Is The Norwegian Prima NCL's Worst Ship?!

This is my brutally honest review of the Norwegian Prima! Are the bad reviews really the truth? I give my opinion about the ship, crew, entertainment, food and everything in between!
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[@fewselage]

Thanks!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Wow! Thank you so much! 😁

[@rl2330]

It's been so great to watch your journey! Thank you for your refreshing and optimistic outlook on the cruise and life! I look forward to getting on this ship later in the summer

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you for watching! Enjoy your cruise 😁

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

Cruising is very affordable if you can stay away from all of the add ons that they are constantly tempting you with, like specialty restaurants, coffees, high end cocktails, excursions, amusement park type rides, spa treatments and on and on and on!

[@TravelWithBen121]

I totally agree, Mitchell! It’s nice to have them but do you ‘need’ them? drinks package is a huge expense and I don’t drink enough to justify it so I don’t need it! WiFi too!

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

@@TravelWithBen121I bet that you could’ve easily spent as much in add ons as your whole cruise cost!

[@HrHaakon]

@@mitchellbarnow1709 I mean, I'm going on a repositioning cruise in decembre and the premium drinks package costs more than the ticket alone. So yes, absolutely! :D

[@breinich2]

Great review Ben, thanks for a wonderful series and looking forward to your next cruise.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Cheers, John! Me too 😊

[@YaYas_simple_living]

What a great series! Thanks for sharing! I love you remind us to be kind to the crew! They DO work so hard!! I will always fill out the forms!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thanks, Yaya! It’s great you do the forms, they are important 😊

[@angiemcdonald779]

Thank you so much😊 solo cruiser here was feeling nervous about my 1st solo cruise. You have releaved a lot of those fears🎉

[@TravelWithBen121]

No worries, Angie! You will love it 😁 enjoy your cruise!

[@pamelahaskin9738]

Another great video, as always. Already looking forward to your next cruise.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Pamela! Me too :)

[@seebunlim]

Great series!! I like this cabin - it’s so spacious. The food looked really good! Hope you go on another cruise!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Lim! I hope I can cruise again soon 😁 I appreciate your support!

[@hollyecf]

Thank you sir for another great wrap up video! You have us all convinced that we can solo cruise! I'm so looking forward to our next adventure!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Fredwina! Of course anyone can! 😁

[@chrisrobertson3189]

Ben, my wife and I have become big fans of your vlog site and really enjoyed your series on the NCL Prima! Thank you!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Cheers, Chris and wife! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊 I enjoyed the trip very much!

[@lyttlestarboard6108]

loved this! i appreciate your outlook on life and travel. :) I plan to do this cruise some day....bucket list is getting longer. lol.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Lyttle! It’s definitely a bucket list item! I hope you can do it one day 😁

[@fewselage]

Thank you Ben!!! My wife and I will be on that same itinerary next month. Your Prima videos are extremely helpful as we prepare for our first cruise!

[@TravelWithBen121]

You’re welcome! Thank you for the watching and I’m glad my videos have helped you prepare for your cruise! I enjoyed the prima and itinerary very much! 😊

[@matthewhildebrandt1901]

I did the NCL Pride of America cruise around the Hawaiian Islands last year. The islands are amazing! We loved everything about the ports. With the name of the ship and the location, I had high expectations for the ship. It totally let me down. The appearance of the ship was not good, the food was mediocre, the rooms were little, and the staff was a mixed bag. I had a couple exceptional crew members that I wrote compliment cards for. Most of the staff was just okay. Two were bad. Our waitperson at the Italian restaurant totally ignored me. Weird. The bad seed was also a waitperson in the main dining room. A very toxic person who went out of her way to make everyone miserable. I've never experienced anything like it...on or off a ship. Again, the destination made up for it which is what I'm sure NCL is banking on. 😁 I'm glad the Americans made your cruise interesting, Ben! 😂

[@TravelWithBen121]

That's too bad, Matthew! I think a lot of people have 1 bad experience on a cruise and it turns them completely off cruising. Every cruise, ship, itinerary, cruise line, is different so there's always another cruise waiting! Hopefully your other cruise experiences have been great! Cheers, Matthew!

[@matthewhildebrandt1901]

@@TravelWithBen121 Yes, all other cruise experiences were great. Mostly Disney, which is amazing, but also Carnival and Royal were good. I'm giving NCL another chance by going on the Joy next year. Again, the name of the ship creates certain expectations. 😂

[@mpTraveller87]

Norwegian Pride (Hawaii) is not typical… try another cruise.

[@matthewhildebrandt1901]

@@mpTraveller87 I am, thanks. Going on the Joy next year.

