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

[JIMESOPUS]

1 minute ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

@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.

 

I remember Francis ( has he gotten worse? ), spent time at Metropolitan to pay homage to the Cowboy and never heard any music there but that was 10 or more cruises ago and I have lost track of a lot of things ( I do remember Colorado Ken at Penrose with Masti ). 

[Sugar Magnolia]

1 minute ago, JIMESOPUS said:

I remember Francis ( has he gotten worse? ), spent time at Metropolitan to pay homage to the Cowboy and never heard any music there but that was 10 or more cruises ago and I have lost track of a lot of things ( I do remember Colorado Ken at Penrose with Masti ). 

 

I just saw Colorado Ken on Sunday in Miami before he embarked on the Bliss the next day. He was jolly as ever. I think Matsi is on the Encore.

 

They did stop playing music at the Metropolitan a few days into the Prima TA last year; I heard there were volume issues. 

 

I did not stick around to find out whether Francis had gotten worse on the Viva. 😂

 

[mking8288]

Continuation from post # 545 - 

on Food, Services & Thoughts - Pluses and Minuses, Opportunity for Changes

 

  Some of us recognized and come to accept, deal and live with NCL being consistently inconsistent - case in point, on what's allowed, excluded, how many and whether there's an upcharge or not, depending on which specialty restaurant and ship, and whether using the Specialty Dining package and/or (Platinum) Voucher, which is typically treated more restrictively since it's a "free" giveaway perk or benefits, for being "loyal" as a frequent cruiser on NCL.  Prima's dining team of asst. managers, host/ess and servers did not fail to stick with these unwritten, spoken and often contradictory practices on our TA. 

 

  Tactically, I decided to adopt a different approach, deploying what I feel is being passive aggressive by proactively asking & challenging the premises, and interrupt the speech or short lecture about what and what isn't ... goes something like this, it works reasonably well.  Once we meet our server at SD for that evening, even before s/he asked whether there's any food allergy and/or we wish to order beverages - I let them know (actually, they see the "slip" printed by the front, when we checked in for our reservations) that we are using a combination of vouchers and package, that some things are covered but we are going to order what we want ... anything extra is fine to be added but put that on my account.  With starter, soup and/or appetizers, and even the "sides" for the entrees or main courses - we do share among ourselves, always and that's our way, my way - sharing isn't prohibited or restricted, and there is no table minimum per person, right.  If one of us isn't hungry but wish to be part of the dinner, it is fine to do just a salad, have a pizza or pasta, maybe just fish or seafood from the entree section.  Why bother buying additional dining plans for x number of days, if that extra person's meal might just be far below the "discounted" package add-on pricing.  

 

  Our first night of SD in Palomar worked out perfectly, had an excellent server that evening and with all that we're "entitled" to order and share, nothing wasted or thrown away later (sorry, less feed from us to the "processed" ocean fish food at midnight)  She turned out to be the assigned server when we dine with Adrian and another junior officer the next evening in Hudson (Dine With Officer) - so, they knew & recognized she's one of top "performer" in food services onboard - with a cheerful smile. 

 

  Only wished that more than 50% or 60% of the wait staff in the MDR do that consistently - smile a little and be cheerful.  From what we saw, among themselves - they have no difficulties whatsoever joking, laughing and enjoying among their peers standing around, instead of making regular & the occasional checks among their assigned tables and work station zone to refill water, and clear the plates, etc. (in other words, less than attentive)  We don't have any problems when they whisper and speak their own native tongue or language among themselves in public, working in the MDR - they are more comfortable doing that and that's okay, regardless what NCL's official policies are (pretty sure there's a "rule" for that)

 

  Together, over the course of the 11 Days cruise, when you are greeting by a less than cheerful & friendly front of the house hostess/team at times ... and spending far more time standing next to the walls waiting, without getting a simple explanation (i.e. kitchen/gallery is busy, there's a long line downstairs for the assistant on their turn to pickup the orders, ran out of Cuban chicken & fresh ones being cooked almost ready, etc.) - you begin to test patience, tolerance and appreciation that they are trying or not. 

