A few likes and dislikes on Prima from our 10/10 trip to Bermuda

[Cruising Lynne]

Overall we really enjoyed our trip on this beautiful new ship, but there were some things that I think they could have improved upon.

 

First, some of our likes: 

 

Our balcony cabin felt roomy and light, and had a great bathroom. The couch was comfortable to sit on. We were two decks above the glass walkway on the port side, and had fun hearing some of the people who were afraid to walk across squeal and laugh at themselves.

 

Indulge Food Hall. This was a great place to get lunch, a quick dinner, and grab and go breakfast options. Loved the Pad Thai and the food from the Latin section. Only bad thing I had was some very tough duck, I do not remember which section it was from, but it was wrapped in bacon. I was able to grab the tablet and quickly order something else. The food came out very fast. The husband brought breakfast sandwiches back to the room when I was moving slowly a couple of mornings. The ham, egg, and cheese croissant was very good.

 

Loved that Hudson's MDR had windows all around, and you could see out from almost every table. Service was quick and food was very good. Also really enjoyed Le Bistro and Los Lobos. Food came out hot and well seasoned from both of these specialty restaurants.

 

We enjoyed the Donna Summer show and were lucky to have picked the show that was right before they converted the theater for the Studio 54 party. They invited the first few rows on stage after the show to dance on the stage while the theater was converted. We had a lot of fun dancing to the DJ up there. Even got to dance with Simon for a minute.

The Noise Boys show was much better than I expected and I thought that 45 minutes was the perfect amount of time. This was a show that featured tap dancing and two very talented beat boxers. 

 

Some dislikes and places for improvement with future ships:

 

The buffet was too small for the size of the ship, and was a cut through to get to the pool, which made the area too busy and noisy. The lay out and some of the food placement was not well thought out. For example, the smoked salmon and cream cheese were not near each other, and neither one was anywhere near the toaster where I would toast my bagel. One toaster was also not enough. The pizza had a tasty crust, but was a little too thick. I also think that they should add pizza to the late night snack options. The grill section should be closer to the end that leads out to the pool for people that want to grab a quick burger and fries. It was convenient to the Vibe, but what about everyone else?

 

Washy washy leading into the buffet was basically non-existent. There was one sink by one of the entrances, and I think only two sinks at another entrance. Almost no one washed there hands because there were not enough sinks. The staff did not really push it. I think this is because no one wanted to wait in line to wash their hands. The hand sanitizer was on the opposite wall and no one directed anyone to use it or the sinks. I washed my hands, but did not observe many others following my lead.

 

The atrium was nice, but while the music could be heard on all three levels, there was not enough seating on the level that had the performers (6th floor). How have they not figured this out by now?? The Penrose Bar on the 6th floor should be bigger. 

 

Syd Norman's. It was not big enough on Breakaway or Getaway, and this was the chance to make the space better. It is still not big enough, and needs a better layout with more seating.

 

The new MDR menu did not have enough dessert choices.  This part of the menu should have more choices or have some desserts that rotate in addition to the ones that area available every night.  

 

Some parts of the ship had low ceilings. I am short so this wasn't a problem for me, but I could not help thinking that some of the tall people were probably ducking a lot.

 

Some of the dislikes don't seem like a big deal, but every little thing can add up after a while and deter from your experience. I was frustrated with the layout of the ship at first. I guess I am so used to the layout of other Norwegian ships. As the week went on this got better. I liked ocean boulevard and the infinity pool areas. I felt that these areas could benefit from the addition of hot tubs. The ship only had two hot tubs that were available to everyone without paying extra. These were by the main pool area.

 

 

 

[ShakeDaddy]

Great review, thank you!

[ngrund]

Hopefully, NCL will send some surveys for feedback on these minor, fixable issues for future cruises on Prima, and for the next ships on order.

[Cruising Lynne]

11 minutes ago, ngrund said:

Hopefully, NCL will send some surveys for feedback on these minor, fixable issues for future cruises on Prima, and for the next ships on order.

That is what I am hoping for. Adding more seating to the atrium should be easy. More hot tubs may have to happen on future ships.

[ziggyuk]

13 hours ago, Cruising Lynne said:

The new MDR menu did not have enough dessert choices.  This part of the menu should have more choices or have some desserts that rotate in addition to the ones that area available every night.  

 

I noticed you said there was not enough dessert choice, how did you fid the rest of the MDR menu as they are trialling this new (same every night) menu concept on the Prima.

[ontheweb]

Thanks for the review.

 

We will be on the Prima next summer including on our anniversary. We always try to eat by water on our anniversary as a tradition that started with #1. On land we try to go to a restaurant with a deck we can sit on overlooking water. Being on a cruise ship counts as being on water, but being able to sit with a view of the ocean will make it even more special.

[Cruising Lynne]

2 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I noticed you said there was not enough dessert choice, how did you fid the rest of the MDR menu as they are trialling this new (same every night) menu concept on the Prima.

It seemed to have enough choices for me to create a good meal a few times per cruise. It worked for us because we had two other nights in specialty dining. I might get bored with the apps if I had to eat there every night. I also felt that it needed another chicken option. You could get chicken with your pasta or roasted chicken, but I would have liked to see something like chicken cordon bleu as another chicken dish. 

 

It also helps if you enjoy seafood. My favorite apps were the coconut shrimp and the crab cakes. I also had a Caesar salad both nights. There were plenty of seafood entrees to choose from.

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, Cruising Lynne said:

It seemed to have enough choices for me to create a good meal a few times per cruise. It worked for us because we had two other nights in specialty dining. I might get bored with the apps if I had to eat there every night. I also felt that it needed another chicken option. You could get chicken with your pasta or roasted chicken, but I would have liked to see something like chicken cordon bleu as another chicken dish. 

 

It also helps if you enjoy seafood. My favorite apps were the coconut shrimp and the crab cakes. I also had a Caesar salad both nights. There were plenty of seafood entrees to choose from.

 

Thanks for that, I do love seafood but tend to avoid pasta dishes in restaurants as we have it so much at home. I doubt I would order from the DIY pasta section.