Cruise

Ship Review: Norwegian Prima, NCL

Ship Review: Norwegian Prima, NCL

NCL’s first Prima class ship, christened by Katy Perry, is full of surprises from live game shows to a three-tier race track

Key selling points for cruise agents: 

  • NCL’s first food hall at sea, Indulge, housing 11 food outlets
  • Prima Theatre’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and live The Price is Right game shows
  • Sauna, salt room and steam room therapy at Mandara Spa
  • A three-tier racetrack
  • A VR (Virtual Reality) entertainment zone with augmented reality racing and flying rides
  • Real-life spiralling vertical slides The Drop and The Rush

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Overview: Norwegian Prima is as fashion-forward as her godmother, pop icon Katy Perry, who christened the ship and led celebrations in Reykjavík, Iceland on 27 August 2022, by performing a high-energy concert of her latest releases and classic hits. Her fiancé Orlando Bloom and their daughter Daisy Dove were also on board the family-friendly ship. Orlando made use of the state-of-the-art gym facilities and Katy said her daughter had a wonderful time. The famous family enjoyed the reimagined Haven, NCL’s “ship-within-a-ship” luxury quarters, which have a new design located at the aft of the ship. 

The Haven's infinity pool overlooks the ship’s wake and ever-changing postcard-worthy selection of scenic views

Norwegian Prima's launch party with Perry

Cabins: NCL’s most spacious cabins to date certainly feel roomier, with accommodating ensuite bathrooms and elevated beds high enough to hide away the biggest suitcases and increased wardrobe space, a dressing table and a widescreen TV. Studio Staterooms for solo travellers and Inside Staterooms for two offer the best value. To enjoy the ocean panoramas, there are Oceanview Staterooms with large porthole windows – perfectly adequate for cold weather cruises. From this category of cabin and above, there are sofas, where guests can settle in for cosy movie nights. NCL has a good selection free of charge. If your clients are sailing through balmy summer itineraries, they will appreciate a Balcony Stateroom, or a suite, furnished with plush loungers to enjoy the glorious outdoors. There are three categories of suites. The Haven is the highest level with 24-hour butler service, a private sundeck and exclusive access to Haven facilities, including the Haven restaurant, and an infinity pool deck with a sauna and an ice room.

Balcony Stateroom

Food and Drink: Make a beeline for NCL’s first food hall at sea, Indulge. This fabulous concept is a crowd-pleaser with 11 food outlets operating within the same space. Guests can choose their preferred style of seating, from intimate booths to high stools at counters, and order dishes from all venues on iPads located at tables. Giving families and groups the freedom to choose the cuisine they prefer while still sharing a meal together. The spicy Indian dosa, the Spanish Manchego cheese and Italian tomato bruschetta, the tuna tostadas and the all-American beef brisket with grits are among the highlights on the menu.  

Hammocks at Indulge food hall

Other easily accessible eateries include the elegant Hudson’s and The Commodore Room, which share a menu of refined a la carte breakfasts, lunches and dinners; the Surfside Café buffet and the atmospheric Local Bar & Grill offering typical pub grub, including burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and fish and chips. There are also eight speciality restaurants and advanced booking is strongly recommended.

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Testament to its popularity, despite items being chargeable, the onboard Starbucks attracts queues. Elsewhere, bars tailor to all tastes with 12 to choose between. Syd Norman’s Pour House is a hive of live music. When the Fleetwood Mac tribute band is playing, you better get there early.

For late-night revellers, the Prima Theatre is converted into a Las Vegas-style nightclub after the evening shows conclude

Prima Theatre

Facilities: Entertainment is high on the agenda. Prima Theatre’s Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is a beautifully crafted biography paying homage to the life and hits of the ‘Queen of Disco’. The theatre also hosts live The Price is Right gameshows, in which guests from the audience are selected to come on stage and guess product prices to win prizes.

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Beyond the theatre, there’s a three-tier racetrack; a VR (Virtual Reality) entertainment zone with augmented reality racing and flying rides; spiralling vertical slides called The Drop and The Rush (one offers a sheer drop while the other provides faster descent); private darts suites and mini golf.

For more sedate pursuits, there’s Instagram-worthy Mandara Spa, which has a two-storey waterfall wall, indoor pools and a self-contained row of saunas and steam rooms.  The gym is equipped with the latest Technogym machines, and an abundance of treadmills, exercise bikes and cross-trainers. The main outdoor pool is complemented by a chic deck adorned with plump sea-facing sun loungers surrounded by their own mini infinity pools and a glass-bottom boulevard that extends over the sea.

Infinity pool on the main deck




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