 

Case in point below:

 

  Walked into the Hudson on a beautiful & sunny Sea Day morning around 9 AM, got seated fairly prompty ... not a nice table next to the window, as we are usually given one - when available, got the menu, water poured, coffee & juice order taken shortly - no more than 5 to 10 minutes, okay - still looking at the menu & specials, then began to look around, wondering who is our server or responsible for taking the order, digitally on the handheld.  Our server finally came, took our orders - nothing complicated or special - more than 20 minutes later, nothing ... crickets.  Others that were seated later than us, and nearby with orders taken by different server, began eating part of their breakfast - hunger isn't helping ... just get us our fruit plate, banana or yogurt; or, how about my salmon bagel.  It was at that point, probably closed to 45 minutes after we initially sat down, that I reached for the blue "Comment Card" and begin writing down our Table Number.  Next time I knew, one of the asst. manager jump & stood in front of our table and began her mitigation ... said, let me check and see what's going on, etc.  She then came back herself within a minute with a nice bakery basket for the table, offered us complimentary premium coffee.  "Crisis" averted for her area, at least for that morning.  It was a good thing, we're not in a hurry and she did her duties, came back and asked, talked to us several times - "are you happy now" or is it "happier" - whatever, let's just all chill out. 

 

  There were (are) apparently service issues and they see & knew about it - worked hard to try to correct, coach, train and re-train ... some of the crew members are relatively new, etc. etc. I think it was 2 days later, almost another repeat but sitting in a different section inside Hudson.  This time, a different manager came by fairly quickly and personally took our orders - oops, did we get tagged in the system already.  That breakfast or lunch went smoothly, nothing to write about - just that we feel someone is on alert with our presence.  Yet, on another visit - we're escorted to a table, the hostess just dropped 4 menu on top of the table, one per seating - turned around and left, without saying a word, none - wow, what.  Maybe, someone having a bad morning already ... let it go.  Cut them some slacks, not really interested to see them get into trouble or get written up for minor things - we recognize that living and working on a cruise ship for 4, 6 or 8 months at a time, non-stop and some with contract extension - isn't easy, overdue for vacation and mind set on going home next month upon the end of the TA and repo to Texas. 

 

  Midway thru our TA, we know we have at least 2 Vacation Heros - cards to be filled out, signed and drop off downstairs for management. The blue Comment Card was put away ... until the last morning. We had a fine dinner at Food Republic as a whole, good food that passed - but, didn't feel it is right for the server to personally hand 4 Hero cards out, one to each of us, told us to be sure to write down Ben, his name, etc. and ... Huh, is this that important and did he feel he "earn" it with excellent service, above & beyond - we don't think so, collectively.  Nope, not signing 4 cards for that evening.  "We" are "tough" and critical as passengers on a cruise, huh - just because I am usually quiet, reserved and don't lose my coolness and not loud, nor try to demand things as in DYKWIA style, doesn't mean these valued "passes" are going to be blindly issued by simply asking, let alone shoving the card almost in our faces.  Sorry - doesn't work that way.  

 

  Skip and fast forward to disembarkation morning, breakfast in Hudson.  We got there about 7 AM just as the Self Walk-Off was about to be called by Alvin, CD over the public PA - sat down after a 10 minutes wait outside (not too bad), the usual about sharing tables being asked.   Wow, a busy dining room with lots of cruisers not in a hurry - maybe they are all staying onboard B2B too.  Tables began filling up in the starboard section - took a bit longer to get water, coffee & juice came too - recognizing that some of the crew members are usually reassigned or diverted to help with moving luggage, disembarkation and to help houskeeping team to quickly clear the vacated cabins.  Not in a hurry, our tradition has always been to go to the MDR and do the sit-down, figured that being "express" on a shorter menu, easier for the gallery - should be done and out of there before 8 AM, maybe 7:45 - return to our cabin, restroom stop and bags packed, ready to go and begin the exit process.  Well, nearly 25 to 30 minutes later - our food order was still not taken and we're had already ask the assistant that got our coffee & juice to find our server ... and, minutes later - our friend "lost" his cool and said, I want to see the manager here and now, got a complaint to file, what's going on.  Reasons being, others that sat down later than us had their orders taken, and began eating already and we are still sipping coffee - not even a basket of bread (actually, nobody get them anymore - only upon request and most - including us - do not bother.  The poor asst manager from the other day ended up at our table again ... another bakery basket and another round of complimentary premium coffee (Starbucks) - we finally got on the fast & express track, things got rushed out.  Almost feeling sad for what she had to do to compensate and make up for her assigned crew's performance, some of them are young & seemed inexperienced, and we seen them pulled aside and spoke to nearby ... not our server or for our table.  

