Prima Haven review Port Canaveral Dec 16 – 23

[libert1]

Here is my review of our 7 day cruise on the NCL Prima of the Caribbean out of Port Canaveral. 

 

This is my 10^th cruise on NCL and my 6^th in the Haven.  Once you go Haven you won’t go back.  We have done two previous cruises with Disney when my daughter was little.  Other than that we have one cruise with Oceania and have not tried any other cruises. 

I am a planner.  I don’t have to have every moment planned out but I hate to idea of missing something if I haven’t researched it.  If I know about it I can decide to miss it or change my plans based on an informed consent.  What I don’t want to do is to find out later that I missed something because I didn’t know about it.  As such, I read every forum on CC and watched as many videos on You Tube as possible before the cruise. 

There were three of us travelling in a HE suite Haven penthouse with balcony, my wife of 35 years and our 22 YO daughter, who graduated with her Master’s degree the day before the cruise.  Yes it was a graduation gift and a chance for all three of us to unwind from the stress of school and work.  This cruise was meant for too much drinking, too much eating, and too much sleeping.  We did not get off the ship at any of the ports.  We succeeded in accomplishing all three goals and relaxing as much as possible

PORT

We arrived at Port Canaveral around 11am, about an hour and a half before our scheduled arrival time.  We dropped the three bags with the porter and he directed us to parking.  No issues with the signs or following directions.  We were at a different dock than I thought we would be based upon my research but the signage was good and easy to follow.  We parked and I took the parking ticket with me based upon the signs that said pay at the machine before leaving.  If you have been to other ports you pay for parking at a machine before getting in your car to avoid lineups at the exit gate.  Upon our return, it turns out that we had to pay at the exit gate due to signs that looked like they were just put up that day.  No issues and no lines.  We just used my CC, paid and exited. 

After parking we walked across the ramp, where my wife was waiting and headed to the terminal.  There were no signs for the Haven or no tents.  But upon arrival at the Disney Q, there was someone loudly yelling out for any Haven gests.  All Haven gests were directed to the left and the masses were sent to the right to join the line.  We went to a separate security line where we were the second group in line.  We got through security in 2 minutes. 

After passing through security, there was a large sign and a person at a podium for Haven guests.  We were checked against the list and escorted to a sign in sheet.  In this room things seemed a bit unorganized and chaotic, but there were the usual snacks and drinks.  However, it was more of an impression as everything went smoothly.  After about 10 minutes we were called to the front desk to go through the usual health questions, take new pictures if needed, my wife and daughter needed new pictures but mine was fine, and were issued our cards.  We were then sent to the next room where we waited 60 seconds till enough of us were ready to be escorted on the ship.  From the time we pulled into port till we were on the ship was about 45 minute’s maybe. 

Boarding

As you board the ship, haven guests were taken directly to the private Haven elevators and taken to deck 16.  Upon arrival there one of the butlers went through the usual Haven spiel and we looked around.  Wanting to go to the Indulge Food hall we went and dropped off our carryon bags in our room.  Our room was ready. We dropped our bags and headed downstairs. We got there a little after 12 but couldn’t find a table.  We ended up at a bar seating behind the Seaside Grill.  That was fine as they served everything from all stations there but my wife does not like sitting at a high top table so we hoped for a regular table.  I will cover the food later.

Room

After lunch we went back up to the room.  The room was great.  It was one of the largest balcony rooms we have ever had.  It was almost as large as the PH suite on the Oceania ship we were on.  There was plenty of room for the three of us.  There were enough drawers available for all our clothes and all of us tend to over pack.  My daughter used some of the drawers under the main bed and in the entertainment center.  There were plenty of empty drawers.  One thing I liked was that we never had to turn sideways to let the other pass when going around the end of the bed.  There was lots of room.

If I had to find a negative of the room, I would say it was in the bathroom.  There is no need for such a large sink.  Two smaller double sinks or one smaller single sink would have been preferable.  There was not enough room for toiletries to be left on the counter.  I had to put everything back in my bag and put the bag in the drawer each day instead of leaving some of it on the counter each day.  And there is enough room for another shelf in the room.  Somewhere to put my clean clothes and towel during my shower would be nice.  Again, these are VERY minor issues and may not be issues for some. 

The bed was very comfortable and I had no issues getting my required too much sleep.  My daughter did not complain about the pull out sleeper sofa which I fully expected to hear about as is her custom.  The power curtains were nice and only took a second to get used to as did the lighting controls.  The butler told us about the balcony door and the wind tunnel effect.  As others had not heeded his warnings, the glass door on the back of the entry door had cracked on a previous cruise. As such we did not have a full length mirror in the room, which is apparently a problem for my wife and daughter.  Close your balcony door.  This was one of the nicest rooms we have had in the Haven, not counting the two bedroom suites. 

Service

Prior to Covid, I noticed a difference in the staff of the different ships.  I liked the Escape as the staff seemed happier and like they enjoyed being there.  That was apparent on this ship.  I was extremely pleased with the performance of the staff on the ship.  I can say that only once, at the Local bar, did I encounter a staff member who did not seem like he wanted to be there.  I understand that they are working and I do not always like to be at work, hence the vacation, but I do my best not to let it show to the “customers”.  My fellow employees may know it but the public does not know if I am unhappy.  I could tell he didn’t want to be there. 

Our butler was great.  I will discuss tipping later, but on embarkation day he introduced himself, explained the room, explained his services, and made sure if there was anything we wanted all we had to do was ask.  If he didn’t know, he would find out the answer or provide another solution.  I have had butlers in the past that I never saw until the last day when they expected a tip.  Jefferson was great.  I asked him to provide us three chocolate croissants and a pot of French press from the Haven restaurant daily at 0730.   Within a minute of 0730 each day, the doorbell would ring and he was there with the requested items and the croissants were warm.  We didn’t have any other requests.  However, my daughter was getting over a cold, not Covid as she was tested, and all week long he brought her hot tea and honey prior to the end of his shift at 2130 hours each day, at his suggestion.  Again, Jefferson was great. 

Bar Service

Yes I purchased the Premium Plus package.  I prefer the top shelf items.  I really liked the Haven Bar.  It is much larger with 12 bar stools plus the usual lounge seats.  I enjoy talking with the bar tenders while they let me try different stuff.  One of the staff was Ravi, who I had met on previous Haven cruise on the Escape.  He is great and it was a pleasure getting to know him again.  These guys are true mixologists.  Ravi loves making classic cocktails.  One night I tried several different drinks and he enjoyed himself as much as I did and I learned about a couple of new drinks.  I learned that his family owns a coffee farm and he worked it during Covid.  The Haven bartenders are worth their weight in gold compared to other bartenders on the ship.  Tell them what you like and let them make a suggestion. 

As for the drink package, the plus is definitely worth it for me.  You will have to figure out what you drink and what you like.  A few years ago, it definitely would not be worth it for me but as my tastes developed it became more important.  I was exposed to a couple of new wines during dinner that I really like.  And I tried a couple of different whiskies that I did not like.  I do not like scotch but heard that Blue Label was so smooth and good that I would love it.  I hated it.  I love Whistle Pig Rye and had most of my old fashioned made from it.  At $25 extra per drink, it paid for the upgrade quickly.  We had the Veuve Clicqot at Le Bistro by the glass and finished a bottle with the appetizers, plus it makes great mimosas.   Look at the menus and decide if it works for you. 

Food  (sorry no photos)

The reason I tried Oceania is because I am a foodie.  They claim to have the finest cuisine at sea and I believe it from my limited experienced.  Pre Covid, NCL was going downhill, even the Haven.  They have redeemed themselves.  The food in the Haven was very good to great.  There were only one or two items we did not like.  Remember food is subjective.  What I love, my wife likes, and my daughter hates.  I believe that the quality of the food was much better than in the past. 

Almost all our food was from the Haven.  We ate in Indulge for lunch a couple of times and once for a late dinner.  We never ate in the main dining room.  We had a late night snack in the Local, and we ate at the buffet once for breakfast.  We also ate at Le Bistro, Palomar, Food Republic, Nama, and Onda. 

I was disappointed in the buffet.  The food was average.  The problem was the usual with food left out under heat lamps.  It gets hard, and overheated.  The eggs benedict were overcooked as were the scrambled eggs.  The food was not bad and was edible, just not great.  Again, it was only one breakfast so do not judge the full restaurant on one visit. 

The Local was ok.  The wings are not fried and were again average.  The beer cheese sauce for the pretzel bites was nacho cheese sauce not beer cheese sauce.  It was good, but not beer cheese and not as advertised.  The pretzels were very good. 

Le Bistro was excellent as usual.  I had the lamb; my wife had the duck and my daughter the chicken.  All were excellent.  The service was fantastic.  I was kind of done with Le Bistro but my wife wanted to go there and I was glad we did.  It was definitely worth the visit. 

Onda was a disappointment.  I felt like they had prime ingredients but failed to execute.  We started with a pizza.  The crust and dough were excellent but the toppings seemed to lack flavor.  The same thing occurred with the pasta.  It tasted like the pasta was homemade but the toppings were lacking flavor.  Appetizers were ok.  The octopus was tough.  Service was good.  Overall, it was a miss for us and I would not return most likely 

Palomar was a huge HIT.  Everything we ate there was outstanding.  We ate several apps and every one was great.  The octopus was amazingly tender and tasty as was the crudo and the oysters.  My wife and I had the fish for two.  WOW.  The presentation was great as was the flavor.  My daughter had the monkfish, which was also great.  Desert was excellent.  I would go back there again and again. 

We also went to Food Republic.  We have been there in the past at least three times on other ships.  I am not sure if the menu has changed or if anything else changed.  However, this was a miss of us.  Something just seemed off.  The food was just ok but seemed to lack the wow factor it had in the past.  I will give it one more chance but it seems to be on its way out. 

Nama was very good.  We ate there for some appetizers early one evening.  I have had sushi in Michelin stared restaurants and while this was not that good it was much better than the local sushi joint.  The menu is limited but it was tasty and different.  I will definitely go back there again. 

Indulge food hall is the sleeper.  It was outstanding.  While we did not love everything, everything was good and above with most being excellent.  Everyone found the Pad Tai to be too spicy but the presentation and ingredients were very good.  That may have been the only thing we did not eat.  The bbq was ok, I smoke my own brisket.  The bbq sausage was excellent.  The seaside rotisserie was excellent as was the Indian food.  The crowds died down on later days and getting a table was not always a hassle.  On sea days it is best to go before 12 or after 1.  I could eat there almost every day.  Worth multiple visits. 

Finally, the Haven was excellent. The service is impeccable as usual.  I have read about the same menu becoming old.  I suppose it is possible if you are not open to other items but there is enough on there to satisfy most for most cruises, especially with a specialty dinner thrown in there occasionally.  For example, the last dinner I had the surf and turf and surf and surf with the potatoes from the steak instead of the baked potato.  Yes I had three lobster tails with the fillet.  You can mix and match if you like.  I had salad instead of fries with lunch a couple of days.  All you have to do is ask.  If I wanted something off menu, I would give them the courtesy of asking ahead of time.  I didn’t ask for anything but I assume it wouldn’t have been a problem.  The Haven is back. 

Entertainment

We only went to one show, Noise Boys.  At arrival, we were given a list of shows and registered for three of them but only went to the one.  We met at the concierge desk about 30 minutes early and were escorted to the front row center right in front of the stage.  The show was amazing.  Definitely one of the better shows I have seen on NCL.  We didn’t really do anything else.  We did plan on going to galaxy pavilion once and spending the full day pass at $49 each but when we got there on the second to last day almost everything was broken in some way.  I did try one VR shooter game.  The video quality was poor compared to the one VR experience I have had with the Verge.  For $8, it was ok to try.  My wife and daughter did not try anything.  Too many problems to work out. 

Tipping

There are too many treads on this and I do not want to add to it but I do find it helpful when I read what others have tipped so I have an idea of what to give.  In general, I am usually a generous tipper.  Pre Covid I was usually around 20% and post Covid, to help make up I would tip between 20 to 25 % at a restaurant.  I did ask one of the waiters, If I was drinking top shelf and more expensive drinks, if they got a larger tip.  According to him, the 20% that is included in the drink packages gets shared worldwide, not just on the ship or to him.  According to him, the same occurs with the prepaid service charge.  It is not shared just with the ship stewards and waiters but worldwide.

I made all my own dinner reservations and the only thing the concierge did for us was to make a couple of show reservations, escort us to one show, and have the pool server escort us down the elevator to get off the ship.  They did nothing else for us.  They only got $20. 

Our Butler, Jefferson, got $100 upfront when I asked him to get us coffee every morning at 0730.  As mentioned he got my daughter tea every evening and did get us some bottles of Flow water a few times when we asked.  I don’t know that he did that much more but he was always asking and offering his services.  I believe he got another $60 as we left. 

That should be everyone not included in the prepaid service charge. 

Our room steward got an extra $40 halfway through and another $40 at the end.  Our room was spotless and tidied up every time we left it, or so it seemed.  The bartenders shared in an additional $120.  They earned it with me.  I made them work.  My wife likes gin.  We did a gin tasting one evening, of every gin they had.  My daughter wanted some classic cocktail that required them running to the kitchen to get egg for egg whites.  They worked. 

Leaving

We did the priority disembarkation.  We put the bags out the night before, had breakfast in the Haven at 0700 and walked off at 0800.  Customs was using the facial recognition so from the time we got in the elevator n the Haven till we were in the car was 10 minutes maybe.  Simple and easy. 

Overall

The Prima is a different ship.  It is beautiful.  It is not laid out like other NCL ships.  It may require you to think a bit about which way to go.  It did not seem to be crowded but the ship was full.  I do like the way things seemed to be segmented into smaller sections.  In the Haven lounge I spent a couple of days reading a book and drinking mojitos in a quiet corner without being bothered.  I will definitely sail on her again.   I will try to answer any questions you have.

 

[molemaui]

Excellent review. We board the Prima on Friday. I strongly agree with your Oceania comments and am excited to sail the Prima in Haven. 
 

This is our first NCL cruise since about 1980 or 1981. Have sailed others multiple times. Your review appears to validate our choice to try NCL and the Haven product. 
 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. 
 

 

[sjacobs11]

If it's the same Jefferson, we had him as a butler on Bliss earlier this year and he was amazing. Ready to help with any task or request, no matter how big/small.

[mafig]

Outstanding review.  If we are fortunate enough to go on Prima in the Haven we'll be coming back to this review!👍

[dmms]

Thanks for a great review!

Very organized and informative- enjoyed your objective comments!

We are staying in the Prima Haven first week of February with our adult son and your review was very helpful- will definitely listen for the loud person when we get to the pier!

One question I did have - even though your debarkation was smooth, did you encounter any undo traffic trying to leave the port area?

We are flying out of Orlando and making plans for transport.

Thanks again for an enjoyable read!

[Karaboudjan]

5 minutes ago, dmms said:

Thanks for a great review!

Very organized and informative- enjoyed your objective comments!

We are staying in the Prima Haven first week of February with our adult son and your review was very helpful- will definitely listen for the loud person when we get to the pier!

One question I did have - even though your debarkation was smooth, did you encounter any undo traffic trying to leave the port area?

We are flying out of Orlando and making plans for transport.

Thanks again for an enjoyable read!

 

I was there too.  We got off the ship at around 9am and left the port at around 9:30 on an NCL bus.  Traffic seemed heavy but was moving along at normal speed.  And this was with 6 ships in port that day.

 

Watch out for soot on the sundecks.  It was a problem in the Vibe so I suspect it could be in the Haven as well.  We just put a towel down anywhere that we were going to sit.

[dmms]

Good to know - thanks!

Glad to hear about smooth traffic.

Will make sure we have towels on the sun deck😎

[Sthrngary]

15 hours ago, libert1 said:

Here is my review of our 7 day cruise on the NCL Prima of the Caribbean out of Port Canaveral. 

 

This is my 10^th cruise on NCL and my 6^th in the Haven.  Once you go Haven you won’t go back.  We have done two previous cruises with Disney when my daughter was little.  Other than that we have one cruise with Oceania and have not tried any other cruises. 

I am a planner.  I don’t have to have every moment planned out but I hate to idea of missing something if I haven’t researched it.  If I know about it I can decide to miss it or change my plans based on an informed consent.  What I don’t want to do is to find out later that I missed something because I didn’t know about it.  As such, I read every forum on CC and watched as many videos on You Tube as possible before the cruise. 

