Norwegian Prima’s First US Sailing - Bermuda Short Break *LIVE*

[GALSews]

Bird, thanks for your postings. I enjoy following your travels. 

Hopefully, by the time we board Prima next June, they'll have worked more of the kinks out.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, kayjaypea42 said:

That all looks fabulous! Can you please share what each of those are?  Thank you!

 

Palomar

 

BREAD

 

GRILLED BREAD The waiter come by to pour olive oil and trim fresh oregano into the oil tableside

 

APPITIZERS

 

GRILLED OCTOPUS - Fingerling Potato Ships, Black Garlic, Egg Emulsion 

 

THALASSINI SALATA - Seafood Salad, Shrimp, Scallops, Calamari, Mussels, Caper, Celery, Lemon served with flat bread

 

GRILLED JUMBO PRAWNS - Endive-Fennel Salad

 

ENTREES

 

MONACHOS - Roasted Monkfish, Fergola, Lobster Foam, Zucchini, Semi-Dried Cherry Tomato

 

MOSCHARI - Veal Chop, Fennel, Orange, White Romesco

 

SIDES

 

POMMES PUREE - Whipped Yukon Gold Potato, Fleu De Sel 

 

HONEY ROASTED CARROTS - Ricotta, Cumin

 

WILD ARUGULA - Forvm Chardonnay Vinegar, Parmesan

 

DESSERT

 

HOUSE MADE SORBET - Dark Chocolate, Strawberry, Greek Yogurt, Lime, Arlette Crunch 

 

VANILLA CHEESECAKE "IN A JAR" - Raspberry Compote, Graham Crackers

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by BirdTravels

[zackarykeef]

6 hours ago, Steff79 said:

oberservation lounge was in the evenings mostly we empty but at sail aways or See days complete full. Sometimes I didn‘t got a chair there. 

But the thing is…on the Encore it’s much bigger…and I still couldn’t get a chair. More space = more chair hogs to curl up and nap all day. It’s all relative.

 

I meant to ask re: the theater to club conversion. While it’s a nice concept for space-saving, is there a bar in there/easily accessible? Does anyone know? Would be weird if you have to hang out/dance in there but have to leave to the lobby or something to get drinks…

[Red-Sol]

6 hours ago, steamboats said:

On the christening cruise we could make reservations for the Comedy show but not for Syd´s.

 

You may mix this up... The entertainment crew did use Syd´s as the place to go where you can make reservations for all other shows (so Syd´s was used as the "Box Office").

 

 

You may very well be right about that..I know I wasn't alone in thinking that reservations might be needed for Syd's but I also don't have a problem admitting if I was wrong. Still seems like NCL has messed up the design and use of some of these venues. Their size is not conducive to stage shows so maybe they will end up having more of them in the theater.

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I would prefer to have a substantially larger lounge and not the galaxy pavilion.  The pavilion is primarily geared for the under 40 crowd, which my husband and I passed a decade and two decades ago.

 

That's the key. Any successful cruise line, not just NCL, needs to maintain their business. You have to cater to the contemporary (millennial) cruiser who are the next generation to sustain the business into the future. The Bird is old, cruising since the days of rented wooden deck chairs. Cruise lines have us mature cruisers "hooked", the mature cruisers will continue to cruise regardless of what the cruise lines do.

 

That being said, The Bird likes the innovation. The Bird likes the "new" to address shortfalls of the past. Not having to pack formal clothes and a suitcase of shoes is a outstanding. Not having to deal with early/late traditional dining (with chatty tablemates who you can't stand) and being able to eat when we are hungry or when it fits our schedule is revolutionary. Having Broadway entertainment versus the not-so-good magician and not funny comedian is great. If you have been around Cruise Critic for a while, you can remember the utter outrage when NCL removed fish fingers from the lunch MDR menu and replaced it with, *gasp*, poached salmon. Or the condemnation when chicken noodle soup was removed from the menu in favor of pho. 

 

The Bird holds upper tier status on multiple cruise lines. NCL continues to be the leader in the evolution of the cruise industry. Other lines (which we sail on each year) are playing catch-up. NCL has done great things with the Prima. 100% Bird endorsed. 

