Norwegian Prima: NYC & 15 Days in the Caribbean

Trip overview

We stayed at Residence Inn Weehawken, NJ for our first night after our late flight. The hotel is a great family-friendly hotel with an even better location. It was reasonably priced for New Year’s Eve, and sits directly behind the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal, which provides quick and easy access to New York City and all its offerings.

For our second night, we moved right next door to the Envue, Autograph Collection. The two hotels share a building, which made the move very simple. We booked a Deluxe Palisades View room but were upgraded to a Manhattan Skyline - 1 Bedroom Executive Suite. This was a large corner room with a large wrap-around covered balcony overlooking the Hudson River and the ferry terminal. Directly across from the balcony was a stunning view of the Manhattan skyline. This suite also features a large living room, dining room, wet bar, and 1.5 bathrooms.

NYC skyline from Envue balcony

Our kids enjoyed watching the ferries arrive and depart regularly from the balcony and the numerous floor-to-ceiling windows. We were also able to watch our ship arrive on embarkation day and dock directly in front of the hotel on the New York side of the Hudson.

Norwegian Prima

Prima Haven 2BR Family Villa, living room

Our 15-day repositioning cruise aboard the Norwegian Prima was nothing short of amazing. We stayed in a Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa. Both bedrooms in this suite have Haven King Beds and their own ensuite bathrooms. The suite also has a sofa that converts to a bed in the living room. My wife and I had the largest bedroom with a crib for our two-year-old. Our four-year-old slept on the sofa and the grandparents had their own bedroom. The cabin provided more than enough space for the six of us. Despite being in this cabin together for 16 days, we never felt cramped.

Prima Haven 2 BR Villa, bedroom 1

The balcony for this room is a little more than triple the size of a standard balcony. The 2-Bedroom Family Villa is a better set up on this ship than older ships because of the two king-size beds/bedrooms. The smaller bedroom on the other ships is really small and has a sofa that converts to the bed.

Prima Haven 2 BR Villa, balcony

The experience

The Haven experience on this ship was exactly what we have come to expect with any Norwegian Haven.

The butlers were attentive. The food in the Haven restaurant (along with the Mediterranean restaurant, Palomar) is the best on the ship, and we ate most of our meals there each day. Our absolute favorite part of the Prima Haven experience was the staff in the Haven restaurant. They took time to speak to us every meal and loved spending time with our two girls.

The Haven exclusive elevator bank was new to us and was definitely an upgrade from the older ships. The Haven complex is larger on the Prima class ships with many more guests in the Haven, but we did not feel like service was lacking.

Outside the Haven, the ship was a little different from our other Norwegian cruises. It is a beautiful ship, and we enjoyed every day of the cruise. However, we felt that some of the new ship design/layout was not as convenient as the previous ships. The food hall was a nice addition, but it was always packed. The buffet is also on the smaller side. We used most of our specialty dining vouchers to eat at Palomar three times. It was great every time!

What we did at each port on this cruise

Umbrella Street

• Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic: We took a short walk to Calle de la Fortaleza, “Umbrella Street”.

• San Juan, Puerto Rico: We walked on our own to try some cafes in the Old San Juan historic district before visiting Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista (the oldest cathedral in the Americas) and Castillo San Felipe del Morro (a 16th-century fort that is part of the National Park Service).

View from El Morro in San Juan

• St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: We hired transportation to Red Hook, where we boarded the ferry to take us to St. John. After stopping by the Virgin Islands National Park Visitor’s Center, we hiked the Lind Point Trail to Salomon Bay Beach and Honeymoon Beach for a few hours of beach time with our four-year-old.

• Tortola, British Virgin Islands: We booked transportation to Beef Island for another beach day.

• Willemstad, Curaçao: We walked around downtown and did a little shopping.

Willemstad, Curaçao

• Oranjestad, Aruba: We took a short ride from the cruise terminal to have another relaxing beach day.

• Falmouth, Jamaica: We hired a driver to take us to H10’s Ocean Coral Springs Resort, where we had pre-purchased a day pass. Our kids loved all the water slides! (We felt that the water activity options for our kids on the Prima were very limited, so we thought this would be a fun alternative to another beach day). We did not have much time at the resort but would definitely consider a trip here in the future. There were many food, entertainment, and activity options. The pools were great, the staff were friendly, and the swim-up room I got to peek inside was clean and inviting.

• Cozumel, Mexico: We spent some time enjoying the ship and just visited the mall right outside the cruise terminal.

Beef Island, Tortola

• Staying at either hotel in Weehawken is a great choice for anybody departing on a cruise from the New York area cruise terminals, since a convenient ferry ride can take you almost directly to those terminals.

• Arrive early for shows/entertainment on the Prima—the venues are smaller, and guests arriving late might not get a spot.

• The kid’s splash pad is on the top deck and has zero shade. It is underwhelming for any child over two years old, and there are no other kid’s water activities on the ship until they meet the height and age requirements for the big slides.

St. John beach day

The DIY beach day we had on St. John within Virgin Islands National Park was a highlight of our trip! The ferry from St. Thomas to St. John runs on a set schedule. Be sure to leave plenty of time to get back to the ferry, which makes its last departure from Cruz Bay, St. John in the early evening. We left the beach in time to catch the second-to-last ferry departure.

Allow some time for possible traffic from Red Hook back to Charlotte Amalie, and still have some extra wiggle room before the all-aboard time. You don’t want to miss the ship!

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