 

  Cagney's dinner was fine, as was Onda - perhaps, the senior and best servers being in specialty restaurants are making a difference ... just having a hard time trying to speculate, let alone figure out the W's - what's and why's, how and ... 

 

  Footnote - apologize for the long narratives with the details, feel free to skip these few posts but for the curious minds, the whole deals, as promised earlier to better "explain" why we felt a bit of disappointment with some of the services onboard.  

 

Got some more richly colorful photos off her Samsung's - plus videos, yet to be edited - those should be up tomorrow to close out this lengthy report, aside from a few other "facts" and FAQ info.  Of course, thanks for following, commenting, asking questions to clarify, the jokes and the fun replies, all sincerely appreciated - we are learn something new & different on these trip reports.  

[mking8288]

@JIMESOPUS  Do not recall seeing a Foosball Table along that The Local Bar area (that's starboard side) unless it's well hidden - the passage area in between, to/from port side with the AFT entry into The Local's main section, don't believe there's anything there as it's also passage for the gallery teams into the small kitchen (that was our "gallery" tour, not the main gallery below)

 

Music or solo singing weren't happening on a regular basis (if at all) in The Local Bar area.  The Metro Bar is what I consider Times Square with the front/MID 6-7-8 atrium triplex being Grand Central, for music, singing, solo & duet performers - Fwd/Mid used for cooking & art demo (minus any kind of projection TV screen that's been fairly common on other NCL ships)  Metro Bar is the focal point for trivals, puzzles and other listed activites being run by the CD staff.  Oddly enough, Alvin on this cruise with the Prima, seemed to mee, to be more low key than in the past, his team and Asst CD doing more and visible - but he remains in charge of important announcements - he's out there on the pier when we go ashore.  Maybe, he's spending more time in the outdoors, pool deck & upper floors - which we didn't visit that often. 

 

As for the performing singers, some are apparently on short contracts - what we heard on the last sailing might not be on the repo, and next week out of Galveston - could well be new ones ... little that we heard while walking around, didn't exactly impressed me (Shane is the name, sang in the Penrose area and elsewhere, pretty sure he was at the Metro Bar).  Given the mixed & diverse demographics, not sure if the singers are covering tunes for the different generational audience.  Others including "Familiar Strangers and Duo Rika"

 

Unrelated - skipped and missed the Latitudes/CruiseNext welcome back gathering - scheduling it at 1:30 PM on 2 different sea days when lunch took more than 1 hour to finish ... not helping and multiple "informers" said, don't bother wasting time to go - not going to miss anything important.   Otherwise, would've find out or heard how many pax onboard, # of Ambassadors, Diamonds, etc. and children/teens on the sailing - there are some, probably less than 50 or 75, mostly younger children from EU (non-US) 

 

P.S.  now that I have time, need to really go thru Jim's Viva report with all the details as it should enhance overall appreciation & recognition of the issues & challenges with this ship class ahead ... and whether to sail them sooner than later. 

Edited December 6, 2023 by mking8288

[lulu6]

6 hours ago, mking8288 said:

mean these valued "passes" are going to be blindly issued by simply

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by lulu6
Don’t know how I posted this

[dexddd]

Well, one year later, apparently nothing has changed.  The overall vibe and experience you describe is what we felt and encountered.  I almost wonder if staff has attitude they are on the fancy new ship so they are 'better' and go their own way.  I can tell you if the CN guy worked for me he'd be out of a job.

