Introducing Norwegian Prima
Beccy Miller
Jason, Danielle & Mark were amongst the lucky few UK travel agents to be invited to join the christening ceremony for Norwegian Prima, which was held in Reykjavik. Not only were NCL making news with her being the first major cruise ship to be christened in the city, but the first-in-class ship had global star Katy Perry onboard as Godmother to launch the ship and perform an exclusive show. Here is what Mark thought...
Ship
Norwegian Prima is the first of six ships in her class that are on order. NCL has bucked the trend to keep building larger and larger ships and one they believe will do wonders for them; their Jewel/Dawn/Spirit/Sun class ships all have the capacity for around 2,000 guests and Epic Breakaway/Breakaway Plus class is around 4,000. Norwegian Prima and her sister ships will sit in between with accommodation for around 3,200 guests.
She will complete a short European season in 2022, then head to New York and Galveston to operate a couple of cruises from there, before heading back to Port Canaveral for the majority of the winter. She’ll then move again to New York for a series of sailings to Bermuda before heading back to Europe where she’ll be operating regular, one-way sailings between Southampton and Reykjavik with cruises to the Fjords, Western Europe and Iceland. Winter 2023/24 will be spent in Galveston before returning to repeat a similar deployment in Summer 2024.
Staterooms
We were accommodated in balcony staterooms which were large, well-designed and beautifully decorated. The beds were comfortable and there were plenty of USB charging points by the bed and on the desk (take a US/European adaptor). The bathroom was a generous size and the shower was powerful with a relaxing rainfall option in some staterooms. We had a peek at the Studio staterooms (designed for solo travellers) which have been given a redesign and seem to offer more space, although the bed looked to be a bit smaller than on Norwegian Epic (more of a single and a half, versus a double).
The Haven, NCL’s luxury ‘ship-within-ship’ concept has been elevated and this class of ship has more categories than any NCL ship before her; 8 with access to The Haven and a further 5 ‘non-Haven’ suite categories. The Haven occupies most of the back of the ship with exclusive lift access, a private restaurant, bar, sundeck, concierge lounge and infinity swimming pool with the best views on the ship. Some also feature outdoor hot tubs and multiple bedrooms but all suites in The Haven (and outside of it) offer 24-hour butler service, concierge service, priority services and all of the Free at Sea perks (drinks, speciality dining, Wi-Fi and $50/day shore excursion credit).
Dining
NCL were the inventors of ‘Freestyle Dining’ – probably the biggest shake-up to sweep the industry as it meant that guests could dine where they want when they wanted and with whom they wanted. Such was the popularity of this that almost all major cruise lines have adopted this approach for either some or all of their guests. NCL continue to invest in the dining experience and it really showed on our sailing. There are 14 different dining venues onboard so you can be sure to find something to fit your mood and appetite. Many of the favourites return, like Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro. There’s the popular teppanyaki, now named ‘Hasuki’, upscale Italian ‘Onda by Scarpetta’ and the relaxed, fusion experience at Food Republic.
The ‘main dining rooms’ are called ‘Hudsons’ and ‘The Commodore Room.’ Both now feature menus that are identical and static throughout the cruise. They’ve been expanded and are huge so there’s no shortage of choice; NCL believes this will allow them to offer a higher quality of food and reduce wastage. We dined in both and thought the food was excellent, although Hudsons features 270-degree views over the wake of the ship, gorgeous golf-leaf lights and was our favourite.
For relaxed dining, Norwegian Prima features a buffet called the Surfside Café & Grill – it’s much smaller than the Garden Café buffets found on other ships, but the quality was good. In addition to other complimentary dining at the (near)24-hour ‘Local Bar & Grill,’ a new concept called the ‘Indulge Food Hall’ has been introduced and onboard, it was confirmed that this will remain a free-of-charge dining venue. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the food hall features 11 distinct stands, each with its own open kitchen.
