Everything... project Leonardo/Prima class!

[TheDougOut]

1 hour ago, kayjaypea42 said:

 

Do you think the vibe is because it's a transatlantic, or is it just a snooze-fest of a cruise? I hope things improve as they get to the Caribbean.  It's one thing to have more low-key nightlife on a European or transatlantic ship; it's another thing entirely for a Caribbean cruise!  I mean, I'm not expecting it to be a Carnival party, but also...I'd be disappointed in MSC-levels of nightlife... (I call MSC a floating nursing home; that was my experience on Divina in 2018)

Much like how the ship is segmented into more & smaller venues, so is the entertainment.  It’s odd that the two late-night venues are across from one another in the otherwise maze-like common areas.  The casino is more isolated as well, so that doesn’t contribute to any “vibe” in the nighttime common areas.

 

DBH was sorely missed, and we usually resorted to closing out Improv, then Syd’s, and then ended the night at the bar-side of The Local.

 

The “club” nights in the theater have potential, but they really should tweak the screen brightness & offer more light-show variation so there’s less full-on lights all the time.  It’s so bright, it felt more school-gym than nightclub.  But the potential is there.

The bar crew at Syd’s is great… Marcial, Martin, Roy & others.  They made our trip, and we tried to include them in the fun as much as possible.

[Steff79]

1 hour ago, kayjaypea42 said:

Seaside/ seaview have a great entertainment with many live music places,  more then on prima. 
Party at the garage starts after midnight and goes long…..

 

and the parties at the 4 level atrium were great too. 


 

but the prima theater I like too for parties. 
 

but didn‘t like the penrose bar as mostly the only place for live music ( Syd is great but always so packed because of the small size and bad layout)

Edited October 5, 2022 by Steff79

[Steff79]

17 hours ago, TheDougOut said:

 

The “club” nights in the theater have potential, but they really should tweak the screen brightness & offer more light-show variation so there’s less full-on lights all the time.  It’s so bright, it felt more school-gym than nightclub.  But the potential is there.
 

 They should to with the Syd Norman’s Band the prom night there. I think that would be great. 
( instead of the prom night at Syd Norman’s we had a acoustic night because two of the band was Ill I think )

[dexddd]

19 hours ago, kayjaypea42 said:

 

Do you think the vibe is because it's a transatlantic, or is it just a snooze-fest of a cruise? I hope things improve as they get to the Caribbean.  It's one thing to have more low-key nightlife on a European or transatlantic ship; it's another thing entirely for a Caribbean cruise!  I mean, I'm not expecting it to be a Carnival party, but also...I'd be disappointed in MSC-levels of nightlife... (I call MSC a floating nursing home; that was my experience on Divina in 2018)

MSC is not a floating nursing home, not even close. Maybe when you sailed.  Even in US before the shutdown lots of Europeans who stay up late and like to party.

[BenCoudon]

22 hours ago, TheDougOut said:

Much like how the ship is segmented into more & smaller venues, so is the entertainment.  It’s odd that the two late-night venues are across from one another in the otherwise maze-like common areas.  The casino is more isolated as well, so that doesn’t contribute to any “vibe” in the nighttime common areas.

 

DBH was sorely missed, and we usually resorted to closing out Improv, then Syd’s, and then ended the night at the bar-side of The Local.

 

The “club” nights in the theater have potential, but they really should tweak the screen brightness & offer more light-show variation so there’s less full-on lights all the time.  It’s so bright, it felt more school-gym than nightclub.  But the potential is there.

The bar crew at Syd’s is great… Marcial, Martin, Roy & others.  They made our trip, and we tried to include them in the fun as much as possible.

Martin is a great bartender from Argentina.  He is not assigned to a specific bar.  He goes to help where there is a need.  Saw him at the Haven bar and also at the Belvedere Bar.  A very funny guy.  

Also met Romel, a bartender that was at H2O on the Bliss.  But the poor guy was assigned to the Vibe bar during the day and the observation lounge bar late afternoon.  With the bad weather we had, he had almost no clients at the Vibe and he was freezing.  I also feel sorry for the bar crews at the wave bar, the Soleil bar and the speedway bar.  Very few clients there due to weather conditions.  Hopefully they will get busy with the Prima heading south.  

[Fredrik]

Review of the first revenue sailing from Amsterdam to Copenhagen Sep 3rd to 13th

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cruise-radio/id330992379?i=1000581768668

[PhillyTravelBug]

4 hours ago, Fredrik said:

Review of the first revenue sailing from Amsterdam to Copenhagen Sep 3rd to 13th

 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cruise-radio/id330992379?i=1000581768668

 

I am subscribed to this podcast. Its always good. Positive review mostly... I'm now I need to add on a dining package to my 2 meal promo for the specialty restaurants.

[ibgman]

Watching the Prima sail out of NY Harbor on the Webcam and took these screenshots

Edited October 6, 2022 by ibgman

[PistolPete13]

Sail away from NY Harbor tonight (10/6/22)

 

[BenCoudon]

Just returned from 22 days on the Prima.

