Prima class and it's vibe beach club

[Twinsplus1]

I'm curious to hear if anyone who has sailed both a breakaway/breakaway plus ship and a prima class ship has an opinion on the Vibe. We have sailed 3 breakaway/plus sized ships and we wouldn't ever cruise this class without the Vibe pass. There just isn't enough public deck/lounge space on the breakaway class of ship, IMO. We are considering booking the Aqua next June so I'm wondering if you have felt that this Prima class would require the Vibe also. I know that the Aqua is a "plus" and I know we don't have all the info on this ship yet, but we are trying to decide between the Aqua and a carnival Excel class ship (which has the included adults only area). We don't care about it being kid-free, I  just like the idea of having somewhere to hang out on a sea day NOT at the main pool. 

 

That was a bit of a ramble, but the question is...do you need the Vibe on prima class like you do on breakaway class?

 

 

[JGmf]

I have done the Vibe on the Prima and on several Breakaway class ships.

 

In all of these warm weather sailings, the main pool was jammed, as were the hot tubs, especially with kids during school breaks/summer.  Hence, in my own opinion, I wouldn't sail without the Vibe.  The one on the Prima was my favorite due to the flanking hot tubs, open plan, and big, circular bar.

 

The Soliel bar on the Prima, on deck 8, aft, was a fun place to hang out.  No pool or hot tub, obviously, but it was an outside bar with some adjacent seating and often-times a more lively experience (for partiers) than the Vibe (which, IMO, is not a "Beach Club").

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited May 20 by JGmf

[Twinsplus1]

10 minutes ago, JGmf said:

I have done the Vibe on the Prima and on several Breakaway class ships.

 

In all of these warm weather sailings, the main pool was jammed, as were the hot tubs, especially with kids during school breaks/summer.  Hence, in my own opinion, I wouldn't sail without the Vibe.  The one on the Prima was my favorite due to the flanking hot tubs, open plan, and big, circular bar.

 

Note that the "Beach Club" branding they use is a misnomer. There's no music piped-into the Vibe, and depending on who bought passes and showed up, it can be a library-like atmosphere sometimes (which kinda sucks, but others love it) or more boisterous depending on who is at the bar (which, to me, equals more fun).  Not sure what you are looking for, but be prepared for both.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Thank you! Yes, I agree, I would never sail any of the breakaway class ships without the vibe. Money well spent! 

 

This time it's a hard choice for us because our adult children are joining us (paying their own way), so we have to consider pricing on this trip. Otherwise, it would be a "given" to buy the Vibe when booking. 

[cruiseny4life]

What about the Ocean Boulevard on Deck 8? Those infinity pools never seemed to have more than a couple people in them. On the couple nice days we had, I did notice the loungers were fairly full. I also observed drink servers scurrying around, ensuring all had their hydration. 

 

It seemed like a really nice place to stop and enjoy a sea day. 

Granted, I was on a Transatlantic, so we were 1) underway most of the time and 2) traveling the Atlantic in November. It was a wee bit cooler. Perhaps those pools do fill up, along with the loungers on nice days. 

 

If you want a guaranteed lounger and bar, definitely go for Vibe. I think Ocean Boulevard would be a nice spot to hang if you don't pay for Vibe. 

[seemoreroyals]

Haven't been on Aqua but have been on Prima. On our cruise out of Galveston this past December it was sold out and then some.  Overly energetic kids running everywhere.   So thankful we had the vibe passes to escape this madness at least during the day.  Money well spent IMO.  

[Adam Packett]

If you have the ability to get Vibe access on the Prima.... JUST DO IT!

 

You will not regret it.

[gerbng3]

It's currently available for our 5 day to Bermuda but I can't justify the cost, its currently $229pp, seems excessive.  Is it really worth that, or is the Prima just so poorly laid out that people pay it regardless because of the crowds?

 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, gerbng3 said:

It's currently available for our 5 day to Bermuda but I can't justify the cost, its currently $229pp, seems excessive.  Is it really worth that, or is the Prima just so poorly laid out that people pay it regardless because of the crowds?

 

The Prima has the largest public outdoor deck space on any modern cruise ship. 

