uneamie

Our first sea....I love sea days. So relaxing and the first one is filled with lots of new things to explore and do on a new ship. Checking out our Freestyle Daily and looking over all the activities listed I can't see why anyone would ever feel that there is "nothing" to do. OMG! There was so much to choose from. The weather was not bad, but it was windy for most of our cruise...not hot and not really cold. It was nice and sunny. If you were a pool person then you may have been disappointed for the first few days of this cruise and not due to the weather. When we boarded and we passed by the pool it was empty...I figured they just wanted to put fresh water in it. But on our first sea day it was still empty and there were men in it doing repairs. My memory is fading but I think it was still empty but being filled later in the afternoon which takes time on our 2nd sea day. I heard some people complaining that they paid a lot of money for this cruise to sit around an empty pool. Hmm...yes, there were people hogging the chairs for 2 days waiting for that pool to be fixed....just sitting there looking at it. LOL . There was also a broken hot tub but all in all there was plenty of other hot tubs and there was the infinity pools which were heavenly. Hubby is not into pools but he will sit there and watch me while I enjoy it. So for some reason there was only 2 other people in the infinity pool so I jumped at the opportunity and to my surprise it was "heated". I did not know that....what a treat...it was a great surprise and I wondered why all those people staring at the empty pool were not filling up these heated pools. Anyway, I totally enjoyed chatting with a few nice people and their little boy who was having a blast with his swimmies on. The pool is 5ft deep and no shallow end or ledges to sit on, you just have to float or hold on to the sides or be 6ft tall to just stand there. I barely reached the bottom with my toes....I think it would have been great if they made a ledge but then I could forsee people sitting there ALL DAY and hogging the ledge and the pool so it's good it didn't have one. We had lunch at the Local. I had the Pub hot dog...amazing! So yummy! Hubby had the fish and chips and that was yummy too. I did order the "chicken wings" the BBQ ones just to see what everyone was talking about and yes, they are NOT CRISPY like I like them. Not real bad but I am not a big fan of soft skin on my chicken. It just losses something if they are not crispy....so I passed on ordering them again. We ate outside since the weather was pleasant. It jus seems too crowed "inside". We had breakfast there several times and their breakfast is great. Tonight we use our speciality dining package and had dinner at Cagneys. Our dinner schedule hours were 5:30 so that we were free to do the shows and other things going on in the evening. This was a perfect time. We'd get there about 10 mintues before they opened and the entire restaurant was ours to pick out our seating. Something that is not that easy if you have later dining times. We always choose a window seat to view the ocean...perfect! Hubby had the Scallops and I had the Rib Eye. Hubby's was sooo delicious, I got to taste. Mine was OK...I heard that Cagney's steak is not the quality that it used to be and since I dined there before on our other cruises I can agree. My steak was not as good quality as before....no bad but nothing to write home about. I had wished I ordered the Scallops. LOL. The side dishes were excellant and while some said they were too small...they were perfect for us. The grilled zucchini was especially delicious. Oh and the 7 layer chocolate cake for dessert was heavenly. We ended our evening with a comedy show at the Prima Theather. Lots of seats were available. It was a hoot. So much for Part 2...I will be back! Enjoy my pics! IMG_1089.MOV

Actually we are home now...but I got one of those Sundays at the Local and it was delicious!

Please excuse all my spelling errors. I just reread my post and "oh my". I should have read it before I posted it for it won't let me edit it now.

