Saturday, April 20, 2024

Review: Norwegian Cruise Line Prima

norwegian cruise lines reviews

Lower tiers don't bring all that much in terms of truly valuable benefits. You'll get things like priority check-in and discounted spa treatments performed while ships are in port. All cabins on Norwegian vessels have standard North American-style, 110-volt outlets and European-style, 220-volt outlets. This pricing is quite a bit higher than what some other lines, such as Carnival or Princess, charge for Wi-Fi. Princess recently was charging just $14.99 per person per day for a WiFi package. Instead, you can travel with a state-certified birth certificate or other proof of citizenship and a driver's license or other government-issued photo identification.

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Each tier is determined by the number of points you have earned. Note that some of these activities may come with additional fees, and not every activity is available on every ship. If luxury is what you’re after, you can rent a private villa at Silver Cove.

Norwegian Cruise Line loyalty program

Called Entourage, the teen zone is a place for teens to hang out, dance and play games, and it's supervised by counselors who plan activities and challenges. Norwegian also has rooms on its ships for babies and toddlers ages 6 months to 3 years. Called Guppies, the program offers parents a place to play with their youngest children, with occasional youth staff-led activities and games. As is typical for big-ship cruise lines, Norwegian has an extensive children's program, with programs and activities for children as young as 6 months through the age of 17. As is the case with the Galaxy Pavilion attractions mentioned above, the go-kart and laser tag experiences on Norwegian ships don't come cheap.

What’s included on NCL cruises?

You may be used to lots of entertainment in the form of singing and dancing on cruise ships, but the Prima doesn’t have a lot of it. If you like game shows and smaller venues for comedy and music, as well as thrills like go-karts, slides and escape rooms, this ship is for you. So, for example, an upcoming cruise on the Prima — a seven-day trip from Galveston, Texas, to the Caribbean in February — is about $2,400 per balcony cabin (with two people).

norwegian cruise lines reviews

Cruising in Northern Europe offers a fantastic variety of excursions and experiences, from historical city tours to adrenaline-filled outdoor adventures. Aurora borealis in the sky seen from a cruise ship in Arctic Norway. Following the recent rise in popularity of the region as a cruising destination, the fjords season has extended, with trips available as early as April and as late as September. One such trip is this 12-night itinerary from Celebrity Cruises, which includes a visit to both Visby and Tallinn.

Ships

The best part was spending time with my parents and making memories. Cruising is a great way to do that because there are a variety of activities and options available, and everyone does not need to be together all the time. Lots of people in a small space got really hot and disorganized, but soon my parents and I had our luggage and were out the door and into a taxi.

More about Norwegian Breakaway

It'll also operate trips to Bermuda from New York City and Boston, usually with two ships, and trips to the Bahamas and the Caribbean out of Miami. Norwegian is the world's fourth-largest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 19 ships that together offer 56,780 berths. In short, if you want to turn a Norwegian cruise into a luxury experience, you can do that, too. Norwegian really is the line where you make the trip what you want it to be. I didn’t miss the lack of entertainment options because I was spending most of my time either in port, eating or sleeping.

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Norwegian Epic Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review - Cruise Critic

Norwegian Epic Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review.

Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 14:54:12 GMT [source]

Hands down the best restaurant on Norwegian Encore, Onda is a huge draw and what ultimately tips the scale for many cruisers when trying to decide between Encore and Bliss. If you're sure Norwegian is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who understands all the little quirks that are unique to Norwegian's cabin categories and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see the cabins firsthand. If you're sure you know what sort of cabin you want, on which ship, on which itinerary — and about a dozen other things — you can head over to ncl.com to make a booking directly. In contrast to airline frequent-flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. But it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot.

I spent $20 at NCL's Ice Bar, and it was the best-kept secret on Epic

Both of the spaces are built around three massive crystal chandeliers costing nearly $100,000 that hang down to the floor — a showstopper of a design element. The entryway to each of these ships, for instance, deposits you at the three-story-high Penrose Atrium, which may be the most beautiful atrium of any big ship at sea. It has a curvy, sculptural feel as if the entire space were an art piece. In addition, Norwegian Encore has a large laser tag area on its top deck (one that I can tell you from personal experience is a blast) and a massive indoor gaming and virtual reality zone called the Galaxy Pavilion. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Getaway blends a lot of adult spaces with kid-friendly activities, so passengers are a mix of couples, families -- both nuclear and multigenerational -- and groups of friends. Instead, you would earn benefits on future cruises related to your particular elite tier.

At 169,116 tons and carrying 3,958 passengers, Norwegian Encore is the largest ship in the Norwegian fleet. That means it has the most space for the many over-the-top family fun zones that are at the core of the four Breakaway-Plus vessels — a series of ships that was specifically designed with families in mind. Norwegian Cruise Line isn’t totally all-inclusive, but it’s close.

While no cruise line is completely immune from problems, there are several that have never experienced a major incident and that invest heavily in safety training and technology. We wouldn't say Norwegian is unsafe, per se, but it's one area where some of its rivals outpace its track record. Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. If you’ve ever wanted to dive into the culture of the Vikings or explore what makes people in the Nordic region the so-called happiest on earth, you could do a lot worse than book a Scandinavian cruise. These two ships are so similar that it’s hard to pick one over the other – unless you’re a serious foodie and want to shell out some extra cash for Onda by Scarpetta.

Norwegian Cruise Line, commonly referred to as NCL, is a popular cruise line that was founded in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, who also co-founded Carnival Cruise Line. Norwegian Cruise Line is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and is currently part of the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., which also includes Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Some local initiatives protesting against cruise travel have also gathered momentum, so cruisers should be aware of these issues before setting foot ashore. For those interested in Viking history, look out for smaller ship itineraries featuring Visby on the wonderful island of Gotland.

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