[@david1234lee]

Well, Ben, most of these crew rely on tip for a living. They were mostly from Indonesia or Malaysia when I cruised. Some of them left their spouses and kids for months. It is nice to be kind to them ! A cruise boat is not the worst unless you find some cockroaches partying in the closets ! Love your program !

[@TravelWithBen121]

‘Most’ positions on a ship are not tipped, David. So there’s only select crew that get tips. They shouldn’t get respected because they’re away from their family, they should be respected because they’re human beings 😊

[@david1234lee]

@@TravelWithBen121 I guess you are right. With the Royal Caribbean, we were asked to pre-pay $150 for the tips to the room servers. This sounds like a a forced tip but it was the rule. We had great service and seemed also to watch the rooms for us !

[@dianaschulz6593]

Great video series. I really like that you give the date every day.

[@TravelWithBen121]

I’m glad it’s helpful, Diana 😊

[@mflewis1]

I recently discovered your videos and greatly enjoyed working my way through them. Your cruises often have several stops in varies foreign countries. It got me to wondering if it's necessary to exchange some money in varies local currencies and if exchanges are readily available on the ship or ports of call. Or perhaps it's completely unnecessary . I haven't taken my first cruise yet so questions keep popping in my head 🤔. Thanks.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Cheers, Mark! My advice is to get a prepaid debit card you can use in any country, I never used cash in any of the ports because I had a card I can use anywhere I travel to. Maybe you can get foreign currency on the ship but there’s plenty of ATM’s and exchange places in every port. 👍

[@territhomas3293]

Im so happy you did this cruise and showed us all the stuff! I never thought I'd like to go anywhere that cold. But hey, I'm rethinking about going there. And yes that solo cabin looks big compared to other videos ive seen of solo cabins. Going to check my solo cabin for my cruise right now to see location, I think it's a sideways one as well. If not I'm going to check and see if I can change it. 🎉 Thanks again Ben! Love your videos. Where to next? I'm heading to Hawaii with one of my daughters to the NCL Pride of America next month. Then NCL solo end of oct first of Nov for my birthday. It would be so cool to run into you on any of my upcoming cruises. Three more after those two. 😂🤣

[@TravelWithBen121]

You’re welcome! Thank you, Terri! 😊 I never thought I’d do a cold cruise either 😂😂 but I’m so glad I did! I would love to go to Hawaii! It’s on my bucket list so I’ll make it there one day! I’m sure I’ll be cruising anyone sometime soon 😊 you have a lot planned!

[@Elisabeth.Eriksson]

As always so fun to see and listen to your videos! 😊

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thanks you, Elisabeth! 😊

[@abrahamclott5604]

I dont understand the title. Why would anyone call it the worst ship? Does NCL even have a worst ship? Some seem different from others catering to different needs. But they all look nice to me.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Depending on where you look online, the Prima is ranked as the worst NCL ship. Of course, everything depends on each person's needs but there must be a ship that is overall the least liked.

[@abrahamclott5604]

Not really. There may be a ship with the highest number of negative reviews. All kinds of possible reasons for that. For example: Let us assume that all ships are liked equally well, that the same percentage of passengers post comments for each ship, and that 10% of the posts for each ship are negative. One might then expect that the oldest or largest ships would be disliked by the largest numbers because more people have sailed on them. The numbers could also be especially misleading for an older ship like Prima that has gone through several refurbishments in dry dock. Older comments may reflect issues that have been corrected. Also, a ship may be uncharacteristic for the line and may therefore attract more people looking for a more typical experience for the line-- for example passengers who don't like older RCL ships because they expected an experience more like the new, RCL mega ships. When researching a ship, individual comments are near useless. One must look to consistency, recency, trends, etc.

[@TravelWithBen121]

@@abrahamclott5604 Abraham, it’s not that serious. You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about because the Prima is the second newest NCL ship. Feel free to not click on a video with a title like this as it’s clearly upset you.

[@abrahamclott5604]

@@TravelWithBen121 Not upset at all. Loved your video as always. Was only giving an example. I tend to take things seriously and literally.

[@markt9805]

Just curious, since your cabin was located behind the elevator bank, did you hear regular noise coming from the elevators or people getting on or off the elevators? Great video, thanks so much for making it and I look forward to sailing on the NCL prima at some point in the future.

[@TravelWithBen121]

I never ever heard noise from the elevator area, Mark! It's the perfect location for a cabin, in my opinion. Thank you for watching!

