NCL newby here looking for some input.....

[SPacificbound]

Long time cruisers, but new to NCL. I booked Prima today for January 2025.

 

We cruise RCCL, Celebrity and Cunard. 

 

NCL cruisers, please share some insight with me. TIA

[IAcruising]

How about asking a question or two?

 

[FlGoodShips]

16 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

Long time cruisers, but new to NCL. I booked Prima today for January 2025.

 

We cruise RCCL, Celebrity and Cunard. 

 

NCL cruisers, please share some insight with me. TIA

Love the "freestyle" dining. No need to make any reservations for any of the complimentary restaurants. Go when you want.

Only specialty restaurants need reservations.

[SPacificbound]

Question- We usually find a relatively quiet bar to hang out and read during the day, is there such a bar on Prima?  

Edited November 15, 2023 by SPacificbound
spelling

[UKstages]

you will find decidedly mixed reviews of the prima, here and elsewhere. it's one of NCL's newest ships and is very different than many of the previous ships. there is much to recommend and also some serious lapses in judgment and design.  it's either the best ship in the fleet or a horribly misguided experiment, depending on whom you talk to. 

 

earlier this year, i spent nearly three weeks onboard.

 

i thought the truth was somewhere in between...

 

 

[IAcruising]

6 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

Question- We usually find a relatively quiet bar to hang out and read during the day, are there such a bar on Prima?  

 

We were on a packed Prima, and finding a quiet place anywhere was often difficult. However, the Metropolitan is located in the middle of specialty dining restaurants and small entertainment venues, so is usually pretty quiet during the day, when open.

 

The whiskey bar, while in a fairly common area can be somewhat quite during the day. The Belvedere usually opened midafternoon and was quiet and serene until Cagney's and the Commodore started getting dinner guests.

 

The Observation Lounge is large, and we could always find a place to sit in relative peace earlier in the afternoon. The servers were also excellent here.

 

Basically, as with any ship, you have to search around, find out where the crowds are, and go the other way. 

[stinkyharriet]

20 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

Question- We usually find a relatively quiet bar to hang out and read during the day, is there such a bar on Prima?  

Try the Observation Lounge on deck 17.  It has comfortable seating, the best views and a bar.  Around 3pm each day they put out “afternoon tea” so it can get busier then.

[SPacificbound]

45 minutes ago, stinkyharriet said:

Try the Observation Lounge on deck 17.  It has comfortable seating, the best views and a bar.  Around 3pm each day they put out “afternoon tea” so it can get busier then.

Thank you!

[miXterOB]

Have a very good friend aboard the Prima  right now and she's loving it.

She loves the cabin and the Free @ Sea perks

I'm from very much the same cruising DNA as you...RCCL/Celebrity(Elite) and doing my first NCL in 11 days aboard an older NCL. Friends assure me the food is at least as good if not better than Celebrity but we shall see. The variety actually seems broader so fingers crossed.

[PhillyTravelBug]

I thoroughly enjoyed the prima. Since you are sailing in a warm climate, the outdoor space will be utilized more than our sailing in Iceland and Norway. You can glimpse through my detailed trip report if you want to see photos and commentary to get a feel.  I would prefer to sail the new aqua ship, but I would sail the primary or viva again.

 

August 2023 Prima sailing

[hallux]

10 hours ago, SPacificbound said:

NCL cruisers, please share some insight with me. TIA

For such a vague request - just browse threads here on the forum, you'll get LOTS of insight...

[graphicguy]

OP….as you can see, it’s tough to give you insight with such a non-specific question.

 

I can’t comment on Prima, specifically as I don’t sail on her until next year.  But, have sailed RC (Diamond), Celebrity (Elite) and NCL (Sapphire).  Cunard is not my cup of tea, so can’t help with comparisons.

 

Overall, there are more outdoor spaces on NCL vs RC (which tends to try to have everyone focused inward on their ships).  As such, the Prima has a large outdoor promenade facing outward that will be poplulated by bars and restaurants.  Those areas also have couches and chairs to relax and read.

 

Celebrity (sailed Solstice, Apex and Edge) cruises are quieter than NCL cruises in general.  NCL has better entertainment and generally more to do.