I will share with you both my positive and negative comments about this ship

Positive: 

• Very nice cabins.  I stayed 10 days in a penthouse cabin in the Haven and 12 days in a club balcony cabin.  I have also seen standard balcony cabins.  Very modern decor, much larger than on other ships, nice full size shower and lots of storage space, including luggage storage under the bed. Lots of power outlets and many USB ports, including on the night table lamp.  Less positive: Position of the TV is  facing the bed, not the couch.  In the Haven cabin, it takes a college degree to figure out how to operate the lights inside the cabin. No chairs in the non-haven cabins. Only a little stool under the desk. 
• As advertized, outdoor space is huge. The infinity pools are very nice. It split the crowd in 3 locations including the main pool on deck 17.  The sun deck  on deck 18 is rather large with lots of lounge chairs.  But no elevator to go there.  Because of this huge outdoor space, they significantly reduced the indoor space.  So when the weather is bad,  it is very crowded inside and difficult to find a table to eat.
• The observation lounge on deck 17 is very nice but about half the size of the one on both the Bliss and the Encore.  Main reason is because they built the Galaxy pavillon right in the middle.  If you can find a seat, it is a great place to go, especially on sea days. 
• The decor, the menu, the quality of the food and the service of the Hudson main dining room. Although the decor of the Commodore dining room doesn't have the glamor of the Hudson, both dining rooms are a significant improvement over the other ships
• The indulge food hall.  This concept was copied from Food Republic.  Great service and good food variety.  It was always crowded and on many occasions, not possible to find a table.  But when the ship will sail in warm weather, people will be able to order and eat outside so it shouldn't be that bad.  Less positive:  The breakfast options are "grab and go".  Not the best.  Also, you cannot order desert or coffee.  You have to first, find it and then go get it.  Starbuck uses a lot of space and doesn't seem to be that popular.
• Specialty restaurants:  Although they are very small (except for Cagney's), great food and great service.
• The 3 level race track:  Although the weather was not adequate most sea days, it seems that it is very popular.  And I received very positive comments from people that used it.  
• The Haven private elevators.  For guests in the Haven, this is a great addition.  Goes from deck 6 to 16 except deck 9. Haven cabins are on decks 10 to 15.  And, on each of those floors, you can enter the Haven with 2 access doors located near the aft elevators.  Very convenient
• The concierge desk in the Haven:  An ugly design but a huge area where you can sit down and deal with the concierge.  Nicely thought out.

 

Negative comments:

• It is obvious that space allocation for the venues have privileged all venues that generates revenue:
  • The Casino is huge
  • On decks 6, 7 and 8, there are duty free shops everywhere, lots of space reserved for photo and the art auction.
  • Deck 7 has very limited space for guest services, internet cafe and shore excursion.  The main reason is there is a huge duty free shop on one side and an oversize Starbuck outlet on the other size.  Very limited seating.  
• Sid Norman and Improv are extremely small mainly because they gave lots of space to the Art Auction people  (private offices). With under 100 seats on both venues, it is almost impossible to get tickets.
• The Surfside Cafe (buffet) is also very small.  On lots of occasions, mainly for breakfast, it is just impossible to find a table to eat your breakfast.  Why is it like that?  Because on one side, they built 2 specialty restaurants  in the space usually allocated to the buffet.  In addition, lots of eating space was removed to make room the the Vive next door.  Once again, preference given to revenue generated venues instead of the regular passengers.  May be they thought that Indulge food hall would fix the problem but the grab and go is not the preference of everyone.
• The Locals:  A total disaster.  Compared to other ships, The Locals (or O'Sheean) is about 20% the size.  On many ships, it is a huge space around the atrium.  On the Prima, it is a very small dining room with other chairs and table in the hallway facing the bar.  I have seen 20 to 30 minutes wait to get a table.  Also, they have installed a huge TV screen next to the bar.  BUT,  a maximum of 20 chairs for people to watch sports.  Extreme bad design.  The Locals also have outdoor seating (weather permiting)
• The Theatre:  Very very very very small.  In a full seat configuration, about 750 seats.  They used that configuration for the Donna Sommer show.  For the noise boys, they add an additional stage in front. To acheive that, they are removing 6 or 7 rows of seats and add chairs each side of the stage.  My evaluation is that reduces the number of seats available to under 600.  NCL will take lots of heat on this one because on a 7 day cruise, lots of passengers will not be able to get tickets for those shows. Because I was on a back to back, I wanted to see the theater shows during the 1rst leg and the Sid Norman and improv shows during the second week.  We were only 2300 passengers on the first leg and, as I was in the Haven, the concierge took care of all my reservations.  So I was able to see Donna Sommer, the Noise Boys, a male signer and a female vocalists doing  Diva Extravaganza.  But for my second leg, as I went on a tour on the transit day (Southampton), by the time I came back to the ship (3:30 pm)  not a single ticket was available for the entire 12 day cruise.  To top it off, they had scheduled only 2 representation of the Donna Summer.  After lots of complains, they added a 3rd one.  I have no idea how they will be able to schedule the shows plus the games (Price is right) allowing most passengers to see the shows on a 7 day cruise sailing at full capacity (we were almost full on the second leg with 3100 passengers)
• If you want to organize special events on the Prima, forget about it.  You will remember "the bliss lounge" on other ships where there was enough space to host events such as M&G.  No such thing on the Prima.  They only room they can use for special events is the Commodore dining room.  But bad news:  On almost every sea days, priority was given to the the Art Auction people.  So as preferences is given to people that can generate additional revenue,  the Art people kicked us out and we had to host the M&G for 300 people in the Belvedere bar which has a maximum capacity of 135 chairs.  And we cannot use the other specialty restaurants because they are too small. Cagney's would be an option but they use it to serve Breakfast and lunch to the people in the Suites.  As there are not that many suites, using another specialty restaurant for that would resolve part of the problem.  Hopefully they will make adjustments along the way. 
• Except for the Metropolitan and the Belvedere bars, the number of seats available in the other bars is rather limited.  The only bar on  in the atrium on deck 6 is the Penrose bar.  They often have live music there.  But a rather limited number of seats.  Most of the space is allocated to the Casino. No bar in the atrium on deck 7.  As for the Atrium on deck 8, the Whiskey bar is on one side with a small but decent seating area.  And, once again,  a huge space is dedicated a duty free shop.  So on bad weather days,  when people cannot use the outdoor bars,  it is almost impossible to find a seat in the atrium
• The thermal suite:  I didn't go to the Thermal suite.  I was tempted to buy the pass for the Trans Atlantic but with the amount of bad comments I go during the first leg, I didn't buy it.  I am sure that people that bought the access would comment on it.  In short, people were saying that the locker rooms are the size of a shoe box, several rooms didn't work and the worst, in the area where people should be able to relax, they are anoyed by the noise generated by the gym just above.  The "Boom Boom" noise made by people running on the thread mills or other fitness equipment prevent all types of relaxation.
• The Haven common area:  A total disapointment.  Walls and ceiling are dark and the furniture is of a lesser quality that what you find in the non-Haven sections of the ship.
• restaurant:  Totally ugly.  A dark hallway to the restaurant with the tiny reception tucked in a closet.  Not even a chandelier in the restaurant.  Several rooms and partitions.  If you are not seated by a window, you will be eating facing a partition or a wall.  On all other ships that have a Haven restaurant, you can feel some glamour.  On the Prima, it looks like a series of small sections stiched together.  And the lights are standards pod lights .Totally ugly.
• The Haven bar and lounge:   The bar is huge.  So big that it is not possible to have a conversation with the people seated on the opposite side of the bar.  As for what they call the Haven Lounge,  it is only 3 small coves with various type of seating.  The desing killed the atmosphere that you usually have in the Haven Lounge
•  The Haven hot tubs:  They are located on the sun deck (one deck above the Haven lounge).  If you have any type of mobility problems, forget about it because there are no elevators to that deck.   

