Just back a few days from the Prima 8/6-8/17---will try to sum it up

[ontheweb]

We liked this cruise (our 13th overall and 3rd on NCL).

 

But let me start with a few negatives. I had always read that NCL did a lot of nickle and diming. I had not experienced that until one morning when DW asked me after we woke up to check the Daily for the time the medical center was open. She said she was constipated. We went up there and she was told it would be a $149 charge to see the doctor and then a charge for a prescription which ended up $6.15. She said when a similar thing happened on HAL, they gave her an over the counter medicine and charged her 75 cents. I told her do it if it is necessary and our trip insurance policy should cover it with a deductible. (BTW, it worked too well.) This actually happened on the day of our wedding anniversary. Wonderful first conversation. Are you awake. Yes. Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary, can you check for me when the medical center opens.

 

And later in the cruise, DW said I do not want us just wasting hours in the airport, I am going to buy an excursion to the airport. (It ended up with a stop at the Perclan Museum which was very, very interesting.) We asked before buying the excursion at customer service whether the $75 charge each that had been paid with our BOGO would come off automatically if we bought an excursion, and were told yes. But, when I checked our account on the tv, both were there. I had to go to customer service and they actually asked me if I wanted the $75 each credited back. Really, why would we even consider being billed two separate times to get from the ship to the airport!

 

The small lounges with music were good, but often noisy as they were by bars which were often noisy and had tables that often were already taken by people often playing cards or games and again being talkative. This was especially a problem when the music was acoustic and not as loud. I did catch one of the musicians (the one who played solo) as he left the theater one evening and asked how it felt to play when it was so noisy and many were not listening, He just shrugged. But on the whole we enjoyed the variety of musicians who played.

 

They also screwed up one thing with our BOGO flights. They had asked for our full names including middle names to match our passports. And they had them as they were listed on the tv and were given to Air Canada for our flights to the ship. However, they did not include the middle names for our departing flights on Iceland Air. When we tried to check in on the kiosks, it did not work. (Actually it worked for me, but not DW.) When we asked an employee who was helping why DW's name was not recognized, she pointed out the missing middle name on her ticket. She could not explain why it worked for me who should have had the same non-match problem.

 

Before I start the cruise part of my comments, let me say I was really afraid we would miss the cruise. We were booked to Heathrow from Newark with a change of planes in Montreal. Our first plane was delayed, and then after it finally got to Montreal, it sat for about 20 minutes before it could find a place to park. By the time we got to the gate for our connecting cruise there was already a line to board!

 

We spent a day in London, unfortunately a rainy day. The next day we went to the airport and found one of the NCL people with signs for the transfers. (BTW, even if you do a deviation they only transfer from the airport which did not affect us as we had booked a hotel by Terminal 2 where our plane landed since we did not want to drag our luggage to London.) Got to the ship a little before 12 (and no one checked what time you said you would get there. I had estimated 12:30-1 to board.) Boarding went well. We found our cabin, but it was not ready yet. We did not realize that those doors that were hard for me to open and basically impossible for her to open were fire doors that were closed because the section was not ready yet, and that they would be open later.

 

Another negative, though this would affect very few. I saw on the deck plans an internet cafe. I thought there would be computers as we have no smartphone or any device except a lap top at home. Kind of made 250 free minutes worthless. LOL

 

The sail away party had a double asterisk for weather permitting, and the weather did not permit. The first port was supposed to be Zeebrugges for Brugge, but that had been cancelled earlier because of an extremely low tide. Instead we were supposed to go to Amsterdam (which was also the next day) and get there at 3 PM and be able to disembark. Again rough seas intervened. The 3 PM was changed to 9 PM, and I do not believe anyone was allowed to leave the ship.

 

We did get to Syd Norman's that night despite not getting there early or even on time. I know from reading posts from others doing this itinerary that there were cruises when you really had to be there early. I did later get to speak with 2 of the singers, Mandy on the last 2 Syd Norman shows and Steven on the last one about my experience attending the original Woodstock festival. That came about when Mandy liked the Grateful Dead tee shirt I was wearing and I told her about Woodstock and she wanted to hear more. But I am getting ahead of myself.

