Norwegian Prima Cruise Reviews - Reviews

this is one of the best new build from Norwegian - the ship is spacious, entertainment was excellent as always

I loved my 11-night cruise (Oct. 31 - Nov. 11) on the Norwegian Prima. I usually cruise with Celebrity but I think the Prima out-Celebrities Celebrity. While the Prima venues are all small relative to the passenger capacity of the ship, if the ship is less than 70% full, then with a few exceptions it’s not a problem.

it was a great experience. i enjoyed the upgrades on the ship. i was sad to hear the staff feel under appreciated

Norwegian Prima isn't cheap for a reason. You get what you pay for. Book this ship with confidence that you will make awesome memories and won't regret your decision!

The ship was beautiful, stateroom was very spacious, the staff was more than outstanding!

Amazing ship and staff. Excellent food, just need more activities on board for those of us that dont drink.

FYI: Here's the comments & notes I sent to Cruiseship on post-Cruise survey: I wanted to reach out to make sure the crew, staff, & entertainers know that I had the greatest, most entertaining, delicious, personal, & unique vacation cruise of my life on the Norwegian PRIMA (Oct15-27) NYC to Galveston. I cruised with my retired parents, my sister and myself from St. Louis, MO for our twin 50th B-day gift. We did a lot on our own, but also shared some fantastic dinners and events. I want to make sure these folks directly receive my love, gratitude, & compliments for such a Great Experience *: * Syd Normans Cast & Crew - I loved them and saw all 3 Rumors, 2 Rock shows, & Prom Night! * Summer - Entire Cast & Crew - I saw it twice front row & center * PRIMA Events - Ocean Music Fest!, Disco Wonderland, 80's Night, Sensora! * Cruise Director Simon and rest of Cruise Activities & Events folks - names?... Alex, .. * The Pool everyday - The bar/servers, life guard, DJs, Bands * Improv Late Nite Karaoke - Bar staff (__? from Peru) and the host Crew * David Shannon - Phenomenal Vocalist & Entertainer (hope to see him perform on land too, in Tennessee) * DJ LVS - Great Man & Great DJ! and DJ Jeff ((even the 2hr Country Music set at the pool) * Familiar Strangers - Lead singer & band everywhere * Purple Sundaze - Great Entertainment - Singing & Dancing & * Rika Duo - Great Entertainment - Singing & Dancing * Frank Larson - Great Entertainment - Singing & Performing * Marcial Vasquez - Great person & Bar tender @ Syd Normans, Metropolitan, Penrose, etc * Driva other bar staff @ Penrose, etc * Stefan Nika - Watches & Merchandise (and Presentation Lecture on Watches) bought my first watch in 30 yrs * Christopher Song - Waiter at Local Bar & Grill diner (every late nite 2-5am) * Bar tenders/servers at each main event in Prima Theater, and The Wave Pool Bar (Nikola & the others) * Servers & Staff - Cagney's, Onda, Hasuki, Indulge, Local, * The Racetrack! The Wave, The Rush, The Drop * The Guest Services Front Desk - All 12 days every single one of them helped me, especially when I was frustrated & confused * Rosalie - Our Steward in the Studio staterooms was so sweet, helpful, and did a fantastic job everyday * Everything else I forgot! And, I made some great new friends and contacts and look forward to the next Great Cruise somewhere, somehow in 2023! Until then, God Bless!

