Table Of Content
- Specialty Dining
- Read Next: Park & Cruise Hotels for Every Port in America
- Lounges and Decks
- The ship has an innovative food hall
- A Three-Story Racetrack, Food Hall, and Infinity Pools: Inside the Norwegian Prima
- Hotels With Cruise Shuttles For Every Major Port in America
- The Guide to Cruise Travel Insurance
That makes it interesting that after years of increasing ship size, NCL is going smaller with Prima. The ship will be “just” 965 feet long, carry 3,215 passengers, and weigh 142,500 gross tons. Norwegian Encore made massive headlines and saw lots of fanfare when it first sailed in 2019. The steady stream of new ships that the industry had seen for years dried up. By the time Prima is launched in 2022, it will be the first ship added to Norwegian’s fleet since Encore — a span of three years. How about the introduction of a major new cruise ship from one of the biggest lines in the world… that’s wholly different than anything else in its fleet?
Specialty Dining
We're very excited that we might be "coming on down" in Norwegian Prima's theater/nightclub with a first-to-the-line of four classic game shows. Highlights will include a customizable seating layout and huge moving LED screen that lowers from the ceiling and is nearly half the size of the venue. In my basic balcony cabin, there was just a relatively small area of built-in closet space. But it would be tight if my wife were here with me, and we both had suitcases full of clothes for a week.
Read Next: Park & Cruise Hotels for Every Port in America
NCL details new dining on Canaveral-bound Norwegian Aqua - Orlando Sentinel
NCL details new dining on Canaveral-bound Norwegian Aqua.
Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 10:31:24 GMT [source]
A few weeks before the cruise, NCL replaced a stop in Porto, Portugal, with one in Vigo, Spain. Other onboard culinary choices include "The Latin Quarter" (classic Latin food with a twist), "Just Desserts" (including pies and cakes), "Just Ice Cream". Perhaps the most interesting location to take a swim is in The Haven. The exclusive pool for guests in these rooms is at the top of the ship at the very back, giving you an uninterrupted view as the ship is in port or at sea.
Lounges and Decks
For the adrenaline lover, the ship's top decks are the spots to be hanging out. Here, passengers will find a three-level go-kart track, entrances to a water slide and two dry slides, a mini-golf course, a fun gaming space called The Stadium and a virtual reality arcade, called the Galaxy Pavilion. For a brand new mega-ship, the service onboard Norwegian Prima was friendly and prompt. There were plenty of staff to assist guests in all venues including restaurants and bars. In fact, there were over 1500 crew members to staff the 2500 passengers onboard the ship. On most Norwegian Cruise Line ships, the main dining room offers a rotational menu that changes nightly.
Prima is designed to be enjoyed by all ages, including children. The ship features a Guppies Nursery, Splash Academy, and Entourage with activities for children ages 6 months to 17 years old. Bare feet, flip flops, baseball caps, swimwear, visors, and ripped jeans aren’t permitted in the main dining room or specialty restaurants.
There was more storage in our room than in any other hotels we stayed at before and after the cruise—particularly in the bathroom, which featured five shelves, a drawer, and a cabinet underneath the sink. Plus, the room had several outlets where we could charge our phones, laptops, and iPads, with the two bedside lamps offering additional slots for USB C and USB cords. Indulge Food Hall is the cruise line’s first open-air food market with made-to-order options available across 11 different regional cuisines, including Indian and barbecue. In addition, the modern design aesthetic and new additions to the ship (such as the redesigned Atrium and Palomar restaurant) are likely to appeal to seasoned and green cruise travelers alike. The Prima has several bars and lounges scattered throughout the ship. Each had a slightly different feel, from The Local Bar & Grill with its huge TVs, beers on tap and bar food to the aft-facing outdoor Soleil Bar and Indulge Outdoor Lounge with comfy chairs, hammocks and cabanas.
Cruising is a great way to do that because there are a variety of activities and options available, and everyone does not need to be together all the time. Speaking of sleeping, the beds were amazingly comfortable and the cabin was nicely furnished with plenty of room and storage. The crew was amazing, and after just a few days, the ladies at Starbucks were calling me by my first name when I approached the counter. Most crew members usually had a smile on their face and were willing to help. Lots of people in a small space got really hot and disorganized, but soon my parents and I had our luggage and were out the door and into a taxi. The other times were based on flight time and whether people had a ship-sponsored tour of the city.