There were three of us travelling in a HE suite Haven penthouse with balcony, my wife of 35 years and our 22 YO daughter, who graduated with her Master’s degree the day before the cruise.  Yes it was a graduation gift and a chance for all three of us to unwind from the stress of school and work.  This cruise was meant for too much drinking, too much eating, and too much sleeping.  We did not get off the ship at any of the ports.  We succeeded in accomplishing all three goals and relaxing as much as possible

PORT

We arrived at Port Canaveral around 11am, about an hour and a half before our scheduled arrival time.  We dropped the three bags with the porter and he directed us to parking.  No issues with the signs or following directions.  We were at a different dock than I thought we would be based upon my research but the signage was good and easy to follow.  We parked and I took the parking ticket with me based upon the signs that said pay at the machine before leaving.  If you have been to other ports you pay for parking at a machine before getting in your car to avoid lineups at the exit gate.  Upon our return, it turns out that we had to pay at the exit gate due to signs that looked like they were just put up that day.  No issues and no lines.  We just used my CC, paid and exited. 

After parking we walked across the ramp, where my wife was waiting and headed to the terminal.  There were no signs for the Haven or no tents.  But upon arrival at the Disney Q, there was someone loudly yelling out for any Haven gests.  All Haven gests were directed to the left and the masses were sent to the right to join the line.  We went to a separate security line where we were the second group in line.  We got through security in 2 minutes. 

After passing through security, there was a large sign and a person at a podium for Haven guests.  We were checked against the list and escorted to a sign in sheet.  In this room things seemed a bit unorganized and chaotic, but there were the usual snacks and drinks.  However, it was more of an impression as everything went smoothly.  After about 10 minutes we were called to the front desk to go through the usual health questions, take new pictures if needed, my wife and daughter needed new pictures but mine was fine, and were issued our cards.  We were then sent to the next room where we waited 60 seconds till enough of us were ready to be escorted on the ship.  From the time we pulled into port till we were on the ship was about 45 minute’s maybe. 

Boarding

As you board the ship, haven guests were taken directly to the private Haven elevators and taken to deck 16.  Upon arrival there one of the butlers went through the usual Haven spiel and we looked around.  Wanting to go to the Indulge Food hall we went and dropped off our carryon bags in our room.  Our room was ready. We dropped our bags and headed downstairs. We got there a little after 12 but couldn’t find a table.  We ended up at a bar seating behind the Seaside Grill.  That was fine as they served everything from all stations there but my wife does not like sitting at a high top table so we hoped for a regular table.  I will cover the food later.

Room

After lunch we went back up to the room.  The room was great.  It was one of the largest balcony rooms we have ever had.  It was almost as large as the PH suite on the Oceania ship we were on.  There was plenty of room for the three of us.  There were enough drawers available for all our clothes and all of us tend to over pack.  My daughter used some of the drawers under the main bed and in the entertainment center.  There were plenty of empty drawers.  One thing I liked was that we never had to turn sideways to let the other pass when going around the end of the bed.  There was lots of room.

If I had to find a negative of the room, I would say it was in the bathroom.  There is no need for such a large sink.  Two smaller double sinks or one smaller single sink would have been preferable.  There was not enough room for toiletries to be left on the counter.  I had to put everything back in my bag and put the bag in the drawer each day instead of leaving some of it on the counter each day.  And there is enough room for another shelf in the room.  Somewhere to put my clean clothes and towel during my shower would be nice.  Again, these are VERY minor issues and may not be issues for some. 

The bed was very comfortable and I had no issues getting my required too much sleep.  My daughter did not complain about the pull out sleeper sofa which I fully expected to hear about as is her custom.  The power curtains were nice and only took a second to get used to as did the lighting controls.  The butler told us about the balcony door and the wind tunnel effect.  As others had not heeded his warnings, the glass door on the back of the entry door had cracked on a previous cruise. As such we did not have a full length mirror in the room, which is apparently a problem for my wife and daughter.  Close your balcony door.  This was one of the nicest rooms we have had in the Haven, not counting the two bedroom suites. 

Service

Prior to Covid, I noticed a difference in the staff of the different ships.  I liked the Escape as the staff seemed happier and like they enjoyed being there.  That was apparent on this ship.  I was extremely pleased with the performance of the staff on the ship.  I can say that only once, at the Local bar, did I encounter a staff member who did not seem like he wanted to be there.  I understand that they are working and I do not always like to be at work, hence the vacation, but I do my best not to let it show to the “customers”.  My fellow employees may know it but the public does not know if I am unhappy.  I could tell he didn’t want to be there. 

