Live - NCL Prima - 06/23-07/04/2024 - Southampton, Belgium, Amsterdam, Norway and Iceland - Is it more beautiful than Alaska?

[mking8288]

@Seas2mountains   Wow, they "caught" a bigger fish for you to bake ... b/c they told us, it's about 20 minutes once the fish is prepared and inside the oven at a pre-set temperature.  Looked & tasted great, will definitely do that and it is a lot of food, with the starter, bread ... barely any room left for dessert ... and, we couldn't take it with us (unlike being on the Joy or Getaway while in Specialty Dining) - being in a suite/Haven, the butler can take care of the "handover"  

 

Don't worry about saying hi to Nomita behind the scene at Guest Services and Adrian got thousands of guests, I rather read that folks on the "current" cruise are attended to and services are good to excellent, better yet - vacation heros earning their "signed" seal of approval.  On our TA, some felt that Alvin, CD wasn't all that good but ... these opinions are subjective & personal, biased & can be rather partial vis-a-vis one's expectations.  They are all human ... and be nice & kind. sometimes ... they do not have choices when it comes to corporate policies dictated by Miami.  While I am critical in being a "critic" and yet in reality, we try hard to just go with the flow.  

 

Hi, seeing that Teri & Pookie is following & catching up ... after 3 ships and 45 adventurous days away from home that began in the Big Apple and then embarking on the Prima.   BTW, I just saw 2 "unexplained" credits / refund from NCL showing up within the past 2 weeks on our BOA credit card account, no explanation given and that's odd b/c we had no disputed charges, claims or otherwise expectation anything otherwise from NCL.  We changed & moved one of our upcoming NCL cruise to 2025, but everything was just "shifted" and transfered to the new booking under the same reservation number, CN deposits & promo, etc.  Odd & strange, but not complaining - will cheerfully "accepted" the credit as is (unless "Sy" Sugar, you or someone else from the TA also seeing something on their credit card)  

 

Yes, more photos - please and thank you - only if and when you have time, and, don't let the iPhone/smartphone run too low on its battery charge ... happened to me as the USB battery pack began to run low on our last day in UK, after disembarkation, going onward to a half day tour then, LOL.  

[Seas2mountains]

11 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

Thanks for sharing your trip.  How many more days to go?

You’re welcome. Sadly, we have one full day left until we get kicked off the ship early on Thursday morning. 

[Seas2mountains]

6 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Thank You  I will get it posted.

 

Prayers for your safe journey to your home.

Have thought about your next adventure?

 

Mandy

Thank you, Mandy! We appreciate the prayers!  We will be on Pride of America in September and we will go on Viva out of Puerto Rico and Joy out of LA in December. Do you have a cruise planned this year or next year? 

[www3traveler]

2 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

Thank you, Mandy! We appreciate the prayers!  We will be on Pride of America in September and we will go on Viva out of Puerto Rico and Joy out of LA in December. Do you have a cruise planned this year or next year? 

Hopefully on The Escape out of Galveston, Texas over Christmas.  The Aqua's first sailing from Southampton to Boston late March 2025.

[Seas2mountains]

20 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

@Seas2mountains   Wow, they "caught" a bigger fish for you to bake ... b/c they told us, it's about 20 minutes once the fish is prepared and inside the oven at a pre-set temperature.  Looked & tasted great, will definitely do that and it is a lot of food, with the starter, bread ... barely any room left for dessert ... and, we couldn't take it with us (unlike being on the Joy or Getaway while in Specialty Dining) - being in a suite/Haven, the butler can take care of the "handover"  

 

Don't worry about saying hi to Nomita behind the scene at Guest Services and Adrian got thousands of guests, I rather read that folks on the "current" cruise are attended to and services are good to excellent, better yet - vacation heros earning their "signed" seal of approval.  On our TA, some felt that Alvin, CD wasn't all that good but ... these opinions are subjective & personal, biased & can be rather partial vis-a-vis one's expectations.  They are all human ... and be nice & kind. sometimes ... they do not have choices when it comes to corporate policies dictated by Miami.  While I am critical in being a "critic" and yet in reality, we try hard to just go with the flow.  

 

Hi, seeing that Teri & Pookie is following & catching up ... after 3 ships and 45 adventurous days away from home that began in the Big Apple and then embarking on the Prima.   BTW, I just saw 2 "unexplained" credits / refund from NCL showing up within the past 2 weeks on our BOA credit card account, no explanation given and that's odd b/c we had no disputed charges, claims or otherwise expectation anything otherwise from NCL.  We changed & moved one of our upcoming NCL cruise to 2025, but everything was just "shifted" and transfered to the new booking under the same reservation number, CN deposits & promo, etc.  Odd & strange, but not complaining - will cheerfully "accepted" the credit as is (unless "Sy" Sugar, you or someone else from the TA also seeing something on their credit card)  

 

Yes, more photos - please and thank you - only if and when you have time, and, don't let the iPhone/smartphone run too low on its battery charge ... happened to me as the USB battery pack began to run low on our last day in UK, after disembarkation, going onward to a half day tour then, LOL.  

