Beautiful Ship With Lots Of Problems
Norwegian Prima Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
9 Night Caribbean: Cozumel Jamaica & Grand Cayman (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 30, 2022
Ship: Norwegian Prima
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
The Prima is gorgeous. Unfortunately, all of the beauty is wasted on poor design and not enough space to accommodate the number of people on board. The staff, overall, were very nice and did the best they could. Bars do not have enough staff and restaurants have limited hours and not enough seating. There was also a food borne illness issue (I, along with many others became ill) which NCL has yet to acknowledge in a complaint I filed. There are several posts by others on the ship on several travel sites that share the same experience we have outlined. The biggest problem is that NCL really doesn't care. My formal complaint was pretty much ignored and we were told our experience was "unusual." Reading reviews of others who were on our sailing, along with reviews of other sailings on the Prima show that there was nothing "unusual" about our experience.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Cagney's Steakhouse
Cagney's staff did a nice job. The food was good, not great. The dining area is beautiful. We enjoyed it but it certainly wasn't exceptional.
The Local Bar & Grill
The bar is midship and the primary bar for all the outdoor spaces on level 8. It was understaffed and the wait to get a drink was ridiculous. Obviously, that carried over into the speed of service in the dining area. The food is ok but nothing exceptional. The dining area is also a major walkway for people going to the outdoor seating areas so it was constant traffic around your table while you were trying to eat.
Palomar
Like the other specialty restaurants, the food was good, not great. The space is beautiful and the view off the side of the ship is outstanding. I am not a fan of the open kitchen concept so it was a little too loud for my preference.
The Commodore Room
Like Hudson's, the food was good, not great. Because the ship was so crowded, the staff tried to turn tables quickly. We felt pressured to order quickly and dine quickly. Staff were very nice but it was obvious they were pushing to turn the tables.
Surfside Café & Grill
Poorly laid out, not enough seating, not enough room to move around, and very average food. This is where I contracted the food borne illness. Nothing about this dining set up is done well.
Onda By Scarpetta
The space is nice, the service was very good and the food was just ok. For a restaurant that is supposed to be a signature establishment, I really expected a much better menu. Food wasn't bad but certainly not exceptional.
Le Bistro
Our favorite restaurant on NCL ships. The restaurant space is beautiful, service was good and the food was good.
Indulge Food Hall
Interesting but way too small, way too crowded, and very limited hours. Not impressed.
Hudson's Main Dining Room
Like the other dining venues, the food was good, not great. Because the ship was so crowded, the staff tried to turn tables quickly. We felt pressured to order quickly and dine quickly. Staff were very nice but it was obvious they were pushing to turn the tables.
Onboard Activities
Infinity Beach
Cool concept with the pools but they are very small and there is not nearly enough seating on the decks and around the pools. On the day we were stranded because of the ship's engine problems, it became very obvious that the outdoor seating areas were not well thought out.
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
DON'T! There are much better options than NCL and especially the Prima. NCL customer service and commitment to health and safety no longer exist.
Ports of call
Harvest Caye, Belize Did not visit port
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas