Considering Prima next November for my return to cruising, am I better off with Breakaway?

[HowardK]

Hello everyone and thank you in advance for your replies, I found a 11 night cruise from NYC on the Prima after thanksgiving '24 that I am considering as I haven't been on a cruise in 6 years and some of these ports not for 20. I read several reviews here that state concerns with the Prima. Compared to other ships post pandemic, would I be better off doing a 7 day to Bermuda on the Breakaway (which i went on '13 and '14) instead? Please note for this time around I am only looking to go from NYC.

I read about how service is cut back, how entertainment is cutback etc. the 11 night has more port days sans the travel days from NYC. Would be interested in hearing recommendations. thanks!

[BirdTravels]

36 minutes ago, HowardK said:

Hello everyone and thank you in advance for your replies, I found a 11 night cruise from NYC on the Prima after thanksgiving '24 that I am considering as I haven't been on a cruise in 6 years and some of these ports not for 20. I read several reviews here that state concerns with the Prima. Compared to other ships post pandemic, would I be better off doing a 7 day to Bermuda on the Breakaway (which i went on '13 and '14) instead? Please note for this time around I am only looking to go from NYC.

I read about how service is cut back, how entertainment is cutback etc. the 11 night has more port days sans the travel days from NYC. Would be interested in hearing recommendations. thanks!

 

I have sailed on the Prima twice (last time December 2022) and Breakaway 6 times (last time August 2022).  I would greatly prefer the Prima.
 

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Much of the “concerns” about the Prima come from those who insist to compare her to the much larger BA+ ships like the Escape. You’re comparing a 4500 passenger ship to a 3100 passenger ship which is necessarily smaller. But the Prima is far more elegant and has a smaller ship feel,,, which the haters hate. 
 

FWIW The following are my live posts from the Prima and Breakaway last year

 

 

 

[HowardK]

@BirdTravels thanks! I'll read your Prima review- I think I was possibly on one of your breakaway cruises years ago.

[UKstages]

i think you’d be much better off on the breakaway. Here is my review of the prima…

 

 

[Pitzel]

If you are sailing out of NYC in November, I think you will like the Prima better. While not nearly as large as those on the Joy/Bliss/Encore, the Prima does have an observation lounge, which offers a great views on cold or grey/wet days. The atrium area is also lighter and airier, which makes it a great place to hang out and watch the ocean go by.

[FlGoodShips]

We definitely prefer Prima.

Gorgeous ship.

[FLAHAM]

Both are nice.  I prefer Prima.

[stinkyharriet]

I haven't been on the Breakaway but I was on the Prima in April.  Despite the fact that it was around 50 degrees in NYC when we left and that there were approximately 1,200 children on board (spring break), I really enjoyed the ship.  All of the kids. especially the teens congregating in large loud groups in the observation lounge, were annoying at times but didn't ruin the cruise.  People complain because it's new & different.  I would 100% go back on the Prima, just not during summer or school breaks.

[UKstages]

gosh, i don’t know anyone who’s complained that it’s new and different and that’s why they hate it. pretty much everybody loves that it’s new. the different part… in my experience, and my experience with reading reviews of the prima… it’s not the different stuff that’s the problem. it’s that they failed in the execution of most of those different things.
 

add in an apathetic senior management team, not enough seating in key dining and entertainment venues and a better than average chance that you’ll get stuck in a cabin with insistent and disruptive noise emanating from deep within the walls, and you have a fair number of unhappy campers.

[RB9643]

22 minutes ago, UKstages said:

and a better than average chance that you’ll get stuck in a cabin with insistent and disruptive noise emanating from deep within the walls

 

 

I've read and appreciate your reviews, but where did the "better than average chance" come from? We all believe there are significant sound problems in some rooms. But over half?!

 

 

[insidecabin]

Nov 24, 16 months away

 

Can you find find something sooner?

 

A lot can change in 16 months all cruise  options will have had changes to the product by then.

