Prima TA Semi-Live 11 Days to NY from Spain, 4+ days @Barcelona from JFK ... land/cruise early Thanksgiving vacation

[Sugar Magnolia]

8 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

One group that was missing, the mah jong players unlike being on the Epic this April - 15 to 20 tables daily, DW said the noises from outside the room were bad, as if they turned into a gambling den. 

 

😂 was it the AC crowd on the Epic? My aunt, an AC devotee and likely CAS member, was on that Epic TA. Will have to ask whether she was one of the MJ players. She has not fully debriefed me about that cruise yet.

 

[UKstages]

28 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Donna Summer Show was entertaining, a bit stretched in being too long...

 

interesting perspective.

 

i dislike the show, but thought it was too short! it ran nearly two and a half hours on broadway (with an intermission), so they cut about a half an hour for the prima. even with the creative team doing the cuts, how do they decide what to cut? i think the show would have been more meaningful in its original form. for instance, as i recall, there is a photo montage at the end which just sort of passes by on the prima. on broadway, it packed a real emotional punch because these were all the people donna lost to AIDS. and that's not even really mentioned in the prima's truncated version of the show.  

 

stories should take as long as they take to tell.

 

i get they want to do two shows a night. i get that it would be difficult to perform without an intermission. but it's honestly better, in my opinion, to not do the show at all than do it in a lesser version that doesn't serve the vision.

 

(all that being said, i thought it wasn't very good on broadway, either. the point is, it was better and made more sense.)

[dexddd]

I can't recall details but Commodore usually quiet on our sailing as was Belvedere.  Only reason we know is the elevators back there.  It is kind of a dead end area.  Saw more crew training and events than dining.

 

Which ship on MSC?  I may have missed something on the newer ships but I don't think any duplex have two bedrooms.  Ground floor basically sofa bed, bathroom, table, balcony.  Stairs to upstairs with bed, bathroom, and walk in closet.  We had one in February for just me and Mrs. Schmoopie, no, that not her, meant DW and we loved it.  We were able to social distance by a whole floor.  It was a YC room although outside the YC proper.

[mking8288]

20 minutes ago, UKstages said:

interesting perspective.  i dislike the show, but thought it was too short! 

Hmmm, maybe that partially explained that about 20 or 30 minutes into the show, my mind wondered off ... not sure of whether to stay for the show.  We embarked wondering if the Show is on or not, being cancelled with all the NCL cuts happening.  Just learned that some of the Donna shows on the current were cancelled & rescheduled/postponed, due to casting issues (injury/accident on the set ??)   Had expirating credits on Amazon & actually used it to purchase the DS Show & saved it on the Fire HD tablet to watch, just in case ... Only to get comp'd for most of the PVP movies onboard "free" & watched as many as we wished (5 or 6 of them, including Top Gun 2022 in hi-def.)  

 

As for the other live game shows, fun & different, see it once & done and can't see ourselves going back ... as long as Mrs. M has unlimited basic WiFi, she's happy and I'm good too.  Given all the props used and sets being moved around, can't possibly see the Prima/Viva (and Aqua for that matter) trying to do more than 1 and possibly 2 on a given cruise season/cycle ... there's just no place anywhere in the backstage to store the extras, let alone the costumes for the cast.  

 

Didn't realized that they can and do quickly reconfigure the theater setup into a nightclub & dance floor, which means they can do more events & gatherings instead of using the tiny lounge, bar and triplex atrium to do late evening music.  Without a Spice H20, on a ship with 3,300+ passengers, clearly see the reasons for dissatisfactions of the public space being too small & inadequate.  

 

Another excuse to redo the cancelled B2B leg and repeat her ...  and start looking at the Viva & Aqua too, just that we do not plan that far in advance, not in the genes and not our style of retirement travel & cruising.  If the Price is Right, now - DW would tell me to jump & leak, book it and "finish" packing since it's always 50% pre-filled with the basics & essentials to go, almost anywhere, on short notice.  

 

 

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

😂 was it the AC crowd on the Epic? My aunt, an AC devotee and likely CAS member ... has not fully debriefed me about that cruise yet.

LOL, maybe you "need" to visit her more often or do Facetime ... just busting your chops.  From what we could see & tell, not necessary the AC or CAS crowds - post cruise, we did learn many of "them" booked it last minute via a local NYC TA, nicely bundled deal with 2, 3 and even 4 to a cabin, packing them in to share the costs - OW airfares and ground transfer both outbound and on arrival into BCN, apparently strait to the airport and/or possibly with a half-day tour.  They turned out to the locals and/or at least "regionals" with some from Ontario.  