My first time cruising on NCL; I have always included NCL in the family friendly affordable cruise lines with Royal Caribbean and Carnival. NCL stepped away from that genre with this new Prima ship. It's more on the luxury end and gears more towards business and luxury clients. Beautiful ship with many dining options. I found the highly talked about Indulge food hall annoying as there was limited seating for everyone, the food choices were not the greatest, and when I didn't sit at one of the foodtruck style counters you had servers that brought you food meaning you tip an additional 20%. I like The Local, and the Seaside Cafe (Buffet) . Never had a problem finding a table and plenty of menu choices. Many activities on the ship are UpCharged and set up to keep competitive cruisers coming back to keep their name at the top of the score board. Mini Golf upcharge was $10; Interactive Darts was $40 for up to 6 guests both these areas are "Weather permitting" because they are under the speedtrack open air areas so sometimes it's too windy or wet to play in these areas. Speedtrack also had a $15 upcharge per race; but I liked this activity where it had a viewing deck and those not racing could use laser guns to shoot the drivers to boost their points. Entertainment was good, I enjoyed the talent of the Donna Summers Show, I'd never really heard of her, but was intrigued by the story line and the 3 lead singers were amazing. The Price is Right game show was a lot of fun and guest really do win some big and some small prizes. The Noise Boys was just okay to me, I was expecting it to be more like Stomp the Yard. I really enjoyed the younger smaller beat box artist, he could be his own show. This cruise if not for a good itinerary is basically a ship to eat, drink, and meet/mingle. The kids splash park and kids academy both look like an after thought, and my husband commented that kids academy looked like a hospital, not welcoming at all. The Vape/Tobacco smokers have just 2 areas on the ship; up top behind the kids splash park is a small section roped off with 2 ashtrays, no seating, and no covering; also in the casino there is a closed room that smokers can go to but they must be spending money to sit in there. I'm not a smoker so this did not effect me personally, but I did see how uncomfortable those that had to stand outside in the rain were and I am compassionate to understand that we all have our vices and NCL could honestly step up a bit in that area. No laundry facilities on board for guests which isn't usually a big deal, but those on 10+ night sailings might find that as a problem; No internet cafe with computers to use which also, not that big of a deal but I leave my laptop behind and use those cafe computers to check work emails and type up notes; also libraries are a thing of the past and the new Observation Lounge takes the lead. I did like the Observation lounge, but I enjoy quiet and empty libraries on the cruise ships. The Balcony Cabin was nice, but I miss the fan in the bathroom.

This is a beautiful ship. It has an elegant feel to it. The atrium area is just amazing with the stairways and the seating areas. The staterooms were amazing. I really like the size of the bathroom in the stateroom. The shower was the size of a shower in a hotel room. It was not the small shower that you usually see in cruise ship staterooms. The Prima has many things to do on a sea day with the speedway, the galaxy pavilion that is VR things. It has an escape room that I heard was amazing. The observation lounge was very nice. The buffet was a smaller one than you see on cruise ships, but it was still nice. The Hudson dining room was amazing being on the aft of the ship with windows all the way around the dining room. The Commodore dining room was smaller, but just as elegant, and it was nice that both were complimentary. The specialty dining venues were very nice. Overall, this ship is a great ship and has an upscale feel to it. I was on the 4 day cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia from New York

Note - I sailed to Halifax on the 10/6/22 Inaugural Cruise First, let me say that Prima is a uniquely beautiful ship. Every space is designed to a five-star standard. There is tons of natural light, spacious corridors, and spaces you wouldn't find on other ships. You get a feeling of contemporary glamour throughout the vessel, from your cabin to every public space. Plus, the staff were also incredible and made the experience a true pleasure. All the new features on Prima were genuinely useful - not gimmicks. Indulge Food Hall is a super fun idea, the Galaxy Quest VR & Prima Speedway were a lot of fun for all ages, and even small improvements - like the infinity pools and telescopes on Deck 8 - made for a great experience. We were in a balcony cabin, originally 9132 but later 10118. Like the rest of the ship, these cabins were beautiful and spacious and the outdoor chairs being wicker and padded rather than the usual metal and plastic made it extra comfortable. Unfortunately, 9132 is directly above the main theater which meant that the music and bass line was so loud we were unable to sleep - it shook the whole room. Luckily they switched our cabin and after that there were no problems with noise. This was an inaugural cruise and so I imagine some of the noise will be reduced before regular sailings - but I would still avoid deck 9 if you're a light sleeper. My main complaint about Prima - really my only complaint - was that there is not enough public space. My voyage was not full capacity, but the breakfast buffet, Indulge Food Hall, and observation lounge were packed each day. I waited until about 6pm on embarkation day and it was already challenging to get dinner reservations and impossible to get tickets to the shows. This was a cold-weather voyage, but I can tell that it's going to be a battle to get sun loungers when the ship sails to the Caribbean/Mediterranean. Overall, just not enough public spaces were dedicated to those not willing to pay extra for specialty amenities. My recommendation would be that Prima is an incredible ship that you should sail on - but only travel either 1.) in the off season, or 2.) in The Haven, which has specially-reserved spaces. If you decide to sail in peak season in a regular cabin, be prepared to spend sea days in your room, eat at odd hours, and reserve entertainment/activities immediately when they become available.