 

I'll do the first port, and then come back later. And of course will be willing to answer any questions. The first port was Amsterdam. We first went to the museum section. We were told the major museums were sold out with timed tickets, but the smaller ones were probably available. We first did a small museum, I think it was named Moco. It was by the biggest museum, the Rijksmuseum. DW checked and there were no tickets available at the time (11 AM), but there were for 11:30, so we bought them. Actually got in the line at 11:15 and in at 11:20. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there. (Actually a lot less than the 4 1/4 hours we spent at the British Museum the day before. (DW is a retired art teacher, and has a lot more patience in museums than I do.) The first time we were in Amsterdam on a land trip that museum was pretty much closed for renovations, so it was good we were able to make it there this time. Tickets were not being sold for the connected Van Gogh Museum.

 

After that, we walked to the Jewish section. (We had a 24 hour transportation pass that we used earlier,but could not really figure out where to catch it for the next location.) We looked for the Portuguese Synagogue and were about to give up when we asked and it was pointed out it was across the street.  It was fascinating. We were told that that our admission also included the Jewish Museum, so we decided to do that quickly. That actually was the only option of seeing it because it closed in half an hour. We did get instructions where to catch the bus back the the area the ship was docked.

 

The only thing that prevented it from being a really, really good day was that DW discovered she had a hole in her jacket pocket and had lost her reading glasses, (From that point on I had to read menus to her.)

 

To be continued.

Edited August 20, 2023 by ontheweb

[aubreyc1988]

31 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We liked this cruise (our 13th overall and 3rd on NCL).

 

But let me start with a few negatives. I had always read that NCL did a lot of nickle and diming. I had not experienced that until one morning when DW asked me after we woke up to check the Daily for the time the medical center was open. She said she was constipated. We went up there and she was told it would be a $149 charge to see the doctor and then a charge for a prescription which ended up $6.15. She said when a similar thing happened on HAL, they gave her an over the counter medicine and charged her 75 cents. I told her do it if it is necessary and our trip insurance policy should cover it with a deductible. (BTW, it worked too well.) This actually happened on the day of our wedding anniversary. Wonderful first conversation. Are you awake. Yes. Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary, can you check for me when the medical center opens.

 

 

According to your profile, you live in NY. Not sure how it is there, but I would assume to see a doctor at most places in the US, 150.00 is cheap, even with good insurance. Honestly, a steal for a cruise ship, if you ask me. I had a rash that I needed to see a doctor for, but couldn't get in for months so I did a telehealth appointment and that was over 200.00 just for the visit. Good to know that your trip insurance covered it, although I am curious was there a deductible, and if so, how much

[graphicguy]

12 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

According to your profile, you live in NY. Not sure how it is there, but I would assume to see a doctor at most places in the US, 150.00 is cheap, even with good insurance. Honestly, a steal for a cruise ship, if you ask me. I had a rash that I needed to see a doctor for, but couldn't get in for months so I did a telehealth appointment and that was over 200.00 just for the visit. Good to know that your trip insurance covered it, although I am curious was there a deductible, and if so, how much

I was thinking the same.  

 

$150 for a Dr visit is pretty good....actually outstanding if you're on a cruise ship.  Truth told, I think the only way I would go to a ship's medical facility would be if there was something I couldn't power through on my own.  Thinking back, the only time I had gone to a ship's med facility is when I twisted my ankle.  Originally thought it was broken.  But, they wrapped it and I was on my way.  They offered crutches but I felt those would hinder me more than help me, so I declined.  I found there was a hidden advantage to having my ankle wrapped...people let me get on the elevator first.  They let me cut in line whenever I was in the Garden Cafe.  They let me sit in the front rows during shows (albeit it was a further walk for me). About $250 charged to my on board account, if memory serves?  But, insurance ended up reimbursing me.

 

As far as OTC meds, I don't know of anything outside of those little aspirin tins (with about 4 tablets in them) to cost under a $1.  And, I'm not even sure those are still available.  Managed pain with the Tylenol I brought with me for such occasions.

