Prima....thoughts

[uneamie]

We are not able to cruise several times a year like many here do. We seem to venture out every few years according to our life situations. I am sooo happy we are now able to book another cruise after Covid and a few other things that got in our way. That said, when we cruise we always try to book a different ship...one we've never been on. We never did any ship twice. We love NCL so most of our choices have been on  NCL ships. So here we go again booked on Prima. I loved every cruise we've taken on all the NCL ships other than the "Breakaway". I didn't had hate that ship, but I was not a fan of it. Our 12 say cruise on her was filled with stress due to crowds etc....not something I ever had on any of the other ships. Now we are booked on Prima and I am seeing so many negative reviews about the layout, the inability to get reservations, and how it seems very confining and claustrophobic.  I am wondering if we are making another wrong choice. Our final payment is Jan 3rd...so we don't have much time to change our minds. I realize no one can make that choice for me....but I am hoping to hear some positive thoughts about this ship if anyone has them............thanks! 

[kenzie]

I am booked for mid January, wish we chose a different ship now! I would cancel if I had the chance

 

 

[Beer Belly]

We are booked for the May7th sailing, have been having second thoughts ourselves but are moving forward and will be boarding. Could it be that the Prima being different is what is causing some of the negative reviews ?......if you've been on  a few NCL ships, they all seem to have a familiar layout ship to ship, with the Prima being all new, regular NCL cruisers could be frustrated with venues in different areas than what they have been accustomed too......just a thought.

[luv2kroooz]

I have not personally experienced Prima, but from what I have read and seen on social media, complaints seem to be centered around the specific design flaws, not the fact that the ship is different.

 

For example, there is lots of space dedicated to indoor specialty restaurants and shopping, yet it is reported that 2 of the main nighttime entertainment venues can hold 50 guests - comedy club and Syd's. So the demand for these venues greatly exceeds capacity.

 

Additionally, many public outdoor areas are either taken up by "for-fee" activities and experiences. For example, the main pool deck is very small in exchange for multi level go- carts, darts, ping pong, mini golf. I believe the upper open decks at the aft of the ship are all reserved for Haven and/or Vibe, and off limits to the majority of passengers.

 

While these changes are definitely different compare to the previous ships, I think a case can be made that these changes have greatly decreased the passenger experience for non Haven guests.

 

Many cruisers come on onboard with an expectation of having a fair chance of experiencing the entertainment. Yet it has been reported that the entertainment venues require advance reservations and all reservations are often taken by the time the ship leaves it's homeport on day 1 of the cruise.

 

Based upon what I have read and seen, I would probably prefer Jewel class or Breakaway class over Prima, even though the ships are older. At least, I have a chance to see the entertainment or enjoy a cup of coffee out on the upper aft open decks. I guess to anyone sailing Prima, go with an open mind and then decide for yourself. Have a good cruise.

[shof515]

14 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

Yet it has been reported that the entertainment venues require advance reservations and all reservations are often taken by the time the ship leaves it's homeport on day 1 of the cruise.

 

from what i see by noon most all of the reservations for the comedy shows is all booked up. if you board late like after 1pm it is impossible to make reservations.

[zackarykeef]

I just got off Prima 12/10. I’ll be doing a full review in the next few days, but I loved it. Speaking to those on our sailing, many were happy as well. It seems a lot of the issues from early sailings have starting working themselves out.

 

If you check the other social media site, for every negative review/post, there are 100+ comments underneath stating the exact opposite and that people loved it. The ship is stunning…and I wasn’t in Haven.

 

We had no problem getting reservations on the ship. I walked into every main theater show shortly after they began just to check them out and see if people truly were unable to get seats as they’re saying, and the balcony was always almost completely empty. I feel people are unable to secure a standard reservation and then just throw their hands up and complain without actually checking.

 

Syd’s is the same size as the Breakaway/+ class…the seating is just poorly designed. I was also able to get in for SRO without waiting in line.

 

Yes, the comedy club is a little small, but honestly…the comedians were so bad, it didn’t matter 🤣

 

I don’t think it’s claustrophobic at all, and feel many of the bars are actually larger than other ships. 
 

