Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Prima, has just debuted. As the first of six ships in the innovative new Prima Class, Norwegian Prima is 143,500 gross tons and is able to accommodate just under 3,100 guests at double occupancy. When it comes to comparing Norwegian Prima to other ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, you might be wondering what’s new on Norwegian Prima.
Well, the name Prima, which means “first” in Italian, is very fitting for this vessel. Norwegian Prima offers many firsts in the industry and first for the brand amenities. Not to mention, the ship also features stunning hull artwork designed by Italian graffiti artist Peeta and more wide-open spaces than ever before. These offerings are more in line with premium cruise brands designed to deliver an elevated cruise experience.
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What’s New on Norwegian Prima
Ocean Boulevard
One of the biggest changes you might notice when comparing Norwegian Prima to say Norwegian Encore is the transformation of the Deck 8 Waterfront. This area has been reimagined and renamed the Ocean Boulevard. Ocean Boulevard now offers double the space and a greater variety of experiences and dining options.
The new Ocean Boulevard is 44,000 square feet long and wraps around the entire deck! The area features several unique spaces like La Terraza, The Concourse, and Infinity Beach. Additionally, it features outdoor dining spaces for a few restaurants and the new Oceanwalk glass walkways.
La Terraza is a forward-facing lounge space designed to be both spacious and intimate, giving guests a quiet place to relax.
The Concourse is an outdoor sculpture garden featuring an art wall and six art installations valued at over $2 million. The Concourse is a great space to admire the interactive collection both day and night.
Further, Infinity Beach might be the most coveted spot on Ocean Boulevard. This new space features two infinity pools, one on the portside and one on the starboard side, designed to get guests closer to the ocean than ever before for breathtaking vistas while lounging in the pool.
New Main Dining Rooms
Norwegian Cruise Line has completely reinvented its main dining rooms on Norwegian Prima. Now, Norwegian Prima features two complimentary main dining rooms that offer fixed menus during the duration of the cruise.
These menus offer a variety of global cuisine, as well as a build-your-own-pasta section, vegetarian options, and “Specialties” where guests can select certain dishes for an up-charge.
Given NCL’s Freestyle approach to cruising and the number of other complimentary and specialty dining options onboard Norwegian Prima, we don’t mind this change. On a typical 7-day cruise with NCL, we generally only dine in the MDR on 2-3 occasions anyway.
Hudson’s is the larger of the two new main dining rooms located on Deck 7. Here, guests can admire the 270-degree views while enjoying dinner from just about any seat in the venue. The other new main dining room is The Commodore Room located on Deck 6. Each of these venues do have the same menu.
New and Elevated Attractions
When it comes to onboard attractions, Norwegian Cruise Line has pushed the envelope even further with several new and amped up amenities that are fun for all ages.
Perhaps the most thrilling of these new additions are the slides. Located on Deck 18, there are three 10-story tall slides. First, The Drop is the first free-fall slide in the world. This dry slide plunges 10 stories, reaching the highest G-forces of any cruise line. Next, there is The Rush. The Rush is a pair of dueling dry slides where guests can twist their way down 10 stories.
There is also a new waterslide, The Wave. The Wave is NCL’s first tidal wave waterslide where guests can ride an innertube to catch the perfect wave. All three slides are complimentary.
Also located on Deck 18 are two brand new spaces where guests can challenge friends and family to a little competition. The Bull’s Eye is an al fresco lounge with interactive dart games. Additionally, The Stadium features complimentary tabletop games like shuffleboard, pickleball, foosball, and beer pong.
Or, if mini-golf is more your style, Norwegian Prima has that too. Tee Time is a Vegas-themed interactive 9-hole course with the chance to win prizes. While The Stadium is free, the Bull’s Eye and Tee Time will cost you extra.
If that’s not enough, Norwegian Prima features the first 3-level racetrack at sea. The Prima Speedway is longer and larger that its predecessor on Norwegian Encore. In fact, it is 22% larger and goes around the funnel of the ship at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour. So, get ready to put that pedal to the metal! The Speedway is priced at $15 per person.
Additionally, the popular Galaxy Pavilion returns to Norwegian Prima as well with some amped up experiences. This virtual reality complex features 14 interactive and immersive attractions, including the only TopGolf Swing Suite at sea.
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Transformational Prima Theater
Norwegian Prima features the first 3-story transformational theater at sea. Much like Virgin Voyages’ theater, this space evolves from a three-story theater with a state-of-the art performance stage to a Vegas-style nightclub with an expansive dance floor. The venue also features a customizable seating layout and a moving LED screen.
The signature show in the Prima Theater is the 75-minute “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”. This performance tells the story of Donna Summer’s rise to stardom and features more than 20 of her hit songs. Reservations are required for the show, so be sure to reserve your spot early.
The Prima Theater also features LIVE on NCL Game Shows, like the Price is Right. Are you ready to “come on down”?
While they weren’t available on our sailing, other “shows” scheduled to debut in the Prima Theater are Noise Boys from the creators of Choir of Man and the SENSORIA nightclub experience.
