LIVE * Prima * April 30 – May 7, 2023 * Aft OS

[HBCcruiser]

A taste of how good the Rumour's show and band is. This is why people wait in line for over an hour to see them.

 

 

 

[graphicguy]

Thanks so much for taking us along.  Thoroughly enjoyed all of it!!!!!!!

[HBCcruiser]

 

 

In this video you can see how dangerous it is to sail into Bermuda. The coral reef is on both sides of the channel. 

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Thanks so much for taking us along.  Thoroughly enjoyed all of it!!!!!!!

Thanks for following. I am glad you enjoyed it. 😁

[Red-Sol]

7 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

The final question - will I sail her again? Probably not unless the price is right. 

 

 

We feel the same...there were many strong points along with many weak points for us on this cruise. Much of the food for us was Meh. Cagneys was really not good for us and we went twice just to be sure 😉 Indulge for us ended up being Inedible..one and done there and probably one and done on Prima as well. (Normally I am not a complainer and have missed cruising terribly....not a very good way to get back into it.)

Edited May 8, 2023 by Red-Sol

[HBCcruiser]

26 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

Cagneys was really not good for us

Interesting story with Cagney's - my DH ordered the lamb and he said it tasted gamey. We told our waiter but did not want to take time to order more/something different. When we went to Palomar, the maitre d asked us which specialty restaurants we had gone to and what we thought about them. We were honest about Cagney's. She told my DH to order their lamb and that he would not be dissapointed. She was right - he LOVED it! 

Edited May 8, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[HBCcruiser]

I received this today and yes, I was brutally honest. I mentioned the good, the bad and the ugly (not too much there). I hope they take the feedback seriously. 

 

[peg013]

26 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

received this today and yes, I was brutally honest. I mentioned the good, the bad and the ugly (not too much there). I hope they take the feedback seriously. 

Got mine too today. I was also very honest. No towel racks or trash can in a haven suite bathroom is crazy. (I took liner out of the trashcan in the living room and put it into the bathroom. That is what they did when we were on the ship in October.)  We actually had shelves in the shower, toilet stall and by the sink but having to put the hand towel on the tiny counter without it getting into the sink and wicking up the water was annoying. Also mentioned the incident with the last-minute change for LCR. I doubt a human even looks at our surveys, but I tried anyway. 

We haven't been impressed with our last few visits to Cagneys so we skipped it completely. Did LeBistro, Hasaki, Los Lobos and Onda instead. 

Edited May 8, 2023 by peg013

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 minutes ago, peg013 said:

I doubt a human even looks at our surveys, but I tried anyway. 

I think they do.  NCL is in a hypercompetitive business, and feedback from people who actually just got off a ship is likely as good as they'll get.  This is not like the satisfaction survey from my state's revenue website, although my state does a great job and I wouldn't be surprised if those are looked at as well.

 

Case in point.  How long did it take them to dump the return to in-person Musters?  I think it was about two weeks' worth of surveys.😀  I complained about them in February and they were gone by my April cruises.

Edited May 8, 2023 by ChiefMateJRK

[peg013]

6 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I think they do.  NCL is in a hypercompetitive business, and feedback from people who actually just got off a ship is likely as good as they'll get. 

 

I hope they do. I complained about no trash can or towel racks in October and they are still not there. I also ended the survey that I heard many people saying they will try other cruise lines because of all the cutbacks. 

[LATTELOVE]

8 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Bermuda's beaches are so beautiful! My DH kept saying, "The water looks fake it is so turquoise!" Bermuda is my absolute favorite place. 

 

IMG_3257.MOV 19.92 MB · 7 downloads  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same here. This is our happy place.

Most beautiful place on earth.

That's why we keep on going back to Bermuda.

Can't wait to go back.

Thank you for all of those gorgeous pictures.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, peg013 said:

I also ended the survey that I heard many people saying they will try other cruise lines because of all the cutbacks. 

I don't doubt that, but NCL obviously knows that all of their competitors are needing to make similar cutbacks.  Trash cans and towel racks they can fix, but it may take a couple months.  In-person musters were easily fixed.  Billions of debt?  That will take a lot longer to dig out of, and it's not the cruise lines' fault that they were shut down for a year and a half.  I try to keep my survey feedback to more actionable items.  Not because I'm "smarter" than anybody else, just because I try to keep it to things that NCL can control.  I've also complained that there was a palpable concentration on PC music selections on my earliest Post-Covid cruises.  Thankfully, that too seems to have changed.😎

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, peg013 said:

Got mine too today. I was also very honest. No towel racks or trash can in a haven suite bathroom is crazy. (I took liner out of the trashcan in the living room and put it into the bathroom. That is what they did when we were on the ship in October.)  We actually had shelves in the shower, toilet stall and by the sink but having to put the hand towel on the tiny counter without it getting into the sink and wicking up the water was annoying. Also mentioned the incident with the last-minute change for LCR. I doubt a human even looks at our surveys, but I tried anyway. 