 

In contrast, there're apparently very few CAS players onboard b/c the tables & digital bandits were half deserted most of the time, not much of that usual tournament feel to it ... according to our friends.  Pay tables were bad, really horrible per his losses (he stopped donating entirely 2/3 way thru the cruise ... how was CAS crowd on your Viva TA ?  

 

The other rumors that he heard and see is that, NCL apparently losing out to other lines with cuts in the CAS department and apparently, partnership with land casinos being dropped left & right ... Nieces that are in the chains said they are going with Royal, Celebrity and MSC or even Carnival - I remember hearing that, once upon a time, select NYC cruises had as much as 20% to 25% CAS players.  Lately, not so much anymore. Don't have any verified "facts" and figures to back up or reject those closely guarded trade secrets, but time will tell.   NCL knows it best, maybe charters are better for the corporate bottom line ahead ?? 

[Sugar Magnolia]

2 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Didn't realized that they can and do quickly reconfigure the theater setup into a nightclub & dance floor, which means they can do more events & gatherings instead of using the tiny lounge, bar and triplex atrium to do late evening music.  Without a Spice H20, on a ship with 3,300+ passengers, clearly see the reasons for dissatisfactions of the public space being too small & inadequate.  

 

On the Viva TA, there were dance parties virtually every night at the "Viva Club," the converted Viva Theater. Sometimes the parties lasted until 1:00 AM. I wonder if the Deck 9 forward cabins can hear the late night music

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

9 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

LOL, maybe you "need" to visit her more often or do Facetime ... just busting your chops.  From what we could see & tell, not necessary the AC or CAS crowds - post cruise, we did learn many of "them" booked it last minute via a local NYC TA, nicely bundled deal with 2, 3 and even 4 to a cabin, packing them in to share the costs - OW airfares and ground transfer both outbound and on arrival into BCN, apparently strait to the airport and/or possibly with a half-day tour.  They turned out to the locals and/or at least "regionals" with some from Ontario.  

 

In contrast, there're apparently very few CAS players onboard b/c the tables & digital bandits were half deserted most of the time, not much of that usual tournament feel to it ... according to our friends.  Pay tables were bad, really horrible per his losses (he stopped donating entirely 2/3 way thru the cruise ... how was CAS crowd on your Viva TA ?  

 

BINGO! Aunt lives in Toronto! 😂 I will see her in March for a family reunion cruise out of Los Angeles. I did not know she was on the Epic TA until after she sailed. I was on the Epic from San Juan to NY the week prior. That would have been hilarious had I stayed on for the TA.

 

The CAS crowd on the Viva TA seemed light whenever I walked through. 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by Sugar Magnolia

[rmfortin]

Hi @mking8288 Henry--Apologies for the 'crickets' as we are still knocking the rust off our cruising chops and just trying to keep up with everyone and everything happening onboard. We were so sorry to hear you didn't (re)join us in NYC, and hope all is/will be well for you soon.

 

With the caveat that any semi-live I would post will be from a prodigal cruiser's perspective, I can certainly try my best to capture the overall situation on the repo cruise leg of what would've been your B2B.

 

Without spoiling the plot, I will say we have seen little/any of the service issues you've  described at length. But we've had conversations with several staff that might at least partially explain the polar opposite shift we are experiencing. More to come. 

 

I will figure out how to set up my own semi-live posting topic as soon as I can in the morning, pre-San Juan. It will certainly pale in comparison to your posts in every way...photo quantity/quality, in-depth analysis of every aspect of daily Prima experience.... but I will do my best. It's the least I can try to do for my CC mentor!

 

With that said, maybe @azcruise Janet & Mike can provide a more accurate comparison TA vs Repo. We met them at the M&G (obviously) and later in passing after dinner, and you are correct that they are very kind, knowledgeable, and helpful... so glad to have met them!

 

More details soon...typing this in between courses at Le Bistro and desert is on the way,  so full attention is required. 😁

 

--Ross

Edited December 5, 2023 by rmfortin

[seemoreroyals]

@mking8288 I liked your comparison of Prima as the new Epic.  I recall years ago when we first sailed Epic we read all of the negative stuff about Epic and its strange bathrooms etc.  When it was finally our turn we really enjoyed Epic.  

 

We are hoping our first experience on Prima coming up shortly will be the same.  This will be our 11th NCL cruise on 9 different NCL ships and we have enjoyed them all.  A few hiccups here and there but that's life.

[seemoreroyals]

@rmfortin Looking forward to you carrying the torch on Prima as it moves from NYC to Galveston. 

