NCL Prima Iceland to Southampton July 6 Review

[jtrollin]

This will be my first review so be kind, main reason I wanted to provide this is there have been a lot of negative Prima reviews and it scared me before my cruise, but I had mostly positive experiences so wanted to share my views so other who might be worried by the negative reviews could get another point of view on it.

 

I did the free air package (I always say I will never do it again and yet I do) and had a red eye on Iceland Air and landed in Reykjavikey around 6am.  We had the airport transfers as we knew we would be to tired to do any tours when landing.  I was surprised that NCL took us to a hotel for a buffet breakfast that was both hot and cold foods it was nice surprise and helped us get some energy after the flight.  Once breakfast was over they took us strait to the port and we passed the line of people waiting to get on the ship and when strait to security.  I think we were probably one of the first 20 or 30 people on the ship right around 11am.  We went strait to the observation deck, found some lounge chairs and took a nap.

 

The Ship

The ship is beautiful and I really enjoyed all the outdoor space on deck 8, but I was one of few as the cold weather kept most people inside.  I do understand the complaints about how the outdoor space is unusable on cold cruises, but I think you would have the same issues on the breakaway class ships as well, if everyone is kept inside it would be a bit overwhelming.  There was always some bar that you could sit at that was quiet if you wanted to read or something and another place where you could get some music. 

 

The observation lounge was nice, but did get crowded, I mostly stayed on my balcony which I thought was bigger than the breakaway class and had better chairs. As a runner I did miss having a running track, the treadmill is just awful and to top it all of we were fog the one time I used it, not sure it that was good or bad, but was odd looking out in to nothing.  The gym was nice and had good equipment so if you want to get some workouts you should be able to do most things you usually do.

 

I liked how the ship service desks were split across decks in the atrium it made it less busy than the breakway class ships.  There were times I missed the breakaway atrium's as it was a good viewing area for games and events,  but also it was nice to have the huge crowd right in the middle of the ship all the time.

 

The Food

The Local Bar & Grill

There is a bar side and a restaurant side, we were told you can't order food from the bar side by someone, but every time I walked through there were people eating and being served food on the bar side, so not sure the story there.  The restaurant itself had good hamburgers and rubens.  The nachos were amazing and I really enjoyed the pretzel bites.   We had breakfast here once and dinner and lunch a few times, never had to wait for a table.

 

Hudson's

This is one of the large dining rooms, we ate dinner and breakfast here, never had to wait for a table.  Food was good every time we went, I really liked the Chicken Piccata for dinner and the pretzel bread sandwich for breakfast.  They still had the specials for the day and the standing menu (I thought they got rid of this, but I guess they brought it back).

 

Indulge Food Hall

I really liked this concept, once we went and there were not tables (some bar top space, but we wanted a table).  The Indian food was great and fresh Naan was a treat.  I am a big BBQ fan and smoke my own BBQ so I was not a huge fan of the Smokehouse because I don't think any smoke ever touched that meat.  That being said I really liked the portion sizes here.

 

Surfside Café & Grill

Can get super crowded and pretty small buffet.  The lunch pizza was really good (the dinner pizza I didn't try, but did not look as good as the lunch pizza).  The menu rotated and they opened up food republic for more seating so we never had an issue finding a seat.  On nice days we sat outside and that was nice.

 

Observation Deck

This was a hidden breakfast gem, not sure what other meals they serve, but they had really good breakfast sandwiches in the morning.

 

Cagneys

Same as any other ship, my steak was just the way I wanted it.  I was disappointed in the apps as they all were seafood which I don't eat, but the sides were good as well.  The seven layer chocolate cake is still as good as ever..

 

Hasuki

No idea why they renamed this as it was the same food, same show etc.. not much else to say.

 

Los Lobos

I really liked Los Lobos, the fresh table side guacamole, the churro dessert so good. 

 

Onda by Scarpetta

This was OK, I miss the fresh loaf of bread from the breakaway class Italian restaurant, but they did have three breads that were fresh they brought to your table.