 

Internet minutes included?  Yeah, you'll need a tablet, a smart phone and/or a laptop to use that perk.  Self explanatory, I thought?  Maybe I'm missing something, though.

 

Anyway, hope the rest of the cruise went well.

[schmoopie17]

We also thought it was quite odd that the Prima "internet cafe" had no desktop pcs.

Strange...

[ontheweb]

OK. I am back. Next was what was scheduled to be the first sea day. We listened to a lot of music in the lounges. We had pre-booked Donna Summers tickets for that night. We enjoyed the show and the actresses playing Donna Summers at different ages were very good, but we both agreed that it was not a show we would have paid to see on Broadway.

 

Next port was Bergen. We grabbed the Hop on Hop Off bus and went to where the various University Museums were. But it was only a little after 9 and they did not open any of the museums until 10. There were gardens there which we walked through. We waited around until 10 and then discovered that the Cultural Museum that DW wanted to see was closed for renovations. We went to the Maritime Museum instead, and it really was fascinating. We caught the bus and went to Kode which had 5 museums, one admission. We went to the one DW wanted most to see with several paintings by Norway's most famous artist, Munch. We then saw 2 more that really had next to nothing before finding another with some Munch and also paintings by Picasso and Klee.

 

There were really 2 more things on our to do list, the Aquarium and the Funicular. I did not think we had time for both or actually even the Funicular. But DW insisted and we went there. I worried about getting back on time. All aboard was 4:30. Luckily the wait for the Hop on Hop Off bus was not long, and we boarded at 4:17.

 

A word on food. I don't know how all of you book restaurant reservations months in advance. We are definitely not foodies, and do not need extra charge restaurants. We had enough trouble figuring out whether we were going to do Hudsons or the buffet. I think we ended up alternating. We did hit the Local the last night, and I wish I had discovered that hot fudge sundae dessert earlier. The first time we went to Hudsons I asked if we could reserve a time and a place right by the window later in the cruise on the day of our wedding anniversary (the sea day between Norway and Iceland). and was told it was first come first serve for location. But they did seat us right by the ocean window for our anniversary, very nice of them to remember.

 

Next port was Geiranger. We woke up early and went to the top decks to watch us sail into the fjords there, spectacular! After we disembarked, we booked a local bus tour that took us around the sites. What spectacular scenery.

 

The last Norway port was Alesund. We had pre-booked an NCL tour that was a walking tour of the city showing off its Art Deco architecture and a visit to a museum about the same. Nice tour with only 15 of us and an excellent guide. Only problem was finding it as the location was changed (as was the time as I have a feeling there were not enough on either time) from a lounge to the "pier parking lot". And it turned out it was a small lot on the other side from the parking lot  that everyone went to. We were not the only ones late to find it. Only found it because DW saw someone from the port who pointed out NCL cruises (there was also a German cruise line ship there) were in the other parking lot.

 

I'll be back with more as the next day was our wedding anniversary and then there were the Iceland days.

Edited August 20, 2023 by ontheweb

[SB05]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We liked this cruise (our 13th overall and 3rd on NCL).

 

But let me start with a few negatives. I had always read that NCL did a lot of nickle and diming. I had not experienced that until one morning when DW asked me after we woke up to check the Daily for the time the medical center was open. She said she was constipated. We went up there and she was told it would be a $149 charge to see the doctor and then a charge for a prescription which ended up $6.15. She said when a similar thing happened on HAL, they gave her an over the counter medicine and charged her 75 cents. I told her do it if it is necessary and our trip insurance policy should cover it with a deductible. (BTW, it worked too well.) This actually happened on the day of our wedding anniversary. Wonderful first conversation. Are you awake. Yes. Happy anniversary. Happy anniversary, can you check for me when the medical center opens.

