BEWARE! NCL PRIMA SLIDES OBSTRUCTING BALCONY VIEWS INCLUDING HAVEN ROOMS!

[SeaShark]

Wow. Glad we have this resource full of people who have actually sailed on the Prima and are reporting based solely on their first-hand experience while on board. Hate to think that someone who hasn't stepped foot on the Prima is stirring up drama based on assumptions.

 

Too bad there isn't a way for people who are concerned about the slides to be able to choose a cabin that isn't directly next to a slide.

[nferr]

4 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

Wow. Glad we have this resource full of people who have actually sailed on the Prima and are reporting based solely on their first-hand experience while on board. Hate to think that someone who hasn't stepped foot on the Prima is stirring up drama based on assumptions.

 

Too bad there isn't a way for people who are concerned about the slides to be able to choose a cabin that isn't directly next to a slide.

 Yeah, opinions aren't allowed on this site lol.

[SeaShark]

12 minutes ago, nferr said:

 Yeah, opinions aren't allowed on this site lol.

 Learned opinions are always welcome. It is the opinions that are just conjecture (like the person who's opinion stated that these are water slides) that are the problem. Don't you agree? Wouldn't you rather have facts over opinions? And...if you are going to get an opinion, wouldn't you rather it be experience based rather than just complete conjecture?

[hallux]

7 hours ago, nferr said:

as fly through your balcony

Again, none of the Haven balconies have the slide going THROUGH them.  Look at the deck plans I posted above - the cabins with the slides through the deck are 14190, 14790, 14192 and 14792 (and the ones in the same places on other decks, they're not numbered the same), none of those are Haven cabins.

[GeezerCouple]

6 hours ago, SeaShark said:

Wow. Glad we have this resource full of people who have actually sailed on the Prima and are reporting based solely on their first-hand experience while on board. Hate to think that someone who hasn't stepped foot on the Prima is stirring up drama based on assumptions.

 

Too bad there isn't a way for people who are concerned about the slides to be able to choose a cabin that isn't directly next to a slide.

[emphasis added]

 

Sure, IF SOMEONE KNOWS about the slides, chances are pretty good they could select a cabin/suite that where those tubes are *not* a problem.

 

But most passengers are not on CruiseCritic, and NCL's website (both deck plans and cabin/suite category) do not make it obvious that there might be a problem for some, many, or most people.  That is, like the way some cabins are described as "obstructed view" (e.g., due to lifeboats) at the time someone is making a reservation.  NCL could have done the same thing about the tubes-on-the-balcony or right in front of them.

 

That's all... just label them so it's obvious by the cabin category.  Then, if someone is okay with a "tube view" or "shared balcony" (if there's room on all of those balconies for the passenger in the first place?), perhaps at a lower price (which would make sense), they can select that.  Let the invisible hand of the marketplace sort it out, but *with* appropriate information.

 

And Hallux, it's the same for the non-Haven cabins (including accessible).  They are *also* paying their good money for what most would assume is a regular cabin of the category selected.  And *most* of those ARE a "regular balcony cabin", etc.  Just label the ones that aren't.  Full disclosure, etc. 

 

GC

[Turtles06]

Hey folks, this thread is up to four pages now, has anyone noticed that the OP hasn’t posted since her second post back on September 5?  (See comment 12.)  She was going to contact her PCC after Labor Day and promised to provide updates . . . 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Turtles06

[ColeThornton]

4 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Hey folks, this thread is up to four pages now, has anyone noticed that the OP hasn’t posted since her second post back on September 5?  (See comment 12.)  She was going to contact her PCC after Labor Day and promised to provide updates . . . 

 

 

Perhaps she's stuck in the slide.  🙂

[ggTexasGal]

27 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

Perhaps she's stuck in the slide.  🙂

😮

[Flatlander52]

I booked through my long time TA on the first day bookings were available, and no mention was made of the slides or obstructions. I also notice that with the corners from the jutting out of the mid section that there may be a considerable lack of privacy on some Haven balconies. I am in 12300 on the transaltlantic, and will post real comments then. I will also ask for some compensation if it really is a problem, as I am pretty sure there will be not comparable suites to move to.

