Prima and Hot Tubs

[michelle-nh]

My husband and I are booked on the Prima out of NYC at the end of April. It will be our first cruise since COVID and we can’t wait to get back to it. I’ve read the reviews, and honestly with the exception of it being hard to get reservations for entertainment, I don’t think any of the things people are complaining about will bother us. As long as we have a comfortable place to sit in the shade during the day with a good book and a bar nearby, the commotion of people around ( we live in a very quiet rural area and so actually enjoy the change of pace of being around crowds of people on vacation), good food, and a balcony room to go back to, we’re happy.
 

I never loved the buffets anyhow, so the fact that it’s smaller on Prima won’t bother me. We are also not pool people or sun lovers, so the smaller pool area won’t bother us either. BUT, we do enjoy relaxing in a hot tub in the early evening. I see there are two on the pool deck. How about on deck 8 near the infinity pools? Are there hot tubs there? I’ve haven’t seen any mention of the hot tubs in any reviews. Are they too small and crowded too? I considered booking spa rooms so we’d have access to the hot tub there. But we did that once before and found we only used them twice on the whole cruise. It was TOO quiet in the spa for us, we’d rather be around people.

[curlstravel]

There are no hot tubs on deck 8.  The pool is really nice though with a wonderful views!

[Cruising Lynne]

The lack of available hot tubs in an area that did not cost extra was one of the things that I did not like about Prima. I think they should have some on deck 8 near the infinity pools.

 

Since you like to use the hot tub in the evening though, it should not be a problem to get in the ones near the main pool. That said, I would go for the spa cabins. I toured the spa, and decided that if I went on Prima again I would want a thermal suite pass or a spa balcony cabin.

 

We really enjoyed the shows in the main theater and had no problem reserving those. Never even tried to go to Syd Norman's or the Improv, and did not feel like we missed out. If you go to the reservation area soon after boarding you should be able to get reservations for whatever you want as long as you are flexible about date and time.

 

 I really enjoyed our cruise on Prima once I got used to the different layout. The first couple of days it bugged me. I didn't realize how much I was accustomed to the flow of the other Norwegian ships. 

 

[Lbows76]

We booked the Vibe for exactly this reason over the thermal spa for our April cruise.  Not sure which April cruise you are on, but the Vibe passes for our cruise were still available as of yesterday if that is something you are interested in!

[curlstravel]

We did not have vibe but enjoyed the infinity pools and the spa.  I would definitely do the spa again. Their pools were amazing.

[schmoopie17]

2 hours ago, michelle-nh said:

I’ve haven’t seen any mention of the hot tubs in any reviews.

On several of the Prima pages on "the site that can't be mentioned". there are numerous comments about the hot tubs not being hot. People were not happy. I'd say they were steamed or boiling mad, but not due to the heat in the tubs.

[stefmaia]

Correct me if I am wrong, but there is no "hot tub" in the Prima Spa. Just the long jetted pools. ie. Jets no bubbles....

[BirdTravels]

20 minutes ago, stefmaia said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but there is no "hot tub" in the Prima Spa. Just the long jetted pools. ie. Jets no bubbles....

Water jets with no bubbles. Like in the main hydrotherapy pool area on other big ships. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by BirdTravels

[curlstravel]

They were very relaxing we really enjoyed them. They did not have all the chlorine water splashing in your face and eyes. I have a sensitivity to chlorine so I loved the pools on the prima. I especially loved the salt room.

[BirdTravels]

The salt bath and the steam room on the Prima are the best in the NCL fleet. 

[michelle-nh]

Thanks, all!

[uneamie]

Keep in mind that sailing our NYC the end of April could mean cool weather for a few days there and back. I am assuming you are going to Bermuda. We are booked on Prima for May7th to Bermuda and so we are prepared for the cooler weather if need be. However if the hot tubs are good and hot the cool weather might not be an issue for you.  We got an upgrade offer from our balcony for a Spa balcony and I wanted to bid on it but it's on deck 16 and when I did a search the available cabins are under the "speedway" on deck 17. So I decided to keep our balcony and not bid. Like you...I am not all that concerned about most of the complaints. 

[michelle-nh]

22 hours ago, uneamie said:

Keep in mind that sailing our NYC the end of April could mean cool weather for a few days there and back. I am assuming you are going to Bermuda. We are booked on Prima for May7th to Bermuda and so we are prepared for the cooler weather if need be. However if the hot tubs are good and hot the cool weather might not be an issue for you.  We got an upgrade offer from our balcony for a Spa balcony and I wanted to bid on it but it's on deck 16 and when I did a search the available cabins are under the "speedway" on deck 17. So I decided to keep our balcony and not bid. Like you...I am not all that concerned about most of the complaints. 

Yes, that’s exactly the reason I’m not bidding on the upgraded spa room too. We’re on the April 23 to Bermuda. By that time of year, after living through a freezing New England winter, any temps over 65 feel tropical. But yes, I’ll be prepared just in case. This will be our third cruise out of NYC at that time of year and we’ve been lucky so far. Hopefully that run of luck will hold out.

[uneamie]

1 hour ago, michelle-nh said:

Yes, that’s exactly the reason I’m not bidding on the upgraded spa room too. We’re on the April 23 to Bermuda. By that time of year, after living through a freezing New England winter, any temps over 65 feel tropical. But yes, I’ll be prepared just in case. This will be our third cruise out of NYC at that time of year and we’ve been lucky so far. Hopefully that run of luck will hold out.

Enjoy your cruise and save some of that sun for us ....we will be a week behind you.