Thank you! Yes, it was a lot of food in Palomar.  They said it was baked at 400 degrees. 
 

We like how Alvin had kept the atrium entertainment to be mostly the duos - Duo Essence and Duo Riko with Familiar Strangers to finish the night. We did not care for the CD on the Gem who used the atrium during prime time for Deal or No Deal when the theater was a better venue. We also met him at the VIP party. Well the only officer we met and he has remembered us and our names since that meeting. 
 

Wow on the unexpected credits. We don’t expect any from this cruise. 
 

We should be okay on charge as we have a morning flight on Thursday. I struggled keeping a charge in the UK on our own excursions needing Apple Maps so my husband and I took turns so it made it last. 

[Seas2mountains]

Abba and Bee Gees dance party in Prima Club. 
 

Do you get extra cool points for dancing with your bus excursion sticker still on your shirt?!? 🤣

[Seas2mountains]

There is an Ambassador on the cruise who has been on Prima since April in Miami. She is disembarking in Reykjavik before cruising with her family later this year.  She said she has more than double the number of points needed for Ambassador. 

[www3traveler]

17 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

There is an Ambassador on the cruise who has been on Prima since April in Miami. She is disembarking in Reykjavik before cruising with her family later this year.  She said she has more than double the number of points needed for Ambassador. 

WOW!!  I would love to have that kind of time and money.  The longest cruise I have ever done was a 22 Day Christmas New Years adventure.

[Ellis1138]

My husband did Vigur Bird Island and loved it. I rested and used the thermal suite.

This is an okay thermal Suite, but so many of the passengers are noisy and sit in the therapy pools with cocktails, chatting. And Yesterday around 2:30pm, some woman was wearing what smelled like a whole bottle of perfume. My allergies reacted and I had to wait until she was done and another 20 minutes beyond that for her perfume to leave the air. 

We also ate at Palomar at 6pm. We had festoni, prawns, and grilled octopus. It was very tasty. I had pre-ordered mine and they made it good and even double checked my allergens.

I'm sad this is coming to an end.

[Seas2mountains]

Good morning from rainy Reykjavik.  The forecast says it should be cloudy for most of the day and then rain again in the evening. 
 

A few days ago, we canceled the 8 hour excursion we had scheduled today as we both did not like the idea of a long bus ride on our last day. We plan to go on a cruise that starts in Reykvaik in the future and will likely rent a car to see the sights.  
 

We had a nice leisurely breakfast followed by trivia with a Starbucks drink. We are about to go explore Reykjavik and it looks like the rain has stopped for now. 

[ontheweb]

Have you tried the Local---comfort food?

 

We are definitely not foodies, especially DW. (In fact, when we were not married long and hardly knew one another, I once asked her if she would like it if she could just take a pill for nutrition and not have to eat, and she said yes. 🤦‍♂️)

 

We did no specialty dining and alternated between Hudsons and the buffet. Normally, DW would be happy with just the buffet as she likes to make her own salad and does not like waiters serving her. But the last night we tried the Local. We each had fish and chips for our main course, truly a comfort food. 😊 And then the dessert menu came, and it was wonderful. I ordered the hot fudge sundae, and a large hot fudge sundae showed up. 😊😊😊. DW said, "you're not going to eat that whole thing, are you?" To think, we had just celebrated our 46th anniversary a few days before and yet she still did not know me! 🤣

 

If we had considered an extra dining venue, it would have been Los Lobos, but we would not have been able to since it was taken out of the general population of the ship and converted to a kosher restaurant reserved for a large group on the ship.

[Travelicious]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

I ordered the hot fudge sundae, and a large hot fudge sundae showed up. 😊😊😊.

The hot fudge sundae on the Prima is fantastic!  Sadly, it is not available at The Local / O'Sheehan's on all ships.  We went on the Dawn one day just for the sundae, and discovered it was not on the menu.  

[Seas2mountains]

6 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

My husband did Vigur Bird Island and loved it. I rested and used the thermal suite.

This is an okay thermal Suite, but so many of the passengers are noisy and sit in the therapy pools with cocktails, chatting. And Yesterday around 2:30pm, some woman was wearing what smelled like a whole bottle of perfume. My allergies reacted and I had to wait until she was done and another 20 minutes beyond that for her perfume to leave the air. 

We also ate at Palomar at 6pm. We had festoni, prawns, and grilled octopus. It was very tasty. I had pre-ordered mine and they made it good and even double checked my allergens.

I'm sad this is coming to an end.

We are sad today is the last day. It has been a wonderful cruise and the weather was much better than I expected. 
 

Vigur Bird Island looks like a great option for Isofjordur. I’m glad to hear your husband had a great time. We may have been at Palomar at about the same time. 
 

When we were leaving the spa yesterday afternoon, we saw the people who brought in several cocktails per person and were drinking them while it the pools. That is something I haven’t seen before in the spa. 
 

I’m sorry to hear you were impacted by someone with a lot of perfume.  
 

Enjoy your last day! Thank you for contributing to this review. I enjoy hearing about your experience. Feel free to share more with photos when you get home. 

[Seas2mountains]

15 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We were really looking forward to our Isafjordur private tour. I found it, and DW also liked it very much.