I wouldn’t stress. Remember that the CC community is only a very small percentage of cruisers, so those complaining are an even smaller percent. Not to mention that the majority of people on here are long time cruisers that, let’s be honest, are resistant to change…no matter what people say.

 

You’ll have a great time, and 💯 the best crew at sea I have ever experienced. Already trying to book Prima or Viva again soon!

[dexddd]

We sailed Prima for 12 days.  Ship is beautiful, very upscale feel to it except Haven feels a bit minimalist.  Lots of outdoor areas but weather wasn't the best for us.  Haven outdoor without a roof so that is a waste if inclement weather.

 

Small venues my biggest complaint whether it be the clubs, Food Hall, or the Grill.  However, if weather good, you could grab food and eat outside.  Clubs I'd even suggest they were over capacity and a hazard.

 

Lots of outdoor areas, never felt claustrophobic and found it pretty easy to get around.  Unlike BA which I don't like either, Prima seems to spread guests out much better.

 

The MDRs are fancy looking with the aft one great views.

[brad0576]

2 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Many cruisers come on onboard with an expectation of having a fair chance of experiencing the entertainment. Yet it has been reported that the entertainment venues require advance reservations and all reservations are often taken by the time the ship leaves it's homeport on day 1 of the cruise.

I am currently on the Joy - the ship is booked to about 80% for a 14-day trip….. as of day 1 no reservations remained for any show that allowed them.  It doesn’t seem like the Cavern Club or Social is much larger than what is on the Prima 

[Liljo22]

Go look at the first reviews from every new ship.  They all get bad reviews when they start out.  

[zackarykeef]

9 minutes ago, brad0576 said:

I am currently on the Joy - the ship is booked to about 80% for a 14-day trip….. as of day 1 no reservations remained for any show that allowed them.  It doesn’t seem like the Cavern Club or Social is much larger than what is on the Prima 

This is what I’m saying! I don’t think they’re THAT much smaller, not to mention the Joy/Encore/Bliss have a higher guest capacity. People are just quick to forget and criticize IMO 🤷🏼‍♂️

[G-DawgMN]

2 hours ago, shof515 said:

 

from what i see by noon most all of the reservations for the comedy shows is all booked up. if you board late like after 1pm it is impossible to make reservations.

 

 But they also do the comedy shows in the main theater, so you have an opportunity to see them there. 

[Liljo22]

12 minutes ago, zackarykeef said:

This is what I’m saying! I don’t think they’re THAT much smaller, not to mention the Joy/Encore/Bliss have a higher guest capacity. People are just quick to forget and criticize IMO 🤷🏼‍♂️

Thats the point of Syd's and the Cavern Club.  Its suppose to be an intimate music venue.  If they made it so everyone that wanted a seat, it would loose its charm and just be a big open space.  

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, kenzie said:

I am booked for mid January, wish we chose a different ship now! I would cancel if I had the chance

 

 

 

8 hours ago, uneamie said:

We are not able to cruise several times a year like many here do. We seem to venture out every few years according to our life situations. I am sooo happy we are now able to book another cruise after Covid and a few other things that got in our way. That said, when we cruise we always try to book a different ship...one we've never been on. We never did any ship twice. We love NCL so most of our choices have been on  NCL ships. So here we go again booked on Prima. I loved every cruise we've taken on all the NCL ships other than the "Breakaway". I didn't had hate that ship, but I was not a fan of it. Our 12 say cruise on her was filled with stress due to crowds etc....not something I ever had on any of the other ships. Now we are booked on Prima and I am seeing so many negative reviews about the layout, the inability to get reservations, and how it seems very confining and claustrophobic.  I am wondering if we are making another wrong choice. Our final payment is Jan 3rd...so we don't have much time to change our minds. I realize no one can make that choice for me....but I am hoping to hear some positive thoughts about this ship if anyone has them............thanks! 

 

We have now sailed on the Prima twice. We think that she is a lovely ship and would recommend that you keep your reservations. 