New Casual Dining Options
NCL Freestyle cruisers will still find a cruise buffet (renamed the Surfside Cafe and Grill) and the popular pub, The Local, on Norwegian Prima. This bar and grill has been spruced up with a new seaside theme and décor. It now also offers additional outdoor seating on Ocean Boulevard.
However, the main attraction when it comes to casual eats is the new Indulge Food Hall. This venue, located at the aft of Deck 8, features 11 different stations with a wide variety of international flavors. The best part is that most of these food stations are complimentary.
A returning favorite, Q Texas Smokehouse, is located here. There are also several new options including the Seaside Rotisserie, noodles from around the world at Nudls, Tamara serving Indian dishes, and the Latin Quarter. There’s even a Tapas Food Truck serving up Spanish-inspired snacks.
New Specialty Restaurants
While Norwegian Prima features a number of familiar favorites, the ship also debuts a few new specialty restaurants.
Norwegian cruisers will be glad to know that Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro have found a home on Norwegian Prima. Two of our favorite NCL specialty restaurants, Onda by Scarpetta and Food Republic, are also on the ship, in addition to Los Lobos. These venues do have slight menu tweaks and updated dĂ©cor.
All of these restaurants are priced a la carte, or cruisers can use a special dining package credit. Further, it is highly recommended that you make specialty dining reservations pre-cruise as popular times do fill up quickly.
In addition to the above offerings, cruisers will find three new options on Norwegian Prima: Palomar, Hasuki, and Nama Sushi.
Palomar is located off the pool deck on Deck 17. This specialty restaurant is NCL’s first Mediterranean-inspired venue. This new seafood specialty restaurant serves up dishes like scallops, sea bass, lobster, and filet mignon and is priced a la carte.
Hasuki is located on Deck 7 and is Norwegian Prima’s new take on Japanese cuisine. New name, same great hibachi experience. Hasuki has a flat-fee cover charge of $49.
Finally, Nama Sushi is located across the way on the starboard side. This new sushi bar offers elevated sushi dishes prepared by master chefs alongside a carefully curated sake list.
New Bars
With all the dining options found on Norwegian Prima, you are bound to get thirsty. Luckily, Norwegian Prima offers a variety of bars and lounges to satisfy everyone. While we are sad to see that our favorite NCL bars, the Sugarcane Mojito Bar and District Brewhouse, did not make the cut, there are still plenty of other bars with signature menus and craft cocktails to enjoy.
The Prima Speedway Bar is the perfect spot to celebrate your victory on the racetrack. While the Soleil Bar is a great spot to enjoy some cocktails and wake views while lounging in the Indulge Outdoor Lounge.
Further, the Penrose Bar is a great place to people watch while enjoying a drink and all the happenings in the lively Atrium. Or, you might want to stop in at the new Belvedere Bar on Deck 6 for a pre-dinner cocktail before heading to dinner at Cagney’s or The Commodore Room.
The Metropolitan Bar on Deck 7 is another featured bar on Norwegian Prima. This is NCL’s first sustainably-focused bar, featuring zero-waste cocktails, including the signature “Primadonna”. The bar also offers various other sustainable craft cocktails and biodynamic wines.
Of course, you can find familiar favorites like the Observation Lounge and the Waves Pool Bar on Norwegian Prima as well.
New Offerings in the Mandara Spa
The Mandara Spa on Norwegian Prima has been completely re-imagined too. This spa offers typical services like massages, acupuncture, manicures and pedicures, and facials along with some new services like zero gravity and ocean spa wave massages.
However, the big draw here is the thermal suite which features the industry’s first charcoal sauna derived from Japanese and Korean wellness practices. This sauna is just one of the 8 thermal suite offerings. There is also a salt room, steam room, ice room, experiential showers, a flotation salt pool and vitality pool, an infrared sauna, a two-story waterfall, and hot stone loungers with great forward-facing views.
The current pricing for thermal suite passes is around $339 for a week. Or, you could book one of the 28 exclusive spa balcony staterooms which include access to the Mandara Spa’s thermal suite experiences.
New Location for The Haven
The Haven on Norwegian Prima is located on Deck 16 aft. This exclusive ship-within-a-ship concept has been relocated and elevated to offer the most centralized suite complex. The Haven features the most luxurious accommodations on the ship, a plethora of private amenities, and dedicated services.
The Haven Restaurant and Lounge both now have outdoor seating. Further, The Haven Courtyard on Norwegian Prima has been transformed into an expansive Haven Sundeck. This two-story space boasts two hot tubs, a new infinity pool overlooking the ship’s wake, and a new outdoor spa with a sauna and cold room.
This private outdoor sanctuary is reserved exclusively for guests staying in the Haven and access is further restricted to guests 16+.
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Largest Standard Staterooms in the Fleet
Not only does Norwegian Prima offer the largest variety of suite categories at sea and the largest three-bedroom suites of any new cruise ship, the ship also features the largest-ever inside, oceanview, and balcony staterooms for the brand. These cabins include the brand’s largest-ever bathrooms and showers for standard stateroom categories as well.
When comparing deck plans for Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Encore, it appears that these stateroom categories are between 10-25 square feet larger.
Our BF category balcony cabin definitely seemed more spacious than a very similar cabin on Norwegian Encore. The finishes were a bit more elegant too.
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