 

We only went to Hudson's once for lunch.  Got seated right away but service took forever.  I could see Officer watching us for quite awhile then he came over to apologize.  

 

Unlike UK, we saw very few senior staff about.

 

I do have a question.  On the steak and seafood night I see steak, shrimp, fish, and hot dogs.  Which category do the dogs fit into?

 

I will say again the ship IMO is beautiful with upscale feel and some creative venues.  Execution another thing.

 

Some areas get slammed like atrium, OL, Indulge but we were on a cold sailing so not much outside used.

 

 

[mking8288]

3 hours ago, dexddd said:

... apparently nothing has changed ... vibe and experience you describe is what we felt and encountered ... wonder if staff has attitude they are on the fancy new ship so they are 'better' and go their own way.  On the steak and seafood night ... Which category do the dogs fit into?

... ship IMO is beautiful with upscale feel and some creative venues.  Execution another thing 

See is believing and perception is what counts, just as important as "intent" and "hopes and vision" that FDR left behind.  DW even commented, some of the crew members need to do a little workout to get their body into better shapes, maybe they are getting well fed in crew dining - she said, NCL should putu some of the prettier ones up front, smile more often consistently and be friendly & more cheerful with passengers - instead of yelping among themselves, not professional at all.  I am not, seriously, making this stuff up, not all her ... not coming from her old & balding hubby.  Apologize if anyone feel offended, sorry but ... and, these are "younger" and junior ones on the job, making a living on NCL's flag ships. ''

 

The hotdogs ... hmmm, in the broader "meat" category ... the pizza on the other side of the buffet "looked" good but we didn't sample it and I don't recall seeing juicy burgers, and nevermind fried or grilled chicken wings the old fashion way.  Order the wings once in The Local and DW refused to eat or order them again - disappointed.  

 

The senior & junior staff are out and about, not that they are hiding out somewhere but they are selectively talking, interacting and occasionally listening to passengers - unlike the Escape team of years ago ... both Cherry & her boss were on vacation in September so missed the chance to say hi to them, if that crew/team get a 85 score from me, this ship gets a 65 to 75 at most, and that's pushing it. 

 

CC friends just disembarked the Getaway this morning, as our nieces are en route to join the ship for a 10 day cruise - also discovered inconsistent services and issues with once-a-day basic housekeeping.  These "observations" perhaps, reflecting, the speculations that NCL is losing some of the seasoned & experienced crew and just lucky to recruit & hire just about anyone willing to work a 6 to 8 month contract at sea.  

 

As for Prima not being good for sailing colder climate and ports - fixes like adding heaters like the ones done to the Joy isn't all that hard to do as part of the first dry docking ... get rich of some of the useless shopping space ... This is the new Epic design in disguise.  

 

The good thing is that the casino isn't smelling horrible or smoky, the better HVAC doing the job to isolate and keep those puffing inside & behind the clear walls in the corner.  The cigar lounge next to the Metro Bar - same, no smell walking by. 

 

Here's more videos for you (and others) below - MSC Seaview next to the Prima in Spain ... DW said, are we going to book one of the balcony apartment unit  - looked like some of the neighborhood high-rise.  On your question of which MSC ship has a 2 BR duplex YC ... niece showed me their offer, plus a balcony that's ours if we cruise together with them - will find out the details when we see them during the holidays, almost certain to be the newer ship - or could that be Royal.  

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Video clips - enjoy (audio/voice clipped) 

Prima arriving at Catagena, Spain on Day 2 ... docking at the pier, 10 minutes slow walking out to the main road or avenue along with waterfront, accessible friendly.  

 

 

MSC Seaview - docked in front and closer to the gated entrance/exit out to town ... that's "huge" 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, mking8288 said:

We had a fine dinner at Food Republic as a whole, good food that passed - but, didn't feel it is right for the server to personally hand 4 Hero cards out, one to each of us, told us to be sure to write down Ben, his name, etc. and ... Huh, is this that important and did he feel he "earn" it with excellent service, above & beyond - we don't think so, collectively.  Nope, not signing 4 cards for that evening. 

