This was published 1 year ago
Norwegian Prima Iceland cruise: Iceland, Katy Perry, a new $1.5 billion cruise ship and me
By Anthony Dennis
The Haven, an aptly-named private sanctuary with superior staterooms within the main ship, for those willing to pay a premium.
You could be forgiven for considering that a new $1.5 billion, 3215 passenger-strong cruise ship, featuring a three-tiered electric go-kart racing circuit, a 10-storey, corkscrew slippery dip and an on-board theatre that converts to a discotheque, would in itself be star power enough to mark its launch.
Alas no. Internationally, the cruise industry has somehow, almost triumphantly, emerged from a pandemic-induced, close-call collective scuttling, even with many liners succumbing to the scrapyards. It's time to celebrate, albeit a little circumspectly.
Indeed the excited, and no doubt relieved, custodians of the cruise liner in question, the Norwegian Prima - aboard which I embark on a more than week-long European cruise - decided that they required their own prima donna (hopefully in the non-pejorative definition of the term), aboard to supercharge the vessel's official launch in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.
Norwegian Prima in Iceland.
Enter, stage starboard, Katy Perry, the global American singer-songwriter superstar whose provocative 2008 hit, I Kissed a Girl, launched her international career.
She's been signed, at no doubt considerable expense, to serve as Norwegian Prima's godmother, or, more precisely "godparent".
Perry is to perform a full concert on the cruise, and will be accompanied on board by her fiance, British actor Orlando Bloom, to sprinkle yet more stardust around the decks.
Katy Perry, the Norwegian Prima's godmother, performs on board.Credit: Tristan Fewings
But back to the setting of the ship's launch - Iceland. It takes me almost 30 hours - or, to be more precise, a lifetime - to reach Reykjavik. It's my first visit and I've flown from Sydney to London, via Singapore and London on to the other worldly so-called "Land of Fire and Ice".
From my British Airways jet on its dramatic approach to the city's modest Keflavík Airport, there's no sign of the recent fiery volcanic activity which triggered world headlines.
But I do manage to spot Iceland's Blue Lagoon, the famed geothermal spa, which from above resembles a spillage of aquamarine-coloured toilet cleaner on a bathroom floor.
Reykjavik, Iceland's capital.Credit: Alamy
It's difficult to comprehend that I'm arriving in a country with a population that is smaller than that of the ACT, considering Iceland's cultural weight and its global notoriety for arresting landscapes.
This is where the 129,274 tonne Norwegian Prima awaits me and a few thousand other passengers with Reykjavik being the starting point of a week-long cruise to Amsterdam in The Netherlands, with calls to Cork, Ireland, Portland in England and Le Havre, France.
But right now all those places seem like afterthoughts after having landed in this (ice) bucket list destination. Katy and Orlando aside, there's much to consume the cruise tragics and converts on this voyage, especially since for many, this represents our first voyage for two and a half years, thanks to you-know-what.
A balcony stateroom.
Spotted from a distance en route from the airport, in a low-rise Reykjavik, Prima presents an imposing sight as it is temporarily one of the tallest structures, competing in height with Hallgrímskirkja, the city's 74-metre Lutheran church which confidently thrusts skywards like a perpetually stalled rocket above the city.
Speaking of such confidence, there are plans by a never more buoyant Norwegian Cruise Line to give birth (berth?) to five more colossal Prima Class ships at its Italian shipyards between now and 2027. Pandemic? What pandemic?
Before I board, there's a night on terra firma at the city's boutique Konsulat Hotel, right next to a hot dog stand where Bill Clinton famously paused for a snack (hold the mustard), along with a performance at the dazzling, coloured glass-encased Harpa concert hall by Iceland's considerable cultural talent (sorry, no Bjork).
Then there's a standard but nonetheless stunning "Golden Circle" tour of some of Iceland's major natural attractions including the wild, arrow-shaped, Gullfoss Falls, brim-filled by the raging meltwaters from the massive Langjokull glacier, the second biggest glacier in Iceland.
Once finally aboard the ship, there seem to be two celebrations happening: one marking the christening of Norwegian Prima and another, not devoid of a bit of nose-thumbing to the doubters, to mark cruising's comeback.
My light-filled stateroom, my happy home for the next week, includes an extremely comfortable bed and small balcony and has fetchingly neutral tonings, resembling a suite in a compact boutique hotel.