 

Other issues:  

• Decks without elevators:  For smokers, there are no elevators to both smoking area (one above the main pool deck (deck 18) and one in the Haven deck 17).  Too bad for the mobility impaired smokers.  I met a 75 year old woman that told me she was smoking on her balcony only because the was not able to climb the stairs to the designated smoking area. 

But when it is time to generate revenue, no issues with installing elevators to the top decks.   The elevator goes to deck 17 for the Vibe and to deck 18 for the Race Track. 

• They did not install sliding doors to access the Observation lounge.  So people in wheel chairs cannot go there
• They did not consider the air flow in several locations.  For example, in the Locals, you have facing sliding doors on each side.  When both are opened, it is like a wind tunel.  Similar situation in the buffet area.  When 2 or 3 doors are opening at the same time, cold air hits you.

 

In conclusion, I have lots of disapointments concerning this ship.  Obviously, they gave the key to visual artists and they did a fantastic job.  It is simply totally beautiful.  But visual effects are rarely efficient.  Even with a $75,000 sculpture on deck 8, when you cannot get a ticket to see a show or even find a table to eat your breakfast, you forget quickly about the sculpture.

I have cancelled my cruise on the Viva. It is too late to make significant modifications to the Viva.  I will not pay a premium to sail on a ship with so many limitations.

One day, if the itinerary is exceptional, I may sail again on the Prima or the Viva.  But I doubt it

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

8 hours ago, BenCoudon said:

• The Haven private elevators.  For guests in the Haven, this is a great addition.  Goes from deck 6 to 16 except deck 9. Haven cabins are on decks 10 to 15.  And, on each of those floors, you can enter the Haven with 2 access doors located near the aft elevators.  Very convenient

 

A small clarification: Only decks 12 and up are 100% Haven and have the glass access doors - decks 10 and 11 have standard cabins as well, so no access doors. Key card is required to enter elevators on decks 11 and below; not required on decks 12 and above since the access doors are there. 

Definitely a great addition!!

[Wendy&Grumpy]

8 hours ago, BenCoudon said:

• The Theatre:  Very very very very small.  In a full seat configuration, about 750 seats.  They used that configuration for the Donna Sommer show.  For the noise boys, they add an additional stage in front. To acheive that, they are removing 6 or 7 rows of seats and add chairs each side of the stage.  My evaluation is that reduces the number of seats available to under 600.  NCL will take lots of heat on this one because on a 7 day cruise, lots of passengers will not be able to get tickets for those shows. Because I was on a back to back, I wanted to see the theater shows during the 1rst leg and the Sid Norman and improv shows during the second week.  We were only 2300 passengers on the first leg and, as I was in the Haven, the concierge took care of all my reservations.  So I was able to see Donna Sommer, the Noise Boys, a male signer and a female vocalists doing  Diva Extravaganza.  But for my second leg, as I went on a tour on the transit day (Southampton), by the time I came back to the ship (3:30 pm)  not a single ticket was available for the entire 12 day cruise.  To top it off, they had scheduled only 2 representation of the Donna Summer.  After lots of complains, they added a 3rd one.  I have no idea how they will be able to schedule the shows plus the games (Price is right) allowing most passengers to see the shows on a 7 day cruise sailing at full capacity (we were almost full on the second leg with 3100 passengers)

 

 

After reading the early complaints about the theater, we paid attention to this. There were at least 2 dozen empty seats at every show we attended in the theater (Summer, Noise Boys, Price is Right, and the ballroom dance duo)!  Most were on the second floor, with some out to the sides on the main floor as well. And of course the random single seats between groups - not ideal, but we've split up for shows we really wanted to see. 