 

And later in the cruise, DW said I do not want us just wasting hours in the airport, I am going to buy an excursion to the airport. (It ended up with a stop at the Perclan Museum which was very, very interesting.) We asked before buying the excursion at customer service whether the $75 charge each that had been paid with our BOGO would come off automatically if we bought an excursion, and were told yes. But, when I checked our account on the tv, both were there. I had to go to customer service and they actually asked me if I wanted the $75 each credited back. Really, why would we even consider being billed two separate times to get from the ship to the airport!

 

The small lounges with music were good, but often noisy as they were by bars which were often noisy and had tables that often were already taken by people often playing cards or games and again being talkative. This was especially a problem when the music was acoustic and not as loud. I did catch one of the musicians (the one who played solo) as he left the theater one evening and asked how it felt to play when it was so noisy and many were not listening, He just shrugged. But on the whole we enjoyed the variety of musicians who played.

 

They also screwed up one thing with our BOGO flights. They had asked for our full names including middle names to match our passports. And they had them as they were listed on the tv and were given to Air Canada for our flights to the ship. However, they did not include the middle names for our departing flights on Iceland Air. When we tried to check in on the kiosks, it did not work. (Actually it worked for me, but not DW.) When we asked an employee who was helping why DW's name was not recognized, she pointed out the missing middle name on her ticket. She could not explain why it worked for me who should have had the same non-match problem.

 

Before I start the cruise part of my comments, let me say I was really afraid we would miss the cruise. We were booked to Heathrow from Newark with a change of planes in Montreal. Our first plane was delayed, and then after it finally got to Montreal, it sat for about 20 minutes before it could find a place to park. By the time we got to the gate for our connecting cruise there was already a line to board!

 

We spent a day in London, unfortunately a rainy day. The next day we went to the airport and found one of the NCL people with signs for the transfers. (BTW, even if you do a deviation they only transfer from the airport which did not affect us as we had booked a hotel by Terminal 2 where our plane landed since we did not want to drag our luggage to London.) Got to the ship a little before 12 (and no one checked what time you said you would get there. I had estimated 12:30-1 to board.) Boarding went well. We found our cabin, but it was not ready yet. We did not realize that those doors that were hard for me to open and basically impossible for her to open were fire doors that were closed because the section was not ready yet, and that they would be open later.

 

Another negative, though this would affect very few. I saw on the deck plans an internet cafe. I thought there would be computers as we have no smartphone or any device except a lap top at home. Kind of made 250 free minutes worthless. LOL

 

The sail away party had a double asterisk for weather permitting, and the weather did not permit. The first port was supposed to be Zeebrugges for Brugge, but that had been cancelled earlier because of an extremely low tide. Instead we were supposed to go to Amsterdam (which was also the next day) and get there at 3 PM and be able to disembark. Again rough seas intervened. The 3 PM was changed to 9 PM, and I do not believe anyone was allowed to leave the ship.

 

We did get to Syd Norman's that night despite not getting there early or even on time. I know from reading posts from others doing this itinerary that there were cruises when you really had to be there early. I did later get to speak with 2 of the singers, Mandy on the last 2 Syd Norman shows and Steven on the last one about my experience attending the original Woodstock festival. That came about when Mandy liked the Grateful Dead tee shirt I was wearing and I told her about Woodstock and she wanted to hear more. But I am getting ahead of myself.

 

I'll do the first port, and then come back later. And of course will be willing to answer any questions. The first port was Amsterdam. We first went to the museum section. We were told the major museums were sold out with timed tickets, but the smaller ones were probably available. We first did a small museum, I think it was named Moco. It was by the biggest museum, the Rijksmuseum. DW checked and there were no tickets available at the time (11 AM), but there were for 11:30, so we bought them. Actually got in the line at 11:15 and in at 11:20. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there. (Actually a lot less than the 4 1/4 hours we spent at the British Museum the day before. (DW is a retired art teacher, and has a lot more patience in museums than I do.) The first time we were in Amsterdam on a land trip that museum was pretty much closed for renovations, so it was good we were able to make it there this time. Tickets were not being sold for the connected Van Gogh Museum.

