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

[iceangel2335]

@Seas2mountains Hope you have a wonderful trip! 🙂 I will be boarding Prima next week in Iceland and this makes me very excited to read about your journey! And now I really have to get my butt in gear and start packing! Just curious if you noticed where might be best to grab some lunch on embarkation day? Did you notice if everyone flocked to one or two places or if it seemed spread out? Do you know how full this sailing is? 

[cruiseny4life]

On 6/22/2024 at 3:44 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We finally got to Stonehenge after 11am and after being able to take photos from the road while stuck in traffic, my husband said he was done with Stonehenge and the crowds and he was ready to take the bus back to the hotel. 

This would SOOOOO be my husband!! He's a fast travel kind of guy. I'm more of the slow, take it in by all the senses travel guy. Sometimes my experiences aren't quite as magical as I want - like the time I was feeling true bliss at Brookgreen Gardens outside of Myrtle Beach. Sitting under a bench, with Spanish Moss swaying above, I decided to use all my senses. I tasted the Spanish Moss. Don't do that! It didn't ruin my day, but I was spitting bits of dusty moss out for a few hours. 

 

  

On 6/22/2024 at 4:13 PM, Seas2mountains said:

“Well I'll tell you something, this is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun! I'm gonna have fun, and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much f****** fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our g-dam smiles! You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of your a***holes!”

 

I LOVE THIS!!! It would have put a smile on my face too. I need to re-watch those movies - it's been decades. Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah is my most favorite song ever...."where is that bluebird?!" I've even taught most of the words to my husband, just because I sing/whistle/hum it so often. 

 

  

On 6/23/2024 at 12:34 AM, Seas2mountains said:

We had a short 0.3 mile walk from the restaurant to get to Salisbury Catherdral. 
 

The city had some markets set up. 

 

 

I absolutely adore the that building on the left!!!

 

  

On 6/23/2024 at 7:22 AM, Seas2mountains said:

The Haven and Suite people walked on together and we split off when we got to Cagney’s where we will be able to eat breakfast and lunch. 
 

 

I'd rather that smashburger than the brie burger in the Haven! Also, flank steak might be my favorite cut of cow (when prepared properly), except for any cut of meat prepared at a tiny steakhouse called Land of Magic in an equally tiny town of Logan, MT. Mmmmmmm!!!

 

  

23 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We are doing a @Sthrngary “Haven Lite Strategy” with the suite (not Haven) but it gives us more space and access to Cagney’s for breakfast and lunch.  We will probably eat most or all breakfasts there but will try different options for lunch. 
 

The Vibe Beach pass gives us the hot tubs and a non crowded space for sail away and time outside.  We got thermal spa passes, too. We are feeling spoiled after being in a club balcony with our granddaughter earlier this month. Our cruise after this one will be in a balcony.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oooooooooooo!!!!! Do let us know how the slide noise is. Personally, I think it'd be kind of cool to be perched in that balcony listening to the slides, unless you hear lots of screaming (which I don't like). I don't understand why parents teach kids to scream when they're scared, but that's just me. 

 

And, I hope the Haven Lite strategy works. I'm always interested in hearing about this as we someday will have to skip out on Haven due to some reason, or another. I want a different way to still experience the peaceful cruise I'm used to.

 

Gosh, so excited for y'all!!!!

[Seas2mountains]

Hello from beautiful Bruges. I have a lot of photos to add but we have been busy enjoying the wonderful Prima and the perfect weather to explore Bruges. 

 

Here is one photo from Bruges. 
 

 

[DorothyB]

On 6/23/2024 at 6:22 AM, Seas2mountains said:

The Haven and Suite people walked on together and we split off when we got to Cagney’s where we will be able to eat breakfast and lunch. 
 

 

This must be the revised menu as of June 2024.  I will be in the haven in January, but this is similar to the suite menu from our Feb cruise and prior cruises.  My favorite starter is gone (Shrimp Louie) and my friend's favorite entree (salmon cakes) is gone.  My favorite entree (shrimp scampi) is still there. 

[ww2ww2]

 

[Seas2mountains]

Our initial immersions of Prima are very positive.  It’s almost feels like  we are on a different cruise line with the very different designs and layout of the ship. 
 

We are loving the spacious SJ suite and the extended balcony is nice. 
 

We enjoyed our time in Bruges today and are so glad we got off the ship as soon as it was cleared. The town of Bruges felt crowded as we were trying to leave. 
 

Here are photos taken at about 4am. 

[Seas2mountains]

I’ll post updates on Bruges on the sea day. I’ll try to get up to date so this is live again 

 

After a great visit to Bruges, we enjoyed lunch at Indulge or Overindulge as my husband called it. He tried the fried okra, pulled pork sandwich, extra pickles, and chicken legs. I had the Pad Thai with shrimp. 
 