I will say we were quite surprised with how comfortable the seats are!

Question: does anyone know whether Supermarket Sweep is still coming or has been scrapped?

[GreenFamily]

10 hours ago, BenCoudon said:

Just returned from 22 days on the Prima.

I will share with you both my positive and negative comments about this ship

Positive: 

• Very nice cabins.  I stayed 10 days in a penthouse cabin in the Haven and 12 days in a club balcony cabin.  I have also seen standard balcony cabins.  Very modern decor, much larger than on other ships, nice full size shower and lots of storage space, including luggage storage under the bed. Lots of power outlets and many USB ports, including on the night table lamp.  Less positive: Position of the TV is  facing the bed, not the couch.  In the Haven cabin, it takes a college degree to figure out how to operate the lights inside the cabin. No chairs in the non-haven cabins. Only a little stool under the desk. 
• As advertized, outdoor space is huge. The infinity pools are very nice. It split the crowd in 3 locations including the main pool on deck 17.  The sun deck  on deck 18 is rather large with lots of lounge chairs.  But no elevator to go there.  Because of this huge outdoor space, they significantly reduced the indoor space.  So when the weather is bad,  it is very crowded inside and difficult to find a table to eat.
• The observation lounge on deck 17 is very nice but about half the size of the one on both the Bliss and the Encore.  Main reason is because they built the Galaxy pavillon right in the middle.  If you can find a seat, it is a great place to go, especially on sea days. 
• The decor, the menu, the quality of the food and the service of the Hudson main dining room. Although the decor of the Commodore dining room doesn't have the glamor of the Hudson, both dining rooms are a significant improvement over the other ships
• The indulge food hall.  This concept was copied from Food Republic.  Great service and good food variety.  It was always crowded and on many occasions, not possible to find a table.  But when the ship will sail in warm weather, people will be able to order and eat outside so it shouldn't be that bad.  Less positive:  The breakfast options are "grab and go".  Not the best.  Also, you cannot order desert or coffee.  You have to first, find it and then go get it.  Starbuck uses a lot of space and doesn't seem to be that popular.
• Specialty restaurants:  Although they are very small (except for Cagney's), great food and great service.
• The 3 level race track:  Although the weather was not adequate most sea days, it seems that it is very popular.  And I received very positive comments from people that used it.  
• The Haven private elevators.  For guests in the Haven, this is a great addition.  Goes from deck 6 to 16 except deck 9. Haven cabins are on decks 10 to 15.  And, on each of those floors, you can enter the Haven with 2 access doors located near the aft elevators.  Very convenient
• The concierge desk in the Haven:  An ugly design but a huge area where you can sit down and deal with the concierge.  Nicely thought out.

 

Negative comments:

• It is obvious that space allocation for the venues have privileged all venues that generates revenue:
  • The Casino is huge
  • On decks 6, 7 and 8, there are duty free shops everywhere, lots of space reserved for photo and the art auction.
  • Deck 7 has very limited space for guest services, internet cafe and shore excursion.  The main reason is there is a huge duty free shop on one side and an oversize Starbuck outlet on the other size.  Very limited seating.  
• Sid Norman and Improv are extremely small mainly because they gave lots of space to the Art Auction people  (private offices). With under 100 seats on both venues, it is almost impossible to get tickets.
• The Surfside Cafe (buffet) is also very small.  On lots of occasions, mainly for breakfast, it is just impossible to find a table to eat your breakfast.  Why is it like that?  Because on one side, they built 2 specialty restaurants  in the space usually allocated to the buffet.  In addition, lots of eating space was removed to make room the the Vive next door.  Once again, preference given to revenue generated venues instead of the regular passengers.  May be they thought that Indulge food hall would fix the problem but the grab and go is not the preference of everyone.
• The Locals:  A total disaster.  Compared to other ships, The Locals (or O'Sheean) is about 20% the size.  On many ships, it is a huge space around the atrium.  On the Prima, it is a very small dining room with other chairs and table in the hallway facing the bar.  I have seen 20 to 30 minutes wait to get a table.  Also, they have installed a huge TV screen next to the bar.  BUT,  a maximum of 20 chairs for people to watch sports.  Extreme bad design.  The Locals also have outdoor seating (weather permiting)
• The Theatre:  Very very very very small.  In a full seat configuration, about 750 seats.  They used that configuration for the Donna Sommer show.  For the noise boys, they add an additional stage in front. To acheive that, they are removing 6 or 7 rows of seats and add chairs each side of the stage.  My evaluation is that reduces the number of seats available to under 600.  NCL will take lots of heat on this one because on a 7 day cruise, lots of passengers will not be able to get tickets for those shows. Because I was on a back to back, I wanted to see the theater shows during the 1rst leg and the Sid Norman and improv shows during the second week.  We were only 2300 passengers on the first leg and, as I was in the Haven, the concierge took care of all my reservations.  So I was able to see Donna Sommer, the Noise Boys, a male signer and a female vocalists doing  Diva Extravaganza.  But for my second leg, as I went on a tour on the transit day (Southampton), by the time I came back to the ship (3:30 pm)  not a single ticket was available for the entire 12 day cruise.  To top it off, they had scheduled only 2 representation of the Donna Summer.  After lots of complains, they added a 3rd one.  I have no idea how they will be able to schedule the shows plus the games (Price is right) allowing most passengers to see the shows on a 7 day cruise sailing at full capacity (we were almost full on the second leg with 3100 passengers)
• If you want to organize special events on the Prima, forget about it.  You will remember "the bliss lounge" on other ships where there was enough space to host events such as M&G.  No such thing on the Prima.  They only room they can use for special events is the Commodore dining room.  But bad news:  On almost every sea days, priority was given to the the Art Auction people.  So as preferences is given to people that can generate additional revenue,  the Art people kicked us out and we had to host the M&G for 300 people in the Belvedere bar which has a maximum capacity of 135 chairs.  And we cannot use the other specialty restaurants because they are too small. Cagney's would be an option but they use it to serve Breakfast and lunch to the people in the Suites.  As there are not that many suites, using another specialty restaurant for that would resolve part of the problem.  Hopefully they will make adjustments along the way. 
• Except for the Metropolitan and the Belvedere bars, the number of seats available in the other bars is rather limited.  The only bar on  in the atrium on deck 6 is the Penrose bar.  They often have live music there.  But a rather limited number of seats.  Most of the space is allocated to the Casino. No bar in the atrium on deck 7.  As for the Atrium on deck 8, the Whiskey bar is on one side with a small but decent seating area.  And, once again,  a huge space is dedicated a duty free shop.  So on bad weather days,  when people cannot use the outdoor bars,  it is almost impossible to find a seat in the atrium
• The thermal suite:  I didn't go to the Thermal suite.  I was tempted to buy the pass for the Trans Atlantic but with the amount of bad comments I go during the first leg, I didn't buy it.  I am sure that people that bought the access would comment on it.  In short, people were saying that the locker rooms are the size of a shoe box, several rooms didn't work and the worst, in the area where people should be able to relax, they are anoyed by the noise generated by the gym just above.  The "Boom Boom" noise made by people running on the thread mills or other fitness equipment prevent all types of relaxation.
• The Haven common area:  A total disapointment.  Walls and ceiling are dark and the furniture is of a lesser quality that what you find in the non-Haven sections of the ship.
• restaurant:  Totally ugly.  A dark hallway to the restaurant with the tiny reception tucked in a closet.  Not even a chandelier in the restaurant.  Several rooms and partitions.  If you are not seated by a window, you will be eating facing a partition or a wall.  On all other ships that have a Haven restaurant, you can feel some glamour.  On the Prima, it looks like a series of small sections stiched together.  And the lights are standards pod lights .Totally ugly.
• The Haven bar and lounge:   The bar is huge.  So big that it is not possible to have a conversation with the people seated on the opposite side of the bar.  As for what they call the Haven Lounge,  it is only 3 small coves with various type of seating.  The desing killed the atmosphere that you usually have in the Haven Lounge
•  The Haven hot tubs:  They are located on the sun deck (one deck above the Haven lounge).  If you have any type of mobility problems, forget about it because there are no elevators to that deck.   

 

Other issues:  

• Decks without elevators:  For smokers, there are no elevators to both smoking area (one above the main pool deck (deck 18) and one in the Haven deck 17).  Too bad for the mobility impaired smokers.  I met a 75 year old woman that told me she was smoking on her balcony only because the was not able to climb the stairs to the designated smoking area. 

But when it is time to generate revenue, no issues with installing elevators to the top decks.   The elevator goes to deck 17 for the Vibe and to deck 18 for the Race Track. 

• They did not install sliding doors to access the Observation lounge.  So people in wheel chairs cannot go there
• They did not consider the air flow in several locations.  For example, in the Locals, you have facing sliding doors on each side.  When both are opened, it is like a wind tunel.  Similar situation in the buffet area.  When 2 or 3 doors are opening at the same time, cold air hits you.

 

In conclusion, I have lots of disapointments concerning this ship.  Obviously, they gave the key to visual artists and they did a fantastic job.  It is simply totally beautiful.  But visual effects are rarely efficient.  Even with a $75,000 sculpture on deck 8, when you cannot get a ticket to see a show or even find a table to eat your breakfast, you forget quickly about the sculpture.

I have cancelled my cruise on the Viva. It is too late to make significant modifications to the Viva.  I will not pay a premium to sail on a ship with so many limitations.

One day, if the itinerary is exceptional, I may sail again on the Prima or the Viva.  But I doubt it

 

This is a really thorough and honest review. Thank you! None of these cons will deter my family from cruising on the Viva, but I understand how frustrating it could be if the ship is crowded and especially for the mobility impaired. 

[steamboats]

5 hours ago, Wendy&Grumpy said:

Question: does anyone know whether Supermarket Sweep is still coming or has been scrapped?

 

They said onboard that it´s still coming.

 

steamboats

[debenson0723]

14 hours ago, BenCoudon said:

Just returned from 22 days on the Prima.