 

The Shows

Donna Summers

The music was great, but I found the show itself boring, maybe I am just not a big Donna Summers fan who knows. 

 

The Price is Right

I have to say upfront my review of this might be biased as my wife won the showcase showdown.  She won a 55" TV which we were able to just take the cash value for (around $500).  We went twice as we liked it so much the first time, you really feel like you are part of the show.  It was a bit odd though as the first show there was a husband and wife that both got called up and then in the second show both myself and my wife got called up (I only won a tshirt as I didn't have the closest price). 

 

Syd Norman's Pour House

We went twice, the first time we waited 30 min and got a seat, the second time we showed up 5 minutes after it started and still got a seat.  It was crowded with lots of people standing, but there were still seats if you wanted them.  They do a few different shows throughout the cruise and it is a "show" more than just a band playing music.  It wouldn't be the same if they did it in the theater vs the small venue. 

 

Mike Sterling - Singer

Mike was amazing, he did two shows each twice I think.  He mixed musical with pop and told stories of his time doing Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.  If he is on your sailing do not miss his shows!

 

Danial Ka - Magician

He was apparently on Spains got Talent, I am a big fan of magicians, but I was not that impressed with Danial, I still went to both shows and was entertained, just not a very strong magician in my opinion.

 

The Staff

Staff were super friendly and always had a smile.  Only complaint here is the room steward, he did a great job but the timing was very inconsistent and I felt like I never saw the guy.  I wonder if this is a result of less staff because they only make up the rooms once a day now,  but was a little disappointing.

 

Lastly it was an odd trip with the port change in Iceland (I really enjoyed having two days in Akureyri), we went to Flam instead of Geiranger due to "port congestion" which was fine by me as I had nothing planned that day.  3 days in a row I think we has people leave the ship by ambulance.  We almost left 6 people in Bergen, they had to pull the gangplank back out for them to get on.  Was woken up at 2am by a "Code Alpha" in room xxxx not sure why that came over our room speakers, but there were at least 2 other code alphas which is apparently an injured passenger (these were separate from the ambulance people).  Of course the now famous ship breaking away from the pier...  But all in all we had a GREAT time and really loved the ship.  We are now looking to her or the Viva for a Mediterranean Cruise next year.

[ontheweb]

Thanks for the review; we will be sailing the itinerary the other way in early August. Nice to hear positive things when so many seem to revel in criticizing the Prima.

 

I do hope they get that dock done as we carefully picked out a private tour in Isafjordur, which seems to have been skipped every time so far.

[sharonann24]

Thank you so much for your review.  We leave for Iceland one week from today and sail on the 27th.  Just an FYI--our port stop in Isafjordur has already been cancelled so we have an additional sea day.  I just saw the issue they had in Belgium with the mooring, so here's hoping all will be fine next week. We only have the two specialty restaurants, Cagney's and Onda so I hope for the best.  Is the Local one of the complimentary restaurants?  Is it the equivalent or similar to O'Sheehan's?  If so I want to try it.  MY DH does not enjoy the buffet (but my dad who is traveling with us does) so I think we will be doing Hudson's for breakfast.  All in all it was nice to see a positive review of the Prima.  I think the naysayers have calmed down for now!

[jtrollin]

3 minutes ago, sharonann24 said:

Thank you so much for your review.  We leave for Iceland one week from today and sail on the 27th.  Just an FYI--our port stop in Isafjordur has already been cancelled so we have an additional sea day.  I just saw the issue they had in Belgium with the mooring, so here's hoping all will be fine next week. We only have the two specialty restaurants, Cagney's and Onda so I hope for the best.  Is the Local one of the complimentary restaurants?  Is it the equivalent or similar to O'Sheehan's?  If so I want to try it.  MY DH does not enjoy the buffet (but my dad who is traveling with us does) so I think we will be doing Hudson's for breakfast.  All in all it was nice to see a positive review of the Prima.  I think the naysayers have calmed down for now!