[Sugar Magnolia]

5 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

@mking8288 I liked your comparison of Prima as the new Epic.  I recall years ago when we first sailed Epic we read all of the negative stuff about Epic and its strange bathrooms etc.  When it was finally our turn we really enjoyed Epic.  

 

We are hoping our first experience on Prima coming up shortly will be the same.  This will be our 11th NCL cruise on 9 different NCL ships and we have enjoyed them all.  A few hiccups here and there but that's life.

 

You have the right attitude, so I think you will enjoy the Prima. I think it is an elegant ship with the roomiest cabins in the fleet. The ship's layout is very different from any of the other ships, but take some time to learn the layout and you will be fine. Keep an open mind and the Prima will win your heart.

 

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, rmfortin said:

With that said ... @azcruise Janet & Mike can provide a more accurate comparison TA vs Repo. We met them at the M&G (obviously) and later in passing after dinner, and you are correct that they are very kind, knowledgeable, and helpful... so glad to have met them! ... details soon...typing this in between courses at Le Bistro and desert is on the way,  so full attention is required. 😁

--Ross

Hi, Ross & congrats to Paula and your 35th anniversary, wishing we're there & stay on to keep the B2B ... loved to see another semi-live or trip report from your perspective (by all means, feel free to compare to Virgin ships, and other lines, etc.)  Sounds like you are having a wonderful time onboard the Prima, bravo & make the most out of it.  It would've been a somewhat deferred 32nd anniversary for us onboard. 

 

  Make yours a standalone, continuation - you can cross-link to this and even @cruiseny4life's live report on the TA - do not have to post & continue  ... imagine, poor CC report "addicts" going thru 20+ pages, photos and I'm taking time in between to go thru DW's video clips to edit & upload for the TA segment.  Have yet to see anyone else posting about the 14 Days repo from NY-TX.  But, I quote: " A big thank you to all who organized and participated in the M&G and slot pull. First time signing up for a cruise critic gathering and it was a lot of fun.  I proudly displayed my second place trophy at lunch over a celebration of lobster bisque and champagne…"  that's enough for me to know, mission accomplished - and "we" did it.  

 

  Despite it all, nothing of service issues really negatively affected our cruise in an adverse way - but, having been around CC for a while ... entitled to, I think, to be a little critical of things as we see them and call it out.  Opinions about food are most definitely subjective, biased by nature and highly personal.  Go with the flow, easy and keep that sense of humor, and if it rain and seas turn - dance along and go with the flow, life is too short.  We are thinking of Kathy & hubby who had to bail out last minute before we left for Barcelona - she was going to be part of our "team" to pull things together - while dealing with that other "mess" on hand.  Read the one & only update on the roll call about a good M&G turnout and all that efforts, work & coordination put in by all made it worthwhile and rewarding ... plus the Slot Pull as early on, didn't think it was going to happen at all.  Please let Tom know that I say thank you.  Peter is going to get that Cabin Crawl going - do try to get some photos of unique cabins ... the group of "girls" (AJ) with the accessible cabin.  

 

  This is another CC'er take of the a happening in the Hudson MDR last week ("permission granted" to link) - and, it's good to know that it is being addressed b/c I left words in "Dear Marc" mailbox - intent or goal is not to get a bottle of wine with a plate of treats.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2971734-crossing-the-globe-kind-of-a-pr1ma-hopefully-liveish-adventure-1120-121/?do=findComment&comment=66536043

 

 

 

Guess what showed up in my mail, collected by our upstairs townhouse neighbors while we're away - a recognition package from LS - can you imagine some of us walking around and at the entrance to Improv with the lanyards, "official looking" OMG ... could freak a few of the crashers not on the list.  Did "we" use the color name tags (made by Tom) too ?? 

 

 

When you get to San Juan tomorrow, emails should sync and we can play catching up & chat later. Enjoy the Prima ... I have a feeling that we are going to "need" to do a make up cruise on the Prima, sooner rather than later.  DW asking me to start looking at options for 2024.  

 

P.S.  I spoke with Jan/Mike briefly just before we reached NY, ran into each other several times onboard, of all places - the Hudson MDR.  She's going to catch up on the Semi-Live and once they settled the dust after going home - might wish to post & contribute.  If and when you launch your Semi-Live, I'm sure their wisdom can be very insightful.  

Edited December 5, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Transbordador Aeri del Port or Barcelona's Port Cable Car, built in 1929

a bonus - short video clip (77 MB - 37 seconds) - view inside the red cable car as we headed up from the beach ... not accessible friendly but the 360 views is worth the trip.  Best to purchase eTickets in advance, one-way or round-trip and cut to the front of the line.  It's not just about seeing the unfinished church.  

