Prima TA 9/23/22 to 10/5/22 Semi-Live, Not

[JIMESOPUS]

9 minutes ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

I was under the assumption that the Improv was reservations only just like the comedy clubs are on the other ships.  But isn't Syd's walk in only, similar to the Cavern Club?

Different rules if you are Haven, just ask the concierge and he will get you in. We did Haven once and never had any problems getting into shows before anyone else. Reservations were gone for the Improv, except for one show and no matter how early we arrived for Syd's most of the seating was taken. This ship has a higher ratio of Haven and suite guest's than any other ship.  

[JIMESOPUS]

One of the biggest disappointments for me was the Metropolitan Bar on deck #7, some entertainment but very little life. The Prima doesn't have a Bliss lounge and even though the Theater is mention as a nightclub, they only had two dance nights. This would have been a prefect location for Bliss just add a little more color.

Hallway leading into the Metropolitan, doors on the left lead into the Humidor Cigar Lounge ( this is not listed on the current deck plans )

 

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[CruizinSusan70]

25 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Different rules if you are Haven, just ask the concierge and he will get you in. We did Haven once and never had any problems getting into shows before anyone else. Reservations were gone for the Improv, except for one show and no matter how early we arrived for Syd's most of the seating was taken. This ship has a higher ratio of Haven and suite guest's than any other ship.  

Am not and never will be in Haven.  I'll choose to cruise multiple times instead.  But if we have problems on our THREE Prima sailings between now and March, it will be our last time sailing on NCL.  Had great times on the Bliss and 3 times on the Escape, but never got shut out of a venue.  Showed up to the Cavern Club early and always got a seat for the Beatles show on the Bliss.  Showed up to Howl at the Moon on the Escape and always got a seat.

A bad picture is being painted about Syd's and is leaving a nasty taste in my mouth.  Keeping fingers crossed.

[debenson0723]

5 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Bars - Every picture is blurry? Well I'll try to remember,  

On Deck #6 there is the Belvedere Bar, aft section. Used for group gatherings, plenty of seating and we didn't see any musical entertainment. The meet and greet was held there.

Bar menu, each bar had their own special pre mix drink, enjoyed that Bourbon Myth

Meet and Greet, door in the back leads to Cagney's

Also on Deck #6 midship is the Penrose bar. The bar is also the casino bar and there some poker machines on one end. The place was jumping almost every night ( live entertainment in the alcove ) and you could have almost any drink you wanted. Sorry no pictures, what happens on the ship stays on the ship. 

 

Not sure if you went to the Platinum and above Latitudes party in the Observation Lounge but the Captain sang and played guitar.  He was very good. I like how he was visible and approachable on the ship as well as honest in the daily briefings on what to expect on the seas and in port for the following day. He did admit at the Meet & Greet that he reads Cruise Critic.

[JIMESOPUS]

3 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Not sure if you went to the Platinum and above Latitudes party in the Observation Lounge but the Captain sang and played guitar.  He was very good. I like how he was visible and approachable on the ship as well as honest in the daily briefings on what to expect on the seas and in port for the following day. He did admit at the Meet & Greet that he reads Cruise Critic.

We have sailed with Captain Roger many times especially on the Gem, NYC harbor is very tricky and was the right choice to be the first captain to sail into NYC. We even met his wife once.

[fstuff1]

Do you have the menu for all the items at the Food Hall?

[debenson0723]

1 minute ago, fstuff1 said:

Do you have the menu for all the items at the Food Hall?

The menu is on a tablet just like Food Republic so someone would have to have photos of every venue (and I am sure someone has but I didn't take any).  Some items change every day but I found my favorites were typically there when I visited. Desserts are the same as what is available in the buffet.

[steamboats]

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

Do you have the menu for all the items at the Food Hall?

 

I have 😉 - see here.

 

steamboats

[Red-Sol]

14 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Different rules if you are Haven, just ask the concierge and he will get you in. We did Haven once and never had any problems getting into shows before anyone else. Reservations were gone for the Improv, except for one show and no matter how early we arrived for Syd's most of the seating was taken. This ship has a higher ratio of Haven and suite guest's than any other ship.  

 

Sounds like you are a little disappointed in some of the way the venues such as Syd's are setup. It seems like NCL really didn't think some of this through at all. To me the only way they can really fix some of those problems now is to utilize the theater for some of the acts in Syd's at times. Would be a quick fix to prevent a lot of unhappy people unable to even get into Syd's at all due to it being filled with Haven folks. Frankly I think it is just wrong to allow that venue to be filled with people from Haven before us steerage folks. It is a public venue and people should be allowed in only after waiting in the same lines. To me entertainment is a very important part of sailing on NCL and this doesn't sound good at all.