Our butler was great.  I will discuss tipping later, but on embarkation day he introduced himself, explained the room, explained his services, and made sure if there was anything we wanted all we had to do was ask.  If he didn’t know, he would find out the answer or provide another solution.  I have had butlers in the past that I never saw until the last day when they expected a tip.  Jefferson was great.  I asked him to provide us three chocolate croissants and a pot of French press from the Haven restaurant daily at 0730.   Within a minute of 0730 each day, the doorbell would ring and he was there with the requested items and the croissants were warm.  We didn’t have any other requests.  However, my daughter was getting over a cold, not Covid as she was tested, and all week long he brought her hot tea and honey prior to the end of his shift at 2130 hours each day, at his suggestion.  Again, Jefferson was great. 

Bar Service

Yes I purchased the Premium Plus package.  I prefer the top shelf items.  I really liked the Haven Bar.  It is much larger with 12 bar stools plus the usual lounge seats.  I enjoy talking with the bar tenders while they let me try different stuff.  One of the staff was Ravi, who I had met on previous Haven cruise on the Escape.  He is great and it was a pleasure getting to know him again.  These guys are true mixologists.  Ravi loves making classic cocktails.  One night I tried several different drinks and he enjoyed himself as much as I did and I learned about a couple of new drinks.  I learned that his family owns a coffee farm and he worked it during Covid.  The Haven bartenders are worth their weight in gold compared to other bartenders on the ship.  Tell them what you like and let them make a suggestion. 

As for the drink package, the plus is definitely worth it for me.  You will have to figure out what you drink and what you like.  A few years ago, it definitely would not be worth it for me but as my tastes developed it became more important.  I was exposed to a couple of new wines during dinner that I really like.  And I tried a couple of different whiskies that I did not like.  I do not like scotch but heard that Blue Label was so smooth and good that I would love it.  I hated it.  I love Whistle Pig Rye and had most of my old fashioned made from it.  At $25 extra per drink, it paid for the upgrade quickly.  We had the Veuve Clicqot at Le Bistro by the glass and finished a bottle with the appetizers, plus it makes great mimosas.   Look at the menus and decide if it works for you. 

Food  (sorry no photos)

The reason I tried Oceania is because I am a foodie.  They claim to have the finest cuisine at sea and I believe it from my limited experienced.  Pre Covid, NCL was going downhill, even the Haven.  They have redeemed themselves.  The food in the Haven was very good to great.  There were only one or two items we did not like.  Remember food is subjective.  What I love, my wife likes, and my daughter hates.  I believe that the quality of the food was much better than in the past. 

Almost all our food was from the Haven.  We ate in Indulge for lunch a couple of times and once for a late dinner.  We never ate in the main dining room.  We had a late night snack in the Local, and we ate at the buffet once for breakfast.  We also ate at Le Bistro, Palomar, Food Republic, Nama, and Onda. 

I was disappointed in the buffet.  The food was average.  The problem was the usual with food left out under heat lamps.  It gets hard, and overheated.  The eggs benedict were overcooked as were the scrambled eggs.  The food was not bad and was edible, just not great.  Again, it was only one breakfast so do not judge the full restaurant on one visit. 

The Local was ok.  The wings are not fried and were again average.  The beer cheese sauce for the pretzel bites was nacho cheese sauce not beer cheese sauce.  It was good, but not beer cheese and not as advertised.  The pretzels were very good. 

Le Bistro was excellent as usual.  I had the lamb; my wife had the duck and my daughter the chicken.  All were excellent.  The service was fantastic.  I was kind of done with Le Bistro but my wife wanted to go there and I was glad we did.  It was definitely worth the visit. 

Onda was a disappointment.  I felt like they had prime ingredients but failed to execute.  We started with a pizza.  The crust and dough were excellent but the toppings seemed to lack flavor.  The same thing occurred with the pasta.  It tasted like the pasta was homemade but the toppings were lacking flavor.  Appetizers were ok.  The octopus was tough.  Service was good.  Overall, it was a miss for us and I would not return most likely 

Palomar was a huge HIT.  Everything we ate there was outstanding.  We ate several apps and every one was great.  The octopus was amazingly tender and tasty as was the crudo and the oysters.  My wife and I had the fish for two.  WOW.  The presentation was great as was the flavor.  My daughter had the monkfish, which was also great.  Desert was excellent.  I would go back there again and again. 