 

Just on length of cruise Prima 

7n need to have something extra(often cheap works) to make them attractive enough.

 

We have also done Breakaway/Getaway so new to us ship would have additional value.

[BrianLo]

I'd go for Prima. It's a smaller ship obviously and it's a first iteration of said ship so has areas for improvement, but so did breakaway. YMMV, I was on the same cruise as UK Stages. 

 

Syd Normans requires lining up for and Indulge Food Hall is so good but is hard to navigate at peak times. Hudsons is like eating in a speciality restaurant and very easy to access if you are an early diner. Palomar is not really recommended. I don't tend to eat in the buffets. That's the majority of my own pinch points of note.

[laudergayle]

We’ve done both Breakaway and the Prima.  If I were choosing, I would choose Prima.  The ship is really unique with lots of places to kick back and relax.  Your sea days may be more crowded inside, and the ship may rock-n-roll with some cabin creaking…but that’s part of the adventure. Just don’t stay in cabins where people have clearly stated that the noise is unbearable. Search this Forum and you’ll get an idea which ones to avoid.  Bring seasick meds for sea days, too.

 

Prima food was excellent on our cruise, and the MDR Hudson’s was stunningly beautiful with wal-to-wall endows across the aft.  Donna Summer Show was great and Price Is Right was fun.

 

I’m sure you will enjoy whichever cruise you decide to take.

[kasimir]

I have to agree with others as well! We have also been on both ships and I can tell you that we liked both ships equally, they are just different. 
 

For the matter of a fact, we enjoyed the Prima so much that we booked another cruise on the Prima for November (this year) while onboard, something we have never done before. 
 

Don’t get me wrong, the Prima is not perfect, my biggest gripe was that the buffet is too small, everything else we could work around it… in the end we are there to enjoy our vacation and make the best of it. 
While there are a lot of negative comments about the Prima on here, which seems to come by the same people, when we were on the Prima 2 months ago the majority of people we spoke to absolutely loved it. 
 

It so much easier to be negative then positive… I will tell you one thing, the cabins on the Prima are/feel so much bigger, that my wife told me that that is reason enough to keep booking Prima class ships. 
 

Give the Prima a try, keep an open mind, and enjoy it 😉

[dpepper64]

The only problem with the Prima is if the weather is bad cold or rainy then you have to be in doors and on the Prima it gets a little crowed.  The Prima is a great ship for warm weather vs cold weather.   Breakaway can handle the people indoors better than the Prima but you cant go wrong with either ship

[schmoopie17]

16 minutes ago, dpepper64 said:

The only problem with the Prima 

You lost me with the "only" problem...

 

Prima has numerous problems, which reading the multitude of negative comments and reviews from past passengers will bear out.

 

If you like creaking cabin walls (so loud that ear plugs, my wife's snoring and a sound machine can't drown out), go for it.

 

If you enjoy a weird Local bar set-up where it's in a main passageway and everyone and his brother passing by tries to belly up to the bar (where there are only two bartenders working and 30 passengers already waiting at the bar), go for it.

 

If you enjoy a tiny buffet with barely any maneuvering room, go for it.

 

If you enjoy condescending customer "service" people whose only answer is "NO", go for it.

 

If you enjoy maneuvering in a maze to get from Point A to Point B, go for it.

 

The Prima is relatively attractive if you like beige...on top of beige...and even more beige. And it has that new ship smell, which is one thing it has going for it.

 

I could go on, (and on) but the Prima cheerleaders already have enough ammo to fire back. That's fine, fire away. But this was our experience, and as they say on CC...YMMV.

 

I've never been on the Breakaway, but I would try it before ever going back on the Prima.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by schmoopie17

[UKstages]

19 hours ago, RB9643 said:

We all believe there are significant sound problems in some rooms. But over half?!

“a better than average chance” does not mean “over half.”