  The local is the replacement for O'Sheehan's (which I really miss) and is free and it also serves breakfast. 

[sharonann24]

Good to know.  We went to O'Sheehan's on the Breakaway a few years ago and frankly we were underwhelmed.  We will have to give the Local a try!

[bluesea777]

The Local and O'Sheehan's are the same thing ... it's the name. When Kevin Sheehan was CEO, the ships that were current at the time had their 24-hour pub/restaurants named as O'Sheehan's. With KS gone they become The Local on new ships.

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Thank you for the review. We have sailed on the Prima twice and enjoyed the ship. We will be sailing on the Viva at the end of the year. 

[sharonann24]

Quick question about the treadmills and outdoor walking.  Is it possible to walk outside?  I know there is not a dedicated jogging track (which frankly surprises me) but are there any outdoor options?  When you say the treadmill is awful do you mean awful equipment or just a poor substitute for outdoors?   I will resign myself to the treadmill if necessary.

[ggTexasGal]

@sharonann24 your experience of when and where to walk outside might be determined by when and where you are traveling.  None-the-less, we have been able to get an early morning walk on the Prima on deck 8 (Caribbean cruise).  We were also able to go up to higher decks, at other times, and get walking in, but weather and time of day do determine much of what is possible!

[PhillyTravelBug]

Thank you for taking the time to review this ship and itinerary. Congrats on the Price ja right winning! Cannot wait for this ad I’m a huge fan. Thanks for the reassurance despite the negative reviews that have been creating such a fuss. My only concern is with Isjafjord and Geiranger. I really don’t want to miss them.

31 days and counting!

[jcscv]

Thank you for your review!  I am doing the same cruise, in reverse, in late August and your review has put my mind at ease about all the negative reviews I've seen.  

[Trixie21]

Thanks for the review.

We are hoping to book the reverse cruise for next year.

I like the look of the Prima.

How did you find your balcony cabin?

[chillyw]

@jtrollinI noticed you said they opened food republic for the buffet seating.  Does that mean it wasn't open for lunch on sea days like Breakway-class ships?

[UKstages]

 

8 hours ago, jtrollin said:

we were told you can't order food from the bar side by someone…

you can order food on the bar side of the local on the prima, just as you can at any bar in any local on any other ship. the servers at the local on the prima, however, seemed to be very slow and very forgetful, based on my recent experience.

 

8 hours ago, jtrollin said:

They still had the specials for the day and the standing menu (I thought they got rid of this, but I guess they brought it back).

 

just to clarify, are you saying that the prima no longer has rotating menus, as the other ships do? they introduced rotating menus in late april or early may to much applause… are you saying they have gone back to the same “standing” menu every night? 
 

if so, that is breaking news… and not good news in my view.
 

6 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Nice to hear positive things when so many seem to revel in criticizing the Prima.

 

5 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

I think the naysayers have calmed down for now!

i agree that it’s good to hear positive things about the prima. i am always glad to hear that somebody has had a great cruise and feels they have received value for money spent.

 

but this bashing of the prima “naysayers” really should stop. reasonable people can have differing opinions of time spent onboard the prima, even on the very same cruise. i myself haven’t seen anybody reveling in criticizing the prima. what i have seen is a bunch of people file what they believe to be fair and accurate reports of their time on the prima.
 

they are sharing their truth.
 

when I went onboard, i was sure that all the harsh criticism of the prima was poppycock. after having sailed, i realized it wasn’t harsh enough.
 

to be sure, it is often more entertaining to read a negative account simply because there is so much more to say and so many more details to report. but most of those negative reviews, including my own, also contain lavish praise of aspects of the trip. i loved the comedians, most of the food, most of the staff, housekeeping services and also the decor in the staterooms, which I praised for being quite spacious. 