Let me start this by saying I am not discounting what you say. I'm sure it happened! I just had a totally different experience. We ate at Food Republic twice and noticed the restaurant manager was hopping to make sure everything was great. Servers were polite and stopped by to get us what we needed on both occasions. 

 

There was a table behind us that was paying a la carte. They complained because they waited ten minutes for their first food item. The restaurant manager wound up comping the entire meal for them. They returned the next time we were there and we sat next to them again. They were very happy and enjoyed Food Republic that time.

 

Perhaps due to the proximity to this unfortunate couple (on the first visit), the restaurant manager didn't feel we were candidates for a Hero Card, but I didn't notice any of these handed out to others. I actually was on the lookout for this as I heard these were being handed out on the cruise before.

 

We actually are emailing NCL our Hero Card (no one way in heck am I filling out a handwritten card, sorry not sorry) and one of them is going to be the restaurant manager at Food Republic. When we were there, he worked his butt off, talking to every single table, running orders, letting servers know drinks were needed, etc. He was appeared to be the lunch manager at Indulge and I noticed him checking in with every food station and server. Honestly, he was probably the hardest working employee we saw onboard. 

 

Again, just what I saw and not saying your experience didn't happen. I don't think it was the magic gold card as our experience seemed to echo those around us (except that one couple that were being dramatic to have their a la carte meal comped). 

[bedfordmom]

On our recent TA Getaway thought the once a day housekeeper went great with our amazing steward. This was in contrast to the 2/26/23 Getaway where it was a disastrous transition to go once a day where our sheets were never changed in 12 days or room vacuumed from the Caribbean sand. Perhaps I set my bar low after the first cruise. We gladly and generously tipped our steward this time whereas the first one in Feb was left with his hand out receiving zero. 

[cruiseny4life]

1 minute ago, bedfordmom said:

On our recent TA Getaway thought the once a day housekeeper went great with our amazing steward. This was in contrast to the 2/26/23 Getaway where it was a disastrous transition to go once a day where our sheets were never changed in 12 days or room vacuumed from the Caribbean sand. Perhaps I set my bar low after the first cruise. We gladly and generously tipped our steward this time whereas the first one in Feb was left with his hand out receiving zero. 

Hmmmmm, we were on Pr1ma for 11 days, with mking, and never once had our sheets changed, even with twice a day service. I thought about asking, but figured there were no slobbery, hairy dogs, so we could survive.

[seemoreroyals]

On 12/4/2023 at 7:50 PM, seemoreroyals said:

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

Any word  when and if the semi live will resumed?

[mking8288]

Last batch of video clips from Catagena, Spain 

 

This is one of the main stops of the walking & selfie tours at Catagena, lines on the right - entrance to the 2,000 years old, restored Roman Theatre historical landmark, with a small admission fee - 6 Euro, well worth the visit & allow 1 hour to explore,  

 

Inside the Teatro Romano de Cartagena - Roman Theatre, a historical landmark restored in 2008 and now a musuem.  

 

All abroad as we set sail from Spain toward Ponta Delgada in the Azores ... passing the Gibraltar just about at sunrise out to the Atlantic Ocean.  The local pilot boat came along starboard side to escort the Norwegian Prime, up head is the MSC Seaview, heading west as well.  We had a good and usable cellular signal (free roaming from Google Fi's local ISP partner) for at least 1 to 1.5 hours on the starboard side, being closer to the coastline.  

 

This is a longer video clip at 1080p, almost 2 minutes long and 272 MB sized ... best view on a tablet or desktop monitor ... audio muted/separated, 

Edited December 7, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

9 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

... Pr1ma for 11 days ... never once had our sheets changed, even with twice a day service. I thought about asking, but figured 

 

9 hours ago, bedfordmom said:

On our recent TA Getaway thought the once a day housekeeper went great with our amazing steward. This was in contrast to the 2/26/23 Getaway where it was a disastrous transition to go once a day where our sheets were never changed in 12 days or room vacuumed from the Caribbean sand. 

