SGCruiser2013

Our family is looking at an ABC cruise on Beyond in the Fall next year. We started looking at prices early November and they were pretty decent for typical Verandas. When the Black Friday deal kicked in Nov. 10th, the pricing actually got a bit worse (I believe mostly to 40% off PP moving to BOGO75, but seemed like a little more than this also). I talked to a Celebrity cruise consultant and they indicated they do expect some actual Black Friday additional sales although nothing certain, not sure if will be my cruise, not sure what type of incentive (e.g., OBC or deposit or fare, etc.). Now am seeing some Black Friday discussions around drink packages/excursions, etc. and wondering if better to book now, take advantage of some of those, and then perhaps adjust. Personally, I'd prefer less than $500 NFD but not sure if Celebrity does this very often and otherwise can see the benefit of booking now and then reprice if needed. This is one of my first times to sail Celebrity - I'd appreciate what do the Celebrity experts think?

We really enjoyed our vacation on the Prima. On the latter part, one of our party got sick and that slowed us down of course. But the first 4/7 days were very active. My biggest concern w Norway sailing would be if you thought weather would limit outside usage. If so, the crowd issues get even more exacerbated for the smaller inside venues and I would think this more likely to reduce guest experience. While this is not a new concept - e.g., smaller venues being crowded, bad weather affecting inside enjoyment, etc. - when you have a ship like Prima that has made some of the design choices it has, it in fact can vary from other ships in similar circumstances. Prima has invested a lot of space in the galaxy pavilion, in the speedway, in the Haven outside areas, in the open atrium, in the outdoor dining seating - my view/caution is that all of these design choices can make there less room for the ship to handle bad weather comfortably than others I've been on.

@Landl cruiser Can I ask whether you received & discussed billing while on the ship, or did they send you a bill later? Curious as to how NCL handles medical center visits.

Thanks!! As mentioned I don't cruise too much but wanted to do a live thread on this great newer ship. That said, I think perhaps could be some "Prima Fatigue" given all the recent posts and frankly not a lot of questions currently unanswered. Re: walking, I would second what others have mentioned which is Deck 8, Ocean Boulevard, is really the best bet for outside walking. It's the only place really that circles the ship. However, most days this is not easy to do - - which is why you see walkers/joggers out early in a.m. before things get crowded. And when I did that one morning, the ground was a bit wet from washdowns/etc. the night before (or early that morning of) and it's not the easiest b/c the ground can slip a little. So honestly, for walking, not the best situation outside. I think July in the Nordics sounds amazing as long as you think the outside can be appropriately utilized. If it's a full ship, and the outside becomes to cold/weather prone, then the insides will be crowded. Still an amazing ship and lots to do insides, but IMO it's much more of an outside ship.

FINAL THOUGHTS This was our first NCL cruise since the EPIC maybe 10 years ago which seems like the “before times” at this point. Here are the most pros/cons we can think of. PROS -Haven was great, service was 💯, Haven restaurant was as good as any on ship, room was beautiful, butler Sam and steward Lawrence were both 💯 -Haven bar with Kent, Rommel was 💯 really it’s the best place on the ship and the Avion margaritas were made with care. Dma ordered the JW Blue and received it free on our FAS+ package in Prima Haven bar, I know had been some mixed experience with this -I never felt crowded in Haven, or on Haven deck. Felt exclusive to us -The ship is new and beautiful, our room was beautiful cabin 14906 -Donna Summer show was amazing -FAS+ was a good deal for us, we didn’t worry about charges, drank lots of Veuve, premium margs and great bottles of wine at 40% off -Embarkation a total breeze -Specialty restaurants consistently good save for one. Our ranking was: Le Bistro, Cagney’s, Los Lobos, Haven restaurant, Palomar…and a distant last Hasuki 🙂 -Behind the Scenes tour was amazing and worth quite a bit of $$ -Starbucks every morning -Observation lounge was almost always not crowded and peaceful -Prima speedway and the Escape room CONS -Shower and lighting operation in rooms requires a PHD to understand -The ship inside venues get very crowded on a full sailing. I believe this ship is much better built for good weather and utilizes a lot of outdoor space. If was cold out like in Alaska or Norway, I think that’s a risk of crowds that I’d be hesitant to take -The entertainment is subpar for this premium new ship. While DS is great you really can’t just have one feature show like that. I suspect DS plus Noise Boys was better -I prefer when ships have a good walking trail/loop around them, this really didn’t -Same menu in Haven is non preferable to me, it’s not a super long menu and I wish they would have at least one rotating meal each night -When you open patio door to go out, and close the door, the person inside heard an annoying wind whistle in our cabin -Eventually we learned the ship layout and there are only like three decks you really need to “learn” that otherwise are a bit confusing, but I have preferred other ships with a more logical layout and flow Thanks much for following along!