 

The biggest flaw in the postings/complaints from the people on this forum is that they are trying to compare the features of the Prima to her distant cousin, the BA+ Escape. The thing that people fail to recognize and acknowlege is that the Prima is a smaller ship. 3100 passengers compared to 4266 passengers. Rather than compare the features of the Prima to the Escape, people should be comparing the Prima to the Jewel. 

 

"The buffet is smaller than the Escape".... sure, you don't need to feed as many people and the Prima has added additional complimentary dining options. If you go to the buffet on any ship at peak breakfast or lunch hours, it will be crowded. At least NCL has not lowered themselves to the level of Royal Caribbean who continually makes announcements in their buffet "If you are done stuffing your face, get out, so others can stuff their face"... something that I have always found totally offensive. "The Observation Lounge is smaller than the Bliss"... again, there are a lot fewer people on board, so you do not need a lounge of comparable size. 

 

The Prima offers the best of her predecessors scaled to the size of the ship. 

 

The Prima has taken the concept of the Waterfront on the Breakaway and put it on steroids to provide massive amounts of contemporary sun deck space to spread passengers out, rather than the traditional mass of people around a pool. . The Prima offers the most outdoor deck space of any modern cruise ship. 

 

The Prima offers up to 36% more space per passenger compared to other comparable cruise lines. And have designed their staterooms to provide the most spacious accommodations of any new cruise ships. I was amazed at the shower and bathroom space in our staterooms compared to other ships (NCL and other cruise lines). And the shape of the stateroom makes it feel a lot more spacious. 

 

With a passenger to crew ratio of 2, there is up to 47% more crew per passenger than other contemporarily cruise lines.

 

The choice is yours. The Prima offers the modern, contemporary cruise ship at sea. There are lots of pictures of the Prima on my live post from last week below

Edited December 15, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Sigyn]

1 hour ago, zackarykeef said:

I just got off Prima 12/10. I’ll be doing a full review in the next few days, but I loved it. Speaking to those on our sailing, many were happy as well. It seems a lot of the issues from early sailings have starting working themselves out.

 

If you check the other social media site, for every negative review/post, there are 100+ comments underneath stating the exact opposite and that people loved it. The ship is stunning…and I wasn’t in Haven.

 

We had no problem getting reservations on the ship. I walked into every main theater show shortly after they began just to check them out and see if people truly were unable to get seats as they’re saying, and the balcony was always almost completely empty. I feel people are unable to secure a standard reservation and then just throw their hands up and complain without actually checking.

 

Syd’s is the same size as the Breakaway/+ class…the seating is just poorly designed. I was also able to get in for SRO without waiting in line.

 

Yes, the comedy club is a little small, but honestly…the comedians were so bad, it didn’t matter 🤣

 

I don’t think it’s claustrophobic at all, and feel many of the bars are actually larger than other ships. 
 

I wouldn’t stress. Remember that the CC community is only a very small percentage of cruisers, so those complaining are an even smaller percent. Not to mention that the majority of people on here are long time cruisers that, let’s be honest, are resistant to change…no matter what people say.

 

You’ll have a great time, and 💯 the best crew at sea I have ever experienced. Already trying to book Prima or Viva again soon!

We board the Prima in 8 days and you voice everything that I've been thinking based on what I've read. It seems that many of the people complaining are resistant to change. The ship is clearly different and many people are familiar with a standard type of ship for NCL, and this one does not fit in with their expectations. That doesn't make it bad, just different. I, personally, am looking very forward to it. I've never sailed on NCL, and I think the photos look gorgeous, and I cannot wait to board the Prima. I'll share my post-cruise report as well, the good and bad, if I find anything negative to say about it. 

That's very helpful to know about the shows and the balcony being empty at the start of each show. Thank you for sharing this info, and I look forward to your full review. 

[zackarykeef]

41 minutes ago, njsmom said:

We board the Prima in 8 days and you voice everything that I've been thinking based on what I've read. It seems that many of the people complaining are resistant to change. The ship is clearly different and many people are familiar with a standard type of ship for NCL, and this one does not fit in with their expectations. That doesn't make it bad, just different. I, personally, am looking very forward to it. I've never sailed on NCL, and I think the photos look gorgeous, and I cannot wait to board the Prima. I'll share my post-cruise report as well, the good and bad, if I find anything negative to say about it. 