[cruiseny4life]

28 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

Frankly I think it is just wrong to allow that venue to be filled with people from Haven before us steerage folks.

We could probably go back and forth on whether this is the right thing to do or not, but it is one of the many perks NCL is very proud to discuss when marketing the Haven. It's not a huge deal to me. I did use it in September, but there was plenty of room in the venues and I hated that I had to get there 40 minutes before the crowd. 

 

Should NCL do this? Well, that's an entirely different (and probably heated) topic. 🙂 I'd still book Haven if this was not a perk. 

[JIMESOPUS]

This review is taking longer than I thought, but before I go up to Deck #8, need to thank the bar staff at Syd's and the Improv, those places were packed but they never waivered, kept everyone well hydrated and always had a positive attitude. Special thanks to Marcial V., lead bartender at Syd's and the winner of the Beer Stein endurance contest.

 

 

In fact the entire time aboard, everyone from Captain Roger to our cabin steward Dexter was very approachable, professional and eager to make this cruise the best ever  

[Karaboudjan]

It seems to me that the root of most of these concerns is that the Prima is optimized for outdoor activity and the cruises so far have not had good weather for being outdoors.  Furthermore I suspect that they have been demographically skewed toward singles/couples who are probably more likely to frequent the music/show venues than families might be.  I can't believe that NCL is not able to predict accurately how many people are likely to go to the various shows, so I doubt that the size of Syd Norman's, the theater or anything else is a misjudgement.

 

Over time as the ship sails the itineraries that it was meant for and people book based on what the ships offer and what they prefer to do I think these things will work themselves out.

[JIMESOPUS]

Deck #8 Bars - two in the back near the food hall, Soleil ( outdoors / closed ) and Luna ( indoors ) almost a mirror image of each other, never got a chance to try Luna, packed by people trying to eat at the Food Hall. Some tapped beers and premixed drinks.

The local bar was always had a crowd, some were even eating at the bar, the swing chairs were always in use. We asked for a Toasted Almond frozen drink there and were told no, not at this bar which didn't make sense since they had all the stuff there and were making mudslides

The Whiskey Bar in the atrium is just that, this bar at midship is the last bar on deck #8 going forward and has direct access to the outside,  La Terrazza they need to be more flexible in the drink menu.

[JIMESOPUS]

@Red-Sol Joe, I'm just surprised how they used the interior space and some of the wacky stuff they added. Here is a screen shot of deck #8, midship. On the port side is the Whiskey Bar with beautiful views of the ocean, on the starboard side is a Jewelry store, the shelving blocks the entire view. This should have been a second bar, Shakers or Mojito. Why spend all that money on windows only to block the view.

The Atrium was design by someone playing Jenga, absolutely no flow in the pathways thru or down.

Finally the slides, taking up space on deck #8 near the Infinity Beach ( less loungers ), hanging off the ship and having crew standing there all day waiting for the occasional thrill seeker ( during our cruise several folks reported being stuck in the slide at the end ).

 

  Unlike some that we talked to, we will be on her again, but it has to be warmer climate, more port days and maybe even in the Haven. We have the Viva TA booked and even though it's a more southern route we may cancel. 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by JIMESOPUS

[JIMESOPUS]

So I guess from my previous post you now know that I was not blown away by the Prima, she has so much potential that was never utilized. Maybe by placing the " engine " midship you are forced to design stuff around the center of the ship but some of the stuff was just plain stupid ( in my opinion ).

The Observation lounge was beautiful but they placed the Galaxy Pavilion in the center which reduced the size of the lounge. I knew this before boarding but seeing it first hand made my head spin. No room for a library, OK just stack the books on the shelves in the Observation lounge. We enjoyed this area and the bar was fantastic, But it has the same problem as the Away+ ships, the same people everyday were sleeping with their shoes and socks off. Should have added that the latitudes party was held there and as you can see it was packed to the gills. We finally found a seat !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by JIMESOPUS

[ppcox]

2 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

It seems to me that the root of most of these concerns is that the Prima is optimized for outdoor activity and the cruises so far have not had good weather for being outdoors.  Furthermore I suspect that they have been demographically skewed toward singles/couples who are probably more likely to frequent the music/show venues than families might be.  I can't believe that NCL is not able to predict accurately how many people are likely to go to the various shows, so I doubt that the size of Syd Norman's, the theater or anything else is a misjudgement.