 

Interesting ... our friends that disembarked this morning off the Getaway from her winter 10 days Caribbean run from/to NY, their message last night, verbatim  "still haven’t met our housekeeper. She must be fairly new and overwhelmed with her work. She had forgotten the take out the trash one day, forgot about hand towels another day. Usually Housekeeping is done by early afternoon, no so in her case. I felt bad about the whole situation and kept a $20 in my pocket to give to her but never had an opportunity. "

 

Memo to NCL ... are you reading these reports, (I've asked the CC M&G roll call team leaders to alert them to the live reports, and if they are half serious about it ... ) our Dine With Officers on the Epic was with the head of housekeeper, wondering what he has to say in response.  Isn't it sad and disappointing.  

 

  We had a great room steward (room attendant, as they call them nowadays) who's experienced and very responsive.  We asked for a coffee maker and set-up, 2 plus 1 laundry bags and the slips (no coupons necessary or used, just write our name, inventorize the items count accurately and sign it, noting it's Platinum/Sapphire, etc. so they know it should be complimentary ... and, off they go with next day return, promptly)  Didn't ask for ropes and/or slippers, nor the mini-refrigerator to be empty, enough room for our own bottles of water & juices, milk AND ziplock bags (yes !!!) to make his job easier, and no ice bucket refilled daily. 

 

  Our cabin was clean daily, usually no later than mid-afternoon as he's usually around, somewhere by mid-morning in our corridor or hallway, straight & easy to watch foot traffic.  We hang some of the towels on the rack so that they can be re-used instead of on the floor, but all of them replaced anyway.  And, the spare towels are there under the sink, behind the doors.  Garbage cans emptied and dirty dishes, cups, etc. removed & discarded ... and, we had the simple pillow "treats" daily.  Lots of extra coffee pods, sugar & creamer for us to use - extra slippers for Mrs. M anyway - in many ways, we felt pampered ... all that with a nominal $20 tip on Day 2 (and, also toward the end of the cruise, as the last day before disembarkation is always hectic for the crew)  

 

  That's what we consider a great employee, going above & beyond and deserved to be recognized and written about, as a vacation hero.  Our friends, 2 doorways down from us felt the same about the services received, and another card was filled out, signed & dropped off. Our expectations, needs and requests were not that difficult to be met - our belongings usually neatly stacked yet one evening, he came in to drop off next day's FSD, made the bed again as a turndown service, even straighten out my pair of blue slippers - wow, how nice is that.  

 

  Of course, he knew we're seasoned cruisers on NCL - clearly, didn't matter to many others - no matter what.  Times are changing   😉 👴 🤔

 

 

[mking8288]

Tech mini.review - Geek's corner  (average CC'er - feel free to skip)

("Station Zebra" info as FYI or FAQ ... questions or comments welcome, just ask)

Starlink's satellite WiFi is rolling out gradually across the NCL fleet, fortunate to use it onboard the Prima westbound TA, prices hasn't gone up - it's more reliable than EMC but on my benchmarked WiFi 6/ax and .ac test results, were slower than EMC 7 months on our Epic TA going eastbound.   Go figure it 😅 out ... 

This was one of the better results at sea onboard the Norwegian Epic - April 2023 (no Starlink - EMC has been the ISP partner for NCL for satellite WiFi at sea)

 

Upgrade costs remained the same pre-cruise and onboard, but we always do this on the ship, using both refunds& often non-refundable OBC 😬 to lower our net final cost.  If you wait until after midnight, ship time - it's one less day's worth of charges, that's $30 saved on the unlimited basic WiFi for 1 device at a time, still pricey 😳 for longer cruises, but with sea days & no land towers anywhere - either don't use it or pay for it.  

 

  Some folks won't sail without their unlimited beverages option and/or spa & thermal passes ... right, to each her/his own, no judgement on personal choices. 

 

  We started ours on Day 2, $300 without any further discounts, less $100 trade-up credit on 1 of the 2 free FAS 150 minutes that wasn't touched or use, and offset by another $100 OBC resulting in a final cost of $100 only.  That's our average monthly costs for 2 lines on Google Fi.  