We also tried the bacon wrapped dates and while we have liked this in the past, these dates were huge and did not taste the same as the smaller dates wrapped with bacon. 
 

The Pad Thai with shrimp was excellent. My husband said he would go back to get the chicken legs. 
 

 

[cruiseny4life]

I'm going to be that person on your live (sorry)....do you know if the chicken legs are replacing the chicken breast chunks? Or, are these two separate items? 

 

Also, OverIndulge is such a great name for the place!! 

[Beachiekeen]

I am excited to follow this journey! And I love the “Haven lite”, what a great idea! 

[Seas2mountains]

After lunch, we went to the thermal spa and were initially the only ones there. It is nice that the pool area is separate from the heated lounge.chairs. It was soooo quiet and peaceful.  We easily fell asleep for a bit as we are a little sleep deprived 

 

Since the spa was empty except for us, I took photos. 

[cruiseny4life]

I'm glad you've found it quiet. I hope it continues this way for you!!!

[cruiseny4life]

On 6/22/2024 at 4:13 PM, Seas2mountains said:

We have no idea why so many people when dressed in white?!? Anyone know why? 

I just read this article in the Times. It states those dressed in white are druids. Here's the article, in case anyone is interested:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/22/travel/stonehenge-solstice-celebration.html

[Seas2mountains]

After a much needed 2 hour nap, it was time to get ready for the VIP (Suites and Haven) reception at the observation lounge. 
 

We enjoyed the ‘spoon” appetizers and I really liked the bourbon smash drink. 

[Seas2mountains]

We didn’t have dinner reservations tonight and went to Hudson’s which is the beautiful aft facing dining room. It is definitely more beautiful than any other NCL dining room we have seen. 
 

We were told it would be a 20-30 minute wait and were given a pager. It was probably a 15 minute wait. We were given what we think was the best table they had at the aft in the center. 
 

I was really hungry as the Pad Thai from lunch wasnf enough food. I ordered the brushetta (not pictured), cheese ravioli, and twin lobster tails with a $25 charge. My husband got the artichoke dip,  Caesar salad and a filet with a $20 charge. Food and service were excellent. We were impressed with how fast they were with each food course. . 
 

My husband said he was “entertained” sadly by a large family with family drama.  Without turning my head, I felt so bad for the Hudson staff who had to deal with  these 10 adults and 5 kids and I could give more detains but it is such a sad situation from what we observed. 
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

The filet. 

[Seas2mountains]

Tonight, we enjoyed listening to Juci Del Carmi who is so talented with his guitar. Duo Rika also were wonderful and kept playing after a woman tripped and fell down a staircase and had whst looked like a head injury with blood on her head. We hope and pray she is okay. 
 

 

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

We didn’t have dinner reservations tonight and went to Hudson’s which is the beautiful aft facing dining room. It is definitely more beautiful than any other NCL dining room we have seen. 
 

We were told it would be a 20-30 minute wait and were given a pager. It was probably a 15 minute wait. We were given what we think was the best table they had at the aft in the center. 
 

I was really hungry as the Pad Thai from lunch wasnf enough food. I ordered the brushetta (not pictured), cheese ravioli, and twin lobster tails with a $25 charge. My husband got the artichoke dip,  Caesar salad and a filet with a $20 charge. Food and service were excellent. We were impressed with how fast they were with each food course. . 
 

My husband said he was “entertained” sadly by a large family with family drama.  Without turning my head, I felt so bad for the Hudson staff who had to deal with  these 10 adults and 5 kids and I could give more detains but it is such a sad situation from what we observed. 
 

 

Agree 100% of how beautiful Hudsons is. On the first night I asked if we could reserve a table by one of the large windows on the sea day between Norway and Iceland as that was going to be our wedding anniversary, and we had a custom of trying to eat by water (not that any table was far from the water.) I was told no, as they did not reserve tables, but then when we came in on our anniversary and gave them the card saying we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, they gave us a table right by one of the windows. 😊😊😊😊😊 (actually our 46th anniversary, but I did not want to put that many smileys.)

 

[Seas2mountains]

17 hours ago, iceangel2335 said:

@Seas2mountains Hope you have a wonderful trip! 🙂 I will be boarding Prima next week in Iceland and this makes me very excited to read about your journey! And now I really have to get my butt in gear and start packing! Just curious if you noticed where might be best to grab some lunch on embarkation day? Did you notice if everyone flocked to one or two places or if it seemed spread out? Do you know how full this sailing is? 

Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

I recommend going to the dining room for lunch on embarkation day to avoid the buffet and Indulge. The buffet always seems busy on embarkation day to include Prima. 

NCL seems to be sailing full on most cruises including ours which sold out a few weeks ago. 

