Prima....thoughts

[reeinaz]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

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.   

Yes. The Belvedere bar is huge. I was meeting someone there and I was waiting at the bar and didn’t see them even though they were texting me that they were there. I didn’t know there was a whole other part of it around the corner. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours 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.

There was live music in Deck 6 atrium every night. We went almost every night, but we normally didn't show up until after the evening shows, so we were there 10:00ish to 11:30ish. 

[PhillyTravelBug]

Booked on the Prima for next August and never once had hesitation. The photos look stunning! I will be spending most of my time in the thermal spa.

[Sigyn]

6 hours ago, zackarykeef said:

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!

I only have Carnival to compare it to, so I'm thinking it will be a stunning win overall. 🙂 

[Zippeedee]

8 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

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

This is my concern. Still trying to decide if it makes sense for me. I’m booked on the last Southampton cruise to Norway and Iceland at the end of September. It seems like my balcony and all outside seating will be too cold.

I’m also stunned by the posts stating breakfast closes at 9:30 in the buffet and 10 everywhere else. Is this true? I’m not a morning person at home or on vacation!

I also haven’t read great reviews of the thermal spa, where I would hang out on sea days if I can’t be outside. What to do… what to do?

[BirdTravels]

9 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

This is my concern. Still trying to decide if it makes sense for me. I’m booked on the last Southampton cruise to Norway and Iceland at the end of September. It seems like my balcony and all outside seating will be too cold.

I’m also stunned by the posts stating breakfast closes at 9:30 in the buffet and 10 everywhere else. Is this true? I’m not a morning person at home or on vacation!

I also haven’t read great reviews of the thermal spa, where I would hang out on sea days if I can’t be outside. What to do… what to do?

We just completed 7 days on the Prima and went to the Thermal Suite every day. To me, the salt bath, steam room, and saunas were some of the best in the fleet. (The only thing that would make the saunas better would have been exterior windows). And having big, comfortable day beds versus loungers piled on each other was a treat. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Zippeedee]

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

We just completed 7 days on the Prima and went to the Thermal Suite every day. To me, the salt bath, steam room, and saunas were some of the best in the fleet. (The only thing that would make the saunas better would have been exterior windows). And having big, comfortable day beds versus loungers piled on each other was a treat. 

Thanks Bird!   What did you think of the dressing room area?
Would you do a cold weather cruise on the Prima?

[JIMESOPUS]

31 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

This is my concern. Still trying to decide if it makes sense for me. I’m booked on the last Southampton cruise to Norway and Iceland at the end of September. It seems like my balcony and all outside seating will be too cold.

I’m also stunned by the posts stating breakfast closes at 9:30 in the buffet and 10 everywhere else. Is this true? I’m not a morning person at home or on vacation!

I also haven’t read great reviews of the thermal spa, where I would hang out on sea days if I can’t be outside. What to do… what to do?

@ZippeedeeI was on the TA this past fall, we had a balcony which we never used, just too damn cold for us. We never had an issue with breakfast, MDR's closed around 0900 but was able to grab something at the buffet or the Local. 

[debenson0723]

18 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

@ZippeedeeI was on the TA this past fall, we had a balcony which we never used, just too damn cold for us. We never had an issue with breakfast, MDR's closed around 0900 but was able to grab something at the buffet or the Local. 

I was on the TA also and never used my balcony either. The other issue with this is the nice cushions on the balcony chairs have to be brought inside so they don't get ruined with the rain and sea spray. My steward stashed them behind the curtains almost the whole cruise. I was cruising solo so not a problem for me but if you had 2 people, the person on the side of the bed next to the sliding door would have a difficult time getting in and out of bed. 

We didn't really get to use the outside Ocean Blvd area because of the weather...the doors were blocked off multiple days and even when they weren't, it was very windy and cold outdoors.  This caused everyone to be jammed inside and there was a lack of seating for 2400 people all indoors. Prima is definitely a warm weather ship. I have booked a Caribbean cruise on the Viva so am willing to give the ship style another chance...just not in cold weather. 

