Norwegian Cruise Line is slowly revealing details for their new Norwegian Prima dining and beverage venues.
These first two of six Prima Class ships will, as Norwegian put it, “push the boundaries of traditional cruise cuisine with the debut of nine new dining and beverage venues including Metropolitan Bar.”
Three favorite signature restaurants and passenger faves will also see upgrades on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva. We’ve got the info.
New Norwegian Prima Dining Options
Among Norwegian Prima dining venues (and Norwegian Viva, too) is the all-new Mediterranean seafood specialty restaurant concept, Palomar.
This restaurant will showcase high-end Mediterranean cuisine made with simple yet sophisticated ingredients.
Hasuki is Norwegian’s interpretation of the traditional “hibachi-style” restaurant with intimate spaces featuring Japanese-influenced minimalist decor and artwork.
Nama is the new sushi restaurant with premier sushi dishes prepared by master chefs who will create the sushi and sashimi masterpieces.
The venue is set among a whimsical Japanese backdrop inspired by the restaurant’s menu items.
Diners will see a marble sushi bar that replicates the marbling in the high-quality sashimi and soft orange ambient lighting that represents the color of masago (fish roe).
Main Dining Room Menu Changes
As on many of Norwegian’s ships, the main dining room on Norwegian Prima is located aft to provide diners with a 270-degree views of the ocean.
The ship’s two main dining rooms, with traditional dining at Hudson’s and more upscale cuisine at The Commodore Room, will boast a revamped extensive fixed menu.
Options will include more global dishes that includes Spanish Paella and Italian mussels prepared in a white wine sauce.
These two dining rooms will offer vegetarian options as well with items like mushroom risotto and cauliflower piccata. The new menu will also boast a build-your-own-pasta section.
Guests can select their choice of pasta, sauce, and topping, providing more than 24 meal combinations.
The menu will also include a “Specialties” section where diners can select a dish from one of the ship’s specialty dining eateries.
The revamped menu will debut first on Norwegian Prima and will roll out across NCL’s 17-ship fleet through 2023.
Up on Deck 17, the Surfside Café and Surfside Grill feature a diverse menu, with self-serve casual dining, and items prepared “a la minute” upon request.
Said Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line president and chief executive officer. “Our latest food and beverage offerings take our Norwegian Prima Food and Beverage experience to another level, one that travels well beyond the guest expectation to provide elevated gastronomical experiences featuring sophisticated design, masterful mixology and cuisine that delivers full-throttle flavor.”
New Cocktails and Bars
The Metropolitan Bar will be introduced under Norwegian’s new Sail and Sustain program.
This innovative bar features zero-waste cocktails prepared with surplus ingredients (like banana peels!) as well as a fully sustainable spirits and biodynamic wines.
Biodynamic wine? Metropolitan Bar will showcase more than 20 biodynamic wines. These are wines that are produced with organic farming methods such as using compost as fertilizer and avoiding many pesticides.
The Metropolitan Bar’s signature sustainably made cocktail the “Primadonna”, takes a play on an Old Fashion and is crafted using surplus banana peels with Flor De Cana rum that is produced with 100% renewable energy.
Norwegian collaborated with Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana to create responsibly sourced botanical gins specifically for NCL using 100% recyclable glass and wood for the bottle’s design.
Other new bar and lounge options on Norwegian Prima and Viva include The Belvedere Bar, a contemporary cocktail lounge featuring crafted cocktails with a modern, fresh take on classic drinks.
Prima Class Penrose Atrium
Norwegian’s first three-story, glass-walled Penrose Atrium that spans Decks six, seven and eight was designed by Miami-based Studio Dado. The objective was to evoke the sense of wonder felt by the ocean’s earliest explorers.
The grand three-story space will be showcased with a large-scale chandelier custom built by the renowned Czech lighting design firm Lasvit.
The chandelier installation was inspired by constellations and features moving light fixtures weighing more than 7,300 pounds.
Surrounding Penrose Atrium will be a three-deck-high light feature that mimics the feeling of the sun rising on the horizon. There will also be a three-level wall art piece that resembles a topographic map.
Retail spaces and high-end luxury shops are within Penrose Atrium’s three levels. The Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest Starbucks Coffee, Whiskey Bar and the Prima Casino are located in the three-story atrium.
Norwegian Updates Guests’ Favorite Dining Venues
Norwegian Prima and Viva will keep many of their signature eateries. This includes Cagney’s Steakhouse, with a refreshed design and new décor that celebrates the 20th-century modernist architecture of Chicago.
Le Bistro French specialty restaurant will be outfitted with three floor-to-ceiling chandeliers, coffered ceilings and plaster moldings. Even the lighting is brighter.
Food Republic, the Asian-fusion specialty venue also returns on the first two Prima Class ships. Updated décor, a larger restaurant space and better views of the outdoors are planned.
New Concept: Indulge Food Hall
Within Indulge Food Hall, there will be 11 different eateries. Some of these include Onda by Scarpetta, Los Lobos, The Local Bar & Grill, Vibe Beach Club, Waves Pool Bar, and the Prima Speedway Bar.
Way up on Deck 17 is the popular Observation Lounge, a multi-use venue featuring different areas for lounging, and socializing.
On these new ships, the ambiance in the Observation Lounge will be more cozy, with alcoves separated by elegant screens and partitions.
The refreshed Observation Lounge will also offer complimentary use of telescopes.
The Humidor Cigar Lounge returns as the premiere cigar shop and cigar lounge.
More Norwegian Prima Dining and Beverage Options To Be Announced
In total, both new ships will feature a whopping 35 dining and lounge options. As we find out more info, we’ll let you know.
Norwegian Prima is scheduled to debut in November 2022 in Southampton, England. Norwegian Viva will launch in 2023.
Sherry Laskin
I’m the editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com, a solo traveler cruising the world on waves and wheels, collecting recipes along the way. I hope my articles and photos entertain, advise and inspire you to travel the world without flying. Take a breath…stop for a local meal and a glass of wine along the way.