 

Over time as the ship sails the itineraries that it was meant for and people book based on what the ships offer and what they prefer to do I think these things will work themselves out.

As someone that couldn’t get into Syd Norman’s to see Rumours I do think that NCL have misjudged some of the spaces. But you are right that some problems won’t be issues in warm weather but evening entertainment venues will still be too small. 

[JIMESOPUS]

Prima Theater - Wow, all the entertainment in here was fantastic, a must see show is Summers. Just wished there was more but it's very labor intensive to move the seats, a crew of 6 have to prep the seating before collapsing or expanding.

Thought there would be more DJ nights, Club 54 and the 80 night, don't even remember a white hot night. Thus a need for a Bliss lounge.

The laser light show on this cruise was the first one, the only draw back was the sound, way too loud for me. I lowered the volume while recording.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JIMESOPUS]

Overall the ship is beautiful, except for those slides hanging off the ship. Wish she had a little more color inside. Sailing from Iceland to Halifax, through 20 to 30 ft seas at 20kts she hardly shook, those white bags never appeared. The mechanical design of the ship with the power plant in the middle worked, the captain even called her the Italian Ferrari.

The cabin was the best ever,  remember that on a lower deck your privacy on the balcony is compromised. 

They could have done better with the interior layout, added another bar on deck #8, placed the Improv in a location where there isn't a column in the center of the seats and more fixed seating in Syd's

I got use to walking thru the shops to go forward or aft, towards the end we started using the hallway on deck #14 to bypass the traffic ( at times I thought I was walking thru a straw market ).

Somehow we missed some of the classic NCL shows, Not so Newlywed Game, the Glow party or even Battle of the Sexes. I don't even remember these being listed, maybe the Prima is a upper class ship.

 

We had a great time, enjoyed the CC events, had a blast at the Oktoberfest,  fantastic crew, NCL air worked for us and visiting Iceland was remarkable. 

 

Will we sail her again, yes,  but it has to be in a warmer climate ( never experienced any of the Oceanwalk venues, just too windy / cold  ). She was only 2/3 full, waiting to see reviews with her at full capacity.  

Edited October 8, 2022 by JIMESOPUS

[Red-Sol]

53 minutes ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Will we sail her again, yes,  but it has to be in a warmer climate ( never experienced any of the Oceanwalk venues, just too windy / cold  )

There's always April 30th NYC to Bermuda (Hint Hint) Possibly could be a little cool still but I think sailing through the Gulf Stream will warm things up nicely.

[JIMESOPUS]

@Red-SolJoe, actually thinking about MSC for 2023 Bermuda, trying to find out what terminal they will be using in NYC. MSC is making a play for the Tri-State market and their prices are low right now 

[laudergayle]

24 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

 

There's always April 30th NYC to Bermuda (Hint Hint) Possibly could be a little cool still but I think sailing through the Gulf Stream will warm things up nicely.

My hubby and I are on this cruise.  After reading the reviews, we are hopeful we’ll be able to enjoy the outdoor amenities while in Bermuda.  Also used the Amex offer to pay $1000 towards our cruise.  Have you booked already?  

[Red-Sol]

7 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

My hubby and I are on this cruise.  After reading the reviews, we are hopeful we’ll be able to enjoy the outdoor amenities while in Bermuda.  Also used the Amex offer to pay $1000 towards our cruise.  Have you booked already?  

 

Yes we are in a balcony cabin Deck 11 close to the rear elevators.....Can't Wait! 🙂

 

[HBCcruiser]

18 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

My hubby and I are on this cruise.  After reading the reviews, we are hopeful we’ll be able to enjoy the outdoor amenities while in Bermuda.  Also used the Amex offer to pay $1000 towards our cruise.  Have you booked already?  

We are also on the April 30 cruise. 😎

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, Red-Sol said:

 

Yes we are in a balcony cabin Deck 11 close to the rear elevators.....Can't Wait! 🙂

 

We’re in a balcony on 12 midship but more forward.  I, too, can’t wait!!  We’re doing Breakaway on 10/16.  

[Red-Sol]

2 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

We’re in a balcony on 12 midship but more forward.  I, too, can’t wait!!  We’re doing Breakaway on 10/16.  

We were scheduled to do a 12 day Caribbean cruise out of NYC on Getaway in January 2023. As I kept looking at videos etc. of Prima I just knew I had to do that ship. Timeframe wise I wasn't able to do both within a few months so cancelled Getaway. The longer Winter cruises out of NYC are my favorite ones to do...so I may still see if I can figure out a way to do both.🙂