[ColdCruise]

I did an « almost live » trip report on the first paying passenger trip Sept 3rd. The report has lots of photos and the dailies plus some other literature the ship passed out during the cruise. There was so much to do Onboard and in our port-intensive days, I struggled with posting daily 🤣 (I should finish the report, even if belatedly)

 

Given that this was NOT the inaugural cruise we were sold and expected, and a lot of things weren’t working or not quite as advertised (spa pool jets inoperable, limited “headline” entertainment), I am looking for an opportunity to sail Prima again. We still work and have 2023 fully booked as well as most of 2924,we probably won’t do it or will do Viva first (looks to be identical down to color palettes).

 

Prima will make a fantastic warm weather ship, albeit with a small “general population” pool 😉. Our cruise was Northern Europe/Scandinavia, we had mostly beautiful weather and enjoyed the outside spaces. My next cruise is an Antarctic expedition & I doubt I’ll be lounging outside in shorts this time.

 

 

 

[zackarykeef]

7 hours 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!

They have music in the atrium throughout the day. The other things (presentations, trivia, etc) are spread out amongst other venues.

 

I don’t understand people’s’ complaints about the Penrose Atrium. It’s a full 3 stories, open and airy, and feels more like an atrium than the BA/+ class. I mean, 2 story half-oval with a large tv screen (which I always found tacky) isn’t much of an atrium, and definitely nothing compared to other lines’ multi-story atriums with glass elevators all the way up. That used to be my one complaint about the BA/+ class, so I’m glad they made a real Atrium on the Prima class. JMO 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

2 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

This is my concern. Still trying to decide if it makes sense for me. I’m booked on the last Southampton cruise to Norway and Iceland at the end of September. It seems like my balcony and all outside seating will be too cold.

I’m also stunned by the posts stating breakfast closes at 9:30 in the buffet and 10 everywhere else. Is this true? I’m not a morning person at home or on vacation!

I also haven’t read great reviews of the thermal spa, where I would hang out on sea days if I can’t be outside. What to do… what to do?

The thermal suite was amazing and 💯 worth it. The front lounge area is HUGE, and it was never crowded. Definitely suggest!

 

Breakfast…

MDR until 9.

Buffet until 9:30.

Obs Lounge until 10.

Local until 10:30.

 

There is always something open for food. As soon as the buffet closes for lunch at 3, the Obs Lounge puts out snacks (which were delicious, by the way…try the quiche!)

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

Thanks Bird!   What did you think of the dressing room area?
Would you do a cold weather cruise on the Prima?

 

The locker rooms were [very] small. Personally, I never used the locker rooms. I just plant my stuff on a lounger and go and enjoy the saunas and steam room. Some people ran into the locker rooms to get a robe, but it is not a place to hang out. 

 

I see a lot of discussion on cold weather cruises. "The sun deck is cold in Iceland" or "My balcony was too cold on the TA". I am not sure that this would be any different on any other ship in the world. If fact, when we sail TA, we normally take an Ocean View room because we know that there is little/no balcony time.

 

The Prima is purpose built for cold weather cruising with heated pools and water features. Outdoor areas have heaters (red circle below). Does that mean that all of the passengers will be outside in the cold... definitely not.... but some will. There is lots to do inside and the daily activities are adjusted when passengers are likely to be insider more.... just like any other cruise ship in the world. I would have no issues with taking a cold weather cruise on the Prima. 

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Beer Belly]

Although we have had second thoughts on staying with our May 7th sailing, partly due to time of year, as uneamie stated, weather may not be favorable, last trip to Bermuda was the Escape June of 2018, perfect, but wanted to experience a new ship. We were concerned about the smaller pool, and realize that there are also two infinity pools that will likely be crowded also, they look a little bigger than Hot Tubs. All in all, we are cruising, and it may not be perfect, but you can bet we are gonna have a blast, people make the party, we just gotta find those people

[JIMESOPUS]

1 hour ago, Beer Belly said:

Although we have had second thoughts on staying with our May 7th sailing, partly due to time of year, as uneamie stated, weather may not be favorable, last trip to Bermuda was the Escape June of 2018, perfect, but wanted to experience a new ship. We were concerned about the smaller pool, and realize that there are also two infinity pools that will likely be crowded also, they look a little bigger than Hot Tubs. All in all, we are cruising, and it may not be perfect, but you can bet we are gonna have a blast, people make the party, we just gotta find those people

Then head towards the Penrose bar on deck #6, I'm sure you will find a party down there.

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Booked on the Prima for next August and never once had hesitation. The photos look stunning! I will be spending most of my time in the thermal spa.

Are you on the August 6th cruise? We are, and if you are, please join the small roll call.