Inaugural sailing out of New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from October 6-10, 2022. Great cruise on a beautiful new ship. Lots of fun activities, although some are normally at an upcharge. The food, service and staff were excellent. Loved our balcony cabin. The wi-fi wasn't the greatest, and you need to book specialty restaurants, entertainment and activities, immediately upon embarkation (if you can't prior), because they book up fast. Overall, wonderful cruise ship and definitely would recommend. See more specific details in star rating section.

This ship was a lot of fun. It's obvious that a lot of thought went into the design of this ship and we had a wonderful experience. I would recommend this ship for individuals, couples, or the entire family because it really has a lot to offer everyone, from kids to seniors.

Our Prima "diary"...  Nothing here is in any sort of order, more like notes I've made through out the dau about the good and bad that we saw and experienced.  This will not be in any type of a pro vs con list, just what we (the wife and I) observed during the day.  The atrium, while nice and different, after a couple of days, feels more like the center court of a multi level shopping mall.  On the topic of shopping, the stores are not your typical walk in and shop,having a defined space with an entry. Instead, they are on both side of deck 6,7 and 8, heading from the atrium - aft. So, having to walk toward the aft of the ship makes you feel like you are walking the gang plank, with sales people on both sides of you trying to get your business.  If you're looking for NCL branded products, they are in the REAR of the Pandora shops taking up the space of 2 display racks.  The LARGEST issue with the Prima is the SMALL dining venues. Every complementary dining room, from the buffet to Indulge and The Local to Hudsons and The Commodore room, the dining rooms are very small for the number of passengers on board. I would hazard to guess, that if everyone went to eat at the same time, there are not enough seats for everyone (keep in mind, the Commodore room isn't open for breakfast or lunch). Also, the tables and chairs are so close together that you can measure the distance between two people sitting in inches.  I LOVED how NCL has broken down a lot of the spaces into small, intimate sections. Deck 8, the Ocean Boulevard, which could be just a long vast space on some ships, is well managed with multiple different types of spaces. All defined by different colors and styles of furniture. It was always easy to find a quiet place to sit and not feel crowded. Even on the Sun deck, there are lounge chairs, beds, large cushioned chairs, loungers, etc…  The cabins are, for the most part, larger than on previous ships, with balconies that are wider than I've had on previous sailings.  The staff ratio is larger than any other NCL ship and it is an obvious difference. Staff is everywhere. From dining staff in the buffet and Indulge Food Hall (which is a good place to get lunch, especially on embarkation) to servers on Deck 8 and on the pool/sun decks.  My wife, who is a smoker, doesn't like the small corner on deck 18 that they have roped off as the only smoking section (other than in an enclosed section of the casino). This area is only accessible via stairs, so not very ADA friendly. There is a stair lift, but you need to find someone to operate it. As a former smoker, I see both sides of the issue. It appears that the smoking area was either a last minute addition or an intentional attempt by Norwegian to greatly reduce the amount of cigarette smoking on their ship.  The Thermal Spa was VERY nice, but get there early or late, otherwise it was crouded and while nice, not as pleasant as when we were there early in the morning.  For a new ship, it is having several technical and mechanical issues.  The tablets for ordering in the Indulge are hit or miss. Some times they're fine, other times they were very glitchy. The internet reminds me of old school dial up days. Several cabins around us had Air Conditioning issues and three cabins around us, had to be moved because of mechanical issues with the climate controls.  While in Bermuda, with a whole lot of people looking to get ashore, the ship suffered a ship wide power loss that lasted about 10 minutes. During the power outage, there was a heavy amount of black smoke coming from the stacks.  Not a good sign for a new ship.  The Prima, overall is a very nice ship full of the latest and greatest features.  There was a lot that I really liked.  The small intimate areas to sit back and relax. The Indulge Food Hall is a great concept, when everything works and it is not over packed.  The spa is wonderful, when it's not over crowded.  The fact that the MDR doesn't change the menu is nice. You can't eat everything you like in one sitting, so being able to come back another day and order something else you wanted is nice.  However, the Prima suffers from what I call Covid construction. By that I refer to items that were built during the pandemic are just not at the same caliber as the same item before the shut down. This applies to cars, RV's, boats, homes, etc…  These items just seam to not be up to the same par as its previous years counterparts.  Here on the Prima, it consists of stairs that are loose and wobbly. A section on deck 19 (the sun deck) when if you step on it, you feel the metal floor refract about half an inch. Railings that don't line up, so you end up banging a knuckle or two. They are already repainting several areas. When closing the bathroom door, I can feel the entire wall vibrate from it. And I'm constantly hearing people in the halls (and I have BAD hearing). The one thing I noticed (and I couldn't quite put my finger on it until the last day), the Prima seems to be continuing a pattern noticeable lately across the cruise industry in New ship design. That is, reducing the space for free, complimentary items to make room for events and attractions that cost extra and make the cruise line more money. There is a reason why EVERY major cruise line is reporting that sales on board are up dramatically.  On the Prima, the small pool deck and small buffet area enables them to have a three story go cart track,a darts lounge and a large Vibes section that abuts the Havens. The observation lounge is small (maybe twenty feet wide) and wraps around the Galaxy Pavillion that is basically in the middle of the space. All these areas generate revenue for the cruise line, so they take away seats (which on a rainy day heading back to New York are desperately needed) to make a buck.  In conclusion, the good parts of the Prima are very good, but the negatives on board are not avoidable. It is a beautiful ship, with wonderful amenities, but it has its flaws (as most ships do). 