I will share with you both my positive and negative comments about this ship

Positive: 

• Very nice cabins.  I stayed 10 days in a penthouse cabin in the Haven and 12 days in a club balcony cabin.  I have also seen standard balcony cabins.  Very modern decor, much larger than on other ships, nice full size shower and lots of storage space, including luggage storage under the bed. Lots of power outlets and many USB ports, including on the night table lamp.  Less positive: Position of the TV is  facing the bed, not the couch.  In the Haven cabin, it takes a college degree to figure out how to operate the lights inside the cabin. No chairs in the non-haven cabins. Only a little stool under the desk. 
• As advertized, outdoor space is huge. The infinity pools are very nice. It split the crowd in 3 locations including the main pool on deck 17.  The sun deck  on deck 18 is rather large with lots of lounge chairs.  But no elevator to go there.  Because of this huge outdoor space, they significantly reduced the indoor space.  So when the weather is bad,  it is very crowded inside and difficult to find a table to eat.
• The observation lounge on deck 17 is very nice but about half the size of the one on both the Bliss and the Encore.  Main reason is because they built the Galaxy pavillon right in the middle.  If you can find a seat, it is a great place to go, especially on sea days. 
• The decor, the menu, the quality of the food and the service of the Hudson main dining room. Although the decor of the Commodore dining room doesn't have the glamor of the Hudson, both dining rooms are a significant improvement over the other ships
• The indulge food hall.  This concept was copied from Food Republic.  Great service and good food variety.  It was always crowded and on many occasions, not possible to find a table.  But when the ship will sail in warm weather, people will be able to order and eat outside so it shouldn't be that bad.  Less positive:  The breakfast options are "grab and go".  Not the best.  Also, you cannot order desert or coffee.  You have to first, find it and then go get it.  Starbuck uses a lot of space and doesn't seem to be that popular.
• Specialty restaurants:  Although they are very small (except for Cagney's), great food and great service.
• The 3 level race track:  Although the weather was not adequate most sea days, it seems that it is very popular.  And I received very positive comments from people that used it.  
• The Haven private elevators.  For guests in the Haven, this is a great addition.  Goes from deck 6 to 16 except deck 9. Haven cabins are on decks 10 to 15.  And, on each of those floors, you can enter the Haven with 2 access doors located near the aft elevators.  Very convenient
• The concierge desk in the Haven:  An ugly design but a huge area where you can sit down and deal with the concierge.  Nicely thought out.

 

Negative comments:

• It is obvious that space allocation for the venues have privileged all venues that generates revenue:
  • The Casino is huge
  • On decks 6, 7 and 8, there are duty free shops everywhere, lots of space reserved for photo and the art auction.
  • Deck 7 has very limited space for guest services, internet cafe and shore excursion.  The main reason is there is a huge duty free shop on one side and an oversize Starbuck outlet on the other size.  Very limited seating.  
• Sid Norman and Improv are extremely small mainly because they gave lots of space to the Art Auction people  (private offices). With under 100 seats on both venues, it is almost impossible to get tickets.
• The Surfside Cafe (buffet) is also very small.  On lots of occasions, mainly for breakfast, it is just impossible to find a table to eat your breakfast.  Why is it like that?  Because on one side, they built 2 specialty restaurants  in the space usually allocated to the buffet.  In addition, lots of eating space was removed to make room the the Vive next door.  Once again, preference given to revenue generated venues instead of the regular passengers.  May be they thought that Indulge food hall would fix the problem but the grab and go is not the preference of everyone.
• The Locals:  A total disaster.  Compared to other ships, The Locals (or O'Sheean) is about 20% the size.  On many ships, it is a huge space around the atrium.  On the Prima, it is a very small dining room with other chairs and table in the hallway facing the bar.  I have seen 20 to 30 minutes wait to get a table.  Also, they have installed a huge TV screen next to the bar.  BUT,  a maximum of 20 chairs for people to watch sports.  Extreme bad design.  The Locals also have outdoor seating (weather permiting)
• The Theatre:  Very very very very small.  In a full seat configuration, about 750 seats.  They used that configuration for the Donna Sommer show.  For the noise boys, they add an additional stage in front. To acheive that, they are removing 6 or 7 rows of seats and add chairs each side of the stage.  My evaluation is that reduces the number of seats available to under 600.  NCL will take lots of heat on this one because on a 7 day cruise, lots of passengers will not be able to get tickets for those shows. Because I was on a back to back, I wanted to see the theater shows during the 1rst leg and the Sid Norman and improv shows during the second week.  We were only 2300 passengers on the first leg and, as I was in the Haven, the concierge took care of all my reservations.  So I was able to see Donna Sommer, the Noise Boys, a male signer and a female vocalists doing  Diva Extravaganza.  But for my second leg, as I went on a tour on the transit day (Southampton), by the time I came back to the ship (3:30 pm)  not a single ticket was available for the entire 12 day cruise.  To top it off, they had scheduled only 2 representation of the Donna Summer.  After lots of complains, they added a 3rd one.  I have no idea how they will be able to schedule the shows plus the games (Price is right) allowing most passengers to see the shows on a 7 day cruise sailing at full capacity (we were almost full on the second leg with 3100 passengers)
• If you want to organize special events on the Prima, forget about it.  You will remember "the bliss lounge" on other ships where there was enough space to host events such as M&G.  No such thing on the Prima.  They only room they can use for special events is the Commodore dining room.  But bad news:  On almost every sea days, priority was given to the the Art Auction people.  So as preferences is given to people that can generate additional revenue,  the Art people kicked us out and we had to host the M&G for 300 people in the Belvedere bar which has a maximum capacity of 135 chairs.  And we cannot use the other specialty restaurants because they are too small. Cagney's would be an option but they use it to serve Breakfast and lunch to the people in the Suites.  As there are not that many suites, using another specialty restaurant for that would resolve part of the problem.  Hopefully they will make adjustments along the way. 
• Except for the Metropolitan and the Belvedere bars, the number of seats available in the other bars is rather limited.  The only bar on  in the atrium on deck 6 is the Penrose bar.  They often have live music there.  But a rather limited number of seats.  Most of the space is allocated to the Casino. No bar in the atrium on deck 7.  As for the Atrium on deck 8, the Whiskey bar is on one side with a small but decent seating area.  And, once again,  a huge space is dedicated a duty free shop.  So on bad weather days,  when people cannot use the outdoor bars,  it is almost impossible to find a seat in the atrium
• The thermal suite:  I didn't go to the Thermal suite.  I was tempted to buy the pass for the Trans Atlantic but with the amount of bad comments I go during the first leg, I didn't buy it.  I am sure that people that bought the access would comment on it.  In short, people were saying that the locker rooms are the size of a shoe box, several rooms didn't work and the worst, in the area where people should be able to relax, they are anoyed by the noise generated by the gym just above.  The "Boom Boom" noise made by people running on the thread mills or other fitness equipment prevent all types of relaxation.
• The Haven common area:  A total disapointment.  Walls and ceiling are dark and the furniture is of a lesser quality that what you find in the non-Haven sections of the ship.
• restaurant:  Totally ugly.  A dark hallway to the restaurant with the tiny reception tucked in a closet.  Not even a chandelier in the restaurant.  Several rooms and partitions.  If you are not seated by a window, you will be eating facing a partition or a wall.  On all other ships that have a Haven restaurant, you can feel some glamour.  On the Prima, it looks like a series of small sections stiched together.  And the lights are standards pod lights .Totally ugly.
• The Haven bar and lounge:   The bar is huge.  So big that it is not possible to have a conversation with the people seated on the opposite side of the bar.  As for what they call the Haven Lounge,  it is only 3 small coves with various type of seating.  The desing killed the atmosphere that you usually have in the Haven Lounge
•  The Haven hot tubs:  They are located on the sun deck (one deck above the Haven lounge).  If you have any type of mobility problems, forget about it because there are no elevators to that deck.   