We also went to Food Republic.  We have been there in the past at least three times on other ships.  I am not sure if the menu has changed or if anything else changed.  However, this was a miss of us.  Something just seemed off.  The food was just ok but seemed to lack the wow factor it had in the past.  I will give it one more chance but it seems to be on its way out. 

Nama was very good.  We ate there for some appetizers early one evening.  I have had sushi in Michelin stared restaurants and while this was not that good it was much better than the local sushi joint.  The menu is limited but it was tasty and different.  I will definitely go back there again. 

Indulge food hall is the sleeper.  It was outstanding.  While we did not love everything, everything was good and above with most being excellent.  Everyone found the Pad Tai to be too spicy but the presentation and ingredients were very good.  That may have been the only thing we did not eat.  The bbq was ok, I smoke my own brisket.  The bbq sausage was excellent.  The seaside rotisserie was excellent as was the Indian food.  The crowds died down on later days and getting a table was not always a hassle.  On sea days it is best to go before 12 or after 1.  I could eat there almost every day.  Worth multiple visits. 

Finally, the Haven was excellent. The service is impeccable as usual.  I have read about the same menu becoming old.  I suppose it is possible if you are not open to other items but there is enough on there to satisfy most for most cruises, especially with a specialty dinner thrown in there occasionally.  For example, the last dinner I had the surf and turf and surf and surf with the potatoes from the steak instead of the baked potato.  Yes I had three lobster tails with the fillet.  You can mix and match if you like.  I had salad instead of fries with lunch a couple of days.  All you have to do is ask.  If I wanted something off menu, I would give them the courtesy of asking ahead of time.  I didn’t ask for anything but I assume it wouldn’t have been a problem.  The Haven is back. 

Entertainment

We only went to one show, Noise Boys.  At arrival, we were given a list of shows and registered for three of them but only went to the one.  We met at the concierge desk about 30 minutes early and were escorted to the front row center right in front of the stage.  The show was amazing.  Definitely one of the better shows I have seen on NCL.  We didn’t really do anything else.  We did plan on going to galaxy pavilion once and spending the full day pass at $49 each but when we got there on the second to last day almost everything was broken in some way.  I did try one VR shooter game.  The video quality was poor compared to the one VR experience I have had with the Verge.  For $8, it was ok to try.  My wife and daughter did not try anything.  Too many problems to work out. 

Tipping

There are too many treads on this and I do not want to add to it but I do find it helpful when I read what others have tipped so I have an idea of what to give.  In general, I am usually a generous tipper.  Pre Covid I was usually around 20% and post Covid, to help make up I would tip between 20 to 25 % at a restaurant.  I did ask one of the waiters, If I was drinking top shelf and more expensive drinks, if they got a larger tip.  According to him, the 20% that is included in the drink packages gets shared worldwide, not just on the ship or to him.  According to him, the same occurs with the prepaid service charge.  It is not shared just with the ship stewards and waiters but worldwide.

I made all my own dinner reservations and the only thing the concierge did for us was to make a couple of show reservations, escort us to one show, and have the pool server escort us down the elevator to get off the ship.  They did nothing else for us.  They only got $20. 

Our Butler, Jefferson, got $100 upfront when I asked him to get us coffee every morning at 0730.  As mentioned he got my daughter tea every evening and did get us some bottles of Flow water a few times when we asked.  I don’t know that he did that much more but he was always asking and offering his services.  I believe he got another $60 as we left. 

That should be everyone not included in the prepaid service charge. 

Our room steward got an extra $40 halfway through and another $40 at the end.  Our room was spotless and tidied up every time we left it, or so it seemed.  The bartenders shared in an additional $120.  They earned it with me.  I made them work.  My wife likes gin.  We did a gin tasting one evening, of every gin they had.  My daughter wanted some classic cocktail that required them running to the kitchen to get egg for egg whites.  They worked. 

Leaving

We did the priority disembarkation.  We put the bags out the night before, had breakfast in the Haven at 0700 and walked off at 0800.  Customs was using the facial recognition so from the time we got in the elevator n the Haven till we were in the car was 10 minutes maybe.  Simple and easy. 

