The NEW Norwegian Prima
As I mentioned in my last post, this cruise to Bermuda was for a few reasons. One it was my annual travel advisor conference; another was to scope out a new cruise ship class & lastly I haven’t been to Bermuda yet. In this post, I’ll cover the new Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) class of ship & beautiful Bermuda.
For those who have been with me for awhile, you know I try to be transparent and offer multiple options, to help you choose a vacation that’s right for you. On my trips, I chat with many guests to get their perspective & opinions as well.
With that being said, Norwegian Prima is the first release in a series of 6 ships where NCL is reinventing the look, feel and overall experience of their ships. They want to offer more wide-open spaces such as a glass bottom walkway around the front of the ship on Deck 8.
When you first walk onto the ship, just like other ocean cruise lines, the first thing you see is their main atrium. Prima’s atrium is very different from other NCL ships. This one is sleek and modern in design. Instead of Guest Services, Starbucks and the Shore Excursion desk being on the main level in the atrium, as on other ships, now it’s up one deck, so the main level continues with the theme of wide-open, social spaces.
Standard balcony cabin Norwegian Prima
The cabins are drastically different from the other NCL ships I’ve been on & in a very positive way. They finally did away with tiny corner showers & that dreaded shower curtain. You now have a modern bathroom with a glass door shower. The closets instead of being open have classy sliding doors and overall there’s more room to hang clothes.
Smart cruisers tip – on embarkation day, once on board, head to your cabin to make sure your bed is in the correct configuration and everything is working properly. From there I highly suggest making reservations for anything and everything you may want to do on the ship – dining, spa, etc. Popular times for things sell out; especially, on sea days.
Norwegian Prima Main Theater
With that being said, another change with the new ship class are shows in the main theater now require reservations. If there are shows you want to see, I suggest reserving those shortly after boarding the ship. The line on embarkation day gets long & many shows sold out already the first day. There are other entertainment venues around the ship, that don’t require a reservation, and those include an improv/comedy room & live music bars. Another smart cruiser tip – select an early check in time, at the port, to get on the ship before the bulk of the guests.
NCL is known to be great for families, as they don’t have formal nights or set eating times; however, this new class of ships has only one smallish swimming pool. Where the second pool would be located, it’s now a racetrack, virtual reality experience, multi-level slide and sport/game area. They still offer lots of activities for kids, but there were plenty of parents talking about wishing there was more than one pool.
While NCL has added more wide-open spaces, their restaurants are now smaller, intimate dining venues. New cruise ships are trending this way. Instead of large dining rooms, they have more smaller restaurants throughout the ship. It’s a neat concept as each restaurant has a different theme and corresponding menu. They have done a great job giving this new class a very modern feel.
The main difference I noticed with the menu is it no longer changes daily. Traditionally about half the menu would be the same everyday with the other half offering featured items. Now, there are one or two featured items, and the rest of the menu doesn’t change. It’s going to depend on the person’s cruise style if they’ll like this new concept.
Many of us feel that by having the same menu daily, the quality of the food is better. Now each kitchen can focus on being great at their dishes instead of having to know all the offered items.
If you’re someone who likes to take advantage of specialty dining, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from with different types of cuisine such as French, Italian, Mexican, seafood, a steakhouse, etc. I tried two Palomar - a Mediterranean seafood restaurant & Hasuki – a hibachi style Japanese restaurant. Both were delicious & the décor inside feels like you’re in a high-end restaurant.
One of my favorite things to do on vacation is getting pampered at the spa. NCL offers a large menu of services. Besides massages, they have a full-service salon and barber shop. With their thermal pass, you have access to their luxurious pool, aromatic steam room, experiential shower, salt room, ice room, & relaxation areas looking out over the beautiful blue ocean. You can easily spend all day here.
If you’re like me, one of the things you judge a spa by is the amenities offered. While there is a lot to take advantage of, you must purchase a thermal spa pass to use all the amenities. You don’t receive a day pass with your service like other spas. Their massage therapists are excellent, and I’ll likely go back; however, I do prefer spas that offer a more all-inclusive spa experience.
There’s one more topic worth mentioning regarding NCL and then we will move on to Bermuda. If you like a mix work and relaxing, then NCL is likely not a good option for you. I have yet to be on a NCL ship with decent Wi-Fi. I was hoping with this being a new ship, NCL would have upgraded their service, but sadly that’s not the case. With that being said, I suggest not getting their Wi-Fi plan. It’s over $20/day/per person, which is a lot of money to spend and not be able to go online. This new class of ships no longer has an Internet café either where you can use one of the ships computers to go online. Be prepared to have an internet free vacation, while you’re on the ship. Internet worked great in Bermuda if you have an international cell phone plan.
Now on to Bermuda – the only port we had on our itinerary. We were also supposed to visit Virginia, but that was taken off the schedule and we ended up with an extra sea day. For those who haven’t cruised before, it is worth noting cruise lines have the right to change the itinerary at any time for any reason. I don’t say this to discourage you from cruising. Those of us who cruise often agree, it’s an amazing way to see the world. I just want you to be aware of this, so you’re not surprised, if it ever happens to you.
Bermuda is much more than another beach. It’s clean and well maintained. There are many shops and restaurants near the port, if you don’t want to do an excursion, or go to the beach. The beach isn’t near the port and will require a transfer or taxi to get there.
I’m an active traveler and chose to check out their Crystal Caves tour. They are located 40 minutes away from the port and 100% worth it. There are over 80 steps to get down to the caves, so this isn’t an accessible tour. Once you're in the caves there’s just eye-catching beauty everywhere you look. The water is pristine blue, and the cave formations are spectacular! There is a solid wooden walkway over the water and the tour takes you from one end to the other and back. I highly recommend this tour if you like exploring caves.
No matter where you go in Bermuda, be mindful of what vendors are charging you for items. No different than many touristic places, where locals may try to over charge you for items.
If you’re someone who likes casual, go-with-the-flow cruising then NCL’s new class of ships are a good one to try. I hope you found value in this review. If you have any questions relating to this ship, or other travel questions, I’m happy to answer them. Feel free to reach out to me through my page, or contact info listed below.
To see more pictures, from this trip, click here.
Bianca Ramos - Travel Advisor
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