Luxury Cruise review: Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) CEO and Chairman Harry Sommer admitted “the Prima class of ship is our future”. We jumped on Norwegian Prima for its inaugural cruise from Galveston, Houston for a first look.

It’s not just a new ship, but a new ‘class’ of ship. The company claims that Norwegian Prima is designed entirely with the passenger in mind. Not derivative of previous ships or deferring to assumed wisdom or expectations of what a cruise ship should be.

Norwegian Prima during its grand debut in New York City.

In our judgement, Norwegian Prima is designed to be the resort holiday you have always wanted.

We spent four nights trying to unravel just how different Norwegian Prima really is. We went hard, and would have loved more time (which says something in and of itself), but here is what we found.

• Our verdict
• Sustainability
• Summary
• What makes Norwegian Prima different
• Norwegian Prima itineraries and pricing

But if you want more, then there is a full detailed review of almost every inch of the 299m long ship that follows – links below. (We did say we went hard…)

Restaurants and bars | Entertainment | Suites and Staterooms

Norwegian Prima – Our verdict

Yes, Norwegian Prima is a very different cruise ship whose innovations may appear on many more post-Covid ships – even though it was largely conceptualised well before the pandemic.

Who will love Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Prima will generally suit couples who love an upmarket resort-style experience with a great variety of food and drink options, don’t mind paying more for some exclusive amenities like the Vibe Beach Club and like a mix of relaxation, nightlife and solitude to rest and recover.

The decor and aesthetic are modern, bright and sleek. No sharp edges but organic curved lines. Each zone obviously has its own colour palette however the overall effect is a boutique and intimate feel where restaurants evoke either a sense of comfortable neighbourhood favourites or upmarket sophisticated spaces.

The Surfside Grill on Norwegian Prima.

For luxury lovers, the Haven is a game changer and has ruined cruising for us, much like business class vs economy flying.

Will families and kids like Norwegian Prima?

Families would be advised to choose cruises that have equal shore and on-board time as the kids may exhaust the on-board activities relatively quickly.

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What makes Norwegian Prima different

There is one major design change plus a few dining and entertainment innovations that validate the prima moniker – as in ‘first’.

Norwegian Prima is more spacious for guests

The big change is around space, as in there is a lot of it.

The space-to-guest (and staffing) ratio is the highest in the large-scale cruise ship class. NCL claims there is 36% more space per guest and the most outdoor space of any new cruise ship.

We see this first hand on the inaugural. On board were 2500 other passengers, 81% capacity (the max dual occupancy is 3100) and it never felt uncomfortably busy or overcrowded.

The feeling of space is created by departure from typical cruise ship design. Cruise aficionados may experience a sense of disorientation as some things are not quite where you expect them to be.

Infinity Beach on deck eight of Norwegian Prima is part of the much larger outdoor spaces built into the Prima class.

The biggest example is that the major pool deck has been effectively increased in size but split across two decks. On deck 17 a single pool, two hot tubs and a bar. While on the port and starboard sides of deck eight there is a secondary pool and lounge area called Infinity Beach. The infinity edge pools blur the line between sea and pool, surrounded by day beds that float on shallow pools and more loungers.

This effectively disperses the sun worshippers across deck 17 and deck 8, as opposed to the cheek-by-jowl sun lounger battles that can occur on other ships. Having said that the pool on deck 17 is not exactly expansive however, there is ample room for sun loungers and day beds.

Deck eight is much more than just Infinity Beach and is the foundation of creating a ship that is as much outdoors as it is in. Deck eight is known as The Ocean Boulevard, comprising Infinity Beach and other zones like La Terazza, a series of curved lounges with sea views or the Sculpture walk where more than US$2m worth of art is installed.

Scenic views at the sculpture garden after sundown.

This dispersal continues across all decks of Norwegian Prima. From the cosy observation deck in the stern to the Soleil bar at the aft, there are bars and spaces dotted across the entire 20 decks that create ample space for everyone.

Norwegian Prima has some new ideas about dining

Every cruise ship will list endless dining and drinking options, and Norwegian Prima is in many ways no different, but two really stand out.

Nudls serves noodle dishes, from Italian to Thai cuisines.

Norwegian Prima Indulge Food Hall

The Indulge Food Hall is unusual. Think food court, a plethora of cuisines to choose from, but cast the vision of a Westfield food court far from your mind.