[@jeffrent9506]

Super excited to go solo out of NYC on Prima in November. I have what was billed as a solo balcony and I'm hoping I can still go to the solo lounge. It looks really nice!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Cheers, Jeff! The Prima is great, I liked it very much. You are allowed access to the studios lounge if you’re staying in a solo balcony 😊

[@barbara-rosevilleca6353]

So you only paid $600 for the cruise in a double room. Was the price because you reserved it 2 days before you left? Is it still cheap if you reserve it a week out? And how does that compare to a solo traveler room?

[@TravelWithBen121]

Yes Barbara, I believe I got this price because I booked last minute. The closer to the cruise day, the lower the price will be because they don’t want empty cabins. BUT if they’re sold out, they’re sold out. There were no solo cabins available when I booked, inside cabins were the only ones available. Solo cabins sell out fast because there’s not many of them. Good luck 🤞

[@stevefoxg]

Ben was the reason that your cabin was cheap was that it was adjacent to a stairwell? If so did you hear anything? I really enjoyed this review - particularly you highlighting how you need to plan your visit to these smaller ports.

[@TravelWithBen121]

I don’t believe being close to the stairs made the cruise cheap, Steve! I think that’s a positive and not a negative 😂 I honestly don’t remember ever hearing noise from the stairwell/elevator area. There’s always things you can do better next time 😁 Thanks for watching, Steve!

[@sheri1972]

Wow Ben! So much energy at 1:14 am!

[@TravelWithBen121]

I went and got cake after the video, Sheri 😎

[@lorrainehowes7231]

Thanks for sharing your final thoughts on the Prima. Great review!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Lorraine! I appreciate your support during the series 😁🌹

[@cathypowell7254]

Thank you for your honest review. Enjoy watching your videos.🌞

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Cathy! 😁

[@tombrown8281]

We were on her last year and we really enjoyed it lovely ship Iceland was brilliant we love it. Thanks again for your video 👍

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Tom! I enjoyed it very much too 😊

[@rodneyscales2648]

They let you use the access the solo lounge if you single.

[@TravelWithBen121]

No, they don’t Rodney.

[@LoveGodnfamily]

I’m glad you had a wonderful cruise. I laugh when you say older people or Americans. Glad you saw even a 90 year old loves cruising. We enjoy watching. Have a great day.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Judy! I’m very careful to say ‘older’ and not ‘old’ 😂 I just mean they’re older than me, it’s not an insult! I’m glad you enjoyed the series 😊

[@LoveGodnfamily]

I know Ben, I’m teasing you. We are older lol.

[@salliestewart4713]

Good video. Went on my 1st ncl escape mediterranean. It was fabulous ❤❤❤

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you, Sallie! That’s great! I’d love to check out the other NCL ships, I’ve never been on the Escape. Thank you for watching 😁

[@luvtravel6207]

This is a great itinerary on NCL, your vlogs and Mer cruises solo convinced me this is a great option for Norway/Iceland 🛳🛳 happy cruising Ben!

[@TravelWithBen121]

I loved this itinerary 😊 I watch Mer’s vlogs too! Thank you for watching 😁

[@auntielhandmade2099]

We are booked for Aug 2025 for the same itinerary. Do you regret not having a window or balcony? We are booked for in inside accessible cabin.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Great! I have absolutely no regrets about the cabin at all. Of course it’s nice to have a balcony but it didn’t ruin my experience at all not having one 😊

[@barbara-rosevilleca6353]

And thanks for sharing. I am thinking about one in 2025

[@TravelWithBen121]

You’re welcome, Barbara 😊 Go for it!

[@KM-cv5px]

Check out HAL Standby again...they added sailings from Rotterdam and Amsterdam, not just North America anymore!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Sounds great! Thank you 😊

[@lindakowalski8687]

Ben, absolutely love the way you cruise. Would love to be your plus one just to experience a cruise through you. New solo cruiser but not as adventurous as you.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Thank you so much, Linda! 😁 I’m glad you enjoy watching my videos. I’m sure you can be more adventurous 😈 life is too short! Have fun 😊

[@lindakowalski8687]

Thank you. Available as a partner in crime. Lol

[@clyster3000]

Definitely in Canada you can’t judge it by our capital! As for puffins I did a tour that took us to bluffs they nest on land. We could pretty much walk right up to them! It did smell terrible 😅 but visually was probably better than your sea puffin tour. I camped and went around the whole ring road over a month and ate from Grocery stores, hiked and rented bikes in different towns. otherwise probably couldn’t afford it. $600! For your cruise!!Wow 😮

[@TravelWithBen121]

That’s a great puffin tour! Mine was disappointing but I liked the boat ride 😊 Your ring road trip sounds great! I’d do it the same way too, no shame in that! I got a great price on this cruise, I was very happy 😃

[@FraserAtSea]

You had some really gorgeous ports on this itinerary - will need to keep an eye on this one in the future! I agree about them being pretty expensive - that’s the best thing about CRUISING to Norway - you can see multiple parts of the country by stopping in for the day on a cruise ship, without spending a fortune!