 

  Had we waited another day, the cost dropped ... midway thru the cruise, the lowest option to change to unlimited was $80 only - that's without touching our $100 NR-OBC.  Yes, refer to screenshots - of course, this Semi-Live trip report would be very difficult and different, more crickets at sea 😁😁😁  Has I chance it, WiFi would be "free" for those sea days & unlimited, after we left Ponta Delgada & crossing fingers about the Bermuda stop ... which I betted against on a less than 50:50 odds of making that quick & short 6 hour "layover" (and really can't see or do much, except to stretch sea legs on solid pavement around Dockyard) 

 

On the last sea day, Prima offered the disembarkation Day Pass special at $30 only - which is actually "less" than the 100 minutes or the 250 minutes (always offered option), also "available" - always check your options, choices and review it carefully before "buying" or paying for it. 

 

These are the various Starlink *** test results onboard the Prima's TA, your results might (and likely, will) vary depending on your choice of hardware or equipments to access the ship's WiFi inTRAnet and/or inTERnet ... good luck !

*** exception being the 11/20/23 faster results - that's cellular/land signal from Barcelona, Spain. 

 

 

The details as ran using latest Speedtest app (Android, no apparent difference using iOS 17.1 on iPhone SE 2022, that's my other "backup" device paired with Apple AIr Tags)

Edited December 7, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

No other news this week from the Prima on CC, here's something from yesterday as the Getaway sailed from Pier 88, MCT in New York - our nieces on her, and their angled balconies

Spice H20 😎 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by mking8288

[Sugar Magnolia]

11 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Upgrade costs 

We started ours on Day 2, $300 without any further discounts, less $100 trade-up credit on 1 of the 2 free FAS 150 minutes that wasn't touched or use, and offset by another $100 OBC resulting in a final cost of $100 only. 

 

I upgraded to unlimited wifi after 2-3 days on board my recent Getaway and Viva TAs and received the $100 trade-up credit, even though I had already started to use the FAS 300/150 minutes. Was this different in the past? I normally upgrade prior to boarding so did not know what to expect.

 

[mking8288]

49 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

I upgraded to unlimited wifi after 2-3 days on board my recent Getaway and Viva TAs and received the $100 trade-up credit, even though I had already started to use the FAS 300/150 minutes. Was this different ... 

Not really, as long as one of the FAS plan minutes remained "unused" or not activated, these upgrade and trade-up should (and had, for us) go thru & credited and/or adjusted accordingly - if there's any error or issues, then - go to iCafe & see the manager during her/his office hours for help.  For the remaining days, we just shared & switch back-n-forth to use 1 line's worth of unlimited (VPN stayed on by default on my Pixel 7 Pro, her Samsung Galaxy was OFF with VPN, no issues with either configuration - except most background refresh, uploads & backup, etc. were disabled or turned off, in data saver mode to maximize bandwidth for the "active" apps. 

 

While Starlink wasn't as fast as I had hope and wish for, latency and errors were down to cable-like and seldom freeze - good enough - am reasonably sure that Skype and Facetime should be fine, Zoom video could be challenging (that's what the "premium" WiFi with additional unblocking is for - $$$$ for those that "must" have or "need" to use it at sea & no other choices exist at sea ... aside from short wave / VHF low band & short waves, etc. that are prohibited for us without expressed permission from NCL.  

 

Mrs M's 150 minutes remained un-used until Day 10 and 11 or else wasted so I activated that too - once that was "redeemed" with the reminders/pop-up on options ... then, the discount pricing no longer show up on the digitalsea.io URL on the mobile browser.  Loading CC as a free website remained slow & sluggish when not signed in or using just ship's inTRAnet (WiFi on ship's SSiD)

Keep in mind that ships like the Prima, Viva and probably the Joy & other ships with newer digital tech deployed, i.e. wait team's handheld and tablet/customized iPad ordering in Food Republic or Indulge Food Hall, their devices are on a separate & hidden SSiD signal, not shared and/or overlapping ours.  I can "see" it scanning with other apps on mine and should note, cross-interference should not be entirely ruled out, it's high frequency/band signals.  