You’ll find ‘Nudls’ for delicious pad-thai, and tagliatelle Bolognese, Tamara for stunning tikka, saag paneer and fresh naan cooked in their authentic tandoor ovens, a ‘Seaside Rotisserie’ for grilled meats and kebabs, ‘The Latin Quarter’ taco-truck for crab tostada and fresh chips and guac’ and much more. It’s a perfect place for a ‘grab-and-go’ breakfast with egg muffins, cereals, baked goods and a Starbucks (one of two onboard). In the afternoon and evening, you can sit down, order what you want from the on-table screens and enjoy delicious cooked-to-order food from around the globe. We’ve heard this is going to be rolled out onto other ships and we think that’s great!
Entertainment & Activities
NCL are wanting to not only encourage younger adults to choose a holiday at sea but also ensure that multi-generational parties will be able to enjoy their own fun as well as activities for everyone. For example, the spa is one of the largest and most luxurious we’ve seen at sea, with two-storey waterfalls creating a relaxing atmosphere in the thermal suite. Kids will have a blast in the kids club and adults and children of all ages will enjoy the waterslides as well as the 3, 10-storey dry slides that wind down each side of the ship.
At the top of the ship, you’ll find NCL’s very popular go-kart track which has been lengthened and now twists and turns over three storeys. Those that don’t want to hit the race track, they can stand in the viewing area and shoot ‘laser’ guns at targets on the cars that their kids are driving; score a direct hit and that car will get a speed boost. Fun for everyone! There’s also interactive mini-golf, darts, tabletop shuffleboard and the latest craze, pickleball, which is also being rolled out across the fleet.
NCL have a stellar reputation for entertainment and Norwegian Prima continues that tradition. Their theatre is the first of its kind for them; a convertible space where the seats can be rolled back and a gig space created. Onboard, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical had everyone dancing in the aisles then, following a short break, everyone was invited back to ‘Disco at Studio 54’ as the space was converted into a nightclub. Very clever. We also heard great reports of an incredible band at ‘Syd Norman’s Pour House’ – a relaxed, American-style bar where you’re encouraged to sing and dance along.
Pools & Public Spaces
As the first ship for NCL which has been designed under the influence of Frank Del Rio, CEO of NCL’s parent company (and former CEO of Oceania & Regent), the upgrade in terms of quality of furnishings and style was clear. The ship feels like a luxurious, small ship, but with a larger choice of venues to enjoy. Norwegian Prima has done away with the large pool deck at the top of the ship and instead, created two spaces around the side of the ship on Deck 8. There is still a decent-sized pool and infinity hot tubs on deck 17, but deck 8 features the all-new expanded promenade deck, split into zones.
Infinity Beach offers two infinity pools, plenty of sunbeds and loungers and a much closer connection to the ocean, plus pick your side of the ship for shade or sun. Deck 8 also features the ‘Soleil Bar’ offering gorgeous sunset views, several restaurants with outdoor dining so you can enjoy those sunsets over dinner, and La Terrazza with plenty of relaxed seating to enjoy a book and a drink.
Jason, Danielle & I spoke about the ship and we all agreed that we were a little blown away by Norwegian Prima. We always expect a new ship to be better than the ones before, but the difference in terms of look, feel, comfort and design with this new class of ship means we felt she was a game-changer for NCL. Norwegian Prima takes NCL firmly into the ‘premium-contemporary’ space (think floating W Hotel) and we think it’s great to know there are another 5 of this class of ship coming.
NCL confirmed whilst we were onboard that they are going to base a Prima-class ship in Southampton in the future – we’re hoping for 2025 (or earlier). Pricing on NCL has risen over the past year and they’ve been very open that they’re going to keep their pricing up; if you’re looking for a ‘cheap’ cruise, NCL may not be for you. However, looking at the pricing available and considering the service, dining, entertainment, comfort and overall offering, NCL continues to offer incredible value and we can’t recommend this ship enough. Get on board!
To view more videos we took onboard, visit our Instagram page.
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