We haven't been impressed with our last few visits to Cagneys so we skipped it completely. Did LeBistro, Hasaki, Los Lobos and Onda instead. 

I ditto the issues regarding the Haven suites. I can’t count how many hand towels I  went through due to having no towel rack and the water wicking issue. 😂

[HBCcruiser]

In case you are wondering WTH we are talking about re the hand towels, in this photo you can see that there is very little counter space and nowhere to leave a hand towel. My DH uses a Dopp kit which he stored on the right. I use a makeup/bath bag that I hung on one of the door hook things. Basically there was no room for anything else on the counter. It just became a topic of humor as we soaked numerous towels. 
 

 

[peg013]

41 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Billions of debt?  That will take a lot longer to dig out of, and it's not the cruise lines' fault that they were shut down for a year and a half. 

 

That is exactly why I am willing to take all the cutbacks. It's not their fault but if too many keep leaving to try other cruise lines they will never get back on their feet. Notice I didn't say I'm going anywhere else/

[RocketMan275]

10 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

In case you are wondering WTH we are talking about re the hand towels, in this photo you can see that there is very little counter space and nowhere to leave a hand towel. My DH uses a Dopp kit which he stored on the right. I use a makeup/bath bag that I hung on one of the door hook things. Basically there was no room for anything else on the counter. It just became a topic of humor as we soaked numerous towels. 
 

 

No where to leave the handtowels?  I see two on the counter.  We don't believe in using the counter for storage space so there is plenty of room on the counter.

[HBCcruiser]

17 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

No where to leave the handtowels?  I see two on the counter.  We don't believe in using the counter for storage space so there is plenty of room on the counter.

Those are not hand towels in the photo. Those are washcloths. We usually don’t put a lot of stuff on the counter either but there is no other place to do so. Dopp kits do not fit on the skinny shelves you can see in the photo. The one drawer has a mounted hair dryer in side of it and the others are too narrow to fit a Dopp kit or makeup kit. The only other option is to store your items on the floor or in the bedroom closet.

You can see how skinny the shelves are in this photo.

Edited May 9, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

Those are not hand towels in the photo. Those are washcloths. We usually don’t put a lot of stuff on the counter either but there is no other place to do so. Dopp kits do not fit on the skinny shelves you can see in the photo. The one drawer has a mounted hair dryer in side of it and the others are too narrow to fit a Dopp kit or makeup kit. The only other option is to store your items on the floor or in the bedroom closet.

You can see how skinny the shelves are in this photo.

We had a ton of storage space on Getaway in the Haven Aft-Facing Suite and on Joy in the Haven Suite. It's crazy they didn't think of this when designing Pr1ma. It's not like ladies (or men) aren't traveling with a bunch of toiletries. Also, thanks! Learned a new word today. I had not a clue what a Dopp kit was. Apparently I have one, but it's shared between my husband and I. We're extremely light packers.

 

Anyway...I'm glad Bermuda was amazing! And, hopefully NCL will make the experience on these fancified, "luxurious" ships better, eventually. For now, I'll stick to my 'away/'away+ ships. 

[Red-Sol]

35 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Anyway...I'm glad Bermuda was amazing! And, hopefully NCL will make the experience on these fancified, "luxurious" ships better, eventually. For now, I'll stick to my 'away/'away+ ships. 

Heading back your way! While Prima wasn't our favorite cruise there's a 15 day cruise out of NYC in November on Getaway (Wish it was a Plus ship but I digress 🙂) Just too good of an itinerary to pass up even if there's visible areas of cutbacks.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Red-Sol

[RocketMan275]

The space is more than adequate.  

[graphicguy]

Love this.  I can’t believe you made me peruse Bermuda cruises….for 2023 no less!

[Quencups]

We were in one of the Deluxe Owner Suites on this cruise and I really agree with what most are saying...Storage is abysmal....I really don't know where they expect six people to put all their clothes.  I know to some it sounds like we are knit-picking and complaining, but when you pay a ridiculous amount of money for luxury, you really shouldn't have to live out of a suitcase.  I believe the cabin design is flawed.  For example four people could shower in the master bathroom shower, but there is no storage space for toiletries.

 

The Haven bar was exceptional. Rommel, Martin and Jefferson made our week!  The restaurant was good, but they need to change the menu during the week...we enjoyed the main dining room for lunch over the haven restaurant.  I did not care for the design of the ship and the creaking was just crazy.  We had to wear earplugs a couple of nights. My favorite amenity was the Haven elevator....that was wonderful! 

