A NCL Newbie sails Norwegian Prima 3/28/23

[nybumpkin]

We sailed Norwegian Prima March 28-April 2, NYC-Bermuda. It was the first time I’ve ever sailed from New York at a time other than summer, and it was my first time sailing a NCL ship and first time sailing without DH. As you can see from my signature, we’re primarily Carnival cruisers – 27 cruises up to now, with #28 booked for this summer. Instead of sailing with the usual suspects, I was accompanied by my daughter-in-law Amanda, our oldest son’s wife. They live in Virginia, where son is a Navy lieutenant on a destroyer and she is a graduate student.

 

So why Norwegian and an early Spring cruise? I retired at the end of 2022, but DH is still working (community college professor). As he notes, he gets three months off in the summer and a month between semesters – he has plenty of time off and isn’t ready to retire. He gave me this cruise as my retirement present, and I felt I needed to go this week – it’s a week I never would have been able to take off during my career. Amanda was able to take the time to go – she’s a distance student, and son was out at sea while we sailed. Good timing for a “girls’ cruise.” And up to now, Carnival hasn’t done NYC cruises outside summer/fall; they tried a number of years ago with Carnival Splendor, but didn’t continue with it. We’ll see how it works out with Carnival Venezia.

 

Norwegian Prima is a new ship, sailing for the first time in fall 2022. And not only is Prima a new ship, she’s first of her class. Another new experience for me.

As with other reviews I’ve done, I’m going to go over “what we did” followed by “what I thought.” Also as with other reviews I’ve done, your mileage may vary. A lot of this is subjective. I’ll include photos along the way. I post reviews in segments, with photos to go with the segments - hopefully it makes it easier to read.

 

Amanda flew into Albany the day before sailing and we took a car service to the pier the morning of sailing. We had an embarkation time of noon, but since the ship sailed empty from Port Canaveral after her Caribbean season, the cabins were ready and we were able to board when we arrived around 11:15. We did not have to do an in-person muster drill; instead, before sailing they made us watch the safety video (and sent us multiple e-mail reminders to watch it). They directed us to the muster stations immediately upon boarding, and we checked in. We found our cabin, dropped off our carry-ons and went to find lunch.

[nybumpkin]

Sailaway happened fairly close to 4:00, as scheduled. Carnival NYC sailaways are usually late. My goal is to be under the bridge before dinner. We went to deck 17 port for photos of Manhattan (deck 18 is better because you aren't shooting through plexiglass), then went to our cabin on deck 12 starboard to see the Statue of Liberty.  As always, we loved sailaway – NYC has fantastic sights, and it takes a while to get out into the ocean.

 

 

Dinner was at Hudson’s. We had dinner there twice, along with a breakfast and a lunch.  The food was always good, the service was great, and only once did we wait for a table (for just a few minutes). Hudson’s is a very comfortable dining room with nice views. I didn’t have an issue with the repeating menu – there were plenty of choices.

[nybumpkin]

Bermuda

 

This was my third visit to Bermuda, all on cruise ships, and Amanda’s first visit. (I need to do a land-based vacation at some point.)

 

For Day 1, Amanda wanted to see a beach, so we took one of the $7 per person shuttles to Horseshoe Bay. Pretty easy – the bus is waiting right at the end of the pier and once they have a full (or nearly full) load of passengers, they leave. It was about a 20-minute drive from Dockyard to Horseshoe, and Amanda was able to get a look at houses and churches along the way. Once at Horseshoe, we walked down the beach as far as Butts Beach and enjoyed the views for a while – no swimming for us, just not warm enough. There were folks in the water, though. After that, we walked back along the beach to the refreshment stand for some drinks before taking the bus back to Dockyard.

 

Lunch for us was at Frog and Onion in Dockyard. Usually I’d go back to the ship for lunch – but we had received word that Day 2 would be cut short due to weather; Prima would have to leave Bermuda at 1:00 instead of 5:00, which meant we wouldn’t have time for shopping on Day 2. So we opted for lunch ashore followed by shopping. It was a good choice for us; Frog and Onion was very good – especially the beer on tap, brewed right in Bermuda (I had the Somers Amber Ale). For shopping, we visited some of the local craft stores, and I also bought tee shirts for those left behind.

[nybumpkin]

Some more Bermuda photos...

