I am glad we experienced this ship and had a really good time. I don’t think it is worth the huge price difference compared to NCL which we are used to. Especially the drink package 😂. We also noticed most food places shut down really early and all you can get is pizza which gets boring quickly. We wish they had a 24 hour pub/sports bar with food like NCL does. They have a place like this on this ship but you have to pay extra and it’s not open 24 hours. P.S. if you do have the drink package you can use it for milkshakes in Johnny Rockets.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Pretty smooth experience. We came with a family group so needed to wait for a bit for the people driving to park—line moved slowly. After that however it was pretty quick.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Pretty hit or miss. Overall is like your typical catering food at a standard wedding.
I am gluten free however and had a good experience with the chef in the solarium bistro. He cooked me made to order pasta, brought me over cookies for the room and other desserts. I tipped him and he remembered me the next day and brought me over a huge plate of gluten free pancakes and french toast. Couldn’t eat it all 😂.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Always something going on for the most part. I saw 3 of the shows and they were all great. 1977, Hairspray and Hiro. 1977 was my favorite though due to the music and just uniqueness of an iceskating show.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
We didn’t use other than the teen club which my teen made friends the first night.
In-laws tried to use for the younger kids but they didn’t really like because they had to he separated based on age.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Also very hit or miss. We have only sailed NCL before and are used to having staff everywhere falling over us asking if we needed anything. While there were friendly and helpful staff (our room steward Roland was great) at times we felt we were “annoying” staff. Even on day one it was us and one other couple at a bar and 3 bartenders and it took what seemed like 5 minutes for them to come over to us.
In general though staff was attentive at most dinners.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Very big ship but rarely felt crowded except on deck 15.
We are early risers so never had an issue finding chairs by the pool or in the solarium and would hang out there most of the day. Overall preferred the solarium over the pool area but we have a teen who did their own thing most of the time. If you have small children you probably won’t be able to make a lot of use of this great space.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our steward Roland was great.
Ship tip
Wake up early to take advantage of amenities such as pools and hot tubs. Solarium also was less crowded space vs the pool deck.
Really enjoyed and wish the boat stayed here for 2 days so we could enjoy more of the island. One day is not enough 😂.
We just did the beach which was fabulous.
We did Blue Lagoon which we have done before and really enjoyed. Great shallow cove beach that is perfect for kids. The boat ride there and back is also a ton of fun.
I’m not really sure it’s more expensive than NCL. We booked in Feb2025 on Symphony for an ocean view balcony. Just looked at NCL for the Prima and it was 1000 more comparing apples to apples; cabin, # of nights, itinerary and no drink package. Will try NCL sometime as I’m sure it’s nice but it doesn’t seem any less expensive than the others excluding Carnival.
I just got off of this sailing, and I couldn't agree with you more! Coco Cay should be a two day stop. Orlando(Port Canaveral) could really be removed. Not many people got off at that stop. Awesome ship!!!!
Drinks aren't free on NCL. It's embedded in the cruise fare. You could have purchased the drink package if ypu wanted "free" drinks. Glad you enjoyed your vacation.
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