While the ship is tethered to the dock while here in Reykjavik, the starboard side view from my abode is of gorgeous Videy Island with its mountain backdrop overlooking Kollafjorour Bay, only a short distance from the city.
Aside from being a puffin habitat in the chilly Iceland summer, the island's also the site of the Imagine Peace Tower, a memorial to John Lennon by his widow, Yoko Ono.
Closer to the city centre is another memorial of sorts, one to peace. It's the location of the Reykjavík Summit between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev, held on October 11 and 12, 1986, at the quaint, whitewashed Hofdi House.
I find myself torn between Reykjavik and the ship itself, but I'm here for a cruise and, on a closer inspection of Prima between shore forays, it's clear it's something of a hybrid affair.
In addition to "The Drop" the aforementioned slippery dip to end all slippery dips and the Prima Speedway, those seeking a more intimate experience can visit The Haven, an aptly-named private sanctuary with superior staterooms within the main ship, for those willing to pay a premium.
The rather refined interior design of The Haven, as well as the entirety of the ship for that matter, represents a major step-up for the Norwegian brand with the line having engaged leading international design talent for Prima's creation. Daring hull artwork by an Italian street-artist balances the new look.
It all draws Norwegian Prima closer alongside other more upscale though lower capacity and more intimate brands in the rest of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, namely Regent Seven Seas and Oceania.
Charting a more luxurious course also necessitates a greater range of food offerings, from Norwegian Prima's "speciality" top end dining choices, which come with a surcharge, right down to its more relaxed contemporary and all inclusive Indulge Food Hall.
After our few memorable days in Reykjavík, Prima sets to sea, the ship officially launched. Competition is fierce for a restaurant reservation with the Perry-Blooms, their brood and entourage booking out the entirety of Nama, one of two Japanese restaurants aboard Norwegian Prima.
Hmmm. Maybe they have connections or something. I get bumped but I'm hardly perturbed. Only nights before Perry treated those aboard to a knockout performance. Pathetic gratitude doesn't describe it.
And with a plethora of top-class eating venues aboard this ship you will, with or without reservation, not starve.
Ultimately, you will be relieved to learn, that me and my imaginary Japanese cuisine-adoring entourage, manage to snare a spot not only at the sushi-themed Nama but also at the teppanyaki-based Hasuki. Happy days.
Indeed, it's hard to believe that, after such an action-packed and star-studded few days aboard the mostly moored Prima, that we still have much of our sea-going itinerary ahead of us. Now, after all that's happened these past, sorry few years, that's surely cause for celebration.
Anthony Dennis travelled as a guest of Norwegian Cruise Line and British Airways.
THE DETAILS
CRUISE
A 10-day Northern Europe cruise from Reykjavik, Iceland, to London on Norwegian Prima departs in September, 2024. From $3420 a person (based on an inside cabin). The cost includes beverage and dining packages, Wi-Fi, shore excursion credit, third and fourth guests at a reduced rate plus up to 40 per cent savings.
BOOK
Contact a travel agent or call Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) 1300 255 200 or visit ncl.com
FLY
British Airways operates daily flights to London Heathrow from Sydney via Singapore. From Heathrow's Terminal 5, connect with BA's three hour and 10 minute direct service to Reykjavik. See britishairways.com
MORE
FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO AND SEE ABOARD
MARVEL AT THE ARTWORK
Norwegian Prima is a fully-fledged moving art gallery with $US6 million of works by more than 50 renowned artists from around the world adorning the ship.
SEE A STAGE SHOW
They can't promise a Katy Perry on every cruise but Norwegian Prima operators can guarantee Broadway and West End-calibre entertainment inside its three-level multi-purpose theatre.
ENJOY THE WIDE OPEN SPACES
Norwegian Prima boasts almost 40 per cent more space a guest compared with other contemporary ships and has more outdoor deck space and more spacious accommodation.
GET INTO THE SWING
The indoors Galaxy Pavilion includes four "hyper-immersive simulator experiences", escape rooms and the only Topgolf Swing Suite at sea, powered by the same simulator used by golfing legend Tiger Woods.
TREAT YOURSELF
The stunning Mandara Spa is billed as the place "where the ocean meets the healing waters within" and features everything from detoxifying saunas to a two-storey waterfall.
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