[BirdTravels]

22 minutes ago, zackarykeef said:

I meant to ask re: the theater to club conversion. While it’s a nice concept for space-saving, is there a bar in there/easily accessible? Does anyone know? Would be weird if you have to hang out/dance in there but have to leave to the lobby or something to get drinks…

There are two bars in the Theater/Club. One on each side of Deck 6 (dance floor).

[Steff79]

37 minutes ago, zackarykeef said:

But the thing is…on the Encore it’s much bigger…and I still couldn’t get a chair. More space = more chair hogs to curl up and nap all day. It’s all relative.

 

I meant to ask re: the theater to club conversion. While it’s a nice concept for space-saving, is there a bar in there/easily accessible? Does anyone know? Would be weird if you have to hang out/dance in there but have to leave to the lobby or something to get drinks…

with that logical you can made itsmaller. Because smaller less chair hogs? Can’t follow that. 
chair hogs is the question if ncl clear them or not. 
 

the theather has two bars at deck 6. But at the parties they have two tables there to sell drinks at the dance floor. 

[BirdTravels]

8 minutes ago, Steff79 said:

the theater has two bars at deck 6. But at the parties they have two tables there to sell drinks at the dance floor. 

Oops, yes, I forgot about the free standing bars at the back of the dance floor in addition to the two full service bars on either side of the theater. 

 

[up4cruising]

23 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

They certainly did not get it in the Cavern Club when we sailed on the Bliss. We showed up 30 minutes ahead of time and always got seats.  Not in the mood to have to wait outside the venue for 60+ minutes in order to see the Rumours show.

Just returned home from same Prima cruise as Bird. Rumors was not highlighted in Freestyle Daily, rather discreetly listed in evening entertainment time lineup.
Syd’s  Staff would not tell you what day ahead of time but to watch in Freestyle Daily. Two shows appeared Thurs at 7 and 9. 
My sister and I went to Syd’s at 6pm. They opened the doors and we got a prime seat on the couch. Able to wait sitting down while enjoying a cocktail was great. Yes, the room filled up with many standing. 
The show was a wonderful and the electric guitar player outstanding. Small venue made the performance special. 

[psac]

11 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

You could always choose your best alternative non Haven cabin and then get Vibe passes.  Or just choose another ship.

We’ve thought that as well.  We have a Prima Haven cabin booked, and the question is to keep it or switch to the Joy two weeks later, or maybe to the Oasis, and then maybe do the Prima some other time not in the Haven (and buy the Vibe passes) as you said. We’ll be on the Joy for the first time before final payment on the Prima cruise, so that will help our decision... 

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, zackarykeef said:

But the thing is…on the Encore it’s much bigger…and I still couldn’t get a chair. More space = more chair hogs to curl up and nap all day. It’s all relative.

 

I meant to ask re: the theater to club conversion. While it’s a nice concept for space-saving, is there a bar in there/easily accessible? Does anyone know? Would be weird if you have to hang out/dance in there but have to leave to the lobby or something to get drinks…

I believe that the bar is on the bottom level on deck 6 and it's inside the theater.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

 

That's the key. Any successful cruise line, not just NCL, needs to maintain their business. You have to cater to the contemporary (millennial) cruiser who are the next generation to sustain the business into the future. The Bird is old, cruising since the days of rented wooden deck chairs. Cruise lines have us mature cruisers "hooked", the mature cruisers will continue to cruise regardless of what the cruise lines do.

 

That being said, The Bird likes the innovation. The Bird likes the "new" to address shortfalls of the past. Not having to pack formal clothes and a suitcase of shoes is a outstanding. Not having to deal with early/late traditional dining (with chatty tablemates who you can't stand) and being able to eat when we are hungry or when it fits our schedule is revolutionary. Having Broadway entertainment versus the not-so-good magician and not funny comedian is great. If you have been around Cruise Critic for a while, you can remember the utter outrage when NCL removed fish fingers from the lunch MDR menu and replaced it with, *gasp*, poached salmon. Or the condemnation when chicken noodle soup was removed from the menu in favor of pho. 

 

The Bird holds upper tier status on multiple cruise lines. NCL continues to be the leader in the evolution of the cruise industry. Other lines (which we sail on each year) are playing catch-up. NCL has done great things with the Prima. 100% Bird endorsed. 