 

 

Hmmm, then and Now or "The Way We Were" while going thru DW's photos, safely backed up to our RAID server at home.  Look what I found - the elusive hash brown from 2022 onboard the Getaway last Spring, initially 2 pieces to a typical breakfast order ... then, reduced to just one on the same cruise.  Totally missed the "signs" perhaps of what was likely coming, aside from making fun of the number of onion rings as a side order in Cagney's 😁

 

 

 

 

 

Then and now - sourced from Miami vs. Barcelona 

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

13 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

 

 

 

Same premature-sized strawberries on the Viva out of Lisbon.

 

[mking8288]

Day 3 - 22 Nov 2023 from the Surfside Cafe (Buffet) - Seafood & Steak Theme Night - pix & video clips

 

 

 

 

Video - 83 MB size ~ 33 seconds clip 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Video Clips - 

Barcelona - Cruise Terminal (inside, post-security check-in area & duty-free shops nearby) - 82 MB

 

 

Prima sailaway at sunset, with pilot boat starboard side  (111 MB)

 

 

 

 

[bedfordmom]

8 hours ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

Same premature-sized strawberries on the Viva out of Lisbon.

 

At least you received yours the first day. (Almost Sapphire) they forgot our strawberries. After being the run around  between housekeeping and Cruise Next had to contact the latter late the second day after a long  port day. Then two plates of small strawberries arrived day 3 or 4 in separate deliveries. Not sure it was overcompensation or related to. Club balcony. 

[mking8288]

PCSD (post cruise stress "disorder") beginning to kick-in, been 5 days since we left the Prima.  Mrs M in the gallery, preparing a light breakfast and was up earlier, couldn't sleep and getting restless again - are we packing for another trip yet 😆 - asking across our own dining table & coffee.  To make matters worst, our twin nieces are leaving tomorrow morning on the Getaway for 10 days to the Caribbean, asking for tips, advice and how-to ... texting back-n-forth.  We need another vacation - cruising or otherwise.  

 

Indirect report/observation from the current Prima sailing - sourced from friends onboard, with similar observation (as ours) food portion getting smaller (... bagel with smoked salmon only comes with half a bagel), food quality is not consistent and service is not consistent. 

 

< bagel, toast and croissant &  bakery items mostly smaller in general, ditto for desserts in the buffet >  These are not necessary negative in the sense that, as DW noted, one is free to order extras and double up. Fewer waste and uneaten food being thrown away ending up as fish food in the ocean after being processed (something you learned doing the Behind The Scene tour on a cruise ship)  

 

If I'm not mistaken, @cruiseny4life also observed a trend in Haven - leave it up to him to write things up as they're "downstairs" at times - interesting enough, the private Haven elevators and that discret lobby near The Local wasn't heavily used, as we walked by that on Deck 7 and 8 on a regular, almost daily basis and often multiple times coming & going to places.  Deck 6 is even quieter and at times, seem empty with fewer cruisers hanging out, even at the bar/lounge outside Cagney's.  

 

Most of the crowds seemed to be in the Mid/Fwd 6-7-8 atrium "lobby" area, except early morning - you can barely walk thru the Starbucks area, let alone finding chairs or a place to sit ... very busy & noisy at times.  The layout, design & set-up are most definitely very different than the *Away/Plus ships - take getting used to on what, where & how to get there/back.  The stores, shops & duty-free shopping zones - similiar to the Epic, somewhat - have that nice, upscale & elegant look ... signs about tax & duty-free here & there, but tiny price tags attached (if any at all or easily seen - we hate shopping for bargains not knowing what the asking price is, just the way we are)   

 

Little to no sales advertised or promoted with the extra flyer inserts or additions to the Freestyle Dailies (okay, fewer color papers need, ink wasted in printing & trash to be recycled) and I can't possibly see NCL reaching sales target in these department.  True also for the very limited & small gift-shop selections, and the "essentials" sort of hidden along one wall (3 sections, pictured earlier - which we finally found & saw) and they are expensive, no worst than prices at the W Hotel or Conrad/Marriott branded hotels.  Crew store prices below deck are good & reasonable, we learned ...  This time, cigarette cartons did NOT go on sale at all - none of that buy 3 get 1 free specials, asked and the sales person told us, they requested it and Miami refused - and, without the herds of overseas Chinese mainland touring cruisers on this ship, pretty sad to see the reps standing there all day long.  We spent just $99 USD this time and explained to the sales why we refused to be more generous shopping onboard.  Sorry @The P Sharon - that's pretty much the full & entire shopping report on the ship - aside from the 5 scarfs on sale, at $10 a piece with the 5th one "free" - no end of cruise season NCL t-shirts.  We spent much more in Barcelona, Catagena and Ponta Delgada.  

