North Atlantic in the Fall

Norwegian Prima Cruise Review to Europe - Northern Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 6
Helpful Votes: 146

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Norwegian Prima

10 Night Northern Europe: Iceland & Norway (Reykjavik To Southampton)

Sail date: September 26, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Prima

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 13302

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 month ago

Review summary

The 10-day Iceland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and England cruise on the Norwegian Prima. A great, family trip with my Mom, two sisters, and our spouses. The Prima is a great ship, but it isn't quite suited for a cold weather itinerary like this trip, The inside spaces are not big enough for everyone to be inside. The limitations of the ship did not take away from my enjoyment, though.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Embarkation seemed pretty smooth for being in a giant tent in a parking lot. I was traveling with my mother who walks with a walker. An NCL crew member put her into a wheel chair, got us checked in quickly, and pushed her all the way onto the ship. The gangway was fairly steep, but he managed pretty well. Luckily for him, Mom is a small woman.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
We went to the main dining room, Hudson's once. It was very nice and I though the food was good. My favorite specialty dining was Onda. The service was great and the meal was delicious. Be careful ordering the pizza as an appetizer. It is an actual pizza, not a little personal pizza. You'll fill up on that and not have any room for your meal. The buffet was disappointing in that the size just isn't big enough. It is chaotic trying to find a table inside. There is an outside seating area, by it is pretty chilly out there in the fall in Iceland and Norway. There were heaters in the ceiling that helped, but a bigger seating area inside would be way ore useful.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
The min golf and darts were fun. But again, they were outside and pretty unusable for the first few days of the cruise. The drop slide seemed to need a coat of wax inside the tube. I almost stopped midway down. It ended directly under my cabin and there were a lot of people that did not come out the end of the tube, myself included. I had to wiggle, shimmy, and shake to get outside the tube.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The comedian and Burn the Floor production were great. The main theater is too small though.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Top Notch. I was staying in the Haven for the first time and everyone there was awesome. But, the crew in the rest of the ship was just as great. I did not see the Butler much, but I didn't really need to. My Mom used the butler each morning for room service breakfast. She was very nice when I did interact with her. My room steward, Donnie, was great. He was always so pleasant. The waiters in the Haven were a lot of fun. Grace, the Wine expert, became part of the family. The bartenders, and bar assistants, were great, and loved making their "special" drinks.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
It is a beautiful ship and I found it very clean. I found a lot of the common areas just too small. The atrium area just wasn't very good for seeing the live music or entertainers unless you go there early to get a seat.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
I really like my cabin. It was a two-bedroom Haven suite. One room had a King for my wife and I. The other had a queen for my Mom. The size of the cabin was great for 3-4 guests. The King room has its own balcony access. There is another balcony access in the living room. Each room has its own TV and there is a coffee station as well.

Ship tip

Lots of the venues are small, so you will most likely need to wait in line if you want to get a seat in the comedy club, Sid Norman's, of the Prime Theater.

Ports of call

Reykjavik, Iceland

5 out of 5
Go a few days early if you can. We went to the Blue Lagoon the day before we got on the ship.

Isafjordur, Iceland

5 out of 5
The Dyjandi Waterfall is a great place to visit. It's quite a climb to get up close, so be prepared for an off-road, uphill hike.

Akureyri, Iceland

5 out of 5
A cute little town. We did not venture out of town on any excursions.

Alesund, Norway

5 out of 5
Climb up the steps, or get a ride, to the top of the mountain for a very scenic view of the town. There is also a nice hiking trail to get back down that isn't as steep as the way up.

Geiranger, Norway

5 out of 5
Stunningly beautiful. The kind of place that you can just get lost looking at the scenery. We took the Hop On Hop Off bus to the viewpoint. On the way down, we got off at the driveway to the farm/cafe. It is a pretty good walk up the gravel driveway, but is isn't steep. The cafe has a deck overlooking the valey below. There is a path leading down from the cafe the Visitor's Center. It is a lot of stone steps, but it is much better to be going down them than up.

Bergen, Norway

5 out of 5
A very cool, old town. We did a Segway tour that was a lot of fun. There are two cruise ship docks here. The regular/smaller dock is closer to town. The larger dock is out in the cargo port. We docked in the larger dock. Be aware of where the larger dock is when choosing an activity. Our segway tour location was very close to the smaller dock, and the directions to the segway tour start were from the smaller dock. We had to walk about 15 minutes from the larger dock.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

5 out of 5
Amsterdam was a bonafide city with all the congestion and crowds you would expect. We did a Windmill excursion. The guide met us outside the cruise terminal. The windmill tour was great. They even had a clog-making demonstration. Afterwards, we went to a cheese maker. The guise dropped us off in Amsterdam at a canal tour location. The canal tour was a lot of fun. They provided wine and cheese and gave us an hour-long boat ride through the bustling city. Afterward, my wife and I walked back to the ship instead of taking a cab. It was a warm and sunny Friday afternoon and everyone was out enjoying the weather.

Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium

5 out of 5
Beautiful, old village. The NCL provided bus drops you off about a mile outside of town. Walk through the park to get to town faster. The village itself was very cool, but it seemed like every tour group in Belgium was there with us. Do the Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan brewery tour for a cool experieince.

Southampton (London), England Did not visit port

We got off the ship and went right to the airport.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Disembarkation was easy and fast. It's always a free for all trying to find your luggage in the tag color area, but everyone seemed to manage.
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7 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     1 month ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog     1 month ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

javawoody     1 month ago

Thanks for the detailed feedback

RC2cruises     1 month ago

I agree that the Prima is a great ship but not for a cold weather cruise. There is too much great outdoor space that is wasted in cold weather. We also did not use the buffet on the Prima because of the included Indulge Food Hall and The Local.

HeavySeas     1 month ago

Awesome....thanks for sharing your cruise experience and glad you enjoyed your cruise

cruising2004     1 month ago

Thank you for your detailed review. Glad everyone had a wonderful cruise! Great itinerary!

bubbles60     1 month ago

We did that same cruise last year and had a fabulous time. We did not eat in the buffet because of the better included options like Local and Indulge food court.

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