[@TravelWithBen121]

Great itinerary, Fraser! I totally agree that a cruise is a great way to see a few different cities in a country more conveniently 😊 thank you for watching!

[@catherinejowers1318]

Sailed the Prima this year end of February beginning March on nback to back cruises. We loved everything about the ship. Sail

[@catherinejowers1318]

...sailed out of Galveston, TX. Definitely will do this class of ship again !!😊

[@TravelWithBen121]

I’d love to do back to back cruises, Catherine! I love the Prima, no complaints at all 😊

[@danielmatus9000]

Ben, is it easy to date other solo travellers? Maybe get some cosy time, if you know what i mean?

[@TravelWithBen121]

No different than on land, Daniel!

[@debbiemackey6659]

Hello Ben I'm from Bethlehem Pennsylvania and I will be traveling on ncl encore in June of 2025 for the first time solo.ill let you know how it goes wish me luck

[@TravelWithBen121]

Sounds great, Debbie! My best friend lives in Philly, PA 😁 I was there just before Christmas. Good luck on your cruise! You’ll love it 😊

[@HarryTheHacker55]

I won't tell you how much we paid Ben and it was only a few months ago 😢😂

[@TravelWithBen121]

It’s not a competition, Alan 😂 and I’m not bragging! It’s just for information. Remember, I booked 2 days before departure day. Very last minute!

[@HarryTheHacker55]

@@TravelWithBen121 I really wanted to do this itinerary and that was before I knew of the fiord cruise ban coming soon. But in future, I will be looking at last minute offers 😀

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

I get so mad when people treat the crew like they are not real people. We had neighbors on our cruise and they treated our server so poorly, she really embarrassed us and we stopped talking to them after that.

[@TravelWithBen121]

I totally agree, Mitchell! It’s so sad to see. You made a good choice distancing from them.

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

@@TravelWithBen121​​⁠Thank you Ben, you set a great example everyone that you go. I have to share this with you: One bottle of wine shared by three couples and one person = 7 people This person wanted to pay 1/7 of the total with each couple paying 2/7 of the bill. Imagine 4 cruise cards to pay for one bottle of wine with fractional payments! This horrible person went on and on and on with the staff and with a manager. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but the staff was so talked down, it was a horrible scene. We said that we would just pay for the whole bottle just to get out of there, but that wasn’t allowed by this person. They might’ve gotten their way, eventually. You can delete all of this if you don’t want it on your channel. I just had to tell the story.

[@aprilrich807]

👍😊

[@charleskerr4655]

So you "Never went in the hot tub"!... say it ain't so Ben!!! I love to relax in one unless it's crowded.

[@TravelWithBen121]

It was usually crowded or closed, Charles 😂 and they were so small! Just like the pool.

[@georgebelansek4831]

Hi Ben - would you be interested in being a 1-day tour guide in London in early Sept - if you are not traveling somewhere. Would I contact you thru your business email ?

[@TravelWithBen121]

Sure George, send me an email with the details 😁

[@larrylutsky181]

Great review, but you're the only person that I've heard of not liking Bruges.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Cheers, Larry! I didn’t go to Bruges 😁 watch the video to see why 😂

[@phredmadsen-vallee8375]

Your the best!

[@TravelWithBen121]

😁😁😁

[@jameshchetwyndjr9739]

Think this chap fun to watch. I pay $4,209 ochean view about $1,400 air. Ncl Prima May 22 2025 Reykjavik departure How get this at $600 Think I pay $400 a day

[@SherryAnnOfTheWest]

I believe he booked the cruise just a day or so before ... I had a similar situation in May ... I booked an Alaskan 9 day cruise the week before sailing and paid $400.

[@TravelWithBen121]

Sounds great, James 😊 You vacation however you want and I’ll do the same!

[@TravelWithBen121]

@@SherryAnnOfTheWestright, Sherry Ann 😊

[@jameshchetwyndjr9739]

Love to know how you got $600 cabin 10 days. Make a video I have over a year to plan. My cruise $4,709 Ocean view Prima from Reykjavik. Air about $1,400. Going few days before stay few in London. Plan on bus at 77 walking still there Wanted Belgium but 4 hours in commute. Burge not Belgium but has things, muscles chocolate, beer old buildings

[@TravelWithBen121]

@@jameshchetwyndjr9739 James, I made a video here about how I find cruises: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIWpiKOVeM92b6Msi=_-fruolLGviBWwSJ