VESSEL REVIEW | Norwegian Prima – First in series of 3,300-guest ships for Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has taken delivery of the first in a new series of six cruise ships built by Italian shipyard Fincantieri.

The Bahamas-registered Norwegian Prima has a length of 981 feet (299 metres), a maximum beam of 167.3 feet (51 metres), a draught of 28.5 feet (8.7 metres), a gross tonnage of 143,535, and accommodations for 3,100 guests at double occupancy plus a crew of 1,500. The diesel-electric propulsion system drives two ABB podded azimuthing thrusters.

The ship is the first in the Prima-class based on a prototype developed by Fincantieri. The design focused on energy efficiency, with the two-fold aim of optimising consumption at sea and reducing environmental impact to ensure compliance with the most recent applicable regulations. The remaining five ships in the Prima-class will be delivered by 2027, and this number includes Norwegian Viva, which is scheduled to enter service within this year.

Although smaller than NCL's Breakaway-class ships, the Prima-class have a more modern design characterised by small spaces and an efficient overall interior layout that will allow guests to easily find their way around.

Norwegian Prima boasts a selection of onboard facilities such as a three-level race car track, restaurants, bars, a spa, a sauna, pools, a waterpark, a casino, a sculpture garden, indoor and outdoor gaming area, an outdoor lounge, duty-free shops, a music club, and a theatre. An outdoor walkway/atrium with a total area of 44,000 square feet (4,087 square metres) wraps around the entire ship.

Guest accommodation options meanwhile include balcony suites and staterooms, inside staterooms, cabins for solo travellers, and a private upper deck suite complex with VIP amenities and 24-hour butler and concierge services.

Norwegian Prima has already begun sailing on round-trip Caribbean cruises out of its homeport of Port Canaveral in Florida following an inaugural season that included voyages out of New York, Miami, and Galveston, Texas. Stops on its current Caribbean itineraries include Mexico, Jamaica, Honduras, and NCL's exclusive resort-style destinations of Harvest Caye in Belize and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.

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