It’s an exciting day for Norwegian Cruise Line and the line’s loyal fans. After years of anticipation, NCL is welcoming its first new ship since 2019 — and the first of what will be six vessels in the cruise line’s newest class.
Norwegian Prima was delivered to the cruise line earlier today from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. It is now officially part of the NCL fleet and is set to sail with passengers beginning in late August.
“Today we usher in a thrilling new era in cruising as we celebrate the delivery of Norwegian Prima, the long-anticipated first ship in our extraordinary new Prima Class,” said NCL President Harry Sommer. “We thank our wonderful partners at Fincantieri, whose coveted craftsmanship, expertise, and dedication, helped bring Norwegian Prima to life. We cannot wait to welcome our guests on board.”
Prima is noteworthy as it is the first ship in a new class of vessels for the cruise line since the Breakaway class debuted in 2013. The Prima class also marks a very different direction than other ships in the fleet.
Coming in at 965 feet and 142,500 gross tons, the ship will have capacity for 3,100 passengers. That’s actually smaller than previous vessels like Norwegian Encore, which is the last ship built before Prima. Instead of continually going bigger, Norwegian Prima seems to be focused more on the passenger experience.
For instance, the cruise line says that Prima is the “most spacious new cruise ship in the contemporary category and offers the most outdoor deck space and expansive accommodations of any new build.”
It features Ocean Boulevard, a wraparound deck with 44,000 square feet of space opening up to the sea. There are also infinity pools (located at Infinity Beach) close to the water level to further connect passengers to the ocean. Other high-end features include The Concourse (and outdoor sculpture garden) and an open-air food hall.
There are still plenty of opportunities for family fun as the ship will also have the the cruise line’s signature race track (covering three levels) and The Drop, a freefall slide that takes you down 10 stories.
Still, the renderings and images of the ship show one that’s definitely focused on a higher-end experience than most large cruise ships. That makes it ideal for those looking for a more refined vacation than what might be found on rival cruise lines.
As mentioned, Prima is the first of six announced ships in the class. A sister ship — Norwegian Viva — is scheduled to debut in 2023, with four more ships each year after that.
Having been delivered the NCL, Prima will be christened in Iceland in late August, with Katy Perry serving as godmother. From there, it will sail for several weeks from Europe before making its way to the United States.
Instead of homeporting in a single spot, the ship will seemingly tour the U.S. Departures in 2022 include cruises from New York, Port Canaveral, Miami, and Galveston. The least expensive cruise on the ship this year is shown as starting at $599, sailing from New York in October.
You can learn more about Prima here.