PRICE IS RIGHT we saw this show night before our last. Doesn’t quite know what to expect. In some ways I was pleasantly surprised and in other ways it was similar to many other comments I’ve seen on the boards. I personally dont think it should be elevated to a second feature show status on a ship like Prima. Good points were that the crowd attendance was high and the energy level was very high. People were into it. They showed old clips of the price is right which were very well produced and sequenced. The hosts had a good banter and were funny and the games they played were iconic and looked fun. The show length was about right save for comment below. On the other side, the prizes were lame. If you are going to feature a show like this, you have to give away decent prizes! I was encouraged when first guy won a Tumi suitcase but then after that the prizes were small. A beats headphone set and $100. A guy spun the wheel and got the 💯 and his price was only … 💯 and he got nothing for his second spin. Also … if you are gonna have a showcase showdown, the winner needs to win some sort of a showcase!!! In our cruise show, the showcase showdown went quick and then all of a sudden the event was over. It felt a bit abrupt and a bit of “that’s it?”. Would suggest they work on prizes and ending.

DISEMBARK was a bit of a ..show. We had reason to utilize wheelchair service this trip off and all went smoothly until just before we got to luggage. I guess because of two ships disembarking and our change to Terminal 3, there was very short staff at the port. So after moving off the ship fairly hastily, we were left in a line of wheelchairs waiting for one or two people to take them each one by one through customs, luggage and outside. Was about a 30 minute wait just sitting there which is a bit annoying but also a first world problem as we were ultimately picked up at our room around 8:30 and sitting in the transit car around 9:30 with all luggage accounted for.

LOS LOBOS tonight we had an open late dinner and Haven magicians got us a table reservation (there were actually a few tables empty…wonder if they get a decent amount of no shows on last eve). SO GLAD we did this! We are from Texas and thought the food was excellent. My shrimp fajitas 9/10 DW burrito rojo CHURROS, which actually aren’t churros but rather are Mexican donuts, might be the best dessert on the ship! Wrap Up thoughts coming tomorrow after debarkation.

GSC was cool, we stayed just a couple of hours. The ziplining looked great, wish we had done that! Beautiful day… $omeone el$e’s cabana

SORRY NOT SORRY I love Oasis lol however isn’t this ship the prettiest??! She’s so fly…

BEAUTIFUL DAY AT CO….Oops wrong cruise GRAND STIRRUP CAY TODAY Coco Neighbor Water is blue blue blue Our friend the Oasis DW and my chariot awaits

PALOMAR our last specialty restaurant was a great one. DW and I tried Palomar and took the best seafood they had to offer. Menu, bread and Avion margarita 10/10 Appetizer: Tuna crudo (not pictured as it was six eeeny-beeeny pieces that were fine before the picture) 7/10 Appetizer: Octopus (not pictured as it was so delicious to be gone before the picture) 10/10 Mains: Seabass 8/10 weirdly skin-up? Mains: Dover Sole 9/10 delicious Dessert: Apple tartine with vice cream 8/10 Overall a very nice experience and strong rebound from Hasuki which was not as much our preference. Feel overall like maybe an 8/10 and a great time.