 

[nybumpkin]

Back to the ship – but we had an evening excursion booked – a sunset catamaran sail around the Great Bay. We had done one of these tours six years ago and really enjoyed it. This one was enjoyable as well, but with some cautions from me. First, there’s a world of difference between doing this in late spring and the height of summer: it’s colder and darker in spring. I wore a sweatshirt and long pants, and I needed them. Second, this particular catamaran had a smaller cockpit than the one we sailed on before, and everyone wanted to sit in the cockpit. By the time Amanda and I boarded, all of the cockpit seats were taken and the only remaining seating was near the mast, which required climbing out of the cockpit onto the forward deck – not that easy for a sixtysomething year-old with knees that don’t cooperate, like me. After I managed to get seated on the deck, it took two more agile passengers to get me back onto my feet at the end of the sail.

 

No photos on this one, I'm afraid. It was a bit too dark.

[nybumpkin]

The second day in Bermuda was short, due to the expected bad weather. We had one activity planned: Bermuda Fun Golf, right at Dockyard. This is probably the most challenging mini golf I’ve ever done, with holes based on courses in Bermuda, the U.S., and Scotland. Aside from Amanda and I both enjoying mini golf, we had an added bonus: Amanda could return home saying she had played golf in Bermuda, something her husband (who loves golf) couldn’t say. Back aboard was 12:30 and we set sail for NYC around 1:30.

 

[nybumpkin]

A few photos around Dockyard...

 

 

[nybumpkin]

The second sea day was rough. A lot of folks, including Amanda, ended up in their cabins for a lot of the day. I took time to walk around the ship to get pictures and also spent time in the Observation Lounge. By late afternoon Amanda felt better.

 

I received a letter from Guest Services asking me to go to their desk for a refund due me. I had no idea why I was owed anything, but learned we were being refunded about $90 per person for leaving Bermuda early. A nice, unexpected gesture – I’ve been on cruises where we skipped a port and were refunded only port charges, and others where we’ve left earlier than scheduled and received nothing.

 

Captain Kevin announced that if folks wanted to see the Statue of Liberty upon returning to NYC, they should plan to be on deck around 3 a.m. I heard a fair number of groans. (I’m not sure it ended up being that early – we weren’t back at Pier 88 until about 6 a.m.) At any rate, I gave up rising early to see the Statue on returning to NYC many cruises ago – I decided I value my sleep more. Amanda did too.

[nybumpkin]

Here are some of our onboard activities: Trivia, once with CD Simon and once with a new member of the CD staff from Brazil who had just signed on the ship for his first contract. I liked him a lot.  Deal or No Deal in the main theater; we just watched, didn’t play. Scrabble in the Observation Lounge – I loved that place. I came back on our second sea day to read and enjoy a drink. A fair amount of karaoke – I’m not a big fan, but Amanda loves it. And one day we watched the Sexy Legs contest, which was funny (and the only time we ventured out to the pool deck). We did not get to see “Summer” – I was able to reserve seats online before sailing, but that performance had to be canceled due to weather.

 

 

[nybumpkin]

We opted to put our luggage out the night before debarkation, since we were taking a bus home that wasn’t scheduled until 11:00. I actually made a newbie mistake: I packed my room key in my suitcase, necessitating another visit to Guest Services. Our tags were called on schedule, at 8:45, and we joined the conga line that wove through the casino to the gangway on Deck 6. Customs was done with facial recognition – we never showed our passports. Leaving the pier, we had a long wait for the bus, but they let us wait inside Pier 90 so they could ready Pier 88 for the influx of arriving passengers.

[nybumpkin]

Kathy’s “What I Thought” Section – Your Mileage May Vary

 

As I noted at the outset, I’m a NCL newbie. I never really thought about an NCL cruise before – Carnival went all the places we wanted to go, and we have perks like free laundry with them. But this was the “off season” and NCL and Royal were the only options. I went with NCL, and I think it was a good choice. I understand that I’m basing my experience on one NCL ship, and that particular ship doesn’t really compare to other ships in the fleet. I have to admit to some annoyance with the whole process of signing up for dinners and shows in advance; to my mind, “freestyle” doesn’t mean planning your cruise experience in advance. It turned out that we probably could have waited until we boarded to book most of it.

 

Cabin: We had BA Balcony 11782, and I found it to be nicely laid out and comfortable. I liked the shower with a door instead of a curtain, and the supplied toiletries were nice. The balcony had nice faux-wicker chairs and table. I have to admit to being a balcony snob, but especially on sailings from NYC – the sailaway is just that good. You want a balcony.

 

Food: No complaints overall. Everything I had was very good (one minor exception: the corned beef hash for breakfast at The Local). We visited the buffet; Hudson’s; The Local; and Food Republic. The latter was part of a package that also included a drinks package. Aside from the corned beef hash, everything we had was well prepared, tasty, and served timely.