Fully agree with everything you said with the exception being that NCL is the leader in the evolution of the cruise industry.  They were the first to have anytime dining and eliminate the standard early and late slots. And they were the first to have the ship within a ship concept with the Haven and the first to have a go kart track on board.   But off the top of my head they are the only three innovations I can think of.   They were not the first to have "Broadway Light" entertainment that needed reservations, that was RCI.  And many of the new modern innovations on the Prima came right from Celebrity's Edge Class ships.

Just like many of the entry level lines are more similar than different, they each have their own set of innovations that they can be proud of.  Even Carnival, with their sky bikes, roller coaster, Havana area and multiple comedy club venues on the Excel Class.

[CruizinSusan70]

52 minutes ago, up4cruising said:

Just returned home from same Prima cruise as Bird. Rumors was not highlighted in Freestyle Daily, rather discreetly listed in evening entertainment time lineup.
Syd’s  Staff would not tell you what day ahead of time but to watch in Freestyle Daily. Two shows appeared Thurs at 7 and 9. 
My sister and I went to Syd’s at 6pm. They opened the doors and we got a prime seat on the couch. Able to wait sitting down while enjoying a cocktail was great. Yes, the room filled up with many standing. 
The show was a wonderful and the electric guitar player outstanding. Small venue made the performance special. 

I think it's stupid to have couches in a small venue taking up valuable real estate.  Should be similar to the Howl at the Moon/comedy club on the Escape which had rows of chairs that could fit more people than having couches and tables taking up space.

We should hopefully have two days to choose to see the Rumours show since our cruise is for 11 days.  Was hoping there would be a live review on the current 12 day repo cruise from NYC to Galveston but sadly there is not.  If there was it would give me an inkling as to what to expect.

[up4cruising]

4 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I think it's stupid to have couches in a small venue taking up valuable real estate.  Should be similar to the Howl at the Moon/comedy club on the Escape which had rows of chairs that could fit more people than having couches and tables taking up space.

We should hopefully have two days to choose to see the Rumours show since our cruise is for 11 days.  Was hoping there would be a live review on the current 12 day repo cruise from NYC to Galveston but sadly there is not.  If there was it would give me an inkling as to what to expect.

Sorry I could not be more helpful. Thought it might help you and others to know that at least you could sit in the venue to wait for the show rather than standing in a line outside. 

[CruizinSusan70]

26 minutes ago, up4cruising said:

Sorry I could not be more helpful. Thought it might help you and others to know that at least you could sit in the venue to wait for the show rather than standing in a line outside. 

You were able to walk into a 7:00 showing at 6:00.  At 6:00, we will be eating dinner and by 7:30 be stuck waiting outside for a 9:00 show in line.    I'll be sitting on my scooter while my DH goes to the bar to get us drinks.  Now if there is only one show at 9:00, and the door is not locked, we'll be inside as soon as we're done dinner around 7:30.   It'll obviously be a fluid situation.

[SeaHunt]

The Bird is the word...again. And thanks so much for sharing your words. I know each review takes a lot of time and effort and believe me, it is really appreciated. A great review from BirdTravels = time to book! 😁

[up4cruising]

Thank you for your review Bird!

I have benefited from several of your previous reviews and wonderful photos. Like you, I had an overall positive experience on our 5 day cruise to Bermuda. 

There is always a learning curve to a new class of ship and I enjoyed exploring Prima. Lots of oops and turning around on a new ship.
The staff was delightful, so helpful and great fun. 
 

Look forward to your next review. 

[zackarykeef]

4 hours ago, Steff79 said:

with that logical you can made itsmaller. Because smaller less chair hogs? Can’t follow that. 
chair hogs is the question if ncl clear them or not. 
 

the theather has two bars at deck 6. But at the parties they have two tables there to sell drinks at the dance floor. 

No, but people are complaining that the Observation Lounge is small and that they can never get a seat. I’m just pointing out that the Observation Lounge on Encore is much bigger, and you still can’t get a seat. It makes sense that the Observation Lounge on Prima is smaller, as it’s a smaller ship with less people. It’s not a problem unique to the Prima, chair hogs or not.

[GCS2000]

Thanks for all the details.  We just booked an Iceland cruise on this ship for 2024.

 

Lots to do and research between now and then so I am sure I will be revisiting this thread.