 

Other issues:  

• Decks without elevators:  For smokers, there are no elevators to both smoking area (one above the main pool deck (deck 18) and one in the Haven deck 17).  Too bad for the mobility impaired smokers.  I met a 75 year old woman that told me she was smoking on her balcony only because the was not able to climb the stairs to the designated smoking area. 

But when it is time to generate revenue, no issues with installing elevators to the top decks.   The elevator goes to deck 17 for the Vibe and to deck 18 for the Race Track. 

• They did not install sliding doors to access the Observation lounge.  So people in wheel chairs cannot go there
• They did not consider the air flow in several locations.  For example, in the Locals, you have facing sliding doors on each side.  When both are opened, it is like a wind tunel.  Similar situation in the buffet area.  When 2 or 3 doors are opening at the same time, cold air hits you.

 

In conclusion, I have lots of disapointments concerning this ship.  Obviously, they gave the key to visual artists and they did a fantastic job.  It is simply totally beautiful.  But visual effects are rarely efficient.  Even with a $75,000 sculpture on deck 8, when you cannot get a ticket to see a show or even find a table to eat your breakfast, you forget quickly about the sculpture.

I have cancelled my cruise on the Viva. It is too late to make significant modifications to the Viva.  I will not pay a premium to sail on a ship with so many limitations.

One day, if the itinerary is exceptional, I may sail again on the Prima or the Viva.  But I doubt it

 

JP, first off, it was nice to meet you on the ship and your organization of activities was greatly appreciated by all.

I could have written this review myself.  I agree with everything you said. The ship is beautiful but not a ship for cold weather.  There were just not enough seating areas...I never sat in the Observation Lounge (one of my favorite places on Bliss and Encore), the Atrium(s), the Penrose Bar...never a chair. I did find one of those hard wooden bar stools with the 2 inch back at the Starbucks counter but they were open because they are very uncomfortable. We utilized the Indulge Food Hall tables when the venue was closed but sometimes felt that we were bothering the staff while they were prepping for lunch or dinner.

And speaking of the staff, they were absolutely wonderful.  Never walked by one without a greeting and a smile and most of the room stewards in my hallway knew me by name, not just my own steward. First time I have been in a casino where the majority of staff knew my name (is that a bad thing?). I have been forever spoiled by the crew on this ship.

My last gripe is the lack of favorite cocktails in most of the bars.  My tradition is to always get a Rebellious Fish as soon as I board and this cocktail is no longer on their 'menu' and most bars do not have the ingredients to make.  I finally found a bartender at the Local who could 'almost' make it and that had to do. I spoke to the Beverage manager about this a couple of times...he apologized and said the cocktail menu has been revised and they are emphasizing the Sustainable ingredient cocktails, most of which I did not care for (but I am sure others did). I ended up tracking him down a few times and asked him where I could find certain favorites...most were in the Penrose Bar, which was 2 to 3 deep.  I am sure he is happy that I am no longer on the ship, LOL (though he was very cordial and told me I could call him if I had questions about where to find what I wanted to drink...we have sailed together several times so he knows I am not a complete crazy).

I am also planning on cancelling my Viva cruise for next year.  I have found an itinerary on the Epic that I like just as much for half the price. I will probably try the Viva (or Prima again) once it is in warmer weather and the price comes down.

[Steff79]

With the warm

weather theory, we talk mostly about entertainment, live music, bars in the evening after 9pm, i’m

not sure if warm

weather change there so much. 
 