 

but i also panned some things… the lack of seating at dining and entertainment venues, the surplus of outdoor space on cold weather itineraries, the crowding in public spaces, etc.

 

that doesn’t mean i’m bashing the prima, especially since most of the positive reviews mention the very same things! (including the one above.) look, i take no delight in expressing my disappointment, I am not reveling in anything… i’m simply sharing my experience with the good members of this forum, explaining what they might experience once onboard and setting realistic expectations.

 

so what separates the good prima reviews from the bad, since most of them mention the very same things? in my opinion, the difference is whether the posters encountered a showstopper of a problem, which was not resolved and which overshadowed everything that was enjoyable on their cruise. 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by UKstages

[phillygwm]

I really appreciate the review as my friends and I are considering a June sailing next year.  Any thoughts on the ports and/or excursions?

[Trixie21]

9 hours ago, phillygwm said:

I really appreciate the review as my friends and I are considering a June sailing next year.  Any thoughts on the ports and/or excursions?

We are also looking at A June sailing next year - Southampton to Reykjavik. 

We have now tried 5 times to get on a cruise to Iceland lol. Combination of Covid and illness on my wife's part has scuppered each and every one!!

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, Trixie21 said:

We are also looking at A June sailing next year - Southampton to Reykjavik. 

We have now tried 5 times to get on a cruise to Iceland lol. Combination of Covid and illness on my wife's part has scuppered each and every one!!

I'd be going the opposite route.  10 days is really pushing it for me in terms of work.  I'd love to add a couple days on either end but I might just be able to do a day or two on the Reykjavik side.  Things will be better when I retire but that's a few years out 😞

 

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

you can order food on the bar side of the local on the prima, just as you can at any bar in any local on any other ship. the servers at the local on the prima, however, seemed to be very slow and very forgetful, based on my recent experience.

 

 

just to clarify, are you saying that the prima no longer has rotating menus, as the other ships do? they introduced rotating menus in late april or early may to much applause… are you saying they have gone back to the same “standing” menu every night? 
 

if so, that is breaking news… and not good news in my view.
 

 

i agree that it’s good to hear positive things about the prima. i am always glad to hear that somebody has had a great cruise and feels they have received value for money spent.

 

but this bashing of the prima “naysayers” really should stop. reasonable people can have differing opinions of time spent onboard the prima, even on the very same cruise. i myself haven’t seen anybody reveling in criticizing the prima. what i have seen is a bunch of people file what they believe to be fair and accurate reports of their time on the prima.
 

they are sharing their truth.
 

when I went onboard, i was sure that all the harsh criticism of the prima was poppycock. after having sailed, i realized it wasn’t harsh enough.
 

to be sure, it is often more entertaining to read a negative account simply because there is so much more to say and so many more details to report. but most of those negative reviews, including my own, also contain lavish praise of aspects of the trip. i loved the comedians, most of the food, most of the staff, housekeeping services and also the decor in the staterooms, which I praised for being quite spacious. 

 

but i also panned some things… the lack of seating at dining and entertainment venues, the surplus of outdoor space on cold weather itineraries, the crowding in public spaces, etc.

 

that doesn’t mean i’m bashing the prima, especially since most of the positive reviews mention the very same things! (including the one above.) look, i take no delight in expressing my disappointment, I am not reveling in anything… i’m simply sharing my experience with the good members of this forum, explaining what they might experience once onboard and setting realistic expectations.

 

so what separates the good prima reviews from the bad, since most of them mention the very same things? in my opinion, the difference is whether the posters encountered a showstopper of a problem, which was not resolved and which overshadowed everything that was enjoyable on their cruise. 

 

I would not characterize being glad that there are people giving positive reviews as bashing the naysayers. It is just that there has been so much unrelenting criticism that hearing positive reviews is a breath of fresh air. JMHO We are sailing in a few weeks, and I am really trying to keep a positive outlook,

[jtrollin]

17 hours ago, sharonann24 said:

Quick question about the treadmills and outdoor walking.  Is it possible to walk outside?  I know there is not a dedicated jogging track (which frankly surprises me) but are there any outdoor options?  When you say the treadmill is awful do you mean awful equipment or just a poor substitute for outdoors?   I will resign myself to the treadmill if necessary.