[Steff79]

13 minutes ago, zackarykeef said:

No, but people are complaining that the Observation Lounge is small and that they can never get a seat. I’m just pointing out that the Observation Lounge on Encore is much bigger, and you still can’t get a seat. It makes sense that the Observation Lounge on Prima is smaller, as it’s a smaller ship with less people. It’s not a problem unique to the Prima, chair hogs or not.

but then you should tell us about the quantity of seats of both observatins lounges in relations to the max. paxe of both ships. then we can talk about if it is smaller, same or bigger.

if the observation lounge at encore is always full my plan would be to make it bigger at Prima if i was NCL. i would give the people what they like.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Steff79

[CruizinSusan70]

10 minutes ago, Steff79 said:

 

if the observation lounge at encore is always full my plan would be to make it bigger at Prima if i was NCL. i would give the people what they like.

The observation lounge is smaller on the Prima as opposed to the Encore, Bliss and Joy because the guts of the area was removed to make room for the galaxy pavilion.  The pavilion if you don't know is a major money maker for NCL.  You can use it by singular activity, hourly rental or daily rental.  Another area for a money grab, just like the darts area or 9 hole mini golf on Ocean Blvd.

[Cruising Lynne]

1 hour ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

The observation lounge is smaller on the Prima as opposed to the Encore, Bliss and Joy because the guts of the area was removed to make room for the galaxy pavilion.  The pavilion if you don't know is a major money maker for NCL.  You can use it by singular activity, hourly rental or daily rental.  Another area for a money grab, just like the darts area or 9 hole mini golf on Ocean Blvd.

We did the 9 hole golf on this trip and it was free. My husband paid the fifteen dollars for the go-carts, and really enjoyed it. We did not play any of the games that you had to pay for. There were quite a few games outside that were free, and the area seemed to be enjoyed by a lot more people than would use the basketball court on other ships. 

 

It is too bad that they could not find a way to have kept the Observation Lounge a little bigger. We were able to find seats in the Observation Lounge, but I will admit that we did not go there very often. I thought it was a lousy place for the Latitude's party, but this may have been due to the fact that this cruise had such a large number of Latitudes members. We had to sit so far away from the bar area during the party that it was difficult to get a cocktail.

[albertamom]

I've loved your review, @BirdTravels!  Is there a jogging track onboard?

 

[zackarykeef]

2 hours ago, Steff79 said:

but then you should tell us about the quantity of seats of both observatins lounges in relations to the max. paxe of both ships. then we can talk about if it is smaller, same or bigger.

if the observation lounge at encore is always full my plan would be to make it bigger at Prima if i was NCL. i would give the people what they like.

Well, I’m not going to waste my time counting chairs when I get on board, so I guess we’re SOL there.

 

2 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

The observation lounge is smaller on the Prima as opposed to the Encore, Bliss and Joy because the guts of the area was removed to make room for the galaxy pavilion.  The pavilion if you don't know is a major money maker for NCL.  You can use it by singular activity, hourly rental or daily rental.  Another area for a money grab, just like the darts area or 9 hole mini golf on Ocean Blvd.

 

May be a money grab, but if it’s a major money maker, obviously they’re doing something right. Just because some people don’t like it and would prefer more lounge space doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t enjoy it. Traditional cruising is dead (or I guess you could sail Cunard), and there are plenty of other ships without VR lounges and innovations for those who want the same thing over and over again.

 

1 hour ago, Cruising Lynne said:

We did the 9 hole golf on this trip and it was free. My husband paid the fifteen dollars for the go-carts, and really enjoyed it. We did not play any of the games that you had to pay for. There were quite a few games outside that were free, and the area seemed to be enjoyed by a lot more people than would use the basketball court on other ships. 

 

It is too bad that they could not find a way to have kept the Observation Lounge a little bigger. We were able to find seats in the Observation Lounge, but I will admit that we did not go there very often. I thought it was a lousy place for the Latitude's party, but this may have been due to the fact that this cruise had such a large number of Latitudes members. We had to sit so far away from the bar area during the party that it was difficult to get a cocktail.

 

Here’s some relief for everyone concerned about the size of the Observation Lounge. If you have to sit so far away from the bar that getting a drink is difficult, I guess it can’t be THAT small, right? 🤣

[PistolPete13]

1 hour ago, albertamom said:

I've loved your review, @BirdTravels!  Is there a jogging track onboard?

 

Unfortunately no.  The deck 8 Ocean walk is the only contiguous loop around the ship but you'll be dodging partitions, tables, and lounge chairs if you try to do any type of jogging.