Iceland and Norway

Norwegian Prima Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 236

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Prima

14 Night Iceland: Reykjavik Dublin & Belfast (Southampton Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 17, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Prima

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12194

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overall we were disappointed in missing Ireland-- so perhaps another cruise to also include Scotland. The Prima is a nice ship but we will not take it to a cool climate again. Iceland for us is a one and done but Norway could definitely be a repeat in Summer months of course! This tour was a bucket list Artic Circle ( the captain did not announce circle entry or any Northern Lights nights which we thought was absolutely a mistake on his part )

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Southampton was organized and embarkation was smooth Approx 45-50 minutes from arrival to on the ship- as priority boarding.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Commodore Room was hubby's favorite as smaller and more intimate. I was not impressed with the local as it is a split venue ( dining from bar area) and menu variety seemed to be less available choices that on other ships. Onda was by far the best specialty but food portions are way to large so be warned to order less, Los Lobos was only fair- again not as good as other ships and Food Republic is a waste of time, space and palate. Cagney's has evolved but is still enjoyable. Palomar - we are still on the fence is we enjoyed it or not. Overall the ship is nice- excellent food everywhere except Food republic. Indulge I do believe is a waste of space and a fad idea. again tough for seating there.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Not as much Sea Day activity as in the past. kinda boring AND We could not find a library.. seriously no library!

Entertainment

4 out of 5
Donna Summer was not what I expected but still good. Price is Right was cute and fun. We retire early so we did not take in other venues.

Children's Programs

no kids-- but we did notice much more space devoted to them

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Staff was pleasant everywhere... but it is noticeable there are fewer of them and they can not be as attentive or prompt as previously. But overall very nice, accommodating and friendly! We did miss the washy washy folks everywhere.. again short staffing I am sure.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Generally the public areas are way to small and confining and the observation lounge is an absolute disappointment. Way to small with very limited seating. Generally overall the kids spaces took up too much room, and it is a warm weather ship with larger outdoor spaces that are not utilized in cold climates- We were in the Arctic Circle!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Being brand new it is lovely with a soothing color palate. The balcony cabins are EXCELLENT! larger with more footroom, large tv ( with movies on demand FINALLY) and an exceptional balcony with nice cushioned furniture! Large bathroom and great shower- including foot rest for us ladies! However-- we were moved to cabin 12146 and I am not sure why.

Ship tip

only do a warm weather cruise to take advantage of outdoor spaces and dining

Ports of call

Southampton (London), England

5 out of 5
We stayed the night before at Hilton Ageas Bowl- lovely hotel- embarkation was smooth with terminal building large enough to accommodate nicely.

Le Havre (Paris), France

5 out of 5
Very underrated! Super charming town UNTOUCHED by WW2 with incredible architecture. Walking tour was nice. Would have liked to see inside a few other building than the wooden church.

Belfast, Northern Ireland Did not visit port

Captain was unable to Port.. missed port Sea DAY due to high sustained winds.

Reykjavik, Iceland

5 out of 5
Excellent all day tour to Gulfoss and Geisers. Best lunch provided we have ever had on an excursion. Lovely UNESCO site at Gulfoss. VERY VERY WINDY THERE! Overall we were not impressed with Iceland.

Akureyri, Iceland Did not visit port

our excursion was cancelled due to logistics?

Geiranger, Norway

5 out of 5
Charming town- we did the Herdal Farm which was terrific but our tour group was too large. Could have gotten more from demonstrations etc if done with a smaller group Great tour bus

Olden, Norway

5 out of 5
Our tour was dramatic landscapes which was just OK. Lovely countryside the Glacier was a disappointment-- after seeing the glaciers in Alaska!! Nice tour bus However the port of OLDEN is charming! BEUTIFUL Fjord! This was very scenic!

Stavanger, Norway

5 out of 5
OLD TOWN is so interesting.. the walking tour then bus excursion was great as we had a wonderful guide. She was very proud of Stavanger. Where you dock is right across from OLD TOWN so you can watch the coming and going with ease from the ship. The largest of the Norway Port cities were visited.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We were first 100 off due to planned excursion.. was smooth with actually no immigration -- again the terminal is large and accommodating.
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4 Comments

bubbles60    1 year ago

Glad you had a great time. We loved the Prima

cruising2004    1 year ago

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise except for missing your Ireland ports. Thank you for the review.

javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience

karlgrgurich    1 year ago

Glad you enjoyed. Olden was one of our favourite ports too!!