[ontheweb]

I spoke with our TA yesterday. One of his staff had sailed on the Prima, and said it was the most beautiful ship he had ever seen.

[Wedgie Wedgie]

Just off this morning. Yes, they have entertainment in the atrium. There was a band one night where I got up and sang Play that Funky Music White Boy along with them. They were alot of fun.

 

Also, 32 suites outside of the Haven qualify for private breakfast and lunch in Cagneys. A spiff only found on Prima.

 

Astounded that I found very good pizza on an NCL ship. All the food was great.

 

Service was super. Certain bars carried exclusive beers, rums etc. Whiskey bar specialized in - you guessed it.

 

Stunning art everywhere including a large sculpture stroll on the waterfront. For the first time in my life I actually stopped within a men's room to admire a really cool painting!

 

As a sports fan the Local can make for tight viewing but fortunately there were enough Dolphins fans on the first night of SNF to make it a blast (even though they lost).

[CruizinSusan70]

Spent 11 days on the repo cruise from Galveston to Miami.  Because of the hype and promotional stuff that came out it seemed like the Prima was going to be a game changer for NCL similar to how the Mardi Gras was a game changer for Carnival.  Because of this assumption we booked a B2B on her for February and March while she is still in PC.  

Have close to 50 cruises under my belt on various lines and the Prima is in the upper echelon.  It is different from the other ships in the NCL fleet, exactly like the Excel Class is different than the rest of the fleet with Carnival.  Many cruisers don't like change and a certain percentage of loyal Carnival cruisers didn't like the Excel Class because it be was so different than the rest of the fleet. The same could be true with loyal NCL cruisers.

 

Many cruisers go on a new ship with preconceived ideas and compare it to other ships in the fleet. This could be why many people don't like the Prima since it is so different from the other ships in the fleet.   There are many things that are great about the Prima and it has yet to be determined as to whether or not there will be any major changes to Leonardo #3 when she debuts in 2025.

Hudson's was a beautiful MDR and a great lunchtime option on embarkation and sea days.  Our only major complaint was that the buffet closed at 930 on sea days and 900 on port days for breakfast.

 

We're looking forward to our B2B next year and if there is anyone that is hesitant about a future sailing, relax and have a great cruise.  Will say that Indulge improves as the day progresses with dinnertime having the better food choices and food quality.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Spent 11 days on the repo cruise from Galveston to Miami.  Because of the hype and promotional stuff that came out it seemed like the Prima was going to be a game changer for NCL similar to how the Mardi Gras was a game changer for Carnival.  Because of this assumption we booked a B2B on her for February and March while she is still in PC.  

Have close to 50 cruises under my belt on various lines and the Prima is in the upper echelon.  It is different from the other ships in the NCL fleet, exactly like the Excel Class is different than the rest of the fleet with Carnival.  Many cruisers don't like change and a certain percentage of loyal Carnival cruisers didn't like the Excel Class because it be was so different than the rest of the fleet. The same could be true with loyal NCL cruisers.

 

Many cruisers go on a new ship with preconceived ideas and compare it to other ships in the fleet. This could be why many people don't like the Prima since it is so different from the other ships in the fleet.   There are many things that are great about the Prima and it has yet to be determined as to whether or not there will be any major changes to Leonardo #3 when she debuts in 2025.

Hudson's was a beautiful MDR and a great lunchtime option on embarkation and sea days.  Our only major complaint was that the buffet closed at 930 on sea days and 900 on port days for breakfast.

 

We're looking forward to our B2B next year and if there is anyone that is hesitant about a future sailing, relax and have a great cruise.  Will say that Indulge improves as the day progresses with dinnertime having the better food choices and food quality.

I spoke to my TA the other day. I asked about the Prima since I knew he was invited onto one of their sailings. He said he was unable to make it, but one of his staff had and said it was the most beautiful ship he had ever sailed on.

[prmssk]

We just finished the five night sailing that ended on Friday.  I can't compare the Prima to to other NCL ships because my last NCL cruise was in 2009 on the Star so it has been quite a while.  We don't have children.  We are both around 40 and cruise a lot on many different cruise lines.  We generally are the type that look for the quieter places on the ship, are morning people (so not up late), and avoid the parties and high energy events.   I share all this because I think it is really important to understand where people's perspectives are coming from as we all look for something different in a vacation.  