Options here range from noodles (Nudls) to snacks (Tapas) and barbecue (Q Texas Smokehouse). Restaurants here are included in your cruise fare, with the exception of Starbucks and Coco's. Norwegian Prima cabins to avoid include any room above or around the ship's theater, which doubles as a night club and can be loud late into the night. Furthermore, the ship offers more in the way of outdoor experiences, with a number of new design features not seen in the Norwegian fleet or industry as a whole. When she sets sail, there’s going to be a lot for cruise fans to be excited about.
On Norwegian Prima Class ships, the keycard-accessible Haven is now larger than ever. Located at the aft of the ship, the views from the wake are superb. Norwegian’s ship-within-a-ship suite complex made waves when it launched in 2013. The Prima or Viva Theater seats a full crowd or partially fold down for additional floor space. The entire theater seats can “disappear” for standing room-only concerts.
Though you can place your order from a table or booth, we highly recommend that you wander the entire food hall first to get a feel for the various offerings. With four more Prima Class ships expected by 2027, cruise fans might be wondering what it is about this class of ships that set them apart from the rest of the Norwegian fleet. Highlights include an art wall designed by famed artist David Harber and six installations designed by Alexander Krivosheiw featuring immersive art inspired by ancient mythology and contemporary abstract forms. The seven sculptures, valued at over $2 million, offer stunning effects that change as the sun sets. Another new-to-NCL concept is an outdoor sculpture garden with installations designed by Alexander Krivosheiw, The Concourse.
This elevated dining menu is expansive, with several premium options for starters, entrees, and dessert. Of course, you can order as much as you want with no additional costs. Located on Deck 8, this popular NCL restaurant now offers al fresco dining on Ocean Boulevard. The menu still includes staples like chicken wings, fish and chips, and burgers.
The brand has fixed everything that was wrong (in my mind) with cruising. Spacious cabins (even the showers!), great food with more dining options, wide open spaces that eliminate that crowded feeling, and a world-class spa all won me over. In the evenings, Sensoria transforms into a Vegas-style disco nightclub with live DJ programming and high-energy music. Norwegian Prima cabins offer options of all types, from cozy solo interiors to large family suites. All cabins are bigger than you're likely to see on other Norwegian ships, and we were impressed with the space of our balcony cabin, which gave us room for working (and even yoga!). The Haven -- Norwegian's luxury ship-within-a-ship suite complex -- is the best yet on Prima.
If you prefer small ship sailing, The Haven's ship-within-a-ship concept is the solution. Buffet items change daily but guests can expect a pasta and pizza station, tacos, and a salad bar. In addition, The Local Bar & Grill and room service are available 24 hours a day with different menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night bites. A couple of days before the cruise ended, I had to choose a disembarkation time and collect appropriate luggage tags from the guest services area. The upper decks had lots of mostly daytime entertainment options, especially deck 18.
Not only is the Ocean Boulevard on Norwegian Prima roomier than ever, but it'll absorb a lot of passengers on sea days who otherwise would be packing the top decks of the ship. There's also alfresco seating for several of the ship's restaurants including Los Lobos, Onda by Scarpetta, The Local and Indulge Food Hall. One noticeable issue created by the large number of things put up top on the ship is that it's confusing to get around while up there.
For one, the ship will have 13 different suite categories, along with the largest-ever standard cabins from the line. There also is a renewed focus on The Haven, which is the “resort within a resort” that offers exclusive access to certain areas for passengers paying up for these rooms. Norwegian Prima is the first ship of the brand-new Prima class — the cruise line’s first new class of ships in nearly a decade. In total, the cruise line plans for five more Prima-class vessels, meaning that relatively soon there will likely be one of these ships sailing from your favorite cruise port. From changing the entire design of the ship from anything else in the fleet, to the amenities offered onboard (infinity pools?!), Prima promises to be a dramatic departure from anything else.
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