The cruise was a great experience overall, with the only serious aggravation being flying through Reykjavik's Keflavik airport. It was a nightmare of people in an airport that was designed to handle about a quarter of the travelers it gets. Security was over the top, and they do not recognize Global Entry, so be prepared to take everything out of your bags, pockets, belts, etc., and show your passport and be questioned at least four to five times.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was a little lengthy, but not unreasonable given the numbers of people.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The ship's main dining room, Hudsons, is designed so that every diner can enjoy the panoramic views while dining. The food was very good, but the service was excellent.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Since we were in a cold climate, I limited my onboard activities to the shows, Mandara spa, and lounges. The Mandara spa is the finest I have experienced at sea and is a must-do when traveling on the Prima.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
I would have given a higher rating had most of the shows been pre-booked prior to sailing. On a ship of that size, all passengers should be able to attend the feature shows at least once during the 11 days on board, but that was not the case.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff of the Prima is exceptional! Everyone went above and beyond to take care of our needs and to make sure everything on the ship was very well-maintained.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The common areas were very well-maintained. My only complaint was that the areas for congregating with a large group were difficult to obtain when at sea.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The standard balcony cabin is surprisingly spacious and had enough room for storage of clothing and luggage.
Ship tip
Book your onboard activities well in advance of sailing or they will be closed.
This was one of my favorite cities we visited. It is full of quaint, European charm and the people there were very lovely. There are many beautiful shops and restaurants to enjoy.
We spent our time in Amsterdam visiting the Royal Palace and that vicinity, as we had already visited the museum district on a previous trip. The museums are much more of a great experience, and that area is very beautiful to stroll. Our canal cruise was different from a previous one, so it was great to get another perspective of the beautiful city. Walking around is a bit of a chore, since the traffic, vehicle and bicycles, is non-stop. Note that when the lights change red, the bike traffic doesn't necessarily pay attention to it!
Bergen is another really lovely European city and was a favorite stop on our trip. The bus/walking tour gave us a great overview of the city, and the guide was very helpful in telling us how to get around if we didn't want to end our tour when the bus returned. It was very easy to navigate and provided us with some great shopping opportunities for beautiful Norwegian woolen goods.
We did the tour to the top of Eagles Road and Mt. Dalsnibba. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the top of the mountain was clouded over, so no spectacular view. The rest of the trip was a bus tour up and down a hairpin filled road that is quite spectacular (and scary!)
We took the fjord tour and it was by far one of our favorites of the eleven days. The weather cooperated and we had a picture-perfect day sailing across the glass-like water enjoying spectacular views of the mountains and charming villages.
We took a tour (guide was 30 minutes late) and saw the highlights of the area. The beauty of the spectacular waterfall, geyser and Thingvellir National Park are well worth the trip. The greenhouses where they grow mostly tomatoes indoors was somewhat interesting. It is not a must-see, but if you go there don't miss the tomato soup. They even have gluten-free bread for those who wanted to enjoy it with their soup. We chose to visit the Blue Lagoon separately to spend more time there since our flight home wasn't until late afternoon. There are great private drivers to hire to get there, or there is a shuttle bus that takes you there and then to the airport, but they are very crowded. It was much easier to navigate with a private driver given we had all our luggage with us.
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