Prima is definitely not for us

[mscdivina2016]

My wife and I just got off a 14 night Iceland and Norway cruise.

 We sailed in the Haven and this was my 64th cruise.

 

Will never sail this class of ship again. So many things are just wrong.

This is a warm water ship. Useless out here in Europe.

 The main theater holds a little over 600 people yet the ship holds 3200. 

So reservations are needed for stuff, others it's standing room only.

There is no dance floor yet music everywhere. They offer dance lessons on a carpeted area.  If you Ballroom, forget it.

 Other shows are held in two places. The improv or the Sid Normans.  Packed!! Need to line up a half hour early to get a seat.

No shows with dancers or a cast.

 

Haven

Holds 350 so no intimate setting.

No stairs, yes no stairs only 2 elevators.

No grill

No food or snacks 20 hours a day.

Bar seats 12 for 350 people.

No reserved theater seating. You must line up 45 minutes before for the concierge to take you in.

No Haven boarding line.

No Haven Gangway at ports

Other than the setting it's no different than the rest of the ship.

Restaurant menu does not change.

 

Cruise was good, food was good but it's not our cup of tea Haven wise. We will definitely go back to the Breakaway class as we think it's a much better setup for us.

 

[UKstages]

while i certainly agree with your ultimate conclusion that the prima is lacking in several key areas, at least a few of your statements need clarification.

 

there are no shows with a cast? who is in “summer,” the donna summer musical? have they switched over to automatons like the hall of presidents at disneyland? or were all performances of this show canceled for some reason?

 

the only “show” held in syd norman’s is the series of rock ‘n’ roll musical revues created specifically for that venue. seating is extremely limited if you want to see the cast perform there. this is true of all ships with a syd’s. if the wait was only a half hour, you likely sailed at far less than capacity.

all comedians formerly performing in the improv have been moved to the theatre, although there may not have been any comedians at all on your sailing, since it was a european itinerary. there are no other shows typically scheduled in the improv. it’s used for lectures and trivia contests and such.

 

as for the haven… food served only four hours a day?   the restaurant is only open four hours a day? room service is now prohibited in the haven? there isn’t an endless array of snacks in the lounge from 6 am or so till 8 or 9 pm? your butler didn’t bring you snacks at least once a day?

 

the haven menu doesn’t change on any ship, although on a cruise of your duration, it’s likely that there were daily specials. The MDR menu does change.

 

what do you mean when you say there was no grill? a dedicated outdoor space for burgers and such? or that all your meats and fish were baked and roasted?

 

regardless of whether there was a designated “line,” are you saying there was no haven pre-boarding? that would be most unusual. did you board in southampton or reykjavik? or do you mean there was no priority check-in?

 

i’ve sailed in the haven on a few ships. i’ve never seen a haven gangway. upon returning from port, the concierge team typically provides an expedited escort back onboard.

 

i think the prima is an awful ship sent by the devil to torment us all. but some of your concerns appear to be either fleet wide (not confined to the prima) or are based on some sort of misunderstanding or based perhaps on unique circumstances of your sailing.

 

 

 

[Beer Belly]

We did Prima in May, so many things went wrong.....no pool till 5th day of the cruise, septic odor, and top it off with maintenance welding cracks on the hull while we disembarked. I agree 100% with what you experienced, and will also stay away from that class.

[CruiseMH]

5 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

 The main theater holds a little over 600 people yet the ship holds 3200. 

 

 

this is normal for the big ships of NCL.

Thats why usually the main shows are shown several times during each cruise.

 

[bobfoo]

6 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Bar seats 12 for 350 people.

This is just stupid. And I don't mean the ship. I mean your complaint.

 

What are you suggesting here? That every venue has to be able to hold enough people relating to the number of passengers that has access to that area?

 

You any idea how big the ship would be for that to be true. Not everybody uses the same thing as once.

 

'5000 people on this ship and the toilets only have 5 cubicles!'

 

Talk about nonsense...

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

The main theater holds a little over 600 people yet the ship holds 3200. So reservations are needed for stuff, others it's standing room only. Other shows are held in two places. The improv or the Sid Normans.  Packed!! Need to line up a half hour early to get a seat.

No shows with dancers or a cast.

 

Haven

Holds 350 so no intimate setting.

No stairs, yes no stairs only 2 elevators.

No grill

No food or snacks 20 hours a day.

Bar seats 12 for 350 people.

No reserved theater seating. You must line up 45 minutes before for the concierge to take you in.

No Haven boarding line.

No Haven Gangway at ports

Other than the setting it's no different than the rest of the ship.

Restaurant menu does not change.

 

Cruise was good, food was good but it's not our cup of tea Haven wise. We will definitely go back to the Breakaway class as we think it's a much better setup for us.

