Norwegian Prima Dining Reviews – What Recent Passengers Say
“Did you try the lamb at Cagney’s? It was bloody brilliant,” I said, my plate already half empty. Juki looked up from his steak with that familiar expression of mild amusement. “You always get excited about lamb. Every ship, every restaurant,” he replied with a smirk. “Meanwhile, I’m over here with the perfect medium-rare ribeye and you haven’t even noticed.” He was right, of course. After five NCL cruises, I’ve developed rather predictable dining habits. “Well darling, at least I’m consistent,” I laughed, reaching over to steal one of his truffle fries while he pretended not to notice.
Dining on Norwegian Prima has become quite the hot topic in cruise circles lately. Since the ship’s launch in 2022 as the first of the Prima Class, NCL has taken a somewhat different approach to their culinary offerings. The Prima represents Norwegian’s attempt to elevate their dining experience while maintaining the freestyle cruising concept that’s been their hallmark since Apollo Global Management took over in 2008.
Overall Passenger Sentiment
Reviews for Prima’s dining venues have been remarkably consistent across social media and cruise forums. Most passengers seem genuinely impressed with the quality of food, particularly in the specialty restaurants. However, the main dining rooms have received more mixed reviews, with some passengers noting inconsistency issues that seem to reflect the cruise industry’s ongoing post-COVID staffing challenges.
“The food on Prima exceeded our expectations in almost every venue. Hudson’s was hit or miss depending on the night, but Cagney’s and Food Republic were absolutely worth the upcharge.”
– MiamiCruiser52, Cruise Critic
Specialty Dining Experience
The Prima offers 9 specialty dining venues, more than on previous NCL ships. These restaurants come with additional fees ranging from $39 to $49 per person, or you can purchase a dining package for around $109 for three meals. That’s actually quite competitive when compared to other premium cruise lines, though it’s definately increased from what NCL charged just a few years ago.
What I’ve noticed from passenger reviews (and experienced myself) is that the specialty restaurants seem to be where NCL has focused their culinary energy. Cagney’s Steakhouse and Le Bistro consistently receive the highest praise, with Food Republic (an à la carte Asian fusion concept) coming in as a surprising favorite for many.
That reminds me of when Juki and I sailed on the Prima last autumn. We hadn’t booked Food Republic in advance, assuming it would be typical cruise ship Asian food. When we finally tried it on day 5, we were kicking ourselves for not going earlier. The pork belly buns were, I mean, honestly some of the best I’ve had outside of actual restaurants in Japan.
What Passengers Love
Based on recent reviews, here’s what passengers consistently highlight as Prima dining strengths:
- Indulge Food Hall concept with multiple small eateries
- Food Republic’s innovative small plates
- Cagney’s quality (particularly the steaks and seafood)
- Hasuki teppanyaki experience
- Le Bistro’s romantic atmosphere and consistent quality
“The Indulge Food Hall was a game-changer for us. With 11 different casual eateries, we could each get exactly what we wanted without compromise. And the electronic ordering system was so efficient!”
– CruiseLover99, Facebook Cruise Group
Common Complaints
Even with the generally positive sentiment, there are some consistent issues that appear in passenger reviews:
- Main dining room inconsistency (particularly Hudson’s)
- Difficulty securing reservations for popular venues
- Long waits at the Local (free pub-style venue) during peak hours
- Price increases for specialty dining packages
- Desserts that don’t quite match the quality of main courses
“We loved most of our meals but found the desserts underwhelming across most restaurants. The only exception was the chocolate paradise cake at Cagney’s which was genuinely excellent.”
– CruiseCouple2023, Instagram
The Norwegian Prima, like most ships in the fleet, reflects NCL’s business strategy of offering a solid baseline experience with premium upsell opportunities. Sometimes that means the complimentary venues don’t quite match the quality of specialty restaurants, but it also means you can choose exactly where to splurge based on your preferences.
What This Means for You
For you, dear reader, this means budgeting appropriately for your Prima cruise. If youre a foodie, you’ll likely want to purchase a dining package rather than paying à la carte. At current prices, the 3-meal package breaks even after just two higher-priced venues like Cagney’s and Le Bistro ($49 each).
The most consistent advice from past passengers is to make your specialty dining reservations well before your cruise. The Prima has around 3,100 passengers but limited seating in the most popular venues, particularly during prime dinner hours (7:00-8:30pm).
“Book your specialty restaurants BEFORE boarding. We waited until day 1 and could only get 9:30pm reservations at Cagney’s and couldn’t get into Le Bistro at all.”
– FloridaCruiser40, TripAdvisor
Planning Your Prima Dining Experience
Here’s what you should know when planning your Prima dining strategy:
- Book specialty dining at least 60 days in advance
- Consider the dining package if you’ll eat at 3+ specialty venues
- Try Indulge Food Hall for lunch to avoid the dinner crowds
- The Local gets extremely busy on sea days – go early or late
- Hudson’s (main dining room) quality varies by night – theme nights often feature better menus
If you’re celebrating a