 

After that, we walked to the Jewish section. (We had a 24 hour transportation pass that we used earlier,but could not really figure out where to catch it for the next location.) We looked for the Portuguese Synagogue and were about to give up when we asked and it was pointed out it was across the street.  It was fascinating. We were told that that our admission also included the Jewish Museum, so we decided to do that quickly. That actually was the only option of seeing it because it closed in half an hour. We did get instructions where to catch the bus back the the area the ship was docked.

 

The only thing that prevented it from being a really, really good day was that DW discovered she had a hole in her jacket pocket and had lost her reading glasses, (From that point on I had to read menus to her.)

 

To be continued.

We met you at Trivia. Hello from Arizona!

[ontheweb]

1 minute ago, SB05 said:

We met you at Trivia. Hello from Arizona!

Hello, right back at you. It was nice meeting people as the last NCL cruise we were on was the Epic in 2012, and that was the unfriendliest ship we were ever on. No one seemed to want to interact with others. I thought it was just too large a ship. This one was different.

[Peachypooh]

There is always the odd medical issue on a cruise ship (I broke a tooth once and had to buy a dental filler kit at the medical center.) After that we  we learned enough to travel with almost any type of over the counter medication we can think of and our prescriptions. 

[zackarykeef]

I don’t think a cost for a medical center visit counts as “nickel and diming.” I agree with what others mentioned above.

 

I also find the comment that NCL “nickels and dimes” all the time interesting, because so many people say it and don’t give examples. I’ve sailed many lines, and I haven’t found NCL to upcharge for things any more than any other line 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

I’m not saying you said this, but I’m just curious as to what people think is different with NCL.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Peachypooh said:

There is always the odd medical issue on a cruise ship (I broke a tooth once and had to buy a dental filler kit at the medical center.) After that we  we learned enough to travel with almost any type of over the counter medication we can think of and our prescriptions. 

Yes, DW packed Pepto Bismol for the possible opposite of constipation. She said next time we cruise she will have OTC medications for both.

[ontheweb]

OK, back again. So Norway was great (NO MISSED PORTS), and they were all different. Bergen was museums (though the Funicular was scenic); Geiranger was for the truly spectacular scenery; and finally Alesund was for architecture. We had only been to Norway one day previously, and that was on a cruise which had Oslo as a port, another totally different place.

 

So now we were up to our wedding anniversary. DW had signed up for a painting class (for a fee). She was afraid she could not do it with her reading glasses lost, but her painting looked fine to me though she wants to work more of it at home. I thought it was funny to take a painting class after being an art teacher for basically 40 years.

 

We did a lot of going to lounges for music, and had told one group earlier (Purple something or other)  that we had an anniversary coming up. And on the actual anniversary, we mentioned it to them and they acknowledged it.

 

As I wrote earlier we had a table right by the water in the dining room. They gave us a cake after tying our hands together and singing Happy Anniversary. We ate a little of it and brought it back to the cabin.

 

I think I'll move on to the next days, Iceland, and maybe a few random impressions tomorrow.

Edited August 20, 2023 by ontheweb
spelling correction

[Cruising Lynne]

4 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

We also thought it was quite odd that the Prima "internet cafe" had no desktop pcs.

Strange...

Agree. If the husband didn't pack the tablet, I would be up a creek unless they had some computers some place else you could use in an emergency.

[aubreyc1988]

thank you for the review, doing Norway in 2 weeks but different ports and cruiseline/ship. 

[yakcruiser]

All the other NCL ships have desktops for those of us who choose not to own a portable device. I guess I should buy a tablet but I am just being stubborn now.

[bluesea777]

12 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Yes, DW packed Pepto Bismol for the possible opposite of constipation. She said next time we cruise she will have OTC medications for both.

…. and spare eyeglasses! We always take spare pairs of eyeglasses/contact lenses in case ours break or get lost. We’ve had this happen a few times.

 

 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

…. and spare eyeglasses! We always take spare pairs of eyeglasses/contact lenses in case ours break or get lost. We’ve had this happen a few times.

 

 

I take spare eyeglasses. 