 

For us, this was an amazing cruise and fit what we were looking for.

 

We really thought the ship was beautiful inside and out - the art along the ocean walk, the Penrose Atrium, Hudson's, the paint on the hull, etc.  And although we didn't do any specialty dining, we had so many amazing meals in Hudson's, Indulge, the buffet, and the Local.

 

Indulge often felt crowded during meals and it really wasn't open for long enough but we just go there before they opened to find a table.  We never did try to get into Syd Norman's so I can't speak to that.  But otherwise I never felt the ship was crowded.  There was live music in the atrium (although not really to our taste so we didn't spend a lot of time there) and although the deck 6 area doesn't have tons of seating, you can still enjoy the music from decks 7 and 8 where there is tons of seating.

 

We boarded about 11:15 a.m. in boarding group 3 so quite early on and I was really surprised at how much was already booked out.  There were already no reservations available for Donna Summers or Comedy at Improv and only one show of Noise Boys and one show of Price is Right had availability.  The Noise Boys performance and the Price is Right show we attended appeared full.  We heard at least one couple on standby get into Noise Boys so I don't know how many other people were able to get in on standby.  We didn't even try to get into Donna Summers or Comedy (there were enough other things we wanted to do on the ship and it was a short cruise).  My husband was able to get plenty of reservations to the Speedway (even a day or two into the cruise).

[PhillyTravelBug]

On 12/16/2022 at 8:37 AM, ontheweb said:

Are you on the August 6th cruise? We are, and if you are, please join the small roll call.

 August 17th

[Diver2014]

Why would you reconsider your booking on Prima based on what a bunch of total strangers who you have no idea what their tastes and wants are?   Why don't you just go and find out for  yourself?   We're booked for next July on Prima and I don't really care what other people think of the ship.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

 August 17th

Ok, maybe we'll pass as we disembark and you board.

 

I hope your roll call is doing better than ours. 

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

Why would you reconsider your booking on Prima based on what a bunch of total strangers who you have no idea what their tastes and wants are?   Why don't you just go and find out for  yourself?   We're booked for next July on Prima and I don't really care what other people think of the ship.

If you don't care about the opinions of people that have already cruised on the Prima regarding your cruise next July, why are you wasting your time reading a thread about the thoughts of previous Prima cruisers?

[uneamie]

On 12/17/2022 at 6:33 PM, prmssk said:

We just finished the five night sailing that ended on Friday.  I can't compare the Prima to to other NCL ships because my last NCL cruise was in 2009 on the Star so it has been quite a while.  We don't have children.  We are both around 40 and cruise a lot on many different cruise lines.  We generally are the type that look for the quieter places on the ship, are morning people (so not up late), and avoid the parties and high energy events.   I share all this because I think it is really important to understand where people's perspectives are coming from as we all look for something different in a vacation.  

 

For us, this was an amazing cruise and fit what we were looking for.

 

We really thought the ship was beautiful inside and out - the art along the ocean walk, the Penrose Atrium, Hudson's, the paint on the hull, etc.  And although we didn't do any specialty dining, we had so many amazing meals in Hudson's, Indulge, the buffet, and the Local.

 

Indulge often felt crowded during meals and it really wasn't open for long enough but we just go there before they opened to find a table.  We never did try to get into Syd Norman's so I can't speak to that.  But otherwise I never felt the ship was crowded.  There was live music in the atrium (although not really to our taste so we didn't spend a lot of time there) and although the deck 6 area doesn't have tons of seating, you can still enjoy the music from decks 7 and 8 where there is tons of seating.

 

We boarded about 11:15 a.m. in boarding group 3 so quite early on and I was really surprised at how much was already booked out.  There were already no reservations available for Donna Summers or Comedy at Improv and only one show of Noise Boys and one show of Price is Right had availability.  The Noise Boys performance and the Price is Right show we attended appeared full.  We heard at least one couple on standby get into Noise Boys so I don't know how many other people were able to get in on standby.  We didn't even try to get into Donna Summers or Comedy (there were enough other things we wanted to do on the ship and it was a short cruise).  My husband was able to get plenty of reservations to the Speedway (even a day or two into the cruise).

Thank you for all that detail. We like going to shows but it's not a deal breaker for us. We find things to do and like you we are more morning people. I was just concerned that this would a very crowed ship but as you described it I think we will enjoy it none the less. Thanks again!