Prima Iceland / Norway August 2023

[PhillyTravelBug]

Strolling around Deck 8. I don’t feel them on yet,  but I notice some heaters. Infamous complaints about the slide. The side with the drop slide only seems to have one or two balconies affected, but the other side…. I wouldn’t want that through my balcony. Enjoying live plants on this deck. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

From first sight I absolutely love what they did with the atrium… this ship offers a lot of hidden seating areas. I am not sure how functional this will be during activities.  
starbucks with a view! Love.

Btw… cruise director is Simon.

 

[laudergayle]

Oh wow Simon is back.  In May we had his replacement, Marchena.  Wondered what happened there?  Your pictures are making me miss the Prima so much. The Starbucks chairs were one of our favorite places.  We would sit on the wooden stools scoping out signs that someone was about to get up…then I would quickly swoop in.  Enjoy your cruise!

Edited August 17, 2023 by laudergayle

[PhillyTravelBug]

Got some shots of indulge food hall before the crowds. I like the look on this Local Bar.

[PhillyTravelBug]

We have a dinner reservation at Hudsons for 7. Dining room is completely filled and it took us about an hour to get to the entree portions. No complaints. One thing is, portions are very small. Order extra.

I am hoping my luggage arrived once I get back to the room. 

Edited August 17, 2023 by PhillyTravelBug

[NYFirstTimeCruiser]

Following. Doing same tour next year

[TenForward]

Following. Great pictures and info.  This trip is on our short list. 2024 or '25.   Thanks for posting.

[PhillyTravelBug]

First thing this morning, Starbucks . How I’ve missed a large portion of coffee. We went to grab some oatmeal from the cafe. What an absolute mob scene. Like everyone has said. The cafe is a way too small.  Even with all the other options.  We are starting to begin the fjord into Akeuyri.  We have an escape room planned, gym, and thermal spa.

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

First thing this morning, Starbucks . How I’ve missed a large portion of coffee. We went to grab some oatmeal from the cafe. What an absolute mob scene. Like everyone has said. The cafe is a way too small.  Even with all the other options.  We are starting to begin the fjord into Akeuyri.  We have an escape room planned, gym, and thermal spa.

Hi there! By cafe, do you mean the buffet? Or, is there a small cafe in the Atrium? 

 

Have a great time today!

[PhillyTravelBug]

I meant the buffet. Seriously hope they consider an expansion for its sister ships.

 

Thermal spa… I have the Getaway and the Bliss to compare to. First experience is I really like the decor and the nooks it has to offer for relaxation.  It was pretty full and we still managed to find four heated loungers together for our group.   
 

I prefer the ice room and the pools on the Bliss the most.  I love the charcoal sauna on the Prima. Probably my favorite.  The experimental shower in the middle of the saunas is a must!!  
 

The locker rooms are significantly smaller on the Prima compared to the breakaway class. If there are multiple people changing, it makes it difficult to navigate.

 

Overall, I have no complaints experimenting with a different experience, layout, decor, etc. I prefer some amenities from one and some from the others.  Nothing that did not prevent me from appreciating all the hard work I do led up to this point of relaxation and enjoyment. Life is short.

[www3traveler]

When you can, could you please post the current Officers both Bridge and Hotel.  Thank you very much.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[cruiseny4life]

Oh, the thermal suite review is so perfect. My husband and I absolutely love thermal suites! On our Transatlantic it is a must, so we booked it already. I really love your photos and thoughts on it. It looks like we'll be ensconced in the thermal suite for quite a few hours! I haven't experienced a cold room yet, so am really looking forward to jumping from the hot sauna to the cold. Oh, yea! 

 

I'm loving this review so far. Thank you!

[GCS2000]

100% following this as we are going on this exact cruise next September.

 

Definitely like getting feedback on the ship itself and the tours you did since we are planning a few days in Reykjavik before the cruise as well.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I will find the officers. Lunch was at the Local and it has actually been the best meal so far. Caesar salad and a chicken salad sandwich on a hearty multigrain bread. we then spent the afternoon walking to the botanical gardens. It was quite a long walk uphill, but easy going back! The gardens are beautiful, but I was a little tired by the time we got there. 

[sharonann24]

On 8/17/2023 at 6:43 AM, ShannonSC2 said:

I am following along as we are doing this in Sept 2024.  We are arriving 2 days before the cruise and added 2 days at the end.  We have been looking at the Golden Circle Tour.  I am glad to see it includes the Blue Lagoon.  

We did this Golden Circle Blue Lagoon Viator tour prior to the July 27 Prima sailing.  It was amazing!  Our guide was fantastic.  We stopped at this great bakery/deli for a quick lunch with clean restrooms too.  Definitely the high point of our time in Iceland!

[sharonann24]

On 8/17/2023 at 10:28 AM, PhillyTravelBug said:

Pack warmer than you think. I honestly at times could have used a thin pair of gloves and a hat. Sweaters, long sleeves, and a fall jacket are perfect. It feels like Halloween in the northeastern US.

Our experience was that it was not that cold.  The windiest day was the day we took the NCL Fjord cruise.  Other than that, a light jacket or sweater was fine.  We (my husband, dad and I) had brought gloves, scarves and a few sweatshirts and never used them!  And the day we were in Bergen the temps were around 70!