[ggTexasGal]

31 minutes ago, Flatlander52 said:

I booked through my long time TA on the first day bookings were available, and no mention was made of the slides or obstructions. I also notice that with the corners from the jutting out of the mid section that there may be a considerable lack of privacy on some Haven balconies. I am in 12300 on the transatlantic, and will post real comments then. I will also ask for some compensation if it really is a problem, as I am pretty sure there will be not comparable suites to move to.

For the sake of everyone's relaxation, I sure hope that it is not as bad as it looks!

[Sthrngary]

This ship is a new concept.  Many things will not be perfect.  The brand will correct obvious mistakes as they have in the past.  As I read all the comments and opinions given, one struck me to have pretty clear assessment of Social Media.  People without the experience of cruising on this ship are making comments that sound like they have been on the ship many time.  

 

Social Media allows for this kind of response and it is less about having actual experience as is it projecting how one would feel if it happened to them.  NCL intent with a Dry Slide was to be different.  The same holds true with the larger Go-Cart Track on a smaller ship.  Just as with the Joy when originally designed for the Asian Market, when a cruise brand sees that did not work, they adjust their mistake if their is one. 

 

Until more people cruise this ship, take video's and pictures; we all who have not cruised it won't know the actual situation.  I hope that clear and accurate information comes soon.  A situation like this happened to me on another ship.  It was not a slide that was an obstruction, it was something else. The response was frustration and anger on the social media board.  I was also upset because I wanted my cruise to be perfect.  When we got on the cruise, the situation in reality was much less intense and the cruise was great.

 

Just like visualizing how great your cruise is going to be before it happens, then the reality is a let down from our perfect fantasies.  Focusing on how bad something is going to be before it happens has a similar effect.  Our minds play a harsh game until reality sets in.  

 

For every CruiseCritic.com member cruising on the Prima sometime soon, can I ask if you could give use some live information and pictures.  We as a group would truly appreciate it.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

 

[ALKID]

9 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 Learned opinions are always welcome. It is the opinions that are just conjecture (like the person who's opinion stated that these are water slides) that are the problem. Don't you agree? Wouldn't you rather have facts over opinions? And...if you are going to get an opinion, wouldn't you rather it be experience based rather than just complete conjecture?

The worst are the ones that haven’t been on a cruise in years constantly correcting people and making things up just to increase their post count.  This is why people are jumping ship!

[SeaShark]

9 minutes ago, ALKID said:

The worst are the ones that haven’t been on a cruise in years constantly correcting people and making things up just to increase their post count.  This is why people are jumping ship!

 

Interesting viewpoint. As I'm not sure myself, how can you look at another poster and know for certain how much time has passed since their last cruise? Also, while I don't understand people who fixate on post counts, how does one know for certain that the motivation behind a post is "just to increase their post count"? 

[PTC DAWG]

Sounds like we have a poster with first hand knowledge that you can hear people screaming..interesting.  

[Rob-Bob]

The placement of these slides do appear to be crazy.  I am predicting problems for NCL exceeding the benefit of the slides.  I am not sure who will be using them (kids age 8-12?) and how often.  When you get to the bottom it looks like a journey to get back up to the top.

 

 

[SeaShark]

3 minutes ago, Rob-Bob said:

The placement of these slides do appear to be crazy.  I am predicting problems for NCL exceeding the benefit of the slides.  I am not sure who will be using them (kids age 8-12?) and how often.  When you get to the bottom it looks like a journey to get back up to the top.

 

 

If I'm on the pool deck and I want to go to the waterfront...

 

>I can walk to the nearest bank of elevators, press the button and then wait for the elevator to arrive. Once onboard, my fellow guests and myself can be treated to a slow ride that will stop at each and every floor where someone has pressed the button...including those where the button presser gave up waiting and took the stairs instead. 