The mini-restaurants and food trucks serve up a multitude of dishes; Indian tikka from the tandoor at Tamara, pad thai or pasta from Nudls, pulled pork burgers from the Q Texas BBQ, nachos from the Latin Quarter (housed in a mini airstream food truck) and charcuterie from the Tapas food truck.

Nachos, guacamole or Tostados from the Latin Quarter food truck at the Indulge Food Hall.

Ordering is simple. Select your items from any of the 11 mini-restaurants on an iPad at a table, and in about two minutes it will be delivered to your table. You don’t need to move or order through an attendant.

Norwegian’s Hudson and Commodore Rooms’ main dining halls are changing

Classic dining rooms have a seven-day ever-changing menu. On-board Norwegian Prima, the menu is the same every day – however, there are enough choices to give you plenty of reasons to come back.

The Hudson décor and 360-degree views are fresh. Bright white with aqua furnishing, the complimentary restaurant is a great place for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Norwegian Prima has rethought its theatre

The theatre is a flexible space. For the on-board Broadway show – Summer: The Donna Summer show (a must-see, more on that later) there is a full three-deck theatre. The seating can be retracted to half seating or even fully retracted to create a dance floor for a dance party.

The three-deck go-kart track

Yes, the go-kart track is across three decks, 22% larger than any other go-kart track they have at sea (they are the only ones with tracks) and the cars can reach max speeds of 48km/h. We did take great joy in setting the fastest lap in our race.

A three-level race track onboard Norwegian Prima.

The Studio’s lounge

Not only was Norwegian Cruise Line a pioneer in the single occupancy Studio but Norwegian Prima now has a “studio lounge” for the exclusive use of studio guests. It offers studio passengers a much larger space in which to relax.

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The intimate and exclusive bar in The Haven.

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Norwegian Prima and sustainability

There is no doubt that the cruising industry is very serious about sustainability. All CLIA members have made a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 and Norwegian Cruise Line is firmly in that camp.

It should be noted that sustainability on-board a cruise ship is an enormous undertaking, and the cruise industry faces the single largest challenge of all travel and tourism sectors to make a difference.

Norwegian takes pride in being the first cruise line to ban plastic straws four years ago, but are not fooling themselves to think that it is at all enough.

Sail safely aboard the Norwegian Prima.

Take for example the “recycled and reused” cocktails developed at the sustainable cocktail bar on deck 6 Metropolitan (see above). Again, these are not game changers, but they address the things that can be done today while investigating the bigger challenges.

Harry Sommer, CEO and Chairman, was quick to tell all on board they are experimenting with eco diesel fuels where the carbon captured by the organic fuel is released in its manufacture and burning – hence a net zero fuel.

When asked about hybrid possibilities, he hints that the technology at the time of design of the Norwegian Prima (approx. 2017 and 2018) was most definitely not a viable choice. But the company is certainly investigating the possibilities for future ships (not the second Prima Class ship, The Viva, to be launched next year, however).

Norwegian Prima is built using cutting-edge, eco-friendly technologies.

Summary

We loved the experience and wanted more time and access to the rest of the dining experiences. Don’t miss the Summer: The Donna Summer show, enjoy the Indulge Food Hall and Infinity Beach but most of all, if you can, book The Haven,

Want more, cause there is plenty more, read on for a very detailed overview of every restaurant, bar, staterooms, entertainment and activities on offer on-board Norwegian Prima.

Norwegian Prima itineraries and pricing

Norwegian Prima will be the first cruise ship to be homeported out of Galveston, an hour from Houston) and will do seven four-port Caribbean sailings through the northern hemisphere winter.

Initial pricing is:

1. Inside from AUD$1820 per person.
2. Balcony from AUD$2410 per person
3. Suite from AUD$5745 per person
4. Haven from AUD$7140 per person

The pricing includes taxes and gratuities and the NCL “Free at Sea” bonus offers, which include a choice of things like complimentary wifi, drinks packages and speciality dining package or credits for shore excursions.

Norwegian Prima will then move to Europe to do Southampton to Iceland itineraries in the northern hemisphere summer.

Norwegian Prima’s suites are specially built with spacious and stylish interiors.

NOTE: On inaugural cruises, availability to all dining and activities can be limited due to the short length of the cruise. We share our experiences on the things we experienced and overviews (opinions) of what we see.

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Want to experience what it feels like to be on a Norwegian Prima cruise? Visit NCL to learn more.