 

300 of the 3500 passengers choose to pay for a private sun deck. 

Edited Thursday at 11:39 PM by BirdTravels

[genealogyfan]

I thought the vibe on the Prima was totally worth it. Ate there for breakfast, enjoyed the calm and quiet during the day. Even in the evening, it was a great spot to watch the sunset. I heard the pool area was crowded, especially on the sea days. Yes, walking around the ship didn't seem crowded, as there were so many areas to sit and enjoy during the day, but it was nice having access to the Vibe.  It was nice to have a deck that wasn't crazy crowded. After using it, I'm spoiled and wouldn't want to sail in warm weather without access to the Vibe.

[seemoreroyals]

4 hours ago, gerbng3 said:

It's currently available for our 5 day to Bermuda but I can't justify the cost, its currently $229pp, seems excessive.  Is it really worth that, or is the Prima just so poorly laid out that people pay it regardless because of the crowds?

 

 

Having Paid for the Vibe passes aboard Prima I can assure you it is worth every penny.  We actually paid more than that but ours was a 7 day cruise.  We used it every day. 

 

Private bar with outstanding service both at the bar and at the lounger or day bed of your choice.  Generally once we arrived one of the service personnel would assist us in getting set up.They returned shortly with our drinks and a carafe of icewater which we thought was a nice touch. 

 

The vibe is on deck 17 adjacent to the Surfside Grill portion of the buffet.  Around 12 we would take a break and grab something to eat from the nearby grill/buffet.  The vibe had a nice separate area with chairs and tables where we ate lunch each sea day.  

 

The Prima vibe has two infinity hot tubs.  One on each side of the ship.  It was never crowded the whole time we were there and we used it every day even on days where we had port stops. Bathrooms were clean.  Service was outstanding.  

 

I would get the vibe passes while you still can.  Contrary to what the bird says they only sell about 80 vibe passes not 300,  so they go fast.  If you wait too long you have to check every day hoping some will come available if someone cancels.  There are a lot of good utube videos up that go into a lot of details that we looked at before purchasing the vibe passes for the first time.

 

As long as the $229 does not put you into a bind financially I would say go for it.  It is a small price to pay for peace and quiet and a sanctuary to get away from a lot of the noise and traffic that you often run into on a cruise.

[PATRLR]

We've had Vibe on Viva and mulitple Away class ships.  Yes, in our opinion, Vibe is worth it and necessary on Viva/Prima.  

Someone mentioned the infinity pools on deck 8, our experience is those seemed just as crowded as the main pool deck. Vibe looks down on that area and we looked a few times to see if that might be a place to go to hang out and swim.  We ended up there one day, very late in the afternoon when some space freed up.

[PATRLR]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

300 of the 3500 passengers choose to pay for a private sun deck. 

300 of the 3500 passengers get the privilege to pay and do so.  We'll never know how many more would pay if they had the opportunity.  

[gerbng3]

13 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Prima has the largest public outdoor deck space on any modern cruise ship. 

 

300 of the 3500 passengers choose to pay for a private sun deck. 

If this is true, then why does the Prima have such poor reviews.  We are already booked but the reviews of that ship are harsh.  Seems a shame too, because it's a beautiful ship.  

[dexddd]

2 hours ago, gerbng3 said:

If this is true, then why does the Prima have such poor reviews.  We are already booked but the reviews of that ship are harsh.  Seems a shame too, because it's a beautiful ship.  

It is a beautiful ship and has mostly an upscale feel.  Several reasons.  One being it is not a cold weather ship.  We sailed a TA and had cool and wet weather.  Vibe looked nice but never saw anyone in it.  Haven has large outside area but not usable.  Pool area dinky.  Most entertainment in small venues.  Indulge great but try to get a seat.  Buffet also small. 

[luv2kroooz]

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Prima has the largest public outdoor deck space on any modern cruise ship

.....and, notwithstanding, some of the worst reviews from past passengers.

[Capitan Obvious]

17 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Prima has the largest public outdoor deck space on any modern cruise ship. 

 

300 of the 3500 passengers choose to pay for a private sun deck. 

 

Actually, some passengers are paying for TWO private sun decks...

