I'm not suggesting you don't have a reasonable complaint, however I see all too many people thinking they deserve a full refund because they missed their port, yet they still enjoyed the food, drinks, entertainment and rooms onboard. Of course those same people claim to be a captive at the mercy of the ship, and if you read the terms, that is true. Stuff happens people, even the best planned trips encounter disappointment, but life is too short to focus on that and not the next adventure. If anything, go ahead and try other cruise lines if you believe NCL is not meeting expectations.

If you're referring to the 2/18 sailing, I do know they cancelled some excursions for both the Orlando and Bermuda stops. One theory for the cancelled KSC (Kennedy Space Center) is that they were concerned about getting in to port at the 1pm timeframe, since the KSC excursion leaves at 1:30pm and KSC is only open until 5pm, it would be a waste. Excursions in Bermuda have been cancelled because of time changes, and we already are assuming that we will not make it there since they have cancelled the last 3 visits there due to weather and the narrow channel combination.