In a nut shell, NCL tried to cram all the venues on a Breakaway Plus ship into a much smaller ship. It’s a beautiful ship but it’s functionality is dismal. Everything from the Lobby, bars, buffet, the Improv etc…. are all much smaller and fill up rather quickly. Reservations go very quick. Way to many guests for a small ship with small venues. The layout of the decks were poorly arranged. Many ceilings around the ship are low 8’ ceilings. WiFi was down most the trip but when it was up service was dismal. Numerous power outages. On the positive: the ship is beautiful, their is ample outside deck room (when it’s not closed for private parties) staterooms are beautiful and well designed. The food was good typical Cruise fare. And as always NCL rocks their entertainment. The theater was nice. We’re sapphire guests that have several cruises with NCL and Prima has been our worst experience. All in all I would give the overall ship a 4 out of 5 but it’s management was 2 out of 5. There is way to much competition in the industry to spend my time and money for subpar. We won’t sail Leonardo class ships again.

Background; retired, sapphire lattitudes 20 NCL cruises, 8 different ships. Good: ship is beautiful, cabins nicely laid out and functional. Food excellent Bad: most dinning in aft of ship. No outside areas with shade, all venues small and can not accommodate cruisers. No latitudes help. Constant sale pitch for cruise next. IT IS APPARENT THAT NCL IS PUSHING THE UPCHAGED HAVEN, Several breakdowns, power outages, broken bar stools on a ship 1 month cruising The ugly: if your are a smoker don't bother booking the Prima, it is obvious that NCL has intentionally punished smokers, and I'm sure that all the anti- smoking crowd will sing the praises of their policy. If you have lattitudes status don't expect any perks other than your strawberries and bottles of water. Overall after waiting for tears for the Prima, it is NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME. on the basis of this cruise I and several cruise will cancel our booked March Prima cruise.

I had a great experience on the Prima with lots of activities , great shows, good food. I would highly recommend this ship

Overall experience was very good. Everything was first rate.

Over all this was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend sailing on this ship. The decor alone is something to look forward to.

I thought the ship was beautiful, cabins were large, and staff was great.

Overall, great family cruise, and a lot of things to do onboard the ship. Food was the best so far on any cruise ship that we have been on. This is worth every penny, advised purchasing the free@sea program which includes Drinks, Wifi, Shore excursion, and Speciality Dinners. Extra cost for speedway, and the virtual game, but totally worth giving them a try. Overall this is in my top 10 cruises.