Nothing like enjoying a Rommel-hand-crafted Avion margarita on your patio, listening to the waves, admiring the stars on a mild evening… I personally think the Avion margarita is superior to the Patron Reposado version, though @sid_9169 might differ.

Well as I understand it, the games have features that when turned in/working make it more interactive. Like for example, there a trivia hole where it is supposed to flash a true/false question and you have to putt either the true side or the false side. And most of the 9 holes have some sort of interactive feature like that. Alas, for us, free golf and nada interactive.

JAMAICA MON Yesterday was beautiful Jamaica an island we’ve been to several times. For various reasons DW and I stayed in and had a ship day! We started at breakfast in Seaside buffet area where again the food was very good. Fresh and hot, made to order eggs and omelettes, YUM City. We sat outside to avoid the crowds. We played the putt putt golf course which was a 9 hole course and was free this whole cruise YAY…..because it is broken…😬 If it was working it might have been cool We then spent a good time enjoying the Haven sun deck and pool area which was quite open with the crowds in Jamaica. So relaxing! Finally did two meals we got to try Local for lunch. Amazing chicken wings, DW loved her BBQ western type burger, tasty fries and I had fish and chips (just OK). Would triple down on wings next time they were the real deal. Forgot pics! But might get that again… For dinner we had our first bad meal. Hasuki. We enjoy Japanese hibachi and have been to tons of places back home so perhaps this was sufferage by comparison. Miso soup was bland, rice was overcooked, the steak was in very large cubes, the sauces were not our style - could go on but you get the gist. I think just not our place as service was great and we enjoyed meeting some new people! Shrimp were huge and tasty so that’s a high point! Today is a Sea Day we will see what is in store. Any questions we can answer just let me know!!

The three singers in Donna 2.0 were so great! Not Kimberly tho as mentioned above. You are correct last night the Newly/Not-so-Newlywed game was featured in Prima theater last night, presumably as NCL evaluates what to do post-Noise Boys.

Today went to HELL™️. Straight past purgatory and right to HELL™️. No time to even say HELLo™️ this morning. GRAND CAYMAN yes ok we went to HELL™️. And we had been there before and it’s the same. And there was a hell scape of hell puns 🙂 Our beautiful ship from the Tender: We looked to do something for the first time today and settled on the Cayman Bicycle Adventure and Coral Beach tour. We had low expectations which I recommend for most Caribbean excursions but we had fun. Summary of excursion: 9:45 meet in Commodore, 9:55 board Tender, 10:20 arrive Cayman, 10:30 excursion start with coach ride to bicycle house, 10:45 arrive and get bikes and helmets, 11-ish to 1-ish was bike ride (about 6 total miles, mostly flat, mostly at low speeds so group could stay together, we visited lookout in West Bay, HELL™️, then after getting the HELL™️ outta there we stopped at a liquor store for Rum drink and Rum cake, then bikes to Dolphin discovery for tank viewing, then bike back to house), 1:15 bus to Coral Beach, 1:35 order rum punch, coconut shrimp, and quesadillas, 2:30 bus back to tender port, ~3pm arrival back at ship. Some pics from Cayman, including you know where™️: Aaagh™️

I FEEL THE NEED, THE NEED FOR SPEEDway Well had to try the Prima speedway today. Tickets lined up for 3:30pm for DW and me. Somehow I achieved the pole position This was a FUN time. Worth the charge. I thought the go karts move pretty fast, at least they felt so. Pro tip: maybe try doing the full ride until they tell you to stop. I took off first and thought we only got 4 laps and then I saw a check flag and so pulled into pit stop. The quizzical looks they gave me were funny…in hindsight. I was offered and have accepted a redo for Friday and will surrender my pole station and just follow the crowd. It looks like most got 7 laps in. ESCAPE ON THE PRIMA Our party of four also braved the Escape Room. This was fun. I’ve done escape rooms a couple of times before and I thought it was mostly on par save for the last “big clue” which for whatever reason was not operating today so we ended early. The story/puzzles were medium hard and they did not give a lot of clues which really made you try and fail more often than usual. But ultimately we escaped so this LIVE thread can move forward.