 

Besides, DW has another valid point - Euro cruisers see no need to spend money onboard to buy fancy high-end leather bags, purses & cute backpacks, etc. VAT be darned where they come from.  Maybe, the Prima does better in hitting onboard sales target here in the Americas over the next several months - just not on the TA we're on.  

 

This is also true for the digital photo studio & sales of photo packages on the Prima - photographers roaming the specialty restaurants are mostly getting waved off and away, maybe 2 or 3 had theirs taken ... especially in this day & age of selfies and great digital photos with those iPhones and Android mid-range to high-end smartphones. Consequently, lots of "wasted" space onboard the ship, IMHO, better suited if and when NCL realized they are better off re-purposing it for something else.  

 

Next - let's go back and chat about overall dining experience onboard, the restaurants or venues and some of the specific issues that we disliked, etc. - 

[mking8288]

8 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

... They forgot our strawberries. After being the run around between housekeeping and Cruise Next had to contact the latter ... Then two plates of small strawberries arrived day 3 or 4 in separate deliveries. Not sure it was overcompensation or related to Club balcony. 

Oh dear, Club Balcony should've received those strawberries in addition to Platinum's strawberries.  Ours were not in the cabin waiting either, it was very late in the afternoon when housekeeping on a cart knocked on the doors & handed it to us as DND was on, door double-locked from inside.  DW looked at it and "wow, aren't they "big" - let's just eat & finish it (wasn't quite dinner time yet) instead of putting them into the mini-refrigerator.  

 

Used to get a form letter welcoming us back as Latitudes member, etc. etc. - not anymore, apparently in NCL's infamous eco-friendly move, for our convenience to sail & sustain.  Just that little booklet with the 2 coupons and that's it ... apparently, too many Sapphires on the ship these days, let alone Platinums and nearly impossible for the CruiseNext team to provide services or help, described as "Tier Benefits" aside from the daily voicemail & messaging about those "free" money and onboard deals - up to $2,000. 

 

Yes, CN confirmed that all current & future CruiseNext certificates held in the account and/or purchased, no longer have an expiration date - "system" will show them with an expiration date of 2099 and of course, transferrable to others. Well, of course, T&C are always, given NCL's consistently inconsistent policies & procedures, subject to change, modifications and revisions with but often often advance notices.  An official NCL corporate announcement is forthcoming next January to introduce the changes .... hmmm, okay.  Somewhere in there, while standing at the CN desk to ask about (extra) free laundry services - CN staff mentioned hurry and buy them, expecting changes next year and that it's best to buy & get some more as a wise, strategic move ??  Again, must be some sort of classified and top-secret mission to promote it; and, bring in the sales number to reach end of 2023 revenue target for corporate.  

 

Speaking of these CN, since her account has zero certificates remaining, after transferring 2 of them to the nieces, we purchased 2 more onboard and took the $250 refundable OBC to cover other purchases on the ship ... as of this moment, certificates are still MIA or AWOL, not yet posted to her account, as it should by now.  But ... will and should show up eventually.  

 

It took 3+ weeks for our Latitude points to get posted & updated our September Escape and NY Lower Bay harbor cruise, properly & credited.  As for our final onboard account statement and eSummary for our records, nope - still waiting for it and not anywhere in the folders, including Spam & Trash bin.  I am reasonably sure that NCL is working hard on it ... patience.

 

NCL short changed us our 2 "cartons" of Flow Water back in September ... same finger pointing, housekeeping said they simply followed the counts with the CruiseNext worksheet given to the stewards.  Wasn't going to stand in line and bust their chops about $7 worth of water on a cruise - it's not as if we just moved up into Sapphire tier, it's been a while and error-free on several other sailings since 2022 ... oh well.  The heavy & jumbo jug of bottled water we picked up at the local AUDI supermarket in Barcelona cost us just 89 cents Euro (not a typo).  

 

I stand corrected myself, the water carton sourced from Italy & available to us on the Prima out of Spain is the same size at 500 ml or 16.9 oz, same as the Flow Water from USA and shipped to the ports for transfer onto NCL ships - better & efficient packaging made it look smaller, isn't that good to know.  We had 2 unopened bottles when we left the ship last Friday, took 1 bottle home to compare - imagine the "nominal" fuel cost to move those pallets of water to be distributed across the pond and ocean. 

