Norwegian Prima isn’t your typical NCL cruise ship.
Norwegian’s newest ship debuted in Iceland with a naming ceremony followed by an inaugural sailing that showed off a whole new style for the popular cruise line.
Norwegian Cruise Line gets a lot of credit for a bold approach with Prima, its first-in-class ship that features a creative vision for how to design and use space — both inside and out.
After the christening ceremony in Reykjavik, during which ship godmother Katy Perry put on an energetic concert to close out the evening, Prima sailed for a week to Amsterdam, with stops at Cobh, Ireland; Portland, U.K.; and Le Havre, France.
During this time, I got to see the new ship in action and more fully understand what the line is going for with a range of new concepts that include a striking three-story atrium, larger staterooms, and smaller but more distinct neighborhoods around the ship.
Norwegian Prima can carry up to 3,100 passengers, but NCL President Harry Sommer said the line is aiming to make this new class of ships feel more like a high-end boutique hotel experience instead of a busy and bustling cruise ship.
Here’s what stands out on Norwegian Prima:
New Places to Eat
Aside from favorites like Cagney’s, Los Lobos, Food Republic, and Le Bistro, Norwegian Prima features three new specialty restaurants.
Nama is an intimate sushi and sashimi eatery offering table seating as well as a number of seats at the sushi bar, where you can watch items prepared. Palomar serves seafood and Mediterranean specialties in indoor and outdoor spaces located up on the pool deck opposite the ship’s buffet, Surfside Café and Grill. Hasuki is the ship’s teppanyaki restaurant.
Of note: It will be difficult to get reservations for the specialty restaurants on Norwegian Prima unless you make sure to secure your reservations ahead of your cruise. Among the new venues, we dined in Nama and Palomar during our sailing, and both were excellent additions to the Norwegian lineup.
At the two main dining rooms Hudson’s (a beautiful space with 270-degree views at the aft of the ship) and the Commodore Room, the menu never changes. This new concept is designed to cut down on food waste. The menu is a big one, though, with a variety of steaks, seafood, and more so that you won’t run out of choices if you choose to eat most of your dinners in these eateries.
In total, there are more than a dozen places to eat on the ship, including the new Indulge Food Hall, a massive venue with 11 separate cuisine concepts. This place was a hit, as it has “food trucks” The Latin Quarter (tostadas) and Tapas, plus the Q Texas Smokehouse (barbecue), Nudls (Asian and Italian noodle dishes), Tamara (Indian cuisine) and Seaside Rotisserie (beef, fish, and poultry), among other free options.
Get there early, especially for lunch, so you can secure a seat. You order from a tablet, and waiters keep the dishes coming until you decide you’re satisfied. Indulge Food Hall also is home to one of the ship’s two Starbucks as well as Coco’s, which offers a menu of decadent desserts, including hand-crafted milkshakes. (These two dining options come with a small charge.)
Prima Speedway and Galaxy Pavilion
Norwegian Cruise Line brought go-kart racing to the high seas, and Prima Speedway is the biggest track so far. This three-deck complex dominates the top part of the ship. The main pool area is cramped, though, because of the large footprint taken by the race track that rises just above it from Decks 18 to 20.
Racers pay a fee to throw down fast laps on this course, with the squeals of the tires and roar of the engines raining over the pool area. Within the race-track facility, you’ll find a wide range of activities at The Stadium, which has ping-pong, a dedicated pickleball court, and other games. Across the way, Tee Time miniature golf and The Bull’s Eye dart rooms are for-fee activities.
You also can hop (for free) into The Drop and The Rush dry slide rides that drop you from Deck 18 all the way to Ocean Boulevard down on Deck 8 in a matter of seconds.
Ocean Boulevard
Norwegian Prima’s promenade on Deck 8 is an innovative and bold use of outdoor space that replaces The Waterfront found on other Norwegian Cruise Line ships. It’s out here where the ship really takes on the feel of an upscale boutique hotel rather. Ocean Boulevard features a series of amenities and neighborhoods that connect the indoors with the outside, so cruisers seamlessly enjoy everything the ship has to offer.
Ocean Boulevard is also vital because it has two pools, one on each side of the ship, called Infinity Beach. Because the pool at the top of the ship is so small and with the noise up there from the race track, these two Infinity Pools are the best options for chilling out.
This stunning promenade also features a sculpture garden, dozens of day beds and lounge chairs (located right next to Soleil Bar at the aft end), and the Ocean Walk glass walkway that lets you spy the ocean below your feet. This is also where you find all the outdoor seating areas for the restaurants around Deck 8, such as The Local, Indulge Food Hall, Onda by Scarpetta, and Los Lobos.
Three-Deck Atrium
The bright and airy Penrose Atrium on Norwegian Prima is the standout design element on a ship that features fewer individual works of art throughout the public areas when compared with other vessels in the fleet. Penrose Atrium is the first triple-decker atrium for the line, with swooping curved staircases connecting Decks 6 to 8. Within the atrium, you’ll find shops, Onda by Scarpetta, the Whiskey Bar, the guest services and shore excursion desks, and Penrose Bar, which is right next to the casino.
So, this beautiful atrium area is a real hub of activity during the voyage.
New Entertainment Options
Prima Theater and Club is an innovative space: a main showroom that converts to a nightclub with a dance floor in the late evening.
We saw it put to use for a Studio 54-style disco party after the brilliant production show Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, a Tony Award–winning biographical extravaganza about the legendary disco queen.
The Price Is Right LIVE is the other big new show featured in the theater. This is just what you think: a game show using members from the Norwegian Prima audience who make their way to the stage to take a stab at nailing the best guess on a price for the items up for bid and playing a series of nostalgic games like Plinko, the Grocery Game and Cliff Hangers.
Overall, the ship boasts a well-balanced blend of the old and new, offering different ways to enjoy the things you know you like.
By John Roberts
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