Sailing for a 7 day to Bermuda from NYC port. So, first I'd like to thank all the members who helped us get ready for this cruise. Some of the advice was crucial and extremely helpful. I will post the "Pros and Con's at the end". Mostly Pros for us! We live in NJ but wanted to make sure our first day was going to go without a hitch so we booked a room at the Fairfield Inn in Bergan NJ the night before. It included the room, continential breakfast the next morning, parking for the entire cruise and transportation to and from the port. It cost a little under $300 and was well worth it for a less stressful first day and getting there on time. We arrived at the port earlier than the time we picked....but "heads up", they do not check times so go when you want. We got there around 10AM, no issues. We boared around 11:30 I believe. I use a walker due to back issues...I can walk but not for long without support. So esstentially having a walker got me into the handicapped line which was shorter and that was a plus but I would have been fine in the other line. I used the walker off and on during the cruise but left it behind on the ship during an excursion and regretted it. I didn't take into account the long line we waiting in for 45 minutes to board the ferry to St George. Oh well...lesson learned. Our first day on Prima was wonderful. Due to the crowded buffet area, which we already anticipated, we enjoyed a nice lunch of "fish and chips" at Hudson's. Great food, great service and a gorgeous elegant dining room...no complaints! Then we headed to the Prima Theater where one can make and or change dining reservations. I got a few changed to earlier times that I could not get online with not problem. I suggest going as soon as you board or soon after because there were tons of people in there. We waited till after lunch and were lucky to get the times we wanted but we really should have gone there before lunch. We then began a mini tour of this beautiful ship. Yes, the flow in getting around is a bit different than other ships but frankly you get used to it. It was not an issue for us. The Atrium is quite different and a bit small at times, especially when there is entertainment there. One has to aquire a seat at least an hour ahead if you want to be sitting during a game or mini show there. We always found a seat...sometimes you just have to be patient and hang out there and wait for one. Any ship we've ever sailed on has the same issue so this is not a separate one for Prima. The Penrose Bar is located there in the Atrium and that bar is usually the busiest and they make just about any drink you want. The bartendars are excellent and though they could use a few more the ones there work their butts off...so consider that if you are contemplating a little tip. They deserve it. Our cabin was ready and we proceeded to check it out. We booked a balcony, mid ship but closer to the forward end right near the elevators. Great location for just about everything. Cabin 10150 port side. Cabin was large and spacious. More storage than I thought if you store things right. Loved the balcony chairs and the shower is wonderful. Our cabin steward was Bernard and he was a sweetheart...very attentive and we gave him a nice tip at the end to show our appreciation. He asked us what time we'd like our cabin serviced and we choose anytime between 12 and 4 PM. It was always done by the time we returned in the afternoon...we did not miss an evening turn down. And, YES, I got my ICE bucket filled very single day. First night we dined at "Induldge" We had no problem getting a seat.Ordering off the computer was so easy. I had the "port belly"...OMG! Was that ever delicious! We both had a salad too...We are not big eaters so we only had a few things there but it was a great alternative to the buffet. Service there is fast and easy. Sail away was great as usual. We tend to watch it on our balcony in stead of hanging with the crowds. We choose to go to the "Deal or No Deal" game that evening. You have a few choices if you want to participate....one card is $29. You don't have to buy a card you can just watch. It was fun! Of course I just had to try my luck at the casino and make my losing deposit...LOL Fun first day and night. So far the ship is not the "disappointment" many have expressed. It's a beautiful but different ship...a whole new experience. Today was a joy. Part 2 maybe tomorrow. I am unpacking all our laundry and the tons of stuff I never wore. ha!

So tell me…how would you know? I am far too busy enjoying myself to ever take that much notice to what others are doing. 🙄

So HOW MANY times do we have to watch this??? We watched it when we did online registration. We got 2 emails yesterday saying they wanted us to watch it again. Now we have 2 more emails today wanting us to watch it again. I have a feeling that when we go to our cabin we will have to watch it for a 4th time.....We will do what is required but wondering if we will still have an inperson "muster drill". Hmmm!

Hmm...because I, as well as others, didn't KNOW THIS. Now that I do I won't discuss it anymore.

I agree...however there are those here, like me, who DID NOT know that NCL changed the rules here. So it may be redundant, but many are under different impressions of what is or is not at this point. I dont realyl see the harm in discussing it. We have the option to scroll on by.

I think this whole discussion is going nowhere because frankly the entire set-up for this venue and the Haven perks being considered first in it, no matter how many of them utilitze it, is always going to be a sore spot for those who have to stand in line for an hour and sometimes no room after that wait. I realize they pay 2 to 3 and sometimes 4 times for their level and cabins. Yes, they deserve certain perks....but none of those should interfer with the things that are included for the rest of the passengers.

ugh.....Haven guest have their own hot tubs, bar and restaurtant. I don't see anyone complaining about that. The point is....if Haven guest had their own theater and shows in that theater it would be understood that it's a perk included in their high price, just like getting lobster in their restaurants "free" when the rest of us have an upcharge. ( no complaints )...

No one is expecting a guarantee....but if it's advertised as part of our cruise then one does expect a decent reasonable level of availability. If 70% of the room was filled by "perk people"...then I would not cosider that a decent level of availability for the rest of us. If that is going to be the case then they need to give the Perk People their own shows in their own Haven deck.