 

Life is too short ... sometimes, we just have to sing "Let it Go, Let it Go ..."   We can assure all, the little things bothered us and didn't come close to ruining our vacation, off and on the ship - our friends, however, he nearly lost his and practically blew up in the Hudson MDR - short of slamming the dining table.  

 

That's next, after a short "infomercial" break - 

Edited December 5, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Back on CC again, getting ready to see the younger nieces on their 10 days Getaway cruise to the Caribbean, as per private live update onboard - should be docked by 630 as the pilot comes on board at 430. Expected to pass the Verrazano just after 530  @PistolPete13 just FYI only, it's another chilly morning but if by chance, you are going to be at the end of Hyland Blvd 😁 😄 😆 - do bundle up to stay warm.  Latest list of GA's HD officers ad GM, CD, etc. posted on the other "master" thread for 2023.

 

Highlights: here, a few words, sentence & short paragraphs about restaurant dining, services and issues that we came across onboard with a short 11 days crossing: 

 

1.  Breakfast & lunch on the Prima 

 

  On a sea day, we expected most of the restaurants to be open to give the most option and choices with a ship sailing at full occupancy.  It wasn't the case - Commodore Room, the smaller of the 2 MDR remained closed.  The options are: the small & busy, crowded ... Surfside Cafe & Grill, with Food Republic across the hallway open/connected all the way AFT or back of the buffet for extra, surge seating.  But, it is still not easy to find seating, especially you are a party of more than 4 or 5, with limited number of larger tables in general. 

 

  On the *Away class ships (and even the mid-sized Dawn/Gem/Jewel class ships) - there are usually tables and seating areas set aside and reserved for accessible passengers to use, closer to the buffet stations ... even a children's section with tables & chairs with lowered height.  As far as we can tell or see - not on the Prima, it's possible that we missed it.  To the crew's credit, we did see them offering to help & assist pax that find it challenging to get around, whether in a motorized wheelchair or using rollator-walker or other assisted devices like walking cane.  

 

  The Local is relatively small compared to O'Sheehan's on other ships, port side - outdoor seating is not really an option at sea when it's chilly & windy - there is an extension, starboard side thru the "back" end, close to the private Haven elevator lobby and "The Local Bar" section - it's huge and plenty of comfortable loung chairs and swinging chairs.  Food service is available here - but, alas, it is an ultra limited menu selections - about 10 items in total, available ... no soup, no dessert and for those, one must go to the "main" sectioin.

 

  Indulge Food Hall - in between posted hours of services - this is a ghost town, everything is shut down & turn off for passengers ... feel free, for your (in)convenience to sit, chat, play card games, surf the ship's satellite WiFi, do your own nails, or do almost nothing but to wait until the tablets or iPads are enabled & functional, to begin the food ordering.  Need to refill your own water bottle with a clean plastic cup (available when ... ) each time, hot water for tea and maybe a cup of coffee/decaf while reading your e/book or Kindle, etc. - sorry, it's offline and no services.  Everything put away & secured, stored.  Spotless clean, crew do clean & sanitize or disinfect using approved methods & solution sprays, etc. - that we see, thumbs up for it.   For lunch - either you try to get there by 11:45 and definitely no later than 12 to 12:15 or else, all the tables & seats taken, reserved and filled up ... stand & wait until someone is done, get up & leave and tables are cleaned, etc.  Outside, if that's acceptable while the ship might be rocking and rolling a little bit, and you are dressed accordingly - no problem, good choice at least on the non-sunny and non-windy side of the ship.  

 

  Indulge breakfast (on the Go, really - hmmm, best to bring a tray, diverted from a previous Room Service delivery & kept) and zip lock bags, quart & gallon sizes as desired ... optional, a small shopper's tote bag (for your milk, juice, cereal boxes and misc. things)  It sounded great but my advice - come prepared or bring an extra pair of helping hand along (huh, spouse is still asleep & one reason for being the acting "Uber eat delivery person")  Somewhat variety of items scattered within Indulge, not exactly a smooth buffet line or resemble upstairs in the cafe - IMHO, great deal but poorly executed in practice.  No paper bags available either - what else can we say, maybe someone else sailing can give it a critical look.  Good thing is, hours are more extended and if you wake up past 8:45 AM and too late to run to the MDR, this is an option - aside from The Local.