[sharonann24]

We were on the July 27 sailing and a few comments. Loved the Prima--some of the seating areas fill very quickly especially near Starbucks.  10:30 am on a sea day the line looped around, but I was usually there earlier.  Loved Hudsons and we actually thought the portions were larger than the usual main dining room portions.  We did breakfast, lunch and dinner there. The Local is also a great lunch spot--reubens are terrific.  We were able to eat outside for lunch and although they did have heaters they really were not necessary.  That is how good our weather was.  

[ontheweb]

On 8/15/2023 at 3:29 PM, PhillyTravelBug said:

Hey everyone! We just arrived in Reykjavik this

morning for our upcoming Prima sailing. I’m going to do my best to try and document this trip daily. This trip was booked about 800 days ago (the countdown has been agonizing).

There will be a total of 7 of us in our 40’s and 50’s.  I’ll be writing from the perspective of myself and my partner. We have a spa

balcony booked and chose the airfare through NCL from Philadelphia.  we also did the 2 day deviation at the front end of the trip and a 1 day deviation at the back end. I hope to make this an enjoyable read as I love reading other reviews while researching.

 

Arriving flight:

We had a 6:55 pm fight from Philadelphia to Boston on Jet Blue.  Flight had a brief delay of less than an hour and arrived in Boston with plenty of time to spare for our 11:35 connection.

We left Boston on time to Reykjavik on Iceland Air. First time using Iceland Air and absolutely loved the plane, the staff, etc.  We arrived about 20 min. early at 8:15 am.  It was just really difficult trying to catch some sleep.

 

Day 1 Reykjavik, Iceland

 

Customs was a breeze and we used Flybus for our route to Hotel Borg.  The connection was very smooth. Bus was packed, but a breeze. Our connecting bus arrived minutes after we were dropped off at the terminal.

 

We dropped our bags off at the Hotel Borg and explored. I had visions of the city being much busier and bigger from my research. Almost felt like a Quebec City vibe. Love it. So quaint.

We got breakfast at the Laudromat cafe and checked out the church and then decided to head back to wait for our room to be ready.  Took a much needed shower and brushed my damn teeth!y body needed both after travel and walking around.

 

On recommendation from some locals, we checked out the Perclan museum.  Pretty cool I for about the geology of Iceland. They had a really awesome man made ice cave. The observation lounge really gave gorgeous view of the area.  
 

Tomorrow we have an all day Golden Circle tour.

 

 

Another vote for the Perclan Museum.We are just back from the Prima, Southampton to Reykjavik. DW did not want to spend hours and hours in the airport, so we booked a tour to the airport that included the Perclan Museum. I only wish we had more time there. And since our 5:10 PM flight ended up leaving about 2 hours behind schedule, we unfortunately still ended up with too many hours in the airport.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

I will find the officers. Lunch was at the Local and it has actually been the best meal so far. Caesar salad and a chicken salad sandwich on a hearty multigrain bread. we then spent the afternoon walking to the botanical gardens. It was quite a long walk uphill, but easy going back! The gardens are beautiful, but I was a little tired by the time we got there. 

Yes, those gardens, the most Northernmost botanical garden in the world is magnificent. And I agree it is a very long uphill hike to get there.

[PhillyTravelBug]

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

When you can, could you please post the current Officers both Bridge and Hotel.  Thank you very much.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

So far, I have only seen this one. I know I’ve seen their photos and rankings before, just can’t find them. Like a typical male, I don’t know how to ask.

the silver fella I met didn’t seem to know either.

[DCGuy64]

This list of officers was posted last September so it's possible some of them are still there.

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by DCGuy64

[McGarrett5oh]

5 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

We did this Golden Circle Blue Lagoon Viator tour prior to the July 27 Prima sailing.  It was amazing!  Our guide was fantastic.  We stopped at this great bakery/deli for a quick lunch with clean restrooms too.  Definitely the high point of our time in Iceland!

Do you remember the name of the bakery?  TIA

[PhillyTravelBug]

Sunset at 9:45. Does it get any better than a sunset from a ship? Off to bed. We have a 7am excursion to the falls, baths, and lava fields.

 

I’m still debating whether to purchase a cruise next certificate or take the chance and go with Celebrity next sailing. It’s all coming down to food. Plus, I really like the all inclusive option celebrity offers. Why internet is not included in on board fares in 2023 puzzles me.

[chillyw]

2 minutes ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Sunset at 9:45. Does it get any better than a sunset from a ship? Off to bed. We have a 7am excursion to the falls, baths, and lava fields.

 

I’m still debating whether to purchase a cruise next certificate or take the chance and go with Celebrity next sailing. It’s all coming down to food. Plus, I really like the all inclusive option celebrity offers. Why internet is not included in on board fares in 2023 puzzles me.

I hear that. I like the Prima so far, but looking at Virgin for next sailing for similar reasons.

[Markj]

On 8/17/2023 at 4:40 PM, DCGuy64 said:

$450 PER PERSON WITHOUT WINE? Wow, I must be in the wrong line of work. I could literally fly to some European cities in Economy class for that much dough. Yikes. I can safely say no meal would ever be worth $450 for me. Wow.

These days top Michelin star restaurants are going to be around this sort of money. Youre paying for the uniqueness of the food and the service.

 

It's a bit like the debate you often see about Business Class on airlines. We all end up in the same place but for some it's the extra service and room you get - not dissimilar to those of us who book Haven and those who don't. Same ship ports route etc - different service!!!