A First Look at NCL’s Norwegian Prima Cruise Ship
There’s virtually no doubt that Norwegian Prima, the first in a new class of six ships to enter service through 2027, will be a game changer for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Not only is Norwegian Prima NCL’s newest class of ship in nearly 10 years it is also the first vessel that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings President and CEO developed from scratch.
Del Rio’s goal “was to do whatever I had to do to not build a cookie cutter ship,” he said.
Suffice it to say he achieved that goal.
Norwegian Prima is nothing if not wholly original, a fact that was abundantly clear during a tour with media and travel advisors at the Fincantieri shipyard in Maghera, Italy, where it was built.
“I’ve been building ships for a long time,” Del Rio said in reference to NCL sister brands Oceanica Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
“When I got to Norwegian Cruise Line in 2015 we had four vessels on order – Norwegian Escape, Joy, Bliss and Encore – and I could only do what I do around the edges because the ships were already contracted for.”
With Norwegian Prima, Del Rio said he aimed to create “a contemporary category vessel that if I blindfolded you and dropped you in you’d be hard-pressed to know if you were on an Oceania upper-premium ship or on a Regent ultra-luxury ship.”
While smaller than its Breakaway-class sisters, the 142,000 gross ton, 3,100-passenger Norwegian Prima is packed with innovative dining concepts, stunning public rooms and one-of-a-kind activities.
On the culinary front – something that Del Rio is passionate about – the ship features a number of firsts, including the open-air Indulge Food Hall, with 11 different concepts; and Hudson’s, the main dining room, which will buck tradition with just one menu rather than one that rotates daily.
“History says that in these main restaurants the menu has to change because people need variety,” Del Rio said. “Well, that’s 50-year-old thinking, when every ship only had just one restaurant. You had to give people variety because they were going to eat at the same time with same people every day.”
But that, of course, is not the case today.
It is not, however, the number of outlets that’s important but the quality of the food.
“You can’t take any shortcuts,” Del Rio said. “You have to have great chefs. And we try to hire the best. A little secret: The highest paid person on the ship is not the captain.”
Del Rio again offered up his blindfold challenge, saying that if he served someone a dish– say roasted chicken – from NCL, Oceania and Regent, they would be hard-pressed to determine which dish came from which line.
“That’s how important food is, obviously at Oceania and Regent. But we brought that culinary excellence to Norwegian.”
Beyond the promise of five-star cuisine, the dining venues themselves are stunning.
A case in point is Le Bistro, which conjures up the Palace of Mirrors in Versailles with its three breathtaking $70,000 crystal chandeliers and herringbone floors.
The light and airy Hudson’s is appointed with gorgeous gold butterfly ceiling installations and Cagney’s Steakhouse with chic chartreuse chairs.
The asymmetrical three-story Penrose Atrium, which spans three decks and is capped by glittering silver stars, drew its inspiration from such disparate urban gathering places as the atrium at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Venice’s Piazza San Marco, said its designer Greg Walton of Miami-based Studio Dado.
Norwegian Prima is also home to a 450-meter racetrack, the Prima Speedway, which traverses three decks – and features a straightaway cutting through the smokestack.
Other highlights include The Drop, a 10-story dry freefall slide; and a $6 million art collection, which includes the Concourse, a sculpture garden on Ocean Boulevard.
For its part, the multi-faceted Prima Theater and Nightclub will serve as “the first real nightclub at sea,” said NCL Senior Vice President of Entertainment Richard Ambrose, adding that it will be reminiscent of such iconic clubs as New York’s Studio 54.
The venue will be utilized virtually 24/7, and offer headline shows including “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.”
The theater will also be transformed into a gameshow venue, where guests will be able to participate in shows including “The Price is Right LIVE,” “Supermarket Sweep LIVE” and “Press Your Luck LIVE” – and the chance to win prizes including refrigerators, cars and more.
“Norwegian Prima is most definitely an upper-level premium ship – I’m so impressed with it,” said Tracy Clenshaw of Cruise 1st in Manchester, England.
“Uber cool luxury is a new trend and this ship has it,” said Phil Evans of Cruise Nation in Swansea, England, adding that the ships’ ambiance puts him mind of destinations like Mykonos and Ibiza.
“There’s a real wow factor.”
Following its inaugural cruise out of Reykjavik, Iceland, in late August, Norwegian Prima will sail on a series of eight-day itineraries from Amsterdam and Copenhagen before repositioning to the U.S.