 

  Hot/Breakfast Room Delivery (6 to as late as 10 AM) direct to your cabin, stateroom, or whatever one wish to call the room - for $4.95 + 20% (it's $9.95 + 20% otherwise for delivery, never used "Swift" but assume it's one and the same.  That's one way to use and offset that $20 refundable OBC issued (only upon our request ...) - order as much as you wish and get it delivered (cash tips is optional but generally given by most of us) - a "lot" more tabletop space in the typical OV and balcony stateroom to spread things out & eat.  There's the sofa and if you managed to move or get that small round table (from the balcony) - it's not a bad idea, with OBC given - "free" on any 3 mornings, whether it's a port day in a rush or sea day.  Think about it - worth not dealing with the trouble eating "out" on a cruise - trust my instincts on this, give it a try & you might like it, thank me later (just give this a "thumbs up" will do)

 

 

2.  Sharing table with others for 4 of us and lack of Priority Restaurant seating consideration

 

  Hudson MDR - this is the preferred, popular and the most often visited dining venue onboard the Prima - open for breakfast, lunch & dinner.  We find it to be fairly smooth on most days, especially when we had pre-cruise confirmed reservations made & did not need to make changes.  It is NOT in the spirit and against the logics of true "freestyle dining" when by the time you get up front to speak with one of the assistant host/ess, that there is still possibly another 20 to 30 minutes wait for a table to seat 4, maybe as much as 45 minutes.  We're "advised" to try the Indulge Food Hall at 6:30 PM and if not, the Buffet (that wasn't the night with steak and seafood either)   

 

Being still Sapphire on this cruise, without asking or checking first - the hostess with the non-cheerful, non-smiling, non-welcoming look on her face simply ask us bluntly, do we wish to share a table with others.  Nicely answered, no - 4 of us prefer a table ourselves ... Okie Okie, she reluctantly heard me, I think. Without raising my voice or losing my cool temper, I gently asked her if we can get Priority seating since ... Nope was what I heard (my hearing is fine, thank you)  She step aside and pointed us ahead to continue queuing to the desk ahead, just several other parties on that line, but probably 30 to 40 standing and waiting nearby.  Anyway, we made it past the line police and "checked" in, scanned my card on the RFID terminal and move aside to wait.  To NCL's credits, apparently ... the system recognized my Latitudes status & managed to get us to skip ahead of others in steerage of lesser "rank" - got called about 10, maybe 15 minutes later ... not as bad as we're told. 

 

By this evening, still early on the 11 Day TA cruise, all 4 of us realized and believed our eyes, why aren't some of them being more friendly as they should, aren't smiling and seemed to somewhat robotics and not happy to be doing what they do ... sorry, still don't have an answer for it.  Our friend, retired retail bank vice president had a number of theories, unproven and being new to the Platinum rank, remain positive - just wait until we do the free BTS tour below deck.  Fair enough, give her & others some slack - long hours & not well paid, etc. etc.  Haven't started looking for those blue Comments Card yet.  With the first Donna Summer show being fully booked for that day, we're not in a hurry to go or rush out of there, so what if it took us 2 hours for the 5 course meal services, right.  Afterall, we managed to go back to our room afterward, took a short rest and then do the standby and Virtual Queue ... and got inside the Theater/Night Club Lounge to watch live entertainment. 

 

- to be continued - 

 

 

[mking8288]

Looking back - while Indulge Lunch and Dinner (which we learned & tried later in the cruise) ... breakfast there, as described above .. suffice to say, not impressed.  Somewhat like going to cafeteria for breakfast, except - left a little disappointed.  I know (we) this is highly subjective, personal, biased and to each her/his own as to what's expected ... look at these "samples" of our plates and form your own opinions.  To me, this is more of a breakfast buffet at a Residence Inn by Marriott.  

 

 

Maybe, if they restore those missing hockey pucks ... oops, I meant to say, hash browns, can't be worst with grease than McDonalds a few blocks from our townhouse here.  And, smoked salmon on a toasted bagel with cream cheese, then I will be happier.  Just saying ... 

 

Starbucks here at Indulge, but not open yet (for breakfast) - per posted sign on that morning (Nov 21 - Day 2) ... (to please go to the other one in the atrium)

 

We like the concept and it's different, but in need of refinement to think thru and look at how & what, when, etc. - we ate here 4 or 5 times, not once did any of the junior officers and/or supervisors, asst. host/ess walk around, let alone stop to talk and listen, ask for feedback, suggestions & ideas. Is that too much to "expect" from another customer services angle. 