 

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

And it has that new ship smell, which is one thing it has going for it.

so that’s what that is! honestly, I was pretty sure that it was a problem with the plumbing in the public restrooms.

[RB9643]

3 minutes ago, UKstages said:

“a better than average chance” does not mean “over half.”

 

 

No, it does not, technically. So, let's say there are 1500 total cabins. What number would you use as the number of cabins with intolerable noise? 50, 100, 500?

 

Now please define what you mean by having “a better than average chance” of getting one of those cabins.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[insidecabin]

On 7/17/2023 at 1:34 AM, RB9643 said:

 

No, it does not, technically. So, let's say there are 1500 total cabins. What number would you use as the number of cabins with intolerable noise? 50, 100, 500?

 

Now please define what you mean by having “a better than average chance” of getting one of those cabins.

 

Thanks.

 

 

If anything it's meaningless

 

Average chance of what.

 

Because whatever that is it's not the average chance of getting a noisy cabin it's something less than that average.

 

I do have one answer that would fit but that won't apply to all bookings just particular ones.

[UKstages]

oh, dear deity.

 

the phrase “better than average chance” is used when one wants to indicate that something is occurring at a rate greater than what is “normal” or “standard.” in the case of the prima, there are a number of reports in this very forum of cabin noise so disturbing that it causes severe sleep disturbance and has prompted NCL to compensate those unfortunate enough to sail in those cabins by offering as much as $500 per passenger. we don’t generally see or hear reports of this unique cabin noise from any other ship.
 

therefore, you have “a better than average chance” of getting a cabin of doom on the prima than on any other ship. the actual number of cabins is meaningless within the context of this discussion; we have already established that this happens on the prima far more than on any other ship in the fleet. the frequency of occurrence of this problem on other NCL ships appears to be next to zero.

 

 

[stinkyharriet]

I was in an Ocean View cabin on the Prima.  Deck 5, directly under the Casino.  The cabin was very quiet.  During the day I did hear a little creaking but didn’t notice it at all at night.  And what I heard during the day wasn’t annoying, just a little unusual.  The cabin was large, including the bathroom.  It took a little longer to become comfortable with the layout on decks 6-7-8 but I didn’t hate it, it was just different than most ships.  
 

I do agree that the buffet was small but we didn’t go there much.  Indulge was always crowded but we managed to get seats when we went.  We had no wait when going to the MDR.  We even got a spur of the moment reservation at Onda one night.  
 

My only complaint was that there were 1,200 kids on my sailing.  I would never cruise on Prima again during the summer or school breaks and that’s unfortunate because it really is better for warm weather cruising.

[RB9643]

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

the phrase “better than average chance” is used when one wants to indicate that something is occurring at a rate greater than what is “normal” or “standard.” ... we have already established that this happens on the prima far more than on any other ship in the fleet. the frequency of occurrence of this problem on other NCL ships appears to be next to zero.

 

 

Got it. So, I guess in this case "better than average" is any number greater than zero. Whatever works to make your point.

 

 

[HowardK]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I booked the 11 night Prima for 11/30/24- I've always wanted something longer than a week and for the first time in almost two decades I am at a different job where I can squeeze this particular booking in. I took a balcony rather than a studio as I don't feel like playing the upgrade game where in the past I called the night before.

I am in no way expecting perfection as I know there have been changes over the years.

 

[UKstages]

3 hours ago, RB9643 said:

Got it. I guess in this case "better than average" is any number greater than zero. Whatever works to make your point.

oh, gosh, no… “better than average” has a very specific meaning.
 

and some people do indeed get it, while others clearly do not.

 

and those who don’t invariably become keyboard warriors ready to defend straw man arguments and tilt at imaginary windmills.

 

 

[RB9643]

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

oh, gosh, no… “better than average” has a very specific meaning.
 

 

Yes, it does. There is also a result/reaction in using it, whether intended or not.

All good. Love your stuff. We'll just disagree on this one.