Norwegian Prima has a completely different dining setup to the older NCL ships I have sailed. Forget Taste and Savor, the twin dining rooms found on the Breakaway-class. Prima replaced them with a single main dining room that has 270-degree views, a food hall with 11 stations where you order from a touchscreen, and eight specialty restaurants. The food quality across the board is a step up from Norwegian Star and Norwegian Epic. But one venue stands out above everything else on this ship, and it is free.

I sailed Norwegian Prima on a transatlantic repositioning in 2025. The Indulge Food Hall became my default. I ate there more than anywhere else on the ship, and I was not alone in that.

How Dining Works on This Ship

Norwegian Prima uses NCL’s Freestyle Dining model. There are no fixed dining times and no assigned tables. You eat where you want, when you want. No reservation is needed for the complimentary venues. For the eight specialty restaurants, book ahead through the NCL app or at the restaurant desk on embarkation day.

Included in your fare: two main dining rooms (Hudson’s and The Commodore Room), the Indulge Food Hall, the Surfside Cafe buffet, the Surfside Grill, The Local Bar and Grill, and the Observation Lounge snacks. That is a lot of free food, and the quality is genuinely good.

Specialty restaurants carry a cover charge ranging from GBP 30 to 50 ($40 to $60) per person, or you can order a la carte. NCL’s Free at Sea promotion typically includes two specialty dining meals on a seven-night sailing. A 20% gratuity is added to all specialty dining charges.

Dress code reality: smart casual covers you everywhere except The Haven Restaurant. Jeans and trainers are fine in the buffet, Indulge, and The Local. The main dining room and specialty restaurants expect closed shoes and no swimwear, but nobody is enforcing a jacket rule. I saw shorts in Hudson’s at dinner and nobody blinked.

Main Dining Room

Norwegian Prima has two main dining rooms: Hudson’s on Deck 7 and The Commodore Room on Deck 6.

Hudson’s is the star. It sits completely aft with 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the stern. Watching the wake while eating breakfast here is one of the best free experiences on the ship. The Commodore Room on Deck 6 shares the same menu but is smaller, darker, and used mainly as overflow during busy dinner sittings.

The menu is fixed for the entire sailing. This is a departure from the rotating menus on older NCL ships. The selection is large enough that you will not run out of new dishes on a seven-night cruise, but on a longer voyage like my transatlantic, the lack of rotation becomes noticeable. There is a build-your-own pasta section, vegetarian options on every page, and a “Specialties” section where you can order dishes from Cagney’s or other specialty restaurants for an upcharge.

Food quality is solid. The steaks are competent, the pasta section is reliable, and the desserts are better than average for a main dining room. It is not fine dining, but it is a clear step above the main dining rooms on Norwegian Epic. The best table request: ask for a window table at Hudson’s for dinner. The aft view at sunset is worth the slight wait.

Specialty Restaurants

Norwegian Prima has eight specialty restaurants. Here are the ones that matter, in order of value.

Onda by Scarpetta (Deck 8) - Italian. This is the best restaurant on the ship. The interior feels like being inside a sculpture - white curves, intimate booths, and mood lighting. Order the stromboli bread, the braised octopus, and the lobster tagliatelle. The margherita pizza is surprisingly good as an appetiser. Expect to spend around GBP 40 to 55 ($50 to $70) per person a la carte. With the specialty dining package, your four included items will cover a full meal. Book for the first or second night before word spreads.

Cagney’s Steakhouse (Deck 6) - American steakhouse. NCL’s signature steakhouse does what it says. The filet mignon and ribeye are the safe picks. The iceberg wedge salad and the seven-layer chocolate cake are traditions that loyal NCL passengers expect. Pricing is a la carte: a steak, starter, side, and dessert will run you around GBP 50 to 65 ($65 to $80) per person. Cagney’s is reliable rather than exciting.

Hasuki (Deck 7) - Japanese teppanyaki. Dinner and a show. The chef cooks at your shared table, flipping shrimp and cracking jokes. Fixed price at GBP 39 ($49) per person, which includes soup, salad, entree, and dessert. It fills up fast. Book on embarkation day. The food is fun rather than refined, but the entertainment value makes it worth one visit.

Los Lobos (Deck 8) - Mexican. The tableside guacamole is the highlight. The carne asada and enchiladas de mole are solid. Los Lobos is the most affordable specialty restaurant - a meal here costs less than Cagney’s or Onda. It has outdoor seating on Ocean Boulevard, which is pleasant on warmer itineraries. Worth one evening.

