Will Never Choose NCL Again
Norwegian Prima Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 3
11 Night Northern Europe: Iceland & Norway (Southampton To Reykjavik)
Sail date: September 15, 2024
Ship: Norwegian Prima
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 15916
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 1 month ago
Review summary
Pretty new ship with a lot of design downfalls. Some artwork was really interesting, some completely inappropriate like headless people in the dining room. Very clean ship. Most staff were friendly (stewards, bartenders, servers). Only cruise director seemed to engage with passengers. However, saw him very little. Cruise staff was not engaging at all. Security staff was threatening, inappropriate and there are issues with top security management. Was given info on restaurant reservations and captain cocktail parties by pre-cruise concierge staff which differed from what on-cruise concierge staff told us as well as actual programing. Dinner reservations not found that were made well in advance. I have been a staunch NCL fan since the late 1980's. NCL has changed dramatically. It made me very sad.Embarkation
There was absolutely no welcome as we boarded Prima. We were herded with other Haven passengers onto the ship and put in a small lounge where a concierge said welcome and gave us some info then we were left on our own not knowing where to go. There were two concierge and one spa representative at a long table to answer questions/sign-up for treatments, reservations, etc. Stood in line about an hour. Luggage was not delivered until after we went to our 7 p.m. dinner. Upon returning at 10 p.m., one piece was still missing. I was accused of not putting on the luggage tag, which was not true. Around 10:30/11 p.m., a passenger knocked on my door. The luggage had been delivered there much earlier and she thought it was her roommates. She had tried calling Guest Services many times with no answer. Our butler was not helpful. He just defended the ship saying they had until 8 p.m. to get us the luggage then told me it’s because I didn’t put the luggage tag on it then said the other passenger should have called the butler line not guest service. I didn’t finish unpacking until midnight!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The Haven bartenders were awesome, friendly, and fun! The Haven Restaurant hostess and servers were very kind and the the maitre d' was amazing and high-energy.
Hostess in Commadore was not friendly and made us uncomfortable when our butler offered to walk us to dinner and ask for a window table.
Food: Caesar Salad was consistently great until the last night in The Haven where the salad dressing was watered down. Lamb in two restaurants was served raw or overly rare. Shrimp in Commodore was spoiled and unable to be eaten.
All in-room breakfast experiences were nearly inedible. Bacon was beyond over salted (and I LOVE salt), eggs were always cold, over-hard eggs brought hard-boiled eggs in the shell, even though potatoes were not ordered, nearly every breakfast was sent with potatoes which were then wasted (we don't like wasting food) and the feta cheese on the avocado toast was inedible due to the salt content.
Palomar Specialty Restaurant was amazing! Great experience! Service was great! Food was delicious! Upon thanking our server and giving many compliments, he left and came back with a Hero card for us to fill out for him (although we did not request the card). We left a 20% tip and then he asked if we had cash instead of putting it on our bill. As we are on the ship, we do not carry cash with us. We just left a very generous tip. A thank you would have been sufficient rather than asking if we could trade it out for cash.
Onboard Activities
The only on-board "activity" we utilized (other than entertainment) was The Haven hot tubs. They were always clean and in good working order. It was fun to walk around the ship and see the slides and Prima Speedway. The "laser shooting" activity at the Prima Speedway did not seem to work. Cute idea though. There is a lot to offer onboard!!!!
The timing for all the jewelry giveaways was very hard to follow. Plus, people crowded into the stores so while it's a fun idea to get people into the stores and buying jewelry it was way too chaotic.
Entertainment
The NCL dancers/singers in the mainstage show were AMAZING! So talented!!! Wow! I wish they were part of more than one show!!!!!!
The performers in Syd Norman's Pour House were equally as talented! Wow! They were so fun! We saw them in one show in Syd Norman's and the Fleetwood Mac Rumors mainstage show. Fantastic!!
Acoustics in Metropolitan Bar were terrible, and it made it very uncomfortable to enjoy the musicians performing in this bar.
Familiar Strangers performing in the Penrose Bar were very talented. The lead singer and drummer were very engaging. Again, acoustics made it uncomfortable, at times, with the bass.
