Norwegian Prima Review

4.5 / 5.0
335 reviews

A different NCL experience with some room for improvement...

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Prima
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kmorin2
6-10 Cruises • Age 30s

Rating by category

Cabin
Family
Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2023
Cabin: Oceanview with Round Window
Enjoying a drink in the observation lounge before dinner.
Great Stirrup Cay
Indulge Food Hall, indoor
Indulge Food Hall, outdoor
Sunset on the concourse.
Ochos Rios, Jamaica
Sunset on The Concourse
Ochos Rios Bay Beach/NCL Prima

I apologize beforehand but this is a long review. I have found others’ input very helpful in planning our vacation and hope our experience can help someone else have a fun cruise on the Prima.

My husband and I traveled alone from Maine (United States) March 12-19, 2023. We are both in our mid to late 30s, no kids and have been on 7 other cruises in the past. We have been on the Escape twice, Dawn, Pearl and Joy all within the last 6-7 years. I have also been on 2 other Princess cruises in the past and my husband cruised solo on the Epic before we met. We most recently were on the Joy out of NYC in October 2022 to Bermuda. We booked this cruise to check out the new ship. We had already been to all the ports on the itinerary knowing that they weren’t really the best stops compared to some of the other Caribbean ports. We had done our research prior to sailing and were aware of some of the recent NCL changes and other’s negative reviews of the Prima experience but went into it with a positive outlook. We were just looking for a getaway from the frigid northeast winter. I wasn’t aware of it at the time of booking, but I chose prime spring break week and there were quite a few families with teenagers as well as college students during our sailing. I did hear that our cruise was completely booked as well.

Embarkation:

Cabin Review

Oceanview with Round Window

This was the best cruise stateroom we’ve had as far as space and cleanliness goes. Would have been great to have a balcony but we noticed on one side of the ship, all the balcony cabins were overlooking the deck 8 pool and everyone in the pool could see onto all the balconies. I would keep that in mind when booking a balcony cabin on this ship if you like privacy. We had an ocean view room with large round window. Room was very spacious and at one point my husband and I both had our large suitcases open on the floor to pack and we had plenty of room. The only tight space in the room was the closet area as the bathroom door opens into this space. There were 3 separate closet areas for hanging clothes and some shelves and baskets in this area for storage. The décor is very clean and modern. The bed was not terribly uncomfortable for a cruise ship. We had a pullout couch/bed in our room that we didn’t use. Plenty of space under the bed to store luggage and other items. Nice vanity area with good lighting. Hair dryer is in this space and was of decent quality. The TV was large and they seem to have upgraded some of the options on the menu so that you can book shows/dinners, view restaurant menus, check your balance among other things. The large window was nice to see outside and had blackout curtains

Stateroom bathroom was also very spacious and well lit. The bathroom door did not stay open on its own which was annoying but fine. Hard to have a conversation while getting ready but we managed to prop it open. Large sink and huge shower for a cruise ship. Plenty of bathroom shelving for our toiletries. There is a drawer next to the sink as well which I discovered halfway through the week.

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