[Sugar Magnolia]

3 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Not really, as long as one of the FAS plan minutes remained "unused" or not activated, these upgrade and trade-up should (and had, for us) go thru & credited and/or adjusted accordingly - if there's any error or issues, then - go to iCafe & see the manager during her/his office hours for help.

 

This is why I was confused.

 

I traveled solo on both TAs so there was only one FAS plan with 300 free minutes on the Getaway and 150 free minutes on the Viva. I activated and used my free minutes for the first 2-3 days on board, then upgraded to unlimited wifi, but still received the $100 trade-up credit on both cruises even after using my free minutes.

 

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

 

This is why I was confused.

 

I traveled solo on both TAs so there was only one FAS plan with 300 free minutes on the Getaway and 150 free minutes on the Viva. I activated and used my free minutes for the first 2-3 days on board, then upgraded to unlimited wifi, but still received the $100 trade-up credit on both cruises even after using my free minutes.

 

We had this happen on Pr1ma too. I upgraded my minutes for the unlimited plan on day two or three. Three, I think? Then my husband just used some of his 150 minutes. He still had the option to upgrade on the last day of the cruise even though he had used almost all of his 150 minutes. This had never happened before. On previous cruises the option to upgrade went away as soon as we started using the minutes. Interesting! 

[mking8288]

@Sugar Magnolia  Some of us know the consistent "competencies" NCL's I.T. team ... maybe another one of the unspoken, don't ask & share quietly loopholes, enjoy the savings - consider a gift from NCL that we as "insiders" share & know, let's not bring it unwarranted attention or else they'll shut it down. It's like that other device sharing option I've mentioned earlier & am not repeating it here and elsewhere. 

 

WiFi on the Getaway apparently fine this morning, our SIL were given 15 minutes of limited WiFi airtime to post & upload photos, seemed fine & we got updated, before her twins "kick" mommy offline from use, or else she would be hogging up data traffic on another platform.  For us, some video clips played on the basic unlimited plan, totally unexpected whereas on other devices, can't play or watch Youtube at all. 

 

Still, we had Beetlejuice and Donna Summer videos & other moviews/musical, loaded for offline playback on the Amazon tablet, just in case and as back-up ... not needed as we're too "busy" and poof - bling, bling - 11 days came & gone.  Only watched 5 PPV movies on Prima's Samsung Smart TV (nicer resolution than the older ship's upgraded TV monitors) as it was comp'd to a few of us only, outside of Haven & suites. The selections & available ones onboard were more suited for children & teens ... most recent releases excluded.  

 

**** iOS (iPhone & also iPad users) ... should be getting an updated report from the girls on the Getaway, not Prima, as to whether they can text or SMS (only) each other onboard, while only connected to ship's WiFi inTRAnet, not logged in to the inTERnet or using airtime minutes ... 

Edited December 7, 2023 by mking8288

[Sugar Magnolia]

Got it @mking8288! Here is another quick share and more consistent inconsistencies. 

 

This was the policy on the Viva; however, Latitudes discount on upgrade was applied on the Getaway. Shhhh.

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Hush - if we decide to jump on the GA this winter on a last minute, we can take advantage of our *new* discount at 25%, cool ... the only NCL vessel sailing this winter near us. 

Edited December 7, 2023 by mking8288

[schmoopie17]

Our Cruise Director on Prima in February was Simon...and I would say he was the best and most personable Cruise Director we ever had. Wonder what happened to him...in less than a year it's now Alvin.

 

I just realized, if the next Cruise Director is Theodore, they would have covered all of the Chipmunks.

[mking8288]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Our Cruise Director on Prima in February was Simon...and if the next Cruise Director is Theodore, they would have covered all of the Chipmunks.

We've sailed with Alvin a few times, what's your impression ?  He did a funny slide show presentation in the atrium about crew life, interesting ship facts & his private cabin, and almost as useful as the shortened BTS ship tour.