NCL Prima NOT Wortt it!
Norwegian Prima Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 7
11 Night Northern Europe: Iceland & Norway (Southampton To Reykjavik)
Sail date: September 15, 2024
Ship: Norwegian Prima
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 13126
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 2 months ago
Review summary
We just did the 11-day Iceland cruise on the Norwegian Prima. Family of four with upgrades and we spent over $20K+ for the entire vacation. This is NOT our first cruise, we have travelled Holland America, Royal, Carnival, etc. Additionally, I have travelled all over the world and successfully dealt with many cultures and ethnicities that work in the maritime industry (i.e., Philippines, Indonesian, etc.), so I was expecting a much different experience. We made the best of the time we had on our vacation. We will probably go with another cruise line in the future just because I am reading so many of the same issue from other people’s posts. So, this is not an isolated incident, there are true systemic problems with NCL which need to be addressed immediately.Embarkation
OK but seemed to lack proper coordination.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The ship is spectacular and she is fairly new and tight. No creaking, wobble or swaying, on many occasions I had to look out our balcony to see that the ship was actuating moving. Great ship for those that have seasickness or prone to motion sickness. That being said, the ship looks the same from stem to stern… there is no difference in décor or even color to help you remember where you are or to leave a lasting impression. It all looks the same! Additionally, there is a go-cart track and water tube slide that I rarely saw anyone use? Its 30F-40F degrees outside! Furthermore, several sections of the ship are closed off to the elites of the “Haven” areas. I have no idea what these people paid for their estate rooms, but this was infuriating when you wanted to go somewhere and it was restricted to Haven passengers only. One of the biggest hassles was the Wi-Fi, on the first day they kept mandating that you download the NCL app, but you cannot download without paying for Wi-Fi! The IT/Business center is some lonely rube sitting in a small coroner who doesn’t know squat about the Wi-Fi or its bandwidth limitations. I had an important work zoom meeting during a day at sea and this simpleton could not answer a single question. I ended up paying $350 additional for improved IT service. WHAT A RIP OFF! London Heathrow which is a thousand times bigger offers free Wi-Fi!
Onboard Activities
After dinner one night, we all went to the comedy club. We got there 30 min early and were told no seats available, standing room only. I just finished dinner; you think I want to stand for 30-50 min! Are you kidding me! Get this, the Prima theater which holds 100+ was vacant at the time. There is some confusion on what needs reservations and what does not… They really need to figure this out ASAP!
Entertainment
4.) The entertainment was literally a joke. It appeared to be set up by a high school drama class. Horrible backdrops and cheesy props. I watched the “Not so new, newlywed game” and the sexual innuendoes and undertones were extremely offensive. The cruise director is an obnoxious, flamboyant and extremely animated individual who is always constantly yelling in a high pitch voice. He reminded me of a HS cheerleader on speed!
Service and Staff
The staff was one of the biggest disappointments of the entire cruise. Every other cruise that we have been on has had outstanding customer service. The staff of the Prima appear to be going through the motions and not caring about the passenger’s needs & wants. We encountered 75-80% of the staff were clueless and didn’t have any answers to our simple questions (e.g., What color baggage tags will be picked up the earliest at the last day of the cruise). There is no gratuity “tip” at the end of the cruise, since it’s factored into the price of the initial ticket, so I assume this lack of incentive might be the root cause? When we booked, we paid for the additional access to the spa for the entire voyage. The lady at the Spa that took our NCL room cards as collateral didn’t even give us a tour. She simply said, the lockers are down stairs and there is the pool! I had arranged for a message and asked if she could come collect me 15 min prior and she looked at me like I had a horn coming out of my head! Also, there is a quite relaxation area where I would go to read my book and just chill, heck I am on vacation. Who ever thought about this layout should immediately be fired! The next floor up to the relaxation area is the gym! You can hear people dropping heavy dumbbells and constantly running on the treadmill. This ruined my quite time almost on a daily basis. Additionally, The Master/Captain was a ghost for most of the cruise. I did see him once in the spa with the Staff Captain and some other guy walking around like it was his own executive protection detail (EPD). I have a maritime security background, when the Master is not on the bridge, it’s the Staff Captain who is usually also the Ship Safety & Security Officer (SSSO) is posted there until relieved. Maybe the policy has changed? The Captain did come on public address the last day when the Reykjavik port closed down due to high winds, preventing the ship from docking at the schedule time. In his broken English he announced we are on hold until further notification. He never made another announcement, the cruise director took over peddling stupid games (e.g., Napkin folding, selling pre-loved Rolex’s, etc.)! When I saw the Icelandic harbor pilot come alongside the Prima in a tug boat, I told my family we are going in… We had already cancelled our excursions, but could have made it to the afternoon one if properly informed.