 

Food is always subjective.  But, NCL is at least as good as Celebrity, and better than the last couple of RC cruises I’ve taken.

 

NCL ships are well maintained and offer great service.

 

Again, speaking in generalities but without anything specific to go by, tough to hone in more of what you’re looking for.

 

A quick search for @BirdTravels and @sid_9169 pictorial Prima reviews will give you a more in-depth overview of the Prima.

[schmoopie17]

A wide open question will get wide open answers. Here's a summary of NCL:

Some people love it.

Some people hate it.

Most are in-between the first two. Much like everything else in life.

 

As for your more specific question, the Belvedere Bar may fit the bill. However, there is lots of foot traffic as it is situated in the passageway to the restaurants. But the seating area is big enough that you could park yourself in a corner. Also, on our sailing, Trivia was held there every afternoon. YMMV.

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by schmoopie17

[cruiseny4life]

There are a couple of soon to be "live"ish reports from Pr1ma. 

 

@mking8288 will be reporting here:

 

And, I'll be reporting here (mine will probably be more opinion than fact as mking8288 does a better job giving facts than I do:

 

Feel free to ask questions! 

[UKstages]

43 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

the Belvedere Bar may fit the bill.

 

are you thinking, perhaps, of the metropolitan bar? that's where trivia is typically played. deck 7. lots of foot traffic.

 

the belvedere is nestled between cagney's and the commodore room on deck 6. very little foot traffic.

Edited November 15, 2023 by UKstages

[laudergayle]

The Belvedere Bar is a great bar when in the casino. The casino bar (forward of casino) is typically packed.  The Belevedere (aft of casino) is rarely crowded.  

[schmoopie17]

18 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

are you thinking, perhaps, of the metropolitan bar? that's where trivia is typically played. deck 7. lots of foot traffic.

 

Yep...Old age strikes again. Damn Father Time...

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by schmoopie17

[FLAHAM]

As you will be on a Caribbean cruise, during the day a substantial portion of all passengers will be on deck or in port.  You will have no problem finding a quiet, or even a deserted, bar in which to sit and read.

[cruiseny4life]

28 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the belvedere is nestled between cagney's and the commodore room on deck 6. very little foot traffic.

 

14 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

The Belvedere Bar is a great bar when in the casino. The casino bar (forward of casino) is typically packed.  The Belevedere (aft of casino) is rarely crowded.  

I appreciate you two saying this. When studying the deck plans for our slot pull meet up, I selected Belvedere as it looked kind of like the Sunset Bar on Getaway. Out of the way, quiet, and close to the casino. Y'all are making me feel better about this decision!

[laudergayle]

11 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I appreciate you two saying this. When studying the deck plans for our slot pull meet up, I selected Belvedere as it looked kind of like the Sunset Bar on Getaway. Out of the way, quiet, and close to the casino. Y'all are making me feel better about this decision!

You’re doing a slot pull…yay!  They are so much fun…hope your group wins BIG 💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

The casino bar (forward of casino) is typically packed.

 

yes, agreed... but that's because they technically don't have a dedicated casino bar on the prima. all drink service for the casino is handled by the atrium bar... and they are often overwhelmed.

 

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

When studying the deck plans for our slot pull meet up, I selected Belvedere as it looked kind of like the Sunset Bar on Getaway.

 

you know, as much as i spend a lot of time in the casino, i have never done a slot pull! those are typically held as a M&G after party and i rarely go to the M&Gs.

 

if you're looking for a secluded place to meet up that's close to the casino... i can recommend the so-called VIP casino. nobody knows it's there. it's sort of discreetly hidden behind the atrium bar, accessed by doors on either side. there are two video poker machines that i went in there to play... a lot... far from the madding crowd, with great air conditioning. there are also two or three table games in there, but i only ever saw one other person in there. there are also... snacks... usually a few pastries. of course, if you have a lot of people, belvedere is better. be aware, though, that it's not always open. so if you're meeting in the morning, the bar will be closed. you can sit there, but no drink service.

Edited November 15, 2023 by UKstages

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

all drink service for the casino is handled by the atrium bar

 

amending my own post to say i believe it's called the penrose bar. 

 

the penrose does double duty as the casino service bar.