Norwegian Prima

Belgium to Iceland Cruise

August

Pros: Fantastic scenery; interesting history; great food, and much more

Cons: a couple of the tour guides could have been better

Recommended: Yes

Airline flights had some issues.

Vacation

March

Pros: Excellent food, Large cabins

Cons: Limited sitting in buffet restaurant.

Recommended: Yes

Great ship overall.

A good ship but lacking in a few small things

March

Pros: Food selection was good, stateroom was great, entertainment was alright

Cons: Staff were mediocre, onboard activitiy hours weren't consistent or completely closed.

Recommended: Yes

Food: 7/10 - It was mostly good; the dinner dining rooms had a good variety; the buffets/restaurants had basically the same thing every day. Stateroom: 9/10 - Large, great amenities Entertainment: 6/10 - Some shows/entertainment were fun and exciting while others were just boring. Staff: 4/10 - A few were amazing and friendly but most seemed like they weren't happy to be there and it showed in their lack of friendliness or helpfulness.

Prima Review

November

Pros: Beautiful ship

Cons: Main dining room only open until 9:00am for breakfast. Nightly shows not as good as other cruise lines. Shops not open when at sea.

Recommended: Yes

We enjoyed our cruise on the Prima. It’s a beautiful ship. Embarkation and disembarkation went so smoothly. A couple things we found unusual. We never saw or heard from the captain. We never saw the cruise director, on other cruises we have taken the cruise director was everywhere. They have a cigar lounge inside, always open. But if you are a cigarette smoker, there is a small area on Deck 18, totally exposed the the weather. The casino does have a smoking area, only open when at sea.

Prima Disorganization

June

Pros: Lots of activities to do. Adults and Kids

Cons: Observation deck closed due to private function(Art Auction). Embarkation snafu

Recommended: Yes

Embarkation was 3 hours late. Lot of disorganization.

Ship Design Suited for Warm Weather, Not Iceland

June

Pros: Lots of Great Design Elements Across the Ship

Cons: Line Feels Like It Nickels and Dimes You. Changes in Ports. Poor Logistics in Getting People on and off the Ship.

Recommended: No

The Ship is lovely. Most of the really nice space is outside. My cruise was London to Reykjavic. The cooler weather drove everyone inside making the inside spaces more crowded. Also, the cruise line had a really difficult time embarking passengers. It also had a tough time getting people off the ship at Bruge. For a business that is pretty much logistics, this line was pretty miserable at logistics. The crew was attentive and friendly. The food was passable with a big difference in quality at the specialty restaurants, The Donna Summer Show was great. Only one show on an 11 night cruise. So don't miss it if the show is available.

Frustrating Experience

February

Pros: Nice stateroom with large bathroom.

Cons: Small venues, long lines, overall poor service, Unable to book the shows we wanted to see.

Recommended: No

Embarkation, long line to clear security, after that check in was quick and efficient. Once onboard, long lines and crowds everywhere. Tried to have lunch at the Surfside Grill but we were turned away because it was completely full. Finally able to get the app connected so we could book entertainment reservations. Donna Summer, Noise Boys and the Price is Right were all SOLD OUT! This was at 1:00pm on the first day. Tried the Kiosk and was unable to get it to work. Heard an announcement to go to the Prima Theater to make reservations. Long lines in the theater with no signage about where to go. Someone gave us a sheet with the shows and told us only 1 show left, the 6:30 Donna Summer so we booked that. Stateroom, 9772 balcony. Room was nicely decorated and we really liked the open design. Large bathroom and shower for a cruise ship. The room was sold as an unrestricted balcony but our view was obstructed. Our balcony was right above one of the shops on deck 8. Could not look down and see the ocean. Some noise issues late at night when workers were moving things around in the shops. Food, menu in main restaurants does not change and is limited. Only ate dinner there twice. First time was very disappointing. The Mahi tasted fishy and the Fish and Chips had excessive breading and were very greasy. The second time was better. Excellent service and our meals were much better. The Seaside Grill buffet was too small for this size ship. Always crowded, difficult to find seating, even at off times. Cagney’s Steakhouse, not worth it, no flavor, steaks over cooked, poor service. Palomor was our best meal. Fish was properly cooked with lots of flavor and the service was excellent. Overall a very FRUSTRATING experience. We couldn’t see the shows we wanted, always waiting in line and trying to find a place to sit. The typical conversation with fellow passengers mainly consisted of complaints about the ship. I felt bad for the employees. They were trying but were constantly berated by unhappy guests and the ship appeared to be understaffed.