 

She is actually famous for losing eyeglasses. I once found a pair that were probably lost for a year buried in a potted plant! This was especially true when she first needed glasses, not until she was in her 40s, and then only for reading. I think it was her form of rebellion against that need. I, OTOH, have worn glasses since the 3rd grade, and they are second nature to me.

 

This one was there was a hole in the pocket of her jacket. Good she did not lose both her distance and reading glasses. Mine combine the 2, but she was not able to use that kind. 

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

All the other NCL ships have desktops for those of us who choose not to own a portable device. I guess I should buy a tablet but I am just being stubborn now.

Aha, so the Prima is being unique in this and not in a good way! I really did assume when I saw Internet Cafe on the deck plans that there would be desk tops there.

[ontheweb]

OK, back once more.

 

After our sea day wedding anniversary day, Iceland was next.

 

First port, Akureyri. When we booked this cruise there were 8 ports, not 6, and this was to be our easy day. We just planned on going to their Botanical Gardens, the Northernmost botanical garden in the world. And that's what we did with a museum stop on the way. Though it was not as easy as we thought it would be as it was a long uphill walk there and a lot of walking within the botanical garden.

 

Next stop was supposed to be Isafjordur, but that was not happening tis cruise or any Prima cruise before it, or probably any Prima cruise the rest of this season. And if this is scheduled for next year, you know what, I would not bet on it. So that was sea day #4, when only 2 were on the original itinerary. Well before it became obvious that the Prima was never going to dock there as they would not tender and the locals would not finish the dock, we had booked a private tour that was basically a nature walk and were very much looking forward to it.

 

Last day, Reykjavik overnight. We have been to Iceland on a land trip. DW said the only thing we missed was the Blue Lagoon, so she booked transportation there and back and admission to the site.

[ontheweb]

A few other things we did.

 

I attended the Newlywed Game, she did not. She would have never allowed us to be contestants though we would have done well as we both knew well the story of how we met and our first kiss. If we had gone and volunteered we would have had a 50/50 chance of being onstage as only one couple volunteered in the married 30+ years category.

 

I went to the crosswords challenge. I think the first time was when she was at the medical center. I got the puzzle done in 10 minutes; no one else even finished it. I asked if I had won a free cruise, and was told no, maybe a free pizza. LOL. I went back the next day, different person in charge, and she gave out the puzzle, but it was the same one. I finished it in 5 minutes this time. LOL. The next day I went back and the first person in charge was now back. I said I hope it's not the same puzzle. He asked me to describe the person from yesterday and then gave a new and somewhat harder puzzle. But I again got it done in 10 minutes and was the only one to finish it, but still no free cruise as a prize.

 

Deck 8 with the little pools and the various interesting place to sit by the ocean would have been wonderful on a warm weather cruise, but was problematic with our weather. We did do some deck walks there, but you really had to fight the wind.

 

The main pool was on deck 17. And it had a lifeguard! (This was despite the first rule listed in the rules by the pool was there was no lifeguard.) I think that is the first time I have ever seen a lifeguard on a ship. I believe on embarkation day, DW was the first one in the pool.

 

You also had to go through that area on deck 17 to get to the buffet, and it too at times was very windy and cold.

 

The tv had a lot of movies. Since DW needed in her words "dumb tv" to fall asleep, this was a good feature to have. You could also click on my name or hers, so she could watch a partial movie, and then by going to her and the same movie pick it up.

[ontheweb]

Not about the cruise itself, but I want to comment of our flight home on Iceland Air. First it was delayed a few hours. I realize that happens, but the boarding process was a nightmare. When we finally got through the gate and thought we were about to board, instead there was a shuttle bus you had to wait for. And there were people with priority boarding. The very first one was an elderly woman in a wheelchair. When we got through the gate to the bus place, she was in a corner in her wheelchair, not on the plane. Her priority boarding must have been a nightmare for her as she spent a long time just isolated in a corner instead of on the plane even though she was taken first. A big thumbs down for Iceland Air.

