Norwegian Prima Review

Norwegian Prima is the first cruise ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's Prima Class of ships, and is scheduled for delivery in August 2022. The ship will be smaller than the Breakaway and Breakaway-Plus class ships, carrying 3,215 passengers versus more than 4,000.

The ship is being built at Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, a new partnership for the line. In honor of the ship's Italian heritage, the hull art is designed by Italian graffiti artist Manuel Di Rita, known as Peeta.

The ship has a distinctive look compared to the Breakaway and Breakaway-Plus class of ships that preceded it. Norwegian Prima has an expanded outdoor space with pools and restaurants on Deck 8 called Ocean Boulevard. The line's luxury ship-within-a ship, The Haven has been relocated to the aft so all cabins and suites, as well as the sundeck and amenities, face the water, just like a Miami waterfront condo building.

Here are some more highlights of Norwegian Prima:

Ocean Boulevard

Located on Deck Eight, Ocean Boulevard is 44,000 square feet long and wraps around the entire deck, encompassing not just restaurants and bars, but pools and relaxation space.

A first for Norwegian is The Concourse, an outdoor sculpture garden with installations designed by Alexander Krivosheiw. Two Oceanwalk glass bridges are also new, also designed for the Instagram set. La Terraza is a new open-air lounge, meant as a retreat for sea views and a place for passengers to take it easy.

Infinity Beach is another new concept for Norwegian. The highlight here are two infinity pools, each on one side of the ship, to bring bathers closer to the sea.

Indulge Food Hall

Located at the back of Deck 8, Indulge Food Hall is an upscale open-air marketplace-style eatery, with 11 different venues serving different types of cuisine.

Among the venues that are new to the line include Seaside Rotisserie, serving rotisserie chicken and other items; Nudls, which will have noodle dishes from around the world and Tamara, serving classic Indian dishes and vegetarian options. The Latin Quarter will serve "classic Latin food with a twist," while the Tapas Food Truck will have elevated Latin-inspired street food. Garden Kitchen will be a source of customized salads. Sweet lovers will gravitate to Just Desserts and Just Ice Cream.

Besides these new venues, Indulge Food Hall will be home to the returning restaurant Q Texas Smokehouse, as well as Coco's sweets and Starbucks.

Other Ocean Boulevard Restaurants

Ocean Boulevard will have three specialty restaurants with indoor/outdoor seating. Onda By Scarpetta debuted on Norwegian Encore, and is also on Norwegian Spirit. Los Lobos is the line's premium Mexican venue.

The Local Bar & Grill has been revamped as an upscale beach club, and will have live music, cocktails and Americana cuisine.

The Haven

The biggest design change on Norwegian Prima is the relocation of The Haven to the back of the ship. The 107 Haven suites will now have their own private elevators, which take them to the rooms on Decks 10 through 15 and the Haven public areas on Decks 16 and 17.

The new Haven Sundeck has its own infinity pool looking out the aft of the ship. It moves away from the former Haven concept, which had an indoor pool and interior courtyard.

The Haven on Norwegian Prima also contains a new outdoor spa, with a glass-walled sauna and cold room.

Debut and Itineraries

The ship will have a string of inaugural cruises beginning August 2022. From August 17 to September 13, 2022, Norwegian Prima will make 10-day voyages from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, sailing Northern Europe, the Norwegian Fjords and Baltic region.

In September 23, 2022, Norwegian Prima will sail from Southampton on a 12-day transatlantic, ending in New York. The ship will be make an October 10 cruise to Bermuda, before leaving New York to transition to the Caribbean. It will sail a series of voyages from Galveston in October before beginning a mini-season of Miami sailings from November 19 to December 3, 2022.

From December 11 to March 19, 2023, Norwegian Prima will homeport in Port Canaveral, sailing the Western Caribbean. In March 2023, it moves back up to New York to make Bermuda sailings through May 7, 2023. From there, the ship will make an 11-day transatlantic journey from New York to Iceland, where it will have an immersive Icelandic itinerary.

In summer 2023, Norwegian Prima will offer a mix of 10- and 11-day sailings of Norway and Iceland, using Reykjavik and Southampton as homeports. The summer season concludes with a 14-day roundtrip sailing from Southampton on September 17, calling on Ireland, Iceland and Norway.