 

3 hours ago, gerbng3 said:

If this is true, then why does the Prima have such poor reviews.  We are already booked but the reviews of that ship are harsh.  Seems a shame too, because it's a beautiful ship.  

 

If...then seems like an odd logic choice. One has nothing to do with the other. Using that logic, we could ask "If this is true (that the Prima has such poor/harsh reviews), then why would you book a cruise on it? You either have to a) want to cruise regardess of the reviews, or b) totally ignore the reviews. 

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, gerbng3 said:

If this is true, then why does the Prima have such poor reviews.  We are already booked but the reviews of that ship are harsh.  Seems a shame too, because it's a beautiful ship.  

Some will always complain, even if they are happy. Remember u happy people are more likely to write reviews than those that are satisfied. Take all the reviews with a grain of salt and make your own decision. 

[seemoreroyals]

9 hours ago, PATRLR said:

300 of the 3500 passengers get the privilege to pay and do so.  We'll never know how many more would pay if they had the opportunity.  

 

Only about 80 passes are available not 300.  How did you and the bird come up with 300?

[Capitan Obvious]

18 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

Only about 80 passes are available not 300.  How did you and the bird come up with 300?

 

Neighbor's son would be my guess. 😉

[PATRLR]

21 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

Only about 80 passes are available not 300.  How did you and the bird come up with 300?

I was just using the number @BirdTravels used.  I haven't been on Prima, but, I have been on Viva.  I have my doubts about the 80 number but I don't know for certain, nor do I really care so long as I am one of them.  I'll bet for a ship like Encore that has a huge Vibe, 300 is about right.

[seemoreroyals]

2 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I was just using the number @BirdTravels used.  I haven't been on Prima, but, I have been on Viva.  I have my doubts about the 80 number but I don't know for certain, nor do I really care so long as I am one of them.  I'll bet for a ship like Encore that has a huge Vibe, 300 is about right.

 

I asked the waitstaff there.  It was never crowded.  Most of the time less than 30 people there. As compared to the pool area and the infinity pool area on deck 8 both of which were packed like sardines on sea days.  How about it @BirdTravels? Where did you come up with the 300 vibe passes sold for the Prima vibe?  Inquiring minds want to know?  

[Cruising Lynne]

On 5/20/2024 at 11:22 AM, Twinsplus1 said:

I'm curious to hear if anyone who has sailed both a breakaway/breakaway plus ship and a prima class ship has an opinion on the Vibe. We have sailed 3 breakaway/plus sized ships and we wouldn't ever cruise this class without the Vibe pass. There just isn't enough public deck/lounge space on the breakaway class of ship, IMO. We are considering booking the Aqua next June so I'm wondering if you have felt that this Prima class would require the Vibe also. I know that the Aqua is a "plus" and I know we don't have all the info on this ship yet, but we are trying to decide between the Aqua and a carnival Excel class ship (which has the included adults only area). We don't care about it being kid-free, I  just like the idea of having somewhere to hang out on a sea day NOT at the main pool. 

 

That was a bit of a ramble, but the question is...do you need the Vibe on prima class like you do on breakaway class?

 

 

If you enjoy Vibe on all the Away ships I think that you would definitely want to get it on Prima or Viva, especially if you enjoy going in hot tubs, but I am not sure about Aqua. I did not go in the Vibe on Prima, but was able to peak in there. It looked really nice and was in a good location.

 

We hung out mostly on deck eight and went in the infinity pools which were nice but there were no hot tubs out there, Just the two by the main pool. I told my husband that if we went on Prima again I would like to get Vibe passes. Another plus about the Vibe on Prima is that it is close to the grill area of the buffet. The buffet was often very crowded, and I thought how nice it would have been to grab food and bring it to Vibe to eat. That part of the buffet had breakfast food in the morning and eating it in Vibe while waiting for the coffee to kick in would have been pleasant. Of course it would depend on the itinerary and weather.

 

I am hoping that Agua gets additional hot tubs. If not, I may book thermal suite passes since I am going on that ship out of NYC in the fall of 2025. I am really looking forward to checking out what differences Aqua may have. Prima was a great ship and our balcony room was spacious and comfortable. Aqua should be even better. I hope this helps a bit with your decision.