These shows are advertized as part of our cruise entertainment....so WE at lower level cabins should get what WE pay for. Nowhere in those advertisements does it say we only get that entertainment if we're the lucky few to get what's left after Haven guest have been seated. Otherwise they should advertise them for JUST HAVEN cabins and keep it excusive to them only...better yet, put a theater up in the HAVEN and that would be more than fair.

Keep us posted on the weather in Bermuda. We will be there next week and hoping for some warmer weather. So happy to hear they moved the comedy shows to the theater. Thanks for filling us in and have a wonderful cruise!

An extension cord....sometimes ya need it, depending on the outlets in your cabin.

Thanks for clarifying that. I don't mind sitting inside to wait, I have to have my walker if I have to stand too long so I am contemplating where when I need to take my walker. I can walk but I just can't stand that long without something to lean on. due to back issues. Thanks again!

So you were in line 40 minutes.....or 10 minutes before the doors opened??? I'm confused.

All the reason why I always being "duck tape"....it solves many problems. I'm never without it.

Funny...years ago on "Carnival Legend" we got a 2 room aft balcony for almost the same price as a regular balcony. It was a huge wrap around balcony that you could have a party on. I couldn't believe it. It had 2 rooms and a jacuzzi tub. We loved it. I am betting that cabin sells for a lot more than we can afford now.

We are on the Prima next week going to Bermuda. I anticipate that I will like this cruise more than I did the Breakaway. Breakaway was way too crowed for us...especially the hot tubs and pool. We are not real pool people but I do like to hang out there for the sun and atmosphere....we could never get a lounge close enough...just too many people all over the place. I didn't hate it but out of all our cruises Breakaway was the least enjoyable for us.

Which means it is very difficult to book restaurant and show reservations on the same night unless you want to eat at 9 or 10PM.....I think they need to have these restaurants open earlier.

Our third party Trinity reservations responded to my email about our reservation not showing. Their response was that I made the reservation on Friday evening and they are closed on the weekends so the reservation did not get processed until today ( Monday ). I was relieved that they are processing it today, but then I wondered what if I was booking the hotel room for Saturday, the day after Friday evening when I booked....how would that hotel know I booked anything if Trinity is closed on the weekends. ugh! They don't take phone calls or emails on the weekend. I likely will not book through them again knowing this. I am just glad that they found my reservation today. I will be calling the hotel that morning to make sure we have our room. Thank you everyone for responding and with many tips for the future....I apprecate it.

Good to know...I am not a sun person myself so I will check out the the deck 8 out side of Induldge and Ocean Boulevard....we generally do not care about seats around the main pool. thanks!

We are leaving on the May 7th cruise to Bermuda. I feel the same. I've been reading all these issues with Prima but secretly realizing that some of those issues are either blown out of proportion or ones that will not be a "big deal" to us. We are not high maintenance. We go with the flow and figure things out as we go. Only thing I was concerned about was not being able to book a show....which we already did online. All the other stuff seems to be issues we have always encountered on all our cruises and learned how to avoid them, work around them or not let them affect our joy! I love cruising so none of this stuff is ever going to stop us.

I truely loved your review....that said, I noticed you booked the "Vibe". I am guessing that made your days much nicer since you had a place to go that was not crowded but you didn't mention being here all that much so I am also guessing that you enjoyed the ship aside from having the Vibe to go to.

Funny you should say that....we booked a cabin at Yosemite National Park in California. We were elerted to all the "bears" there that will practically break your car windows if they smell food in your car while parked so you have to be very very careful to not leave food in there. We signed to this place and did not have a very good feeling about it, but it was all we had going for us at such a late time in the day. We got signed in and went to our cabin room that was ground level...not good for "bear country" but oh well. The room was musty and not reall all that clean...and I noticed that the sliding glass door was broke. Go figure! We could not secure it, or lock it. We complained and it was either we except the room or find somewhere else to stay. We stayed because there just was no where else to go that late in the day. Having all this knowledge about the "bears" ....well you can just imagine how well we slept that night. We had food in our cabin because we did not want to leave it in our car......ugh! I swear I heard a bear outside our door but was not sure, until I finally woke in the morning to find the door ajar, like something tried to get in.....An experiece with a room I shall never forget. ha! It's funny now, but not so much then. Oh and the reason I was so on high alert about it all was because I camped at Yosemiti with my brother years before this in a Tent.....there were 2 bears outside our tent and my brother, who was used to this...said, "just be very still and quiet". ugh!