Overall

The Prima is a different ship.  It is beautiful.  It is not laid out like other NCL ships.  It may require you to think a bit about which way to go.  It did not seem to be crowded but the ship was full.  I do like the way things seemed to be segmented into smaller sections.  In the Haven lounge I spent a couple of days reading a book and drinking mojitos in a quiet corner without being bothered.  I will definitely sail on her again.   I will try to answer any questions you have.

 

This was an extremely well written, thought out and worded review.  You gave us the good, bad and awful.  I know for a fact, this took time to write so everyone reading it needs to say thank you.  It makes it very easy for me to enjoy your writing because you answers many questions about the Prima for me.  

 

I hope everyone who cruises the Prima and wants to know about the Haven Read this.  Bravo.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[lgdesign]

Thank you very much for the detailed review of your experiences.  We're currently booked in an HE on the Viva and found the description of your suite very helpful.  We're hoping for an upgrade but feel confident (especially after reading your review) that we would be content in the HE should an upgrade not be in our future.

[PhillyTravelBug]

Thank you for the review. I am hoping you may have gotten an off day for Onda.  The restaurant looks beautiful, but  the review is consistent with La Cucina food on the other ships. Did you have a hot tub on your balcony?  I just remember seeing them on the renderings, but haven't seen a review of them at all.  231days until my Prima sailing!

[Karaboudjan]

3 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Thank you for the review. I am hoping you may have gotten an off day for Onda.  The restaurant looks beautiful, but  the review is consistent with La Cucina food on the other ships. Did you have a hot tub on your balcony?  I just remember seeing them on the renderings, but haven't seen a review of them at all.  231days until my Prima sailing!

 

Restaurants are pretty subjective...  We were on the same cruise as the OP and thought the food at Onda was excellent.  My issue was that it seemed cramped; we were very close to the adjacent tables.  I felt the same about Cagney's, except that we had an aisle on one side.  Palomar seemed more spacious.

[libert1]

12 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Thank you for the review. I am hoping you may have gotten an off day for Onda.  The restaurant looks beautiful, but  the review is consistent with La Cucina food on the other ships. Did you have a hot tub on your balcony?  I just remember seeing them on the renderings, but haven't seen a review of them at all.  231days until my Prima sailing!

Philly  I too hope it was just an off day.  Even though I say I won't likely return, I probably will.  I always say give everything 3 tries and if you still don't like it then you don't like it but at least you really gave it a chance.  I really liked La Cucina on the other ships.  

[libert1]

8 hours ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

Restaurants are pretty subjective...  We were on the same cruise as the OP and thought the food at Onda was excellent.  My issue was that it seemed cramped; we were very close to the adjacent tables.  I felt the same about Cagney's, except that we had an aisle on one side.  Palomar seemed more spacious.

You are so right.  Restaurants are very subjective as is food.  I thought the exact same thing that it looks cramped.  We were seated in the center at the back of the restaurant and didn't have the problem you did.  But we were worried about that going in.  It seems my worries may have been true based on your experience.  Glad you enjoyed your food there.  

[libert1]

17 hours ago, dmms said:

Thanks for a great review!

Very organized and informative- enjoyed your objective comments!

We are staying in the Prima Haven first week of February with our adult son and your review was very helpful- will definitely listen for the loud person when we get to the pier!

One question I did have - even though your debarkation was smooth, did you encounter any undo traffic trying to leave the port area?

We are flying out of Orlando and making plans for transport.

Thanks again for an enjoyable read!

As Karaboudjan said, we had no issues with traffic.  It moved smoothly.  

[libert1]

12 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Thank you for the review. I am hoping you may have gotten an off day for Onda.  The restaurant looks beautiful, but  the review is consistent with La Cucina food on the other ships. Did you have a hot tub on your balcony?  I just remember seeing them on the renderings, but haven't seen a review of them at all.  231days until my Prima sailing!

No hot tub.  I believe those may only be on the top suites but without looking I am not sure.  I do know that we definitely did not have one.  Enjoy your trip!

[david_sobe]

One consistent theme of Prima is how good the Food Hall is.  When Haven guests give up their embarkation day lunch for a crowded Food Hall, you know it has to be good!