At Sea - NCL Prima - December 14, 2022

We were supposed to arrive at Costa Maya at 6:00 a.m. this morning and I always seem to sense a change in movement so I was awake as we started to come into port.  It was still dark out and very windy so I didn't stay out on the balcony but our ship spun around, thrusters were on and we were getting close to the dock so I got dressed and headed down to deck 8 to see if I could get a better view of what was happening.  

By the time I got down to deck 8, the ship was moving forward again at cruising speeds and the lights of port were slowing disappearing in the distance.  We later confirmed winds were too high that the Captain didn't feel it was safe to dock and so we got an extra sea day.  Interestingly, the Mardi Gras and Valiant Lady both successfully docked in Costa Maya within about an hour of our attempt (and later the Adventure of the Seas).  Maybe conditions had improved by then.

I took a few minutes to snap a few photos of the empty Indulge Food Hall with its food trucks and food stands and then I headed back to the cabin.

I caught the sunrise from the balcony which was quite windy most of this day and then we headed to Hudson's for breakfast.

My morning coffee with almond milk!

I was really surprised at how much I didn't mind and actually enjoyed the Oceanwalk.  I am usually someone who does not like heights at all and it is a bit unnerving to see the ocean waves below you but it was also pretty cool.

We found a seat in the Atrium and relaxed a bit after breakfast.

Then we staked out a table in the Indulge Food Hall about 10 minutes before they opened.  Once the iPads went live, we then enjoyed checking out all the lunch choices.

This afternoon's treats were an assortment of four different kinds of cookies.  Our Club Balcony Suite also came with a bottle of sparkling wine and so I decided to open it this afternoon.  Interestingly, it has some sort of plastic cap that could be put back on so I could enjoy it two different days without it losing much of the bubble.

We had a number of Brown Boobies spend most of the afternoon playing right off our balcony.  Most were juveniles but several adults joined in the fun later on.

An adult

We decided to try the buffet for dinner.  This was our first trip to the buffet and it was a pleasant surprise.  They had a good selection and the food was decent quality.  It also wasn't quite as crazy as it had seemed when we had walked through around lunch or breakfast time.  

Then we went up and enjoyed some quiet time up in the Observation Lounge.  The gingerbread village was all lit up and even more impressive at night.  The bar was also open so I could enjoy a drink.

We decided to walk into the Galaxy Pavilion where there are a variety of virtual and other games to play.  We got to the end of this walkway though and the animated character screen at the end of this corridor started talking to Paul wanting to know what he had in his bag.  It was a bit creepy so we didn't stick around.

We eventually made our way back to the room for the night.

At Sea - NCL Prima - December 15, 2022

If you watch enough sunrises (or sunsets), you know that the colors can change a lot for quite some time both before and after sunrise.  The sunrise on this morning had some really pretty colors about 20-30 minutes before sunrise and then the colors faded.  I encouraged my husband to wait just a bit longer and it was definitely worth it.  Just as a bright red sun started to show its head over the horizon, the bright red colors came back in full force.  There weren't a lot of clouds but the few that were around were strategically placed to accentuate the sun.   

Before heading to breakfast at Hudson's, we walked around deck 8 outside a bit and then came in and walked past this interactive screen that was showing the art on the outside portion of this deck when this creature appeared to climb over the railing of the deck!

After breakfast, we found seats at The Local (the bar side) which was still fairly quiet.  The bar was already open though so I ordered some Prosecco.  What better way to start our last sea day?

Lunch was back in Hudson's (can you tell where our favorite dining venue was?).  Earlier on in the cruise, I discovered the vegan menu which gave me more options since vegan food is always dairy free.  This bruschetta was so amazing I had it twice.  It has cashew cheese on it plus all the traditional tomato bruschetta ingredients.

I tried a loaded sweet potato from the vegan menu as well that was quite good with black beans, avocado, salsa, etc.

Paul really enjoyed a butternut squash risotto.  

We spent a lot of the afternoon enjoying the balcony and room but ventured out for a few things, like a trip down The Drop.

We enjoyed one last dinner in Hudson's.

Rainbow Roll

Penne with Alfredo sauce and chicken

Cheesecake

A Christmas outside Hudson's (one of many around the ship)

In honor of Paul's birthday, we were able to get reservations to the Price is Right.  We never got called up to the stage to participate as a contestant but we had a great time.  The showcase had some music equipment and a new Corvette; Paul's guess was $340 under the actual price of the showcase!  In order to win the Vette, the contestants on stage needed to be within $100 without going over!

After the show, Paul headed up for one more race on the Speedway.  I stepped out on deck for a few minutes and eventually made my way up to enjoy more time on our balcony where Paul eventually joined me.  It was a really calm evening.

It was sad to see our cruise coming to an end.

A few final thoughts since this is a brand new ship and the first NCL ship we have sailed in quite a few years....

The quality of the food really pleasantly surprised us and Hudson's main dining room blew us away with how gorgeous it is and the views you get from any table.

Automatic toilets have absolutely no place on a cruise ship.  With the strong suction, the lid needs to be closed when it flushes NOT still be sitting on it.  I dreaded having to use public restrooms.  Fortunately, the toilets are not automatic in the cabins.

Having to get reservations was stressful and would have been really frustrating with how much was already sold out so early if we truly had wanted to see everything.  There clearly aren't enough shows for the amount of interest on the ship.  There is some standby availability though so for those that really want to see a show but couldn't get reservations, it is a good option.

Dining hours really are't long enough in the Indulge Food Hall.  It did help a lot though to get there before they open and grab a table.  Once seated, service was quick and it was so easy to order.  It's a really neat concept that I think is a huge plus on this ship.

We really appreciated having The Local available 24/7 to fill the gaps between meals (like on our port day when we had to adjust our meal times for our excursion).

Cocktails at the Metropolitan are quite good and they have their best bartenders there.  I also really appreciate the focus on sustainability.  The one huge negative though is that the smoke from the Humidor next door came into this bar so it wasn't very enjoyable to sit in.  I don't know if there was a ventilation problem or if the door just kept getting opened.  On a related note, smoking is only allowed in the casino in an enclosed room so we didn't notice any smoke issues around the casino.

Wine lists are pretty limited although the main dining room has more by the bottle.  Most bars just had a chardonnay and cabernet on tap.  The chardonnay was pretty bad so I didn't even bother trying the cabernet.  The Local bar had more wine by the glass options.

The Speedway was a huge highlight for Paul.  It exceeded his expectations.

The Observation Lounge is such a neat place to sit and relax and I appreciate that they have a small buffet with breakfast and afternoon snacks plus water and coffee machines all day.

I know I have heard a lot of complaints about the atrium (maybe from others comparing it to other NCL ships? - a comparison I can't make) but I really enjoyed the space.  There is so much seating on all three levels with lots of chairs that overlook.  The floor to ceiling windows also help you stay connected to the ocean.

I loved the art sculptures on the Oceanwalk.  I plan to do a separate video of them later.

Overall, this cruise was a great cruise.