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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