The show with all the entertainers from throughout the ship was pretty good but too long. It showcased the entertainers, and they were great singers. Probably should dress a little more appropriate to some of their ages. They wanted folks to come and dance to each side of the stage. Only Richard, the cruise director seemed to enjoy interacting with passengers (stage left). Cruise staff (2 men, 2 women and 1 maybe performer) were stage right and just danced amongst themselves except one lady who went up and put her arm around one of the staff members. They were not engaging with the audience or passengers. Cruise staff should be engaging and not self-absorbed with how they are dancing. It would have been a lot more fun if they were interactive and getting people up and dancing.
Service and Staff
Our room steward was friendly and kind. Our butler was upsetting, rude and unhelpful. He was defensive and blaming. We are used to another line's butler staff who are all phenomenal. Concierge staff was kind. Our main concierge, twice, followed us to dinner and wanted to talk about issues that were going on while we were trying to have nice, calm dinners rather than talk about missing luggage, etc. Bad timing on his part. Don't do that to guests during their dinner experiences. Richard, cruise director, seemed very nice and fun. Did not interact with him personally. Security staff were awful from the top down. Security personnel during debarkation/embarkation on port days could have been way more friendly. Some were. Perhaps it's due to the size of the ship and number of passengers. Very much used to another line's security staff who are all SUPER friendly.
Ship Quality
Prima was extremely clean and well-maintained!!! Layout is broken up and very hard to get used to. If you are in The Haven, very hard to get to. Design of cabins was awful. Ease of using lights was terrible. We struggled the entire trip. There is very little sink space as the entire surface area, except about 5" is the sink. There are cubbies right next to the toilet. Ew. There is nowhere to hang a hand towel. The only place to hang your bath towel is 8' away from the shower on the back of the door. You need to open a heavy door to get into the bathroom then another to get to the toilet area as well as one to open the closet. We had to request door stoppers. The closet door in bedroom #2 is a slider and doesn't open all the way nor is it deep enough for clothes to be hung properly. Then there is the fire alarm that goes off when you shower or use their ship-provided hair dryer. This causes the bridge to call, the butler to call and show up and security to show up. We were told by this happens all the time in the kitchen when they open the dishwashers and steam comes out. This happened to us three times which eats up about 20 minutes of listening to an alarm, fielding the calls, having people in the cabin all while we are trying to relax and get ready for the evening. Of course, fire alarms are essential. They should not be triggered by showering or using a hair dryer for a few minutes in the bathroom.
Cabin / Stateroom
No decor. Three tables just put into living space. No walk-around room in bedroom #2. Closet didn't work nor deep enough for clothes in bedroom #2. Bathroom doors ridiculously heavy and don't stay open. Same with bedroom #1 closet. Mirror in bedroom #1 closet takes up 1/4 of one of the closet poles. Ridiculous as there is a full-length mirror on the back of the cabin door. Very comfortable beds. Lighting system is terrible. Mushroom-style light in bedroom #1 is blinding. Alarm system is faulty and is triggered by the showers. Heat did not work in living area for half the cruise.
Steward was great. Always friendly and kind.
Butler did not do a great job. We were told it was his job to clear dishes. Not done. Ice was not stocked on a regular basis. We were NEVER offered the two carafes of juice/water. He made us super uncomfortable. Defensive, rude if asked a question, not helpful, blaming and defensive of NCL.
Ship tip
Don't.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Private excursion. Fabulous time!
Cruise lists visiting the local brewery as a suggestion. The brewery stopped letting guests in seven years ago!
Nothing to do once in city. Very few shops. Went to the beer tasting pace. Crowded but something to do.
Unfortunately, missed about five hours due to high winds and the port closing so we didn't get to see the peninsula. Rented our car which we were using for the next few days. Spent the afternoon at The Blue Lagoon (tickets purchased by us, not cruise). Fantastic!!!
Disembarkation
Nobody there to say goodbye. The ONLY person who said thank you for sailing with NCL was on the last night and it was the bartender in The Metropolitan Bar. There was no wait getting off the ship as we were not in a rush so left toward the end.