That's very helpful to know about the shows and the balcony being empty at the start of each show. Thank you for sharing this info, and I look forward to your full review. 

I’ll try to get the review out before you sail! And if you’ve never sailed NCL before, you should have the best experience, as you aren’t comparing to other NCL ships! Hopefully it turns you into an NCL fan!

[uneamie]

48 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

We have now sailed on the Prima twice. We think that she is a lovely ship and would recommend that you keep your reservations. 

 

The biggest flaw in the postings/complaints from the people on this forum is that they are trying to compare the features of the Prima to her distant cousin, the BA+ Escape. The thing that people fail to recognize and acknowlege is that the Prima is a smaller ship. 3100 passengers compared to 4266 passengers. Rather than compare the features of the Prima to the Escape, people should be comparing the Prima to the Jewel. 

 

"The buffet is smaller than the Escape".... sure, you don't need to feed as many people and the Prima has added additional complimentary dining options. If you go to the buffet on any ship at peak breakfast or lunch hours, it will be crowded. At least NCL has not lowered themselves to the level of Royal Caribbean who continually makes announcements in their buffet "If you are done stuffing your face, get out, so others can stuff their face"... something that I have always found totally offensive. "The Observation Lounge is smaller than the Bliss"... again, there are a lot fewer people on board, so you do not need a lounge of comparable size. 

 

The Prima offers the best of her predecessors scaled to the size of the ship. 

 

The Prima has taken the concept of the Waterfront on the Breakaway and put it on steroids to provide massive amounts of contemporary sun deck space to spread passengers out, rather than the traditional mass of people around a pool. . The Prima offers the most outdoor deck space of any modern cruise ship. 

 

The Prima offers up to 36% more space per passenger compared to other comparable cruise lines. And have designed their staterooms to provide the most spacious accommodations of any new cruise ships. I was amazed at the shower and bathroom space in our staterooms compared to other ships (NCL and other cruise lines). And the shape of the stateroom makes it feel a lot more spacious. 

 

With a passenger to crew ratio of 2, there is up to 47% more crew per passenger than other contemporarily cruise lines.

 

The choice is yours. The Prima offers the modern, contemporary cruise ship at sea. There are lots of pictures of the Prima on my live post from last week below

I appreciate your take on this ship and all the pictures which I found interesting and helpful.  Actually I am not a fan of the Breakaway class ships. I could not wait to get off that ship....Too many people. So the smaller Prima may be more to our liking. We are not pool people so the smaller pool is not an issue for us either. Like others have said I think people not comfortable with  "change" might be an issue for some of the bad reviews I was concerned with. I purposely booked Prima due to it being different so in the end I think we will like it and as of now I'm going to think positive.  Thanks for your input. 

[uneamie]

4 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

We are booked for the May7th sailing, have been having second thoughts ourselves but are moving forward and will be boarding. Could it be that the Prima being different is what is causing some of the negative reviews ?......if you've been on  a few NCL ships, they all seem to have a familiar layout ship to ship, with the Prima being all new, regular NCL cruisers could be frustrated with venues in different areas than what they have been accustomed too......just a thought.

We are booked for May 7th as well....I think I am going to set foot on this ship with a positive frame of mind and try to not let these negatives affect our experience. My only wish was that they had more dates towards the end of May for Bermuda because the last time we went the first week in May the weather was crappy, cold and raining except for one day that was just OK. Closer to June it gets warmer. I want to go to Horseshoe Bay beach so we shall see if it's warm enough. 