 

 

Not sure there are significant difference:

 

Holds 350 so no intimate setting. BA/BA+ Mostly hold 225+ (we had 250 2 weeks ago). Same

 

 The main theater holds a little over 600 people yet the ship holds 3200. BA/BA+ main theaters holds a little over 800 people yet the ship holds 4500, so reservations are needed. We were recently on Royal Caribbean Wonder of the seas and their theater holds 1400 passenger yet the ship holds up to 7000 passenger - reservations required - this is the same for all big ships including all BA/BA+ ships. 

 

No reserved theater seating. You must line up 45 minutes before for the concierge to take you in.  BA/BA+ has Haven seats on the side and up high. We never, ever use them, but they are there for steerage to take. We much prefer sitting in steerage seats lower and centered and much, much, much prefer showing up early to be escorted by the Concierge. 

 

No stairs, yes no stairs only 2 elevators. BA/BA+ there are public stairs and public elevators, no Haven elevators so you're fighting with steerage. We were on the Encore 2 weeks ago and the "public" elevators were so bad that they we were escorted down crew elevators.

 

No grill BA/BA+ No Grill. Same

 

No food or snacks 20 hours a day. The restaurant is open more than 4 hours a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Same on BA/BA+ ships

 

Bar seats 12 for 350 people. BA/BA+ 2 weeks ago, our Haven bar sat 7 people for 250 Haven Guests. Same. But the bar seating area (not at the bar) on the Prima is much larger

 

Other shows are held in two places. The improv or the Sid Normans.  Packed!! Same on BA/BA+ Ships. We were recently on Royal Caribbean Wonder of the seas and their Comedy Club holds 180, their Syd's equivalent holds 120, and their ice rink holds 750 passenger yet the ship holds up to 7000 passengers. Standing room only. 

 

No Haven boarding line.  This would be more port-specific. There was certainly haven check-in and waiting area in Miami

 

No Haven Gangway at ports.  This would be more port-specific. In some ports that we called at, the ship was only able to set one gangway 

 

Other than the setting it's no different than the rest of the ship. BA/BA+ ships have much less Haven facilities. 

 

Restaurant menu does not change. BA/BA+ same

 

No shows with dancers or a cast. Summer had dancers and a cast that were very good. 

 

No Outside Bar on Breakaway class ships

 

No Saunas/Ice Rooms on some Breakaway Class ships. 

[MsTabbyKats]

@mscdivina2016Sounds to me like someone is missing the Yacht Club

[JGmf]

28 minutes ago, bobfoo said:

7 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Bar seats 12 for 350 people.

This is just stupid. And I don't mean the ship. I mean your complaint.

 

What are you suggesting here? That every venue has to be able to hold enough people relating to the number of passengers that has access to that area?

 

That's kind of mean. 

 

I agree with the OP.  As a general rule, the Haven bars are indeed undersized relative to the Haven passenger load.  It's a common observation, not just for Prima.

 

[kasimir]

48 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

That's kind of mean. 

 

I agree with the OP.  As a general rule, the Haven bars are indeed undersized relative to the Haven passenger load.  It's a common observation, not just for Prima.

 

But the OP was complaining specifically about the Prima, while the low bar seating capacity is an issue for the BA/BA+ haven bar as well.

[schmoopie17]

Agree with some of the general observations/complaints about the Prima. I could add more, but this horse has been beaten to death previously. (Yes, I'm guilty).

 

As for the Haven issues...can't comment. They won't allow us steerage folks anywhere near the Haven.

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by schmoopie17

[kasimir]

8 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Haven

Holds 350 so no intimate setting.

Question for all, what is the official Haven capacity for the Prima class? I know the Prima has 107 Haven cabins on board (vs 80 Haven cabins on BA/BA+) and you have two bedrooms and some of the owner suites can hold up to 8 people. 

[RocketMan275]

OP wants to make every venue larger, entertainment, dining, the haven bar, etc.

Where does OP propose this extra space?  How does one make the Haven restaurant more intimate while increasing the number of tables.  The list goes on.

Since space is limited on a ship, the only solution is to reduce the number of passengers.  

One wonders what OP would think about reducing the number of passengers by half and doubling the fare?

[mscdivina2016]

5 hours ago, UKstages said:

while i certainly agree with your ultimate conclusion that the prima is lacking in several key areas, at least a few of your statements need clarification.

 

there are no shows with a cast? who is in “summer,” the donna summer musical? have they switched over to automatons like the hall of presidents at disneyland? or were all performances of this show canceled for some reason?

 

the only “show” held in syd norman’s is the series of rock ‘n’ roll musical revues created specifically for that venue. seating is extremely limited if you want to see the cast perform there. this is true of all ships with a syd’s. if the wait was only a half hour, you likely sailed at far less than capacity.

all comedians formerly performing in the improv have been moved to the theatre, although there may not have been any comedians at all on your sailing, since it was a european itinerary. there are no other shows typically scheduled in the improv. it’s used for lectures and trivia contests and such.