 

deck 8 is easy to walk on, I walked several laps with no issues, on warm days in can get crowded so best to do a morning or evening walk. 

 

The treadmills are nice, but they seemed dangerously close to the metal structure holding the windows in place.

[jtrollin]

14 hours ago, chillyw said:

@jtrollinI noticed you said they opened food republic for the buffet seating.  Does that mean it wasn't open for lunch on sea days like Breakway-class ships?

 

I think it is still open for lunch and dinner, they just use it for the breakfast rush I believe.

[jtrollin]

14 hours ago, Trixie21 said:

Thanks for the review.

We are hoping to book the reverse cruise for next year.

I like the look of the Prima.

How did you find your balcony cabin?

 

Balcony was bigger and had better chairs than the breakaway class, the room was bigger, bathroom was bigger and shower was a really nice size.   I didn't have any issue with cloths storage either, but my wife would have liked more shelves.  I was in 13776 and it was quite, we had some rough sea days and no weird loud noises at all.  My father has already booked that cabin on another cruse based on my recommendation.

[sharonann24]

29 minutes ago, jtrollin said:

 

deck 8 is easy to walk on, I walked several laps with no issues, on warm days in can get crowded so best to do a morning or evening walk. 

 

The treadmills are nice, but they seemed dangerously close to the metal structure holding the windows in place.

 

25 minutes ago, jtrollin said:

 

Balcony was bigger and had better chairs than the breakaway class, the room was bigger, bathroom was bigger and shower was a really nice size.   I didn't have any issue with cloths storage either, but my wife would have liked more shelves.  I was in 13776 and it was quite, we had some rough sea days and no weird loud noises at all.  My father has already booked that cabin on another cruse based on my recommendation.

 

30 minutes ago, jtrollin said:

 

deck 8 is easy to walk on, I walked several laps with no issues, on warm days in can get crowded so best to do a morning or evening walk. 

 

The treadmills are nice, but they seemed dangerously close to the metal structure holding the windows in place.

When we are on a cruise, I generally get up and after at least one cup of coffee head out to walk. Sounds like Deck 8 is a plan.  I remember walking on a deck on the Breakaway and could not go full circle so I did several loops.

[UKstages]

3 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I would not characterize being glad that there are people giving positive reviews as bashing the naysayers.

nor would i.

 

i would, however, characterize saying that there are those who revel in criticizing the prima as bashing the naysayers. and i would say that hoping those folks who offer criticism have calmed down is also bashing the naysayers.
 

suggesting that those who offer criticism are somehow reveling or delighting in offering that criticism implies that the sole point of the criticism is to criticize… that there is some sort of anti-prima agenda. from what I’ve seen, these folks are offering a legitimate perspective based on their personal onboard experience.

 

suggesting that prima critics need to “calm down” implies that the passion expressed in their critical comments is somehow unwelcome or inappropriate. they’re speaking their truth, just as the passionate prima proponents are. nobody is telling the passionate prima praisers to calm down.

 

as for the criticism of the prima being “unrelenting,” discounting the fact that more people take to social media to pan than to praise, there are, apparently, a heck of a lot of people who have found their prima experience to be sub-par. i myself don’t think they have an agenda or are somehow misrepresenting their experience and I don’t think they should relent.

[Cruising Lynne]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I would not characterize being glad that there are people giving positive reviews as bashing the naysayers. It is just that there has been so much unrelenting criticism that hearing positive reviews is a breath of fresh air. JMHO We are sailing in a few weeks, and I am really trying to keep a positive outlook,

I really enjoyed our trip on Prima. There are a lot of things to like about Prima. With a positive outlook I think that you will really enjoy it.