 

For folks wondering about Food Republic, since it’s one of the upcharge restaurants that doesn’t get mentioned often, it’s an “Asian fusion” menu. Amanda and I could choose four dishes each. We had lots to share. My one recommendation above all is the Green Tea Jar for dessert – a chocolate brownie, green tea flavored mousse, and a cookie crumble. It’s unbelievably good.

 

The Local is a great place if you’re looking for something between buffet dining and main dining room dining. It’s a casual menu for all meals, but served to you instead of a buffet. I enjoyed it for all meals. There were times when the breakfast seating seemed to get backed up, but I thought the staff did a good job at getting people seated and served promptly.

 

Hudson’s is the main dining room, where we never had to wait long to be seated. I was very happy with all our menu choices, and the repeating menu didn’t bother me. We had plenty of choices and very good service. I might think differently about the menu if we were on a longer cruise.

 

I had only breakfast and lunch at the buffet – there’s something about me that rebels at eating at the buffet for dinner on a cruise. Having said that, they posted notes about special dinners, like prime rib. In retrospect, I wish I had tried that. Lots of choices for breakfast, although I’m not a big breakfast eater. The chocolate croissants were excellent. For lunch, there was a grill line with burgers and hot dogs that I enjoyed. For you Carnival cruisers who were dismayed about the cutbacks on toppings for burgers, I was able to have both bacon and mushrooms on my burger – just as I like it. Not every day, but I got my fix.

 

A word about Indulge, the food court-style dining on deck 8 aft. The idea is that you find a seat with a computer screen and order your meal by clicking on your selections – from any of the options – and the staff will bring our meal to you. Lots of good options and the food looked good. Unfortunately, on our sailing Amanda and I couldn’t get seating anywhere – it was mobbed. Apparently people arrived before they opened, found seating, and ordered as soon as possible. And stayed. Oh well – maybe next time.

 

Entertainment: I really didn’t have much of an opportunity to go to many venues. We had booked the Donna Summer show, but it was canceled due to weather – too rough for the dancers. We did go to karaoke several times, which is a favorite of Amanda’s, and it was fun. The music around the ship was good. I wish I had time to spend in Syd Norman’s – it looked like a lot of fun.

 

Final Thoughts

 

I think I had an advantage in sailing Norwegian Prima having never sailed an NCL ship. I had no knowledge of the ship’s  layout or expectations going in, other than seeing a number of so-so reviews. I really liked the ship – but I wouldn’t sail her again on this itinerary or another North Atlantic itinerary unless it was August. (And then you worry about hurricanes.) With a number of really attractive outdoor venues, this ship just calls for warm-weather sailing. I’d sail the Caribbean on her in a heartbeat. As for NCL in general, I was happy with the available activities and the service. I think we’ll be back – but we’re still working through pandemic-rescheduled cruises. Next up is Carnival Pride to the Norwegian fjords (rescheduled from a British Isles cruise), with a return to New York on QM2 (rescheduled from a TA in 2021), along with an American Cruise Lines’ New England tour. But in the meantime, I’m looking….

[macewank]

Excellent write-up!  I was on this sailing as well and think you hit most of the notes.  This wasn't my first NCL sailing (I've done the Encore previously) and really other than the layout being slightly wonky (this especially came into play during disembarkation), I loved the ship.

That last sea day was, indeed, rough.  Kevin said he was sailing well above normal cruising speed back to NYC to try and stay ahead of the storm that was coming up from the South (the reason we had to leave Bermuda early) and between that and the storm eventually catching us.. wooof.  It was tough riding for sure. 

[nybumpkin]

10 minutes ago, macewank said:

other than the layout being slightly wonky (this especially came into play during disembarkation), I loved the ship.

 

The conga line through the casino to get off the ship was different! I think my daughter-in-law was a bit disappointed that no one looked a her passport when disembarking - all biometrics.

[nhtravels]

Nice review!  Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Prima.  We have yet to sail her, but are considering the Viva for 2024!

[Jamman54]

Excellent review and pictures Kathy! Thanks for sharing! 😎

[ontheweb]

There have been several mentions, including by you, that this is a warm weather do things outdoors ship. And you did mention some weather times where it sounds like outdoors did not work. I wonder if you could say what if anything there was to do on those times.

 

We are sailing on the Prima this summer. The itinerary is from London (Southampton) to Reykjavik, Iceland. We are hoping for good weather, but obviously would not be surprised by some days that the weather does not cooperate.

[schmoopie17]

We were on the Prima in January. In times of bad weather (especially on sea days), be prepared to feel cramped with most people inside. If you're a buffet person, good luck finding a seat at those times (or any other time, to be honest). The buffet is about one-third the size of other ships with food selections/stations also drastically cut back.