Unimpressive Prima

February

Pros: Balcony Cabins were perfect and beautiful, Great Stirrup Cay

Cons: Menus and Outdoor Space

Recommended: No

We could have stayed at Great Stirrup Cay for a week. It was a fantastic destination and the best day we had, despite the rain shower. Biggest Pro: Our balcony cabin and Eugene best staff member ever!! Although we enjoyed our cruise and had a lot of fun unfortunately we were unimpressed with the Prima . The stand out was the food. 1. Menu in Main Dining never changed 2. It was difficult to determine complimentary vs. specialty as they were all mixed together. 3. Far more Specialty Dining than areas of complimentary food. Complimentary food areas had the same food you would find in the specialty restaurants. 4. After a day on shore there was nowhere to eat for hours other than the local bar and grill or room service. 5. Food was often cold. Biggest Con: Food Outdoor Deck space. During our adventure we were never able to find chairs to sit, relax, talk with friends or read. By 7am all chairs were taken. People were able to leave a towel and reserve their chairs for hours at a time even when they had not been near their chairs for hours, even on port days they were able to "save" a chair for when they returned from shore. That left those who chose to stay onboard nowhere to sit. Biggest Con: No time limit for time away from the chair allowing people to have a chair all day. Staff - when asking directions, your answer was pointing in the direction of your destination which was often incorrect. So confusing, even to find restrooms.

Beautiful Ship

January

Pros: Great food, service and cabin attendants.

Cons: Unable to attend but one entertainment venue for a 7-night cruise. Not enough open seating throughout the common areas of the ship.

Recommended: Yes

The musical Summer was wonderful! It was the only entertainment we were able to attend. Offer more shows to accommodate the number of guests. Rating only the musical.

Great if all you want is to bask in the glory of beautiful

December

Pros: Beautiful ship, good food, staff was amazing

Cons: Amenities don’t matter. No reservations are available.

Recommended: No

This is a beautiful ship and has the framework to be something amazing. Sadly, we did not have that experience. We were not able to enjoy the amenities and venues offered on the ship. The racetrack, escape room, Price is Right, Syd Normans, and specialty dining were all sold out. Elevators were out of service, the internet connectivity was all but working, wedding day hair and makeup salon appointments were messed up, and 3 ports were cancelled due to weather. 1star for activities because while the ship offered a pleathers of activities, they were all booked up. 1star for ports because we never got to them. Granted the weather is not the ship’s fault, but no other offer of amusement or on board credit was made as compensation. I cannot in good faith recommend this ship when it failed to deliver all it promised.

Norwegian Prima

December

Pros: New ship, clean, bar tenders and room attendant were amazing! a lot of pre organization complete, easy check in and disembarking. Easy and fast refund to ship excursions that were canceled

Cons: Same food every day, buffet often cold, breakfast time for early risers only, no flexibility in plans, pre organization work did not prep to people on the ship serving, guest services was rude, dining staff was below par, not a lot of activities to do without paying more.

Recommended: Yes

Due to weather, only one port was accessible in our 7 days. Most ship activities were weather permitting- slides, go carts, games, and other outside activities were closed due to weather. When the weather was nice, there was not enough time to explore those activities without lines or paying. Little flexibility in ship on our revised days at sea, there were little extra programs. It would have been nice to see more social groups meet and greets, Trivia or other easy entertainment added when there is nothing to do outside. Also with 3/4 of our ports canceled I would have liked to see some sort of a credit to a future cruise, but they did not.

Prima

December

Pros: beautiful cabins, very good resturants and bars,very smooth and quiet ship

Cons: can feel cramped on cruise days, can take a long time to get used to floor plans

Recommended: Yes

Feels more upscale than the breakaway plus class of ship, but feels smaller, and has 1000 people less. Restaurants are very good, especially Hudsons, which is at the back of the ship with alot of big windows Ship is very quiet and smooth, no vibrations like on older ships Shows were good but can be booked solid Learn to use the NCL app, and you can sign up for standby for the shows, works very well

Inaugural Cruise

August

Pros: Beautiful New Ship, Great for Families, Lots to do, Outstanding entertainment, excellent Staff

Cons: Dining can be an issue, Everything closes out quickly, Spa appointments difficult to get

Recommended: Yes

Love the itinerary, great staff attentive, rooms spacious, large Bathroom, Needs more drawer storage. Long walk to elevators if you are on the aft of ship, as the elevator for the Haven is private. Need to change the menu in the free restaurants daily, and different menus in the other restaurants. Room Steward Arminio - Outstanding. Bartenders,Metropolitan - Chocolate Cowboy & Lovely could not have been better, remembered your drink, crafted specialty cocktails, so personable.