[JIMESOPUS]

The Prima is a warm weather ship, ever aspect of this ship is based and advertised as an outdoor ship. Sailing out of NYC in the winter, homeport in Iceland during the summer doesn't make any sense. @uneamie if your cruise is out of FLA then you will be fine. The Prima is the first ship to make NCL more upscale comparable to the other brands Oceania and Regent. This is the direction that Frank wants to go

[kayjaypea42]

I just got off Prima on the 10th.  I would rate the ship a solid 6.5 / 10.  I didn't hate the ship by any means, but it was not my favorite and I wouldn't book it again.  There was entertainment, but not enough and the venues were sincerely too small.  There were times where I wanted to go see the entertainment in Syd's but even if I had gotten there early enough to get seats, there were people crammed in there so much that people were propping the door open from standing.  It was downright claustrophobic.  I did catch a few minutes of a performer by standing at the back and looking over shoulders.  From what I could see, they did a great job! But... it was inaccessible and no reservations available.  The entertainment also was lacking with the comedians. Neither was remotely funny.  One dude had to resort to a type of jazz-hands/surprise face when he wanted you to laugh at a joke that fell absolutely, crickets-chirping flat.  The other dude had to resort to raunchy "humor" that wasn't even funny.  I don't mind raunchy if it's funny, but both comedians were downright cringe-worthy.  As for the other shows, Donna Summer and Noise Boys: AWESOME! I couldn't make reservations but still had no problem getting into the show anyway.  The Disco Experience and Sensoria were incredible too, although I thought the Disco Experience was a little more fun. 

They heavily pushed their custom drinks and some bartenders had an attitude when you requested a standard drink, and no one was able to make a Spicy Margarita.  (Others were perfectly charming.) All of them seemed waaay overworked: the bars were always slammed and I never felt like I could linger at the pool bar.  Of the new drinks they offered, they were a mixed bag.  I surprisingly really liked Monkey Business, and I loved the Watermelon Twist.  Others just tasted watered down. 

 

I spent about an hour in the Galaxy Pavillion.  I had time for about 4 game/rides.  Again, a mixed bag.  It was ok, but some of the rides were out of order and others had no real tutorial or indication of what it was.  I'd like to try it again on another ship with a Galaxy Pavillion since so many rides were down.  I didn't have a chance to do the Speedway; it's not my cuppa anyway, so can't comment.  I heard others liked it, though.  I walked through the area with the mini-golf and darts, etc.  Cool area! I didn't partake in that either, though.  I did, however, go on the slides.  They were a bit of alright! The drop slide was fun, and the water slide was cool, but waaaay too short. 

 

For the most part the savory food was great.  I didn't have anything that I remember being gross except for some desserts.  (The notable exception was the Lava Cake, which was phenomenal!) But the venues closed too early for lunch.  There was a period at like 3 or so where the only option was The Local.  Don't get me wrong: the Local had awesome food, but I got tired of it pretty quick.  There's a large variety, but some was just too heavy for a lunch (for me), so I wound up sticking with the same few items because that's all that appealed right then.  Usually, even when they close the buffet, they leave a small section open.  I guess that small section was moved to the Observation Deck, but that didn't open until around 4 or so.  I know there's only an hour in between, but somehow, I was always hungry RIGHT IN THAT HOUR for a small nibble.  Figures! 🙄

 

The layout took a hot minute to get used to, and the elevators were ridiculously slow, especially since half of them were out of order on any given elevator bank. 

 

The outdoor space was nice looking.  There were a lot of seats, but most were taken on the sunny-side.  (The shady-side had lots of seats available, mostly because of how cold it was...in the Caribbean!) On both the sunny and shady side, it was incredibly windy.  I feel like the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships break the wind a lot better; I don't remember feeling like I was going to fly away or freeze in the shade like I did here. 

 

That said, I know there's a lot of complaints here, but like I said, the ship was a 6.5 / 10 for me.  There were positives too.  I had a decent time on Prima; it was better than MSC, but Escape blew the Prima out of the atmosphere, nevermind out of the water.

[kayjaypea42]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The biggest flaw in the postings/complaints from the people on this forum is that they are trying to compare the features of the Prima to her distant cousin, the BA+ Escape.