Edited October 7, 2022 by Steff79

[HBCcruiser]

40 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

My tradition is to always get a Rebellious Fish as soon as I board and this cocktail is no longer on their 'menu' and most bars do not have the ingredients to make. 

This is blasphemy!! They should NOT discontinue that drink IMO. It's the NCL drink. I always get that drink when I board too!

[debenson0723]

2 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

This is blasphemy!! They should NOT discontinue that drink IMO. It's the NCL drink. I always get that drink when I board too!

Totally agree.  Never had a Raspberry Guava mojito and finally found the Spiced Peach Margarita in the Penrose Bar (after asking the Beverage Officer).

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

Thanks for the great review, @BenCoudon. Most everything I've read and watched about Prima thus far has been pretty effusive, so it's interesting to see some more balanced comments. We are booked for Prima in April, and it's our first experience with NCL (long-time RCL/X customers).

 

Most concerning to me is your comments on the theatre and the limited seating. My wife and I much enjoy the production shows and entertainment options on RCL/X, and have never been turned away from a show, except when we forget to book a reservation for the comedy club on Oasis-class. 

 

My wife is a huge Donna Summer fan, and is very much looking forward to seeing the show. It will be a big disappointment if we miss out on that in April, and will certainly have a negative impact on our future cruise choices. I guess we'll just have to wait for a few more months and see how things are when we board.

[littlelulu01]

We were recently onboard for 22 nights.  Some of my negatives are pretty petty and also will likely get ironed out- just typical new ship issues so I won’t dwell on them. I’ve never spent that much $ on a cruise and hadn’t intended to be on the first few paying passenger sailings but due to supply chain issue delays we ended up sailing on a ship that was a little too new for my liking.  
 

My thoughts are that the ship is just beautiful! I love all the little spaces, smaller venues, great places outside, and think this class of ship will be a big hit.  I’m not for the big huge pool deck and loved all the infinity pools, smaller outdoor venues, the beautiful vibe beach club that was imo nicest outdoor area  area on any ship. 
 

The spa was stunning and once they get the components running correctly it will be a huge hit. 
 

The balcony rooms are beautiful. We had an issue with our first haven suite and they put us in a balcony room for a few nights till it got fixed.  The balcony room was beautiful, so functional, spacious and whoever designed it deserves an award. 
 

The Haven- I love the fun touches like the artwork and fantastic books and artwork in the rooms and common areas.  Again- you can tell so much thought was put into creating spaces that just work for relaxing. 
 

The food- I was impressed with the responsiveness to feedback.  They started offering daily specials that were always good and fun like lobster rolls for lunch…  the crew was fantastic on all levels. 
 

I was impressed with the entertainment.  I know they have a few kinks to work out there too but the theater and shows are the best I’ve seen at sea.  

 

The crowding in areas ?  It happens but if u go with the flow and are willing to adjust schedules, it’s pretty easy to go somewhere else for a meal or entertainment if one venue is too crowded. 
 

Loved indulge food hall.  It’s fun and quick and easy. Indian food was the best but they had great nachos, chicken legs, Starbucks right there, serve yourself Coke. 
 

I personally loved the 6, 7 & 8 shops, the Starbucks, the atrium venues and actually had fun shopping on a cruise ship- something I never do. They did get pretty picked over towards the end of our 2nd leg. Love how easy to grab a Starbucks and listen to some music or just people watch. 
 

Our aft owners suite had  a few missing things.  Idk if they’re going to be added but seems strange that the one hard wired blow dryer has a cord that you have to bend over to get it close enough to dry hair. It also blew the power circuit when the hard wired blow dryer is on high.  I asked for a makeup mirror and set up my own vanity area and used plug in by the nespresso machine but I kind of wonder how someone designs a room that’s a couple grand a night and the only strategic place to plug in a hair straightener is the drawer where the coffee supplies and dishes are. A few little things like this aside and the room grew on me.  Our own private hot tub was a godsend and we used it a few times a day. I loved how I could lay in bed and watch the ocean. I loved the balcony. I loved how quick the haven elevators worked and once I figured out the lay of the ship it did make sense on how to get around. I think 160 haven suites is too many.  I’d almost be inclined to do a vibe pass and skip the haven for warm weather sailings.  We splurged and were thankful we did. All things considered, I’m most partial to the jewel class Haven but I will definitely sail this class again and if not in the Haven I’d pick this class of ship over anything else at sea. 
 

 

[Steff79]

what was all your fouvorite entertaiment what was not crowded?

[PistolPete13]

Some photos of the Prima leaving NY harbor for the first time yesterday (10/6/22)

 

[ppcox]

Just off the 12 night TA and will post a full review soon. I’ve seen some questions about the Spa so thought and I’d share my photos and thoughts. 
We loved the Spa and used it most days. We did miss the jacuzzi and the hydrotherapy pools. There is no escaping the tiny changing room that is badly designed with temperamental lockers. After day 2 we changed and showered in our room and didn’t use the changing room

[Wvshimmy]

56 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

Some photos of the Prima leaving NY harbor for the first time yesterday (10/6/22)

 

Nice shots!

[RD64]

10 hours ago, GreenFamily said:

This is a really thorough and honest review. Thank you! None of these cons will deter my family from cruising on the Viva, but I understand how frustrating it could be if the ship is crowded and especially for the mobility impaired. 

 

19 minutes ago, Wvshimmy said:

Nice shots!

A well balanced review - thank you.