Le Bistro (Deck 7) - French. NCL’s classic French restaurant, designed after the Palace of Mirrors at Versailles. The escargot, coq au vin, and Lobster Thermidor are the menu staples. Le Bistro feels more formal than the other specialty venues. Pricing is a la carte and it can be expensive - the Lobster Thermidor alone carries a GBP 20 ($25) supplement even with the dining package.

Palomar (Deck 17) - Mediterranean seafood. NCL’s first Mediterranean restaurant. The cioppino and the langoustines are the strongest dishes. The open kitchen and outdoor terrace seating make it feel more relaxed than Le Bistro. Pricing is a la carte, and the lobster and langoustine entrees carry a GBP 20 ($25) supplement with the dining package.

Nama (Deck 7) - Sushi. A small counter-service sushi bar with a la carte pricing. Sushi rolls run GBP 5 to 13 ($7 to $16) each. Good for a light meal. Sit at the counter and watch the chefs work.

Food Republic (Deck 17) - Asian-Latin fusion. Tapas-sized plates meant for sharing. The Korean fried chicken and the Peruvian beef skewers are the standouts. With the dining package, you get four items per person, which is plenty. It is a casual, fun venue for groups.

Casual and Buffet Dining

The Indulge Food Hall (Deck 8) is the game-changer on Norwegian Prima. It has nine complimentary food stations plus Starbucks and Coco’s (both paid). You sit at a table, order from an iPad touchscreen, and food is delivered to you from whatever stations you choose. You can order dan dan noodles from Nudls, a chicken tikka masala from Tamara, and chorizo from the Tapas truck in the same sitting.

I used the Indulge Food Hall more than any other venue on the ship. The dan dan noodles and the chicken tikka were two of my favourites. The garlic naan from Tamara’s tandoor oven is outstanding. Portions are small by design, so order two or three dishes and graze. It is open for breakfast (grab-and-go style), lunch, and dinner. The iPad ordering means no queues and minimal waiting.

The Surfside Cafe (Deck 17) is the buffet. It is small for a ship of this size. The breakfast spread is decent - eggs, bacon, pastries, fruit, a waffle station. The dinner buffet is adequate but unremarkable. The buffet on Prima was, to be blunt, very crowded and very pushy. People elbowed, crowded around stations, and I found it stressful. If you want casual food without the scrum, the Indulge Food Hall is right there and it is calmer.

The Local Bar and Grill (Deck 8) is a 24-hour pub serving burgers, wings, fish and chips, and Reuben sandwiches. It is the late-night option after everything else closes. The food is basic but reliable, and it is complimentary.

Surfside Grill (Deck 17) is the poolside counter for burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Fine for a quick lunch in the sun.

Room Service

Room service on Norwegian Prima is available around the clock. Continental breakfast (6am to 11am) is complimentary. All other orders carry a GBP 8 ($9.95) service charge per order plus 20% gratuity, regardless of how many items you order.

The menu is limited: sandwiches, burgers, pizza, Caesar salad, and a few hot entrees. Quality is acceptable for a late-night snack or a morning when you do not want to leave the cabin. It is not a substitute for a proper meal.

Haven and Suite guests get complimentary room service with no delivery charge. The butler delivers it, and the menu includes items from The Haven Restaurant.

The One Dinner to Book

If you book one specialty dinner on Norwegian Prima, make it Onda by Scarpetta. The lobster tagliatelle alone justifies the visit. The bread basket, which includes warm stromboli, is addictive. The atmosphere is intimate and the service is attentive without being stiff.

Book Onda for the first or second night of your sailing. By mid-cruise, word has spread and the best sittings (7pm and 8pm) are gone. Request a booth if one is available. Expect to spend around GBP 40 to 55 ($50 to $70) per person a la carte, or use your Free at Sea specialty dining credits.

If you are using the dining package, Onda is the best value use of a credit. The a la carte prices here are among the highest on the ship, so you save the most by using a package meal here rather than at Los Lobos or Hasuki.

Dietary Needs and Allergies

NCL takes allergies seriously on Norwegian Prima. Every server at every venue will ask if you have allergies when you sit down. Your allergy information is recorded on a tablet-based system and theoretically follows you from restaurant to restaurant.

