Norwegian Prima Cruise – What Went Wrong? Honest Review

In this video, we dive into an honest review of the Norwegian Prima, the highly anticipated ship that shocked everyone with its 2.9 out of 5 rating on Cruise Critic. 🌊 From the stunning new design to onboard entertainment, restaurants, and room quality, we’re breaking down what might have led to this low score. Is it really that disappointing, or did the ship just miss the mark on some key areas?

Join us as we explore what works, what doesn’t, and who might still enjoy a trip on the Norwegian Prima despite the reviews. If you’re planning a cruise soon or just curious about the hype around this ship, don’t miss our insights! Let us know your thoughts in the comments—would you still give it a try?

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We are Josh & Taylor the couple behind this YouTube channel! We are Pennsylvania natives who relocated to central Florida with a passion for travel, photography, and videography. Traveling has long been our escape and we created this space to share with other couples how to travel to new destinations just like us! We share our travel tips, packing guides, videos, and photography from around the world! We’ll see you on our next GETAWAY!

[ambarpicon]

We did a Mediterranean cruise on the Prima in 2023 and it was fabulous! It was just 2 of us, and no issues with getting reservations for anything or crowding. IMO you're going to have logistical challenges with large groups anywhere, and that might have played a huge factor in your review. We did a balcony room, and it met all our needs. Sure, there are the extra charges here and there, but they were quality products/services in my opinion. We had such a great experience with the vibe, food, activities, excursions, and entertainment, really all around, that I compare all the cruise ships to this one and they just don't seem as nice. Just sharing since I was surprised by your review. Bottom line, we all need to consider for ourselves what will make our cruise great. Happy cruising!

[patrickward]

Just got back from a 15 day solo sailing to the Caribbean. I agree the spaces are too small. The Rumors show and Bossa Nova Beat were excellent! I enjoyed the food and the Whiskey Bar was awesome. The Observation Lounge was one of my favorite spaces on the ship and it did get crowded at peak times. The solo lounge was well appointed and spacious. The outside deck that wraps around the ship on Deck 8 (Ocean Blvd.) was really great, and the art garden on the starboard side was the most peaceful outside spot on the ship. The go kart track was a ton of fun, easily one of the most fun tracks I've been on. The buffet was small and crowded, but the food was palatable and the staff were loads of fun. I could have done without the stop in Jamaica (Falmouth). Overall I had a great experience. 8 out of 10

[roan]

I was on the Prima last year and the main pool is super small for the amount of people the ship holds. You can't get much sun at the pool as the racetrack is covering one side of the pool.

[rodneyscales]

Thank You for your thorough review. I thought the Theater was alright. I went upstairs to see all the shows whether I was on the waitlist or not. You are definitely right about all the other venues. I am not waiting over a hour in line to see a show in Syd Norman. The food was very good. The show that I saw in the theater was very good. I’m going on the Aqua in March. I heard that they remedied a lot of these concerns.

[johnthyen]

I was on prima thanksgiving weekend an 11 day out of Manhattan which went down to the carribean. they did the rumors show in the theatre one night instead of syd normans. i had a studio room. it was.
The nicest one I've ever in. I thought the ship was sexy!. My only complaint was the atrium is too small.

[bluestarindustrialarts]

We are taking the Prima in 10 days for a 10 day Caribbean cruise. Dominican, Puerto Rico, Tortola, St Thomas, St, John. We booked a Haven Suite. From the numerous videos that we have watched, I concur, that too much space is taken up by pay to play amusements (which we are for the most part, not interested in). That leaves this ship being a warm weather cruising ship. To do Iceland/Norway in anything other than high summer months will lead to most passengers being inside on sea days, resulting in crowded conditions. Mainly because so much outside space is pay to play rather than them having built more interior spaces. So we don't know yet but hope we will find out soon that the major complaint of over crowded interior venues is decreased by booking this ship in warmer weather conditions. This will be our 3rd cruise. We're not seasoned cruise ship travellers. We have 4 sea days as we are leaving from NYC. 2 of us.

[richking]

Was on the Prima in 2023. Your review is spot on.