[nybumpkin]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

There have been several mentions, including by you, that this is a warm weather do things outdoors ship. And you did mention some weather times where it sounds like outdoors did not work. I wonder if you could say what if anything there was to do on those times.

 

We are sailing on the Prima this summer. The itinerary is from London (Southampton) to Reykjavik, Iceland. We are hoping for good weather, but obviously would not be surprised by some days that the weather does not cooperate.

During the day there was a fair amount of trivia going on, as well as games like "Deal or No Deal." We weren't bored. I'm also very happy to find a seat where I can watch the ocean go by, read, and enjoy a beverage of some variety.

 

There were also a number of the "pay extra" activities like the speedway or the Galaxy Pavilion. They didn't interest me, although I did watch the Speedway a bit. And of course there's the casino. (I've played in the casino on a cruise exactly once. Back when the slots took quarters, I had a bunch left from laundry that I wanted to use up. I put in one quarter, two came out. I put in two, six came out. Eventually I gave up trying to get rid of the quarters.😉) 

 

DH and I sailed Southampton to Reykjavik in July 2019 on Queen Mary 2 as part of a two-week Transatlantic crossing. The weather was what I would call "changeable." I would say that there were very few deck activities for us, but that was probably more due to the nature of QM2 (she's not noted for deck activities) than anything. And there were lots of folks who would bundle up (sweats) and walk laps on the Promenade Deck. Another plus to July: the sun sets late. (And another tip: if you have a balcony cabin, make sure your curtains are tightly drawn, otherwise the sun will wake you up at 4 a.m.)

 

We were very fortunate with weather in Iceland. The first day we did the Golden Circle tour and really enjoyed it. The second day was cut short because there were concerns about ice between Reykjavik and Corner Brook, Newfoundland, which was our next port. (Yeah, we saw that movie too.) But we had time before leaving to take the shuttle into Reyjavik (it wasn't walkable from the dock) and do a tour of the cathedral and see some of the government buildings.

 

I hope your enjoy your cruise!

[JGmf]

@nybumpkin thanks for your review!  Appreciate the time and effort you took to write it.

[catgags]

Great review and pictures! Glad you had a wonderful time with your DIL!

Being from upstate NY I always sail in February! Need sun and warm weather! I had a wonderful Caribbean cruise on Prima!

I loved everything about it! I also had Vibe passes! Great spot to hang out with friends!

Cathy

 

[jcscv]

Thank you for the review!  I will be taking Prima in August to Northern Europe/Iceland and appreciate all the information I can get.

 

[nybumpkin]

3 hours ago, catgags said:

Great review and pictures! Glad you had a wonderful time with your DIL!

Being from upstate NY I always sail in February! Need sun and warm weather! I had a wonderful Caribbean cruise on Prima!

I loved everything about it! I also had Vibe passes! Great spot to hang out with friends!

Cathy

 

We used to sail in February when DH was between teaching gigs and the kids had winter break. I loved it - what a nice break from Upstate winter. But DH doesn't get that week in February now (HVCC has a different schedule). Maybe when he retires once and for all....

Edited April 20, 2023 by nybumpkin

[nybumpkin]

9 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

We were on the Prima in January. In times of bad weather (especially on sea days), be prepared to feel cramped with most people inside. If you're a buffet person, good luck finding a seat at those times (or any other time, to be honest). The buffet is about one-third the size of other ships with food selections/stations also drastically cut back.

My comment on the buffet on another thread was that there are "campers" who find a prime table and don't leave; it's theirs from breakfast through lunch, and some even stay when the buffet lines close.

[uneamie]

1 hour ago, nybumpkin said:

My comment on the buffet on another thread was that there are "campers" who find a prime table and don't leave; it's theirs from breakfast through lunch, and some even stay when the buffet lines close.

I hope you are kidding. Why in the world would anyone go on a cruise to just sit at a table in the buffett all day? Makes no sense! But if you are not kidding then I think those people need to be told to move on. 

[dexddd]

8 hours ago, uneamie said:

I hope you are kidding. Why in the world would anyone go on a cruise to just sit at a table in the buffett all day? Makes no sense! But if you are not kidding then I think those people need to be told to move on. 

We've seen it on several ships.  On Prima camping out very common in buffet, indulge, observation lounge.  Lounge people shoes off, feet up, sleeping. Indulge seating limited so people grab what they can find after wait.  Couple of two taking up a six place booth spread out not even maybe move to one side leave other open, saw that more than once.  Poor staff try to help walking you through the area with no seats.  The campers usually reading books sipping water or iced tea.