 

OR

 

>I can walk over to any of these new dry slides, and zip...right from the pool deck to the waterfront nonstop.

 

I can see a lot of people choosing this option to get from point A to point B.

 

Perhaps consider that the point of the slide isn't to have to immediately journey back to the top. RCCL has had slides like this for years without all of the doom and gloom that exists here.

[BermudaBound2014]

I'm sure you have all seen this...(sorry I didn't read the whole thread).

 

 

 

And this one has the double drop slide starting around 10:30 mark

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[wil e coyote]

To build on comments by @Sthrngary and others - it's certainly possible that these slides will turn out to be a horrible idea, ala New Coke. But there are a whole bunch of people at NCL whose job is to create a great new ship, and they are paid to succeed in that and to avoid building things that people hate. I wasn't in any design meetings, but it seems really unlikely that nobody on the Prima team thought about the concerns that folks have listed here. So I'm reserving judgement until there is actual data from passengers (and not just the ones trying to make headlines) on whether these slides are a big deal or not.

That said, if I had booked a cabin near one of these slides and no one had informed me they were there, I'd be nervous too at this point until there is data.

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I'm sure you have all seen this...(sorry I didn't read the whole thread).

 

 

 

Thanks! I'm glad I can ride the dry slide...I wasn't able to ride the ones on Getaway, because...well, fat! 

 

I wish she had said the max weight for the first one. I saw it on the sign for The Drop. That's really important information for the nation of fatties, like me! 

[ppcox]

42 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

To build on comments by @Sthrngary and others - it's certainly possible that these slides will turn out to be a horrible idea, ala New Coke. But there are a whole bunch of people at NCL whose job is to create a great new ship, and they are paid to succeed in that and to avoid building things that people hate. I wasn't in any design meetings, but it seems really unlikely that nobody on the Prima team thought about the concerns that folks have listed here. So I'm reserving judgement until there is actual data from passengers (and not just the ones trying to make headlines) on whether these slides are a big deal or not.

That said, if I had booked a cabin near one of these slides and no one had informed me they were there, I'd be nervous too at this point until there is data.

We had a balcony close to the slides for the upcoming TA, which was booked over a year ago.As I soon as the deck plans were confirmed on NCL we thought the slides and the infinity pool below us might be a problem for us.

I rang NCL and they moved us to a balcony on deck 15 forward( same category) without a problem. 

[SeaHunt]

23 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Close, but not quite...

Take a look at the balcony that "belongs with" 15796...

 

I'd surely want to know about that before booking... and not everyone realizes the importance of looking at the deck plans.  Not everyone is a CC member; most cruise passengers aren't.

 

And IF that was the cabin/suite I had, I'd at least expect to pay less than the mirror image 15196.  That still has a friendly tube in sight, but at least there seems to be *some* usable balcony space.

 

It's just a matter of providing the appropriate information, so that consumers know what they are getting...  

 

 

GC

 

cruisedeckplans now has a little "blinker" on the deck plan for two staterooms on Deck 12 (not Haven but Cat SJ and BA) that shows a balcony view (tried to mark in yellow so you can see what I mean by "blinker"):

 

 

When you click on the blinker it brings up a picture of the balcony - hopefully they will be adding lots more photos soon that will really help people:

 

 

That said, I'm one of those people who wouldn't mind this (just glad to be on a ship!) but I can understand those who would be disappointed.

 

The only thing that makes me hesitate about the slides is the one that dumps you out in front of the people sitting at tables alongside. It might take me a minute to get my old bones in order to be able to jump up. As a matter of fact, if you ever hear people saying "You go old girl, you can do it!" it might be me LOL 😄

 

[ALKID]

12 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

 

cruisedeckplans now has a little "blinker" on the deck plan for two staterooms on Deck 12 (not Haven but Cat SJ and BA) that shows a balcony view (tried to mark in yellow so you can see what I mean by "blinker"):

 

 

When you click on the blinker it brings up a picture of the balcony - hopefully they will be adding lots more photos soon that will really help people:

 

 

That said, I'm one of those people who wouldn't mind this (just glad to be on a ship!) but I can understand those who would be disappointed.

