Is the NCL Prima for You? Our review of the NCL Prima.

The #1 cruise ship we were anticipating after the pandemic was NCL's Prima. After loving the Waterfront on some of Norwegian's other cruise ships, we were excited to enjoy the Ocean Boulevard and everything else new about this ship. Join us as we give you our no-holds-barred review of this ship, which is part of the cruise line on which we have sailed most. We cover the ship, our veranda cabin, the service, the food (including 5 specialty restaurants), and the entertainment.

00:00 Introduction
00:30 The Ship
02:57 Our Veranda Cabin
04:02 The Service
05:55 The Food (Complimentary)
08:12 The Food (Specialty Restaurants)
12:41 The Entertainment and Relaxation
17:54 Our 3 Downs
18:55 Our 3 Ups
19:15 Was the Prima for us?

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[darnellmartinwimmer]

Very polished video with great editing. You put a lot of work into this & it shows. 🚢

[louiscerulli]

My wife and I are also platinum members and we have been on 11 NCL cruises but we have never been on a Prima class ship. We will be cruising on the first Aqua cruise April 16th and from what I hear NCL has addressed a lot of these issues you speak of in this video. I'm sure we will see some YouTubers on the cruise.

[Wild]

You guys are always very objective and good. I have not been on Prima yet but I have not seen a review where anyone said the layout was good. You are lucky you got to see Donna Summer because that show is leaving Prima. NCL used to be the best cruise line for entertainment. Now their entertainment is that of a riverboat cruise or Margaritaville. I am booked on Aqua so I will get an experience on the Prima class. I remember the older days of NCL when the specialty restaurants were not packed and that was part of the joy of going there besides the food.

[EricLawrence-ml]

The lab mics that you all are using are excellent? What is the name and model? They look like silver ink pens… Cool!

[Cha-y]

Frequent NCL Haven cruisers here.
Breakaway x 2
Joy
Encore
Escape
Getaway
Prima.


Prima likes:
Haven suites all in aft together.
Haven has private elevators.
Haven pool / hot tubs / sauna / sundecks --- fantastic

Prima dislikes:
Cigar lounge like a dungeon . No views no windows.
Buffet is much smaller and seating is an issue
The fold away theatre reminded me of a high school gym.
Haven pool / hot tub outside only. Breakaways have indoor Haven pool / spa area.
No Ocean Blue on Prima.

* we like LeBistro also, French food very good, but on Prima what is up with that giant chandelier?

Thank you for the review, seens pretty acurate to me.

[jimelliott]

Good review. Sorry you didn’t get Vibe. You have to purchase it now previous to sailing these days. Some ships with larger Vibe capacity (Joy, Encore) can still have passes available day of sailing. Prima, Viva, Aqua Vibe capacity is around 80, similar to Escape. Syd Nornan is being relocated on Aqua to increase capacity, but it’s about the same size as Cavern Club on Breakaway class ships. I hated Commodore room for exactly the reasons you spoke of. Good point on the timing of the room cleaning; we tipped our steward well so he took care of us. And I know everyone says they tip well; I just know that I paid more for my steward than I normally do to get this accommodation. It was worth it. As to Tracey’s point about the increased gratuity? Pretty standard on every cruise line these days. I don’t expect it to match other past experiences.

[rodneyscales]

The Haven takes up a lot of space. The venue was small. The Theater was okay. I was in the studio . Thank You for your thorough review.

[letyzlife]

Debating between the Prima or Getaway (Breakaway Class)- liked your review- good insight!

[chrisrobertson]

Prima what we liked- Penrose Bar, Palomar, Food Republic, our balcony room, staff, Ocean Blvd and Itinerary. What we didn't like- Hudson's service and food was very bad, Los Lobos is awful, pool too small, entertainment is a mixed bag and free dining menus are okay at best.

[jameschetwynd]

Ok i agree bad design
Will enjoy as here for ports, food, and cozy cabin
Will be pro at prima in a few days
Iceland may 19
Sail 22nd

[chrisbernier]

You said Gateaway class, you ment Breakaway class as there is no such thing.

[jameshchetwyndjr]

Saw video’s. On May 22 2025 ocean view $5, 000 + $1, 400 delta 10 day cruise 16 day vacation.

[inesjackson-williams]

I recently went on the Prima( Thanksgiving week 2024). Disappointing. Entertainment uninspiring. Lots of games and few shows. Would have like to have seen the Donna Summer show. Have traveled on NCL in the past and loved the food and specialty restaurants especially Cagneys. Not the same. Ship was poorly set up. The events that you wanted to attend were in areas too small for the volume of people who wanted to go. Lots of games can't say that enough but only a few were able to participate in. Smallest pool I have seen on a big cruise ship,
One bright spot was the cruise director.

[jameschetwynd]

Ok i agree bad design
Will enjoy as here for ports, food, and cozy cabin
Will be pro at prima in a few days
Iceland may 19
Sail 22nd