Edited December 6, 2023 by mking8288

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

there is an extension, starboard side thru the "back" end, close to the private Haven elevator lobby and "The Local Bar" section - it's huge and plenty of comfortable loung chairs and swinging chairs.  Food service is available here - but, alas, it is an ultra limited menu selections - about 10 items in total, available ... no soup, no dessert and for those, one must go to the "main" sectioin.

 

are you saying what i think you're saying? that the local bar area had limited food service, a truncated menu with only ten items? this is a big change from the way it used to be... there was always full menu availability of all items at the prima local, regardless of which side you were on. (with the same limited late night menu on both sides.)

 

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Indulge breakfast (on the Go, really - hmmm, best to bring a tray, diverted from a previous Room Service delivery & kept) and zip lock bags, quart & gallon sizes as desired ... 

 

it's disturbing to read your account and @cruiseny4life's account of the change to the indulge food hall's grab 'n' go concept. it worked well and i have no idea why they have abandoned it. as for trays... trays were always available at breakfast back in the good ole days... like seven months ago. i'm shocked to hear they have removed them.

 

44 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

not once did any of the junior officers and/or supervisors, asst. host/ess walk around, let alone stop to talk and listen, ask for feedback, suggestions & ideas. Is that too much to "expect" from another customer services angle. 

 

most know i'm not a big fan of the prima, but i have to say that when i sailed in may and june, senior F&B officers were all over the joint, talking to customers, soliciting feedback, listening to unsolicited feedback and helping people find seats. once again, it's disturbing to find that is no longer the case. i always said senior management on the prima was clueless, except for the F&B folks!

[mking8288]

@UKstages  rather than quoting ...

On the bar side of The Local, it's a limited menu, we have no idea the way it was. They are more interested in bar services on starboard side, the menu isn't the full or regular menu during the non-breakfast hours.  

 

 

The junior officer was not too far away, by the Haven elevator by not once come around. 

 

 

This giant HDTV is nice, showing tennis, sports or whatever ... except it's stand & watch only, a waste of the wide open space, IMHO of course.  Just like these on the opposite end of that hallway between Indulge & the Midship elevators. 

 

 

Soggy chicken wings, drowning in the sauce, which we asked to be on the side 😤  Hotdogs were okay. 

 

 

 

I stand corrected myself, there were some trays at breakfast in the Indulge FH, not all the stations - some availability so give them a passing grade. Variety isn't quite there ... 

 

We had dinner with one of the top heads responsible for F&B, but it's not fair to go to him each & every time on minor issues that we find disappointing or annoying.  Adrian is very social and approachable, ran into him a few days - perhaps, I should've asked for a "conversation" with the person in charge of the restaurant.  Changes take time, and I'm doubtful a single voice alone is going to move the mountain as they say.  If and when, should we return to the Prima ... then, we shall see.  Others on the current NY-TX repo sailing mentioned they are seeing things a little different - going to hear and read what they have to say later on ... benefits of the doubts.  

 

Meanwhile, reflecting & writing out what we felt before memories fade & recollections more challenging.  

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by mking8288

[JIMESOPUS]

@mking8288 The Local TV area was supposed to be a spot for music, but plans got changed. This information came from an officer at our Dinner with Officers on the Prima, last year's TA from Southampton. A question was raised why was there no music at the Metropolitan and only at Penrose, he replied noise was a factor there and plans for music at the Local were scrapped because of congestion ( traffic ). There is a spot for musicians at the Metropolitan on the Viva. Wondering if the Foosball table is still there in the alley in the Local? 

 

 

They now have several old school gaming consoles on the Viva in that same alley

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by JIMESOPUS

[Sugar Magnolia]

8 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

@mking8288 The Local TV area was supposed to be a spot for music, but plans got changed. This information came from an officer at our Dinner with Officers on the Prima, last year's TA from Southampton. A question was raised why was there no music at the Metropolitan and only at Penrose, he replied noise was a factor there and plans for music at the Local were scrapped because of congestion ( traffic ). There is a spot for musicians at the Metropolitan on the Viva. Wondering if the Foosball table is still there in the alley in the Local? 

 

 

They now have several old school gaming consoles on the Viva in that same alley

 

 

@JIMESOPUS this is my recollection from last year's Prima TA and it could be slightly or completely inaccurate. 

 

I remember there was music played at the Metropolitan Bar on the Prima, Francis Larson to be exact. I was not a fan so I left the Metropolitan whenever he played. Imagine my dismay when he showed up on our Viva TA.

 

A bartender at the Local on the Prima told me that there was music played at the Local during the weeks prior to the TA, but enough executives/passengers on Deck 9 complained about the noise so that ended that.