 

as for the haven… food served only four hours a day?   the restaurant is only open four hours a day? room service is now prohibited in the haven? there isn’t an endless array of snacks in the lounge from 6 am or so till 8 or 9 pm? your butler didn’t bring you snacks at least once a day?

 

the haven menu doesn’t change on any ship, although on a cruise of your duration, it’s likely that there were daily specials. The MDR menu does change.

 

what do you mean when you say there was no grill? a dedicated outdoor space for burgers and such? or that all your meats and fish were baked and roasted?

 

regardless of whether there was a designated “line,” are you saying there was no haven pre-boarding? that would be most unusual. did you board in southampton or reykjavik? or do you mean there was no priority check-in?

 

i’ve sailed in the haven on a few ships. i’ve never seen a haven gangway. upon returning from port, the concierge team typically provides an expedited escort back onboard.

 

i think the prima is an awful ship sent by the devil to torment us all. but some of your concerns appear to be either fleet wide (not confined to the prima) or are based on some sort of misunderstanding or based perhaps on unique circumstances of your sailing.

 

 

 

Donna summer was primarily 1 person singing. Just a singing show. Many walked out.  Did not seem to be like prior descriptions of it.

 Syds was 2 separate shows and I am not waiting all that time. Hold it in the big theater as it was empty and closed half the time.  This was a 14 night cruise.

 

 Same comedian all cruise. Multiple shows were the same leaving one without something to do that night . 

 

 Food ,water, juice, coffee was available on Encore Haven from early morning till wee hours of the morning .

 Getting coffee on this ship was a 15 minute ordeal. Even grabbing something quick for breakfast was not easy as you had to be seated in the restaurant. No outdoor grill for burgers or such.

 

 Southampton had no Haven preboard line. Wasn't until you made it upstairs that there was an area.

 We had multiple Gangway in almost all ports.

[mscdivina2016]

3 hours ago, bobfoo said:

This is just stupid. And I don't mean the ship. I mean your complaint.

 

What are you suggesting here? That every venue has to be able to hold enough people relating to the number of passengers that has access to that area?

 

You any idea how big the ship would be for that to be true. Not everybody uses the same thing as once.

 

'5000 people on this ship and the toilets only have 5 cubicles!'

 

Talk about nonsense...

Have you been on the Prima?  The bar layout is sideways not like the other Haven's 

[BunnyHutt]

Honest question - what cruise lines/ships have outdoor grills?? Intuitively, I would think this would be a major liability issue. 
 

It seems like the vast majority of your complaints are haven-related/not receiving enough preferential treatment. If one is going to spend that much money on a vacation, why not just sail on Viking?

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Have you been on the Prima?  The bar layout is sideways not like the other Haven's 

Why is that important and what effect does that have on bar seats?

[Catchum]

If you have a lovely little inside cabin on the Spirit or Jade you will avoid 90% of these problems.

[eileeshb]

57 minutes ago, BunnyHutt said:

Honest question - what cruise lines/ships have outdoor grills?? Intuitively, I would think this would be a major liability issue. 
 

It seems like the vast majority of your complaints are haven-related/not receiving enough preferential treatment. If one is going to spend that much money on a vacation, why not just sail on Viking?

Some of the NCL ships have “the great outdoors” area just outside the buffet or in Spice H20 but those are public areas and not specific to haven. It usually served burgers and hotdogs in the time between lunch and dinner when the buffet was closed. 

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, BunnyHutt said:

Honest question - what cruise lines/ships have outdoor grills?? Intuitively, I would think this would be a major liability issue. 
 

It seems like the vast majority of your complaints are haven-related/not receiving enough preferential treatment. If one is going to spend that much money on a vacation, why not just sail on Viking?

I don't believe OP is talking about cooking grills.  It's the small outdoor buffet that serves burgers and dogs 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, BunnyHutt said:

Honest question - what cruise lines/ships have outdoor grills?? Intuitively, I would think this would be a major liability issue. 

Many of the celebrity ships have outdoor grills.  Operated by crew, not passengers.

[insidecabin]

34 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

I don't believe OP is talking about cooking grills.  It's the small outdoor buffet that serves burgers and dogs 

It's a feature of MSC YC,

 

outside bar and grill buffet with cook to order items.

[dbrown84]

13 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

It's a feature of MSC YC,

 

outside bar and grill buffet with cook to order items.

HUH?

[Augustsunshine]

Thank you, I appreciate your honest opinion and information. 

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, kasimir said:

Question for all, what is the official Haven capacity for the Prima class? I know the Prima has 107 Haven cabins on board (vs 80 Haven cabins on BA/BA+) and you have two bedrooms and some of the owner suites can hold up to 8 people. 

The official capacity is 214 (double occupancy). 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Donna summer was primarily 1 person singing. Just a singing show. Many walked out.  Did not seem to be like prior descriptions of it.

There are three Donna Summers singing. Young, Mid-aged, Old. along with a supporting cast of a musical.