Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is set to revamp its luxury offering aboard its new Prima class fleet that will debut in 2022. The next iteration of The Haven by Norwegian will occupy prime real estate at the rear of the ship, with an amplified focus on outdoor space.
Complete with private amenities, dedicated services and high-end accommodation, the Haven concept has been a clear winner for the cruise line since its launch, and they are often the first suites to sell out on voyages.
NCL’s ship-within-a-ship product is already available on 11 of the cruise line’s vessels, including its Breakaway and BreakawayPlus-class fleet.
The contemporary cruise brand this week revealed it will introduce the 3,215-passenger Norwegian Prima in the northern hemisphere next summer. It will be the first of six sister-ships in the Prima class, which until now had gone by the moniker “Project Leonardo”.
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Onboard Norwegian Prima will be 107 Haven suites, representing about 6.5% of the ship’s total berths. That compares to 80 suites (around 4.5% of berths) on the Breakaway Plus fleet.
What’s New in The Haven by Norwegian Prima Class?
Unlike other interpretations, The Haven on Norwegian Prima will be centralised in one location.
On the Prima class ships, The Haven has repositioned from the front to the aft, and self-contained across seven decks – five levels of suites and two levels of public areas for its exclusive facilities, such as The Haven Restaurant and The Haven Lounge & Bar. All of which is linked via dedicated private elevators.
The corridor flanked indoor pool and interior courtyard of the current version of The Haven will be turned on its head and expanded into The Haven Sundeck. Spread across Deck 17, the sundeck includes a new Outdoor Spa: Sauna and Cold Room and the pièce de résistance, an infinity pool overlooking the ship’s wake.
“It’s going to be absolutely huge,” said Harry Sommer, President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line.
More space
Norwegian Prima (which is around 1,050-odd guests less than its behemoth 4,266-passenger Breakaway Plus Norwegian Escape) will enable NCL to do “something really special,” Sommer told LATTE.
“We love the Breakaway Class ships, we just thought that this was an opportunity for us to have a different class for our guests to experience. We didn’t want to do another replica Breakaway, we have six of them and we really love them, but we want to do something a little bit different.”
“We had to decide do we go much bigger, like the 5,000 or 5,500 guests, or do we try something a little bit smaller. When we thought through it from a guest experience perspective, going a little smaller was the right decision.
A decision to downsize the capacity aboard Norwegian Prima and introduce more space was made long before the arrival of COVID-19 and self-distancing measures became commonplace, Sommer added.
“Obviously through the lens of COVID it really makes all the sense in the world, but even outside this, even after this, I think giving guests a slightly more intimate experience with more the same amount of amenities that a big ship has but fewer guests will really provide an outstanding experience.”
Ben Angell, Vice President and Managing Director APAC said space was one of two new brand pillars that NCL was “stamping our credentials” on, the other being a connection to the sea.
“We’ve got more space than any other ship in this class.”
“The space aspect is absolutely going to resonate with guests from Asia Pacific. There’s up to 36% more space per guest compared to our competitive set, plus the most spacious accommodation for any cruise ship,” Angell said.
Perhaps unintentionally borrowing a phrase coined from NCL’s sister ultra-luxury brand, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Angell said “the space is unrivalled” aboard Norwegian Prima.
Connection to the Sea
As one of NCL’s two new pillars, the connection to the sea and outdoor living will see the 142,500-tonne ship feature the most outdoor deck space on any new cruise ship.
“We believe passionately – and this has been reflected in our ship design from the Breakaway forward – that people go on ships not to be in an indoor mall, but rather to see the ocean,” Sommer remarked.
“I think a lot of the other cruise lines sort of treat ships as an indoor mall.”
He explained that Norwegian Prima would feature a new Ocean Boulevard concept occupying most of Deck 8.
At over 4,000 square metres long, the precinct wraps around the entire deck and will include two infinity pools on each side of the ship. An upscale open-air “food hall” will be positioned at the aft offering 14 eateries catering for all tastes. Two “Oceanwalk” glass bridges that extend outwards from the ship will also debut here.
“Normally there’s a lot of outdoor spaces on the top of a ship but now we’re going to have lots of outdoor spaces on Deck 8. Guests will have two separate real outdoor venues, [as well as] up top on the pool deck,” he added.
Itineraries
Following a series of inaugural cruises and beginning August 2022, Norwegian Prima will operate in Northern Europe, from 17 August to 13 September 2022, with a collection of eight-day voyages from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, exploring Northern Europe, Norwegian Fjords and Baltic regions.
Norwegian Prima will explore the Caribbean, Bermuda and Iceland & Northern Europe. In the Caribbean, NCL will offer 5-, 7- and 9-day itineraries sailing from Orlando between December 2022 – March 2023. Cruises from New York to Bermuda will be offered from March to May 2023, interspersed with sailings to Iceland and Northern Europe from Reykjavik and Southampton.
Norwegian Prima‘s sister-ships will be delivered annually between May 2023 and June 2027, increasing NCL’s total fleet number from the current 17 to 23.
More at ncl.com/au/en/cruise/prima