 

The only thing that makes me hesitate about the slides is the one that dumps you out in front of the people sitting at tables alongside. It might take me a minute to get my old bones in order to be able to jump up. As a matter of fact, if you ever hear people saying "You go old girl, you can do it!" it might be me LOL 😄

 

Looks like it will be pretty noisey on the balcony due to vibrations when people are going down the slide.  I guess either they never considered it or figured they can make more money even with the complaints this way, so they really dont care.  I mean the ones to take the complaints are the on board crew so they really dont care.

[GeezerCouple]

15 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

 

cruisedeckplans now has a little "blinker" on the deck plan for two staterooms on Deck 12 (not Haven but Cat SJ and BA) that shows a balcony view (tried to mark in yellow so you can see what I mean by "blinker"):

 

 

When you click on the blinker it brings up a picture of the balcony - hopefully they will be adding lots more photos soon that will really help people:

 

 

That said, I'm one of those people who wouldn't mind this (just glad to be on a ship!) but I can understand those who would be disappointed.

 

The only thing that makes me hesitate about the slides is the one that dumps you out in front of the people sitting at tables alongside. It might take me a minute to get my old bones in order to be able to jump up. As a matter of fact, if you ever hear people saying "You go old girl, you can do it!" it might be me LOL 😄

 

 

 

That balcony picture is worth thousands of words.

Thank you!

 

And you've also made my other point.  You wouldn't mind that.  But many of us would.  (We would be furious:  I like to nap on a lounger on the balcony... once I've fallen asleep after reading peacefully for a while. 🙂   Or I love to take a nap and look out through the balcony glass doors to see the sea... until I don't anymore... 😉 )

 

IF NCL would just make it VERY clear at the POINT OF PURCHASE, then I'd not be making my comments.

 

Also that video from cruiseny4life was VERY helpful.  Thanks! 

Not my cup of tea, but I can understand how some might have a ball.

GC

[Karaboudjan]

31 minutes ago, ALKID said:

Looks like it will be pretty noisey on the balcony due to vibrations when people are going down the slide.  I guess either they never considered it or figured they can make more money even with the complaints this way, so they really dont care.  I mean the ones to take the complaints are the on board crew so they really dont care.

 

Vibrations on a cruise ship?  What were they thinking?!

 

Since you apparently know exactly what the experience will be like you have the perfect opportunity to complain now to someone who is not the onboard crew.

[cruiseny4life]

48 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

When you click on the blinker it brings up a picture of the balcony - hopefully they will be adding lots more photos soon that will really help people:

 

 

That said, I'm one of those people who wouldn't mind this (just glad to be on a ship!) but I can understand those who would be disappointed.

 

What a wonderful find, thank you!!! I think I'd be ok with the slide. I'm not so sure I'd be alright looking over the pool/hot tub area. As I mentioned before, clothes, balconies, and I don't get along...but I think the balcony would be ok to tolerate with the slide. I'd definitely be that person knocking on the slide to give additional "thrills" to those going down. 

 

26 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

IF NCL would just make it VERY clear at the POINT OF PURCHASE, then I'd not be making my comments.

 

Also that video from cruiseny4life was VERY helpful.  Thanks! 

Not my cup of tea, but I can understand how some might have a ball.

I agree with you that this needs to be done at the time of purchase. It's clear now! Take a look at the deck plan from NCL's website.

 

 

The key to the deck plan could be updated to show that the swooshie noodle symbol is a slide though. 

 

 

I appreciate you shouting me out for the slide video. It is super cool! Alas, I can't take credit. @BermudaBound2014 is the one that posted it. I just "quoted" them.