Ship Quality
The ship is spectacular and she is fairly new and tight. No creaking, wobble or swaying, on many occasions I had to look out our balcony to see that the ship was actuating moving. Great ship for those that have seasickness or prone to motion sickness. That being said, the ship looks the same from stem to stern… there is no difference in décor or even color to help you remember where you are or to leave a lasting impression. It all looks the same! Additionally, there is a go-cart track and water tube slide that I rarely saw anyone use? Its 30F-40F degrees outside! Furthermore, several sections of the ship are closed off to the elites of the “Haven” areas. I have no idea what these people paid for their estate rooms, but this was infuriating when you wanted to go somewhere and it was restricted to Haven passengers only. One of the biggest hassles was the Wi-Fi, on the first day they kept mandating that you download the NCL app, but you cannot download without paying for Wi-Fi! The IT/Business center is some lonely rube sitting in a small coroner who doesn’t know squat about the Wi-Fi or its bandwidth limitations. I had an important work zoom meeting during a day at sea and this simpleton could not answer a single question. I ended up paying $350 additional for improved IT service. WHAT A RIP OFF! London Heathrow which is a thousand times bigger offers free Wi-Fi!
Cabin / Stateroom
We upgrade to an estate room with balcony for accommodations when we purchased our tickets. The room is very nice and spacious with one of the largest bathrooms I have ever seen onboard a cruise ship. The problem, for an 11-day cruise which takes you into the freezing snow, passengers will bring heavy/large cold weather gear. There is no place to store such gear. The cabinets and drawers provided resemble a college dormitory. We had to pack the bags and gear under the beds and in the walking paths of the room. With the couch bed pulled out it turned the room onto an obstacle course, since there is limited walking space.
Ship tip
Book with another cruise line.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Amsterdam, Netherlands Did not visit port
Disembarkation
OK but seemed to lack proper coordination.
13 Comments
JoeDoc359 2 months ago
I just got off the ship Sunday, October 6. Aside from the size of the venues being too small, I disagree with most of your review. The crew was great. I liked the cruise director. He was a bit flamboyant, but I'd rather that too him being a dud.
I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your trip as much as my family did.
yk07us 2 months ago
It's very easy to get info about Haven staterooms and choose this level if you can and want to spend the money. Nothing unusual, other lines also have their variation of suites, penthouses, and so on, that are closed for non-residents. MSC, otherwise very budget friendly, has Yacht Club that is at least twice the price of a regular stateroom.
RC2cruises 2 months ago
When I was on the Prima I thought the crew was some of the friendliest I’ve interacted with on any cruise. Maybe they could feel your demeaning attitude towards them. Every Norwegian ship has a Haven area. That’s never bothered me. Good for them that they can afford and enjoy that space.
Jerrec 2 months ago
I’m on a NCL cruise right now. When you first sign onto the WIFI, it gives you the ability to get 15 free minutes to download the NCL app in case you don’t already have it. As for the go karts and slides, the ship spends much of the year in the Caribbean, where they are constantly in use.