 

As I also posted our cruise missed Bruuge because of "an extremely low tide". We really had that one planned out before we were informed of the cancellation. It was to be on a Monday, and we both knew a lot of European art museums closed on Mondays. But after a google search I found more than enough open to satisfy my art teacher DW, and I also found a French Fry Museum. The idea of a French Fry Museum intrigued me. 

If we go to Bruges again, I’ll try to find the French fry museums. Sounds interesting to me, too. 

[cruiseny4life]

Is today a sea day? If so, I hope folks with cocktails stay far away from the thermal suite! 

[Seas2mountains]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Have you tried the Local---comfort food?

 

We are definitely not foodies, especially DW. (In fact, when we were not married long and hardly knew one another, I once asked her if she would like it if she could just take a pill for nutrition and not have to eat, and she said yes. 🤦‍♂️)

 

We did no specialty dining and alternated between Hudsons and the buffet. Normally, DW would be happy with just the buffet as she likes to make her own salad and does not like waiters serving her. But the last night we tried the Local. We each had fish and chips for our main course, truly a comfort food. 😊 And then the dessert menu came, and it was wonderful. I ordered the hot fudge sundae, and a large hot fudge sundae showed up. 😊😊😊. DW said, "you're not going to eat that whole thing, are you?" To think, we had just celebrated our 46th anniversary a few days before and yet she still did not know me! 🤣

 

If we had considered an extra dining venue, it would have been Los Lobos, but we would not have been able to since it was taken out of the general population of the ship and converted to a kosher restaurant reserved for a large group on the ship.

We are on the cruise shuttle bus now and had planned to have lunch at the Local today. We passed on getting the famous Iceland hot dog as there was a decent line and we weren’t too hungry for a hot dog. 

[cruiseny4life]

Welp, a hot dog stand photo proves today is not a sea day. Have fun on your last day exploring!!

[JandC_Cruising]

15 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Hopefully on The Escape out of Galveston, Texas over Christmas.

We're booked on that one!  See you on board...Jon & Carolyn...We'll be hanging in the Vibe and Spa while on board

[schmoopie17]

53 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

If we go to Bruges again, I’ll try to find the French fry museums. Sounds interesting to me, too. 

Having a French Fry Museum sounds like someone is trying to rub it in to the lowly hash browns.

Not only do they not have a museum, they seem to now be extinct,

[Seas2mountains]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Is today a sea day? If so, I hope folks with cocktails stay far away from the thermal suite! 

We arrived in Reykjavik early this morning and will stay overnight. Crew don’t have to be back on until 2am. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Travelicious said:

The hot fudge sundae on the Prima is fantastic!  Sadly, it is not available at The Local / O'Sheehan's on all ships.  We went on the Dawn one day just for the sundae, and discovered it was not on the menu.  

After I had that hot fudge sundae, I wished I had discovered it earlier and gone there every night for dessert.

 

Also, had a fantasy, go to the Local, order the hot fudge sundae for an appetizer, then the cheesecake for a main dish, and back to the hot fudge sundae for dessert. Though I guess that would not be a very healthy meal, enjoyable though. 🤣

 

I must confess though, I did not actually eat 100% as DW did take a taste of the whipped cream.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

We are on the cruise shuttle bus now and had planned to have lunch at the Local today. We passed on getting the famous Iceland hot dog as there was a decent line and we weren’t too hungry for a hot dog. 

Enjoy the local, and if you have the hot fudge sundae, think of me.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Seas2mountains said:

If we go to Bruges again, I’ll try to find the French fry museums. Sounds interesting to me, too. 

 

27 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Having a French Fry Museum sounds like someone is trying to rub it in to the lowly hash browns.

Not only do they not have a museum, they seem to now be extinct,

Fries museum- Welcome to the Frietmuseum in Bruges !

 

I guess they actually call them "Belgian" fries.

[Seas2mountains]

In addition to having lunch at the Local today, we also stopped by one  evening for a late night snack. 
 

We also went there for breakfast one morning when we woke up late on a sea day and missed the breakfast hours for all locations including the buffet. 
 

My husband loves the beef chili. Today’s soup of the day was chicken tortilla / my favorite.  I like the chicken salad sandwich but the burgers looked good  I blame the soup for the reason why I could barely eat much of the sandwich  

My husband got a hot dog anyways. 

 

It was great today and the hot fudge sundae was delicious. 

Edited Wednesday at 02:36 PM by Seas2mountains

[ontheweb]

3 minutes ago, Seas2mountains said:

In addition to having lunch at the Local today, we also stopped by one  evening for a late night snack. 
 

We also went there for breakfast one morning when we woke up late on a sea day and missed the breakfast hours for all locations including the buffet. 
 

My husband loves the beef chili. Today’s soup of the day was chicken tortilla / my favorite.  I like the chicken salad sandwich but the burgers looked good  I blame the soup for the reason why I could barely eat much of the sandwich  

My husband got a hot dog anyways. 

 

It was great today and the hot fudge sundae was delicious. 

A picture of the hot fudge sundae! My mouth is watering. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!