“Absorption in things other than self is the secret of a happy life” - James CAGNEY Cagney’s steakhouse dinner tonight. Given @Greenpea2’s experience I was most interested of course in the shrimp appetizer lol. Happy to report the shrimp were big and not rubbery 🙂 Overall a rather quiet meal. We had a great bottle of wine. The salads were great - best Caesar we’ve had thus far on the ship and the Wedge was also perfect. Steaks and lamb chops all served as ordered with extra mint jelly. But while overall quality was good, it seemed 8/10 good and not 10/10 good. The Haven restaurant night 1 is actually our favorite of the three meals thus far. Though Bistro a close second. Cagney’s was super crowded tonight and it felt slightly more “crowded ship” vs “exciting hustle and bustle” but the service was great. Here are pics: Dma’s shrimp which she shared 🙂 My tuna tartare tasty 8/10 Wedge blue cheese was perfect Lamb choppers

COZUMEL beautiful arrival to beautiful weather. 80 degrees and mostly sunny. While Dma is off for a tequila tasting, we went simple and walked from Porta Langosta to Restaurant La Mission which had been recommended on the CC boards as well as on TA. Awesome lunch!! Totally recommend. Great margs and seafood. Lobster plate w coconut shrimp DDyo Seafood plate Coconut shrimp were huge and fresh and had a great sauce. Five to an order.

DONNA SUMMER last night was awesome. One of the best musical performances I’ve seen on a cruise ship. All three Donnas (young, prime, mature) were great. Toss up between middle and older Donna as to whom my fave was, they were both simply outstanding. Also I appreciated it was feature length, they really got to tell a story. Rest of the Company was excellent top to bottom, while the Donnas were featured the whole group was so, so talented. Bravo! Haven seating was pretty easy in hindsight. We gathered at Haven lounge about 45 mins beforehand and when they were about to open doors we were escorted down and let into the theater. The first four rows of left side were exclusively reserved for Haven but you could sit anywhere. So really it functioned mostly like a separate Haven line/entrance to the show. So far the Avion margaritas are outperforming the Patron Silver margs.

Roger Gustavsen. Has been a captain since circa ~ 2007 I believe. His 6th or 7th ship to captain if I recollect.

Yes! Was a great picture. Unfortunately DW and I skipped it … but Ddyo and Dma pic turned out super good.

All great points and hope you are having an awesome cruise! I don’t think our entertainment is changing significantly, but I think there is a chance it may be because Noise Boys contract just recently ended and they may not have picked up the new act/show yet. I agree for a ship of this caliber and price you would expect more than one feature show. So for our cruise out of luck I think but hopefully NCL doesn’t make this business as usual. For us cruise pricing is an interesting animal. NCL Free at Sea throwing in four categories of included items was attractive or at least competitive with other cruise lines as it reduces nickel and dime. Also, beforehand we bought FAS+ which while not an insignificant add has really reduced the number of extra charges and we have already made back our $ with no by the glass charges and the 40% savings on bottles.

Before dinner, we sprung for the feels-pretty-pricy Behind the Scenes tour. We are Haven but not NCL status so this was the “excursion version” which is $149/pp. However was extremely well done. Better than BTS tours we’ve had on other cruises. Tour was about 2 hours. We visited various food galleys, laundry, engineering, a crew bar and the I-95 underneath roadway, provisions and freezer storage, backstage preparations and dressing rooms for Donna Summer and the bridge. Our visit to the bridge included highlights from the Captain who then generously spent time with us answering questions and talking about his family. In fact, our tour guide from guest services held a very informative Q&A about their contract process and crew life. If you haven’t done one of these it’s worth the splurge IMO. It’s really eye opening how much it takes to run a ship - all the departments and their different cultures and styles. And everyone we saw on the tour - such positive and friendly attitudes. Pictures we could take were somewhat limited, but posted a couple below of the galleys and one of the crew bars.