BB2265

Sailed on the Prima to the Caribbean in January. The comments about the smaller, more intimate spaces on the ship are real. Almost everything on the ship is crowded. We had 2 sea days to start the trip due to weather and there was palpable irritation onboard since we were all crammed together. The Observation Deck is a beautiful space but always crowded. Syd Normans wasn't even worth trying to get in, we weren't going to waste 90 minutes of our cruise waiting in line. The comedy club is really poor; the space is small and oddly shaped such that only about 7 or 8 seats across the front of the room constitute the rows - capacity has to be under 75 (with 3500 people onboard). Indulge Food Hall is a great idea and the food is good, but it is an absolute madhouse. We aren't really buffet people but if we were the chaos - and the odd smells - of this one would have dissuaded us. The bars are nice but always crowded unless you're in port. The pool is very unfortunate - it sits in shade most of the day due to the looming go-kart track overhead and is tiny. The other outdoor spaces around the ship are also very small, so we got our sun on the beaches at our stops. The activity areas on the top deck are sparsely used and take up valuable real estate (didn't see anyone playing pickleball, mini golf, or darts up there). The real oddity is the go-kart track. It's an extra fee, is only open for certain irregular hours each day, and steals so much valuable real estate that I wouldn't be surprised if the ship is redesigned in the future to eliminate it. Absolutely silly. The food was good, shows were good, service good, and overall experience was pleasant. We had a fun cruise, but it's difficult to relax with so many people crammed so closely together. We knew about the ship's design going in but based on the experience of our travel mates on a prior cruise (that was not sold out) we hoped that the issues would be minor. Unfortunately our cruise was sold out and the ship just can't handle it. Will most likely try one of Norweigian's other ships next cruise.