 

After the flight and immigration and getting our luggage, we got our transfer to the hotel where our car was parked and our room for the night. It had a good location for us to drive home the next morning as we could get right on the Garden State straight to the NY Thruway with no having to go through Newark as some of our previous places, we drove home from had.

 

And now we are home, and again any questions anyone has, I'll be glad to try to answer.

Edited August 21, 2023 by ontheweb

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Aha, so the Prima is being unique in this and not in a good way! I really did assume when I saw Internet Cafe on the deck plans that there would be desk tops there.

I would have assumed the same thing, you are not alone! The photos of the internet cafe on our next cruise (NCL Breakaway) clearly show computer terminals, so I think your assumptions were correct. Thank you for the review of the Prima, I'm interested in sailing that ship in the future. Also, thanks for the descriptions of Norway, that's another country I'd love to sail to. (I've been there twice before but only to see friends, so haven't been to Geiranger, Alesund, etc) The only contribution I can make to the discussion of using the medical center is when we were in Italy in 2016, I came down with a sinus infection just prior to going on the cruise. Not being able to taste or smell when in Italy was awful, so I went to the ship's doctor right away. It wasn't cheap, but we had onboard credit, so I used that to pay for the visit and by the next day, I could smell the coffee, pasta, bread, etc. Happy anniversary, belatedly! What a great idea, a celebration cruise. I might have to steal that idea!

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I would have assumed the same thing, you are not alone! 

 

Happy anniversary, belatedly! What a great idea, a celebration cruise. I might have to steal that idea!

Yes, an internet cafe without computers sounds like an oxymoron.

 

This was for our 46th wedding anniversary, but pretend 45th as we do special things on the 0s and 5s starting with our 20th when our son was old enough to be left alone. Our first cruise was actually for our 25th anniversary. When we first became aware of this itinerary on the Prima was after we received a flyer from NCL in 2021. We did not immediately notice that the ship was still being built and thought that would make a great 45th anniversary cruise in 2022.

[ontheweb]

OK, back for a little more. And thanks to everyone who has commented.

 

On the way to Syd Norman's Pour House the first night, someone said to me, "You were at Woodstock." I replied "How did you know that?" He said, "I overheard you on the transfer bus." I said, "I know how I got there, but have no idea how I got home." He replied, I was hitchhiking and a state trooper stopped me and asked where I was going. When I said Woodstock, he told me Bethel." (where the festival actually was)  And on another day, I got on the elevator on the 17th floor. A couple entered on the 16th floor. And she said to me, "Where are you from?" When I replied Monticello, NY, she said, "Did you go to Woodstock?" I said, "Yes", and she pointed to her husband, and said, "So did he." I said I was 22, and he said he had been 17. I wonder if there were any others of the 3000+ passengers who had attended that festival in 1969. What are the odds that there were only 3 of us, and I had met both others?

 

After the first night, I took out a Bob Marley tee-shirt to wear the next day. And lo and behold, one of the bands that next day was playing a Bob Marley tribute! Both the first and second nights with the first visit to Syd Norman's Pour House and then the second night a Bob Marley tribute ended with very high energy.

[ontheweb]

Back again. I remembered another activity on the Daily. Several days had dance lessons. This made DW happy.

[omahabob]

On 8/20/2023 at 12:01 PM, BirdTravels said:

I am kinda thinking that if you go to any urgent care or doctor's office, there should not be an expectation of "free service". My primary care physician would not prescribe a drug or recommend an OTC med without seeing me... too much liability should it be something more serious. And a cruise doctor that hands out any meds without checking a patient should be fired (because you are 100% depending on a patient self-diagnosing themselves). 

 

I recently had an eye issue and went to get it looked at. A very short office visit to say "happens frequently and will resolve on its own in 2-3 weeks", with no prescribed meds cost me $216. So a $149 office visit sounds like a deal. 

 

The liability concern was similar when I was emergency medical. We couldn't even give out Tylenol to anyone not under our care. So, whenever anyone asked, I told them I couldn't give it to them. But...if I put it down on a table and they took it when my back was turned, I wasn't responsible. They always smiled or laughed, and it was always gone when I turned back around again.