[Seas2mountains]

12 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

This would SOOOOO be my husband!! He's a fast travel kind of guy. I'm more of the slow, take it in by all the senses travel guy. Sometimes my experiences aren't quite as magical as I want - like the time I was feeling true bliss at Brookgreen Gardens outside of Myrtle Beach. Sitting under a bench, with Spanish Moss swaying above, I decided to use all my senses. I tasted the Spanish Moss. Don't do that! It didn't ruin my day, but I was spitting bits of dusty moss out for a few hours. 

 

  

 

I LOVE THIS!!! It would have put a smile on my face too. I need to re-watch those movies - it's been decades. Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah is my most favorite song ever...."where is that bluebird?!" I've even taught most of the words to my husband, just because I sing/whistle/hum it so often. 

 

  

I absolutely adore the that building on the left!!!

 

  

I'd rather that smashburger than the brie burger in the Haven! Also, flank steak might be my favorite cut of cow (when prepared properly), except for any cut of meat prepared at a tiny steakhouse called Land of Magic in an equally tiny town of Logan, MT. Mmmmmmm!!!

 

  

Oooooooooooo!!!!! Do let us know how the slide noise is. Personally, I think it'd be kind of cool to be perched in that balcony listening to the slides, unless you hear lots of screaming (which I don't like). I don't understand why parents teach kids to scream when they're scared, but that's just me. 

 

And, I hope the Haven Lite strategy works. I'm always interested in hearing about this as we someday will have to skip out on Haven due to some reason, or another. I want a different way to still experience the peaceful cruise I'm used to.

 

Gosh, so excited for y'all!!!!

Thank you for your comments!  I was laughing out loud to the Spanish moss in Myrtle Beach. I’m sure you won’t forget that memory.  I’ll keep that Logan, MT restaurant in mind. We drove through there a few months ago. I love Montana! 

We have stared at so many buildings in awe of the architecture and beauty. 
 

So far we haven’t heard any slide noise. There are plenty of kids and young adults on this cruise so we should know more on the sea days as they may have been busy the first two days. 
 

Thank you again for following along. It sounds like I have company with having a fast traveler husband. My husband tends to sing different songs and often dances if people aren’t around to see him  so I have built in entertainment being married to him. 😂

[Seas2mountains]

8 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm going to be that person on your live (sorry)....do you know if the chicken legs are replacing the chicken breast chunks? Or, are these two separate items? 

 

Also, OverIndulge is such a great name for the place!! 

No worries! I don’t mind. I didn’t see chicken breast chunks on the Indulge menu except as an option to add to salad. Do you remember what restaurant in Indulge had those if it wasn’t Q?

[Seas2mountains]

7 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm glad you've found it quiet. I hope it continues this way for you!!!

Thank you! Me, too. I think the pool area might be a bit noisy as the some were taking when using the stairs that come down from the reception to the pools. 
 

With the abundance of heated loungers in a separate room, at least we won’t hear anyone taking loud in the pools since it is a different area. 
 

They did have signs posted which was better than the Breakaway where they had no signs. 

[Seas2mountains]

11 hours ago, DorothyB said:

This must be the revised menu as of June 2024.  I will be in the haven in January, but this is similar to the suite menu from our Feb cruise and prior cruises.  My favorite starter is gone (Shrimp Louie) and my friend's favorite entree (salmon cakes) is gone.  My favorite entree (shrimp scampi) is still there. 

The Prima suite breakfast and lunch menu is not the same as the Haven breakfast and lunch menu. I know on the Jewel class ships the suite and Haven lunch menu is the same and is similar to the breakfast and lunch menu on Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships with the Haven. 
 

Your favorite starter is probably still on the Haven lunch menu. 

[Seas2mountains]

10 hours ago, ww2ww2 said:

 

Thank you for posting a video. The Starlink connection on Prima is too slow to play the video as all I see is the attempt to show it and then it fails. 

[Seas2mountains]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Agree 100% of how beautiful Hudsons is. On the first night I asked if we could reserve a table by one of the large windows on the sea day between Norway and Iceland as that was going to be our wedding anniversary, and we had a custom of trying to eat by water (not that any table was far from the water.) I was told no, as they did not reserve tables, but then when we came in on our anniversary and gave them the card saying we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, they gave us a table right by one of the windows. 😊😊😊😊😊 (actually our 46th anniversary, but I did not want to put that many smileys.)

 

We didn’t put in any special requests when we requested to eat there. It was either luck or we don’t know if they looked at our latitude status or not.  I like how they have different table sizes next to the window so larger parties have the chance of being next to the window, too. 

 

Congratulations on 46 years!! You should have lots of smileys for that many years!!!!! 🎉🥳😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
 

 

[Seas2mountains]

Good morning from Amsterdam. 
 

Here are photos taken as we were going through the canal.