 

Overall we had a wonderful cruise....Bermuda is our absolute favorite

and NEVER disappoints.  Would I go on the Prima again?...no...not that its not a beautiful ship, just not my cup of tea.  

[laudergayle]

@HBCcruiserThank you for your LIVE review.  Looks like you had a wonderful time despite a few annoyances. Sorry we didn’t meet during the cruise.  
 

For us, we LOVED the Prima, and felt it was an upscale experience. A few of the reasons this cruise worked for us:

 

—we traveled as a couple, so scoring two seats anywhere we wanted was easy…that plus having a quick eye.

—we didn’t pay an exorbitant amount. We started in a balcony and watched for prices to drop then upgraded to club balcony. There was enough storage for two and we had a towel bar for hand towel…lol.

—our cabin was near the FWD elevators.  We rarely waited or shared an elevator. There was both a Port and SB elevator bank with 4 “lifts” in each bank, total of 8.  AFT elevators had only 6.

—FWD elevator went to the atrium, observation lounge and theater.  AFT elevators serviced ALL the dining venues and was always slow and crowded. And, we didn’t have to walk through the buffet to get to the pool.

—we had 4 specialty dining but never had to wait to get into Hudson’s for breakfast, the Local, the buffet and we also had dinner in Indulge.

—the bars and dining venues were well staffed 

—the NCL entertainment was sufficient and the Donna Summer Show was exceptional.

—the CC/FB organized activities were lots of fun…Slot Pull, M&G, LCR. Thank you @Red-Sol, @MikeC, @peg013@Whitefacekat

—Bermuda.  We’ve been many places in our lives…but have NEVER seen water that turquoise, and so much of it.  And, the people of Bermuda were so friendly and polite.  
—and, finally, we also enjoyed the Epic…lol.

 

We would cruise Prima again…shoulder seasons with no kids. Prima is not designed for children IMO.

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by laudergayle

[HBCcruiser]

9 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Sorry we didn’t meet during the cruise.

Me too! We met so many great people onboard and on our excursions. I am glad you had a great time. We did too despite the minor issues. I will be back in lovely Bermuda in July on the Vision of the Seas for another overnight stay. I think after that I'd rather fly and stay for a week in Bermuda so we can fully enjoy and explore the island. Even 3 days is too short IMO. 

[cruiseny4life]

41 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

@HBCcruiserThank you for your LIVE review.  Looks like you had a wonderful time despite a few annoyances. Sorry we didn’t meet during the cruise.  
 

For us, we LOVED the Prima, and felt it was an upscale experience. A few of the reasons this cruise worked for us:

 

—we traveled as a couple, so scoring two seats anywhere we wanted was easy…that plus having a quick eye.

—we didn’t pay an exorbitant amount. We started in a balcony and watched for prices to drop then upgraded to club balcony. There was enough storage for two and we had a towel bar for hand towel…lol.

—our cabin was near the FWD elevators.  We rarely waited or shared an elevator. There was both a Port and SB elevator bank with 4 “lifts” in each bank, total of 8.  AFT elevators had only 6.

—FWD elevator went to the atrium, observation lounge and theater.  AFT elevators serviced ALL the dining venues and was always slow and crowded. And, we didn’t have to walk through the buffet to get to the pool.

—we had 4 specialty dining but never had to wait to get into Hudson’s for breakfast, the Local, the buffet and we also had dinner in Indulge.

—the bars and dining venues were well staffed 

—the NCL entertainment was sufficient and the Donna Summer Show was exceptional.

—the CC/FB organized activities were lots of fun…Slot Pull, M&G, LCR. Thank you @Red-Sol, @MikeC, @peg013@Whitefacekat

—Bermuda.  We’ve been many places in our lives…but have NEVER seen water that turquoise, and so much of it.  And, the people of Bermuda were so friendly and polite.  
—and, finally, we also enjoyed the Epic…lol.

 

We would cruise Prima again…shoulder seasons with no kids. Prima is not designed for children IMO.

 

I'm really glad to hear you say it was an upscale experience. That's what it's being sold as, so it needs to offer this to customers in all levels of staterooms! And, thanks for your observations. I'm really glad I could read about one of your cruises. 🙂 

 

2 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

Heading back your way! While Prima wasn't our favorite cruise there's a 15 day cruise out of NYC in November on Getaway (Wish it was a Plus ship but I digress 🙂) Just too good of an itinerary to pass up even if there's visible areas of cutbacks.

Oh!!! You've got me looking. I love that itinerary. If I can just convince our bank account for this one. Oooolalala, we might be cruising together! We can build our own garbage plates. 🙂