[angeliquehill]

We loved our stateroom and found storage space to be adequate. We never had dinner in the main dining room and never visited the buffet. Indulge was a disaster. We waited over half an hour for food and only saw the waiter once. We never went back. The entertainment venues WERE very small and we never saw anything except live music in the bars due to crowding. We had no idea we needed to reserve entertainment.

[marykatewyant]

It's a beautiful ship, but I agree with the space issue. Also, I was not too fond of the Indulge hours. I would recommend this ship for this northern Europe itinerary but would not book it for a warm-weather vacation. The shows were not great. Royal Caribbean has far superior paid dining options (in my opinion). Some of the best staff at the whiskey bar!

[jimelliott]

Josh, I'm a little incredulous with your Prima review. My cost for Prima, Viva, any of the Breakaway ships vs RCCL is ALWAYS lower: drinkpackage, specialty dining vs paying for that on RCCL. And we always book Vibe. We get a better service experience than RCCL. Prima has small venues and that can be frustrating. But the actual nickel and dime conversation is a little off. Base fare compared to other lines allows you to choose your cruise experience by paying for darts, mini golf, race track. C'mon..., look at the aesthetic of Prima compared to RCCL.

[Nascaris]

I was on this ship… oh wait it was the viva! They are identical! Deck 8 rocked. Spot on! Lido was brutal.. I would not want to do these ships in the Caribbean! We did a 9 day on the viva in the med and never ate at the buffet which I loved.

[katelynneprosser]

I couldn't agree more! A beautiful ship, but it definitely lacked in space, entertainment and "things to do". The Local could be great, just needs more seating. However, dining and the service was impeccable!

[MagikIggy]

I like Prima. Been on the ship 3 times. No problem at all. My fourth sailing is booked.

[jeannel]

After many cruises on NCL going on Celebrity again wasn’t impressed the first time but believe now more mature believe it’s a great choice.

[Stacy-pzrr]

I was thinking about Norwegian for an Alaskan cruise, are they all this away with the nickel and dime thing, I’ll like to prepay for things I know I’m going to use or do, kinda like planning Disney trips, plan and pay then it’s time to play . I don’t like extras I haven’t planned on
Thanks for the honest review
❤fromTx

[jamespugh]

Nice run down. Why NcL looked at a over priced line skipped by some.

[chrisrobertson]

We cruised the NCL Prima for 26 nights last month and we had mixed reviews! Overall, the staff is great and very friendly like Elliot (Bar Manager 6th deck), Anita (Penrose Bar), Carla (Penrose Bar) and many others! We thought the Indulge Food Hall is/was so over-rated... breakfast is terrible and lunch/dinner choices are okay at best. The Local is good for a quick choice, but the food quality has dropped compared to our last NCL cruise. Husdon's has great views, but awful service and food is not much better! Go to Commodore instead of Hudson's and ask for Ranier (sp)! The room (15136 balcony) was really nice and no complaints.

[jonathanleslie]

I thought the ship was great. for reference: I love the Norwegian Gem, and I disliked the Norwegian Breakaway, the three ships I have been on by Norwegian. The Gem is still my favorite, and the prima, seems to have fixed all the mistakes that are on the Breakaway. Even with over half the top deck wasted with a race track, there was plenty of room to get a lounge chair and sun. I do wish that Syd Norman's was open a heck of a lot more. It should have 3 shows a day, every day and the ship would of been perfect.

[esperanzas]

On 08/03/25 I'm boarding the Prima, I hope it's better than what you say
I've done 5 cruises and I'm not an expert but I do see the differences... I'll tell you
Someone to be able to tell things about the ship on the route through Europe, I'm Spanish and it's more aimed at Spanish or Spanish-speaking people, like dinners, are they very demanding on clothing? I'm going to Iceland and I can't take a lot of clothes, especially clothes that I'll wear one night, or how do I disembark in ports? Do they speak Spanish on the ship? I find people who say that if others have the basics? Do they have the dining room menus in Spanish? What happens on the ship the next day, they usually leave it in your cabin, do they give it to you in

[anthonyr]

I personally love NCL
I’m just not a fan of this class of ship…