I can see where you're coming from when it comes to comparing Prima to Escape vs Pearl, etc. But Prima took features from Breakway Plus to make this ship, particularly the design of the Waterfront, and took the idea of dry slides from her giant Royal Caribbean neighbors.  The size of Prima is closer to Getaway than Gem and tries to attract both clienteles. I loved the Pearl, and I loved the Escape and Getaway. They both had a solid idea of what they were and who they catered to.  The Prima almost felt like being on a sailing identity crisis.  I'm sure that will be resolved with further ships of the class.  Ultimately, I think the problem is that Prima is a prototype ship, one that did not flunk near as bad as the Epic "class" did, but also left a lot of room for improvement.

[Sand and Seas]

We loved our 11 days on the Prima from Galveston to Miami.  As soon as we got home we booked another similar cruise.  Our Club Balcony MA cabin was spacious with great storage space.

 

It is a very unique NCL ship so it's hard to compare to our cruises on other ships.   For our cruise, two separate hurricanes cancelled our stops at Cozumel and GSC so we had extra 'days at sea'.   This gave us plenty of extra time to enjoy the ship.    While we love the Waterfront on Breakaway/Plus ships, the deck 8 Ocean Boulevard is now our favorite outdoor space on any ship.  

 

As with any new ship, there were a few minor things that they could improve on, but nothing that would keep us from looking forward to our next cruise on her.  The new food venues great.  Loved Palomar and especially Indulge Food Hall.  (Hoping they increase the lunch hours for Indulge🤞)    And Hasuki (the teppanyaki venue) was improved with addition of smaller seating counters for two and four along the side wall.  We got to enjoy the meal cooked just for the two of us.

 

Syd Norman's was our favorite entertainment space.  Yes, we did get in line about an hour prior to open to guarantee a seat but felt it was well worth it.  In my opinion, Prima's Syds was actually larger (side-to-side) that those on other ships.  (Another suggestion to NCL: Replace the two leather couches with more chairs.  Yes, couches are awesome, but give us more seating!)

[luv2kroooz]

For anyone that has sailed Prima, do they have entertainment in the atrium? It looks so "chopped up"  to me. Maybe this is NCL's way of disbursing crowds because the Atrium used to get pretty busy.

 

In the past, there have been Caribbean bands or house cover bands as well as numerous cooking demonstrations, game shows, Q&A with officers, movies, kids club activities, latitudes rewards seminars, etc. It was like the hub of the ship.

 

I understand they have Price is Right in the main lounge, but how about all of the other random entertainment?

 

Thank you!

[reeinaz]

34 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

For anyone that has sailed Prima, do they have entertainment in the atrium? It looks so "chopped up"  to me. Maybe this is NCL's way of disbursing crowds because the Atrium used to get pretty busy.

 

In the past, there have been Caribbean bands or house cover bands as well as numerous cooking demonstrations, game shows, Q&A with officers, movies, kids club activities, latitudes rewards seminars, etc. It was like the hub of the ship.

 

I understand they have Price is Right in the main lounge, but how about all of the other random entertainment?

 

Thank you!

Here is my post where I posted the dailies for my cruise. You can see what events happened in the atrium vs other areas

 

 

[Sand and Seas]

57 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

For anyone that has sailed Prima, do they have entertainment in the atrium? It looks so "chopped up"  to me. Maybe this is NCL's way of disbursing crowds because the Atrium used to get pretty busy.

 

In the past, there have been Caribbean bands or house cover bands as well as numerous cooking demonstrations, game shows, Q&A with officers, movies, kids club activities, latitudes rewards seminars, etc. It was like the hub of the ship.

 

I understand they have Price is Right in the main lounge, but how about all of the other random entertainment?

 

Thank you!

This brings up another item that I would hope NCL will correct for Prima.  They did have music in the Penrose Atrium in the evenings but there wasn't much seating there.  However, farther Aft on Deck 6 they have a lovely good sized area called the Belvedere Bar.  I would suggest moving the musicians to that area.   

[ngrund]

10 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

We are booked for the May7th sailing, have been having second thoughts ourselves but are moving forward and will be boarding. Could it be that the Prima being different is what is causing some of the negative reviews ?......if you've been on  a few NCL ships, they all seem to have a familiar layout ship to ship, with the Prima being all new, regular NCL cruisers could be frustrated with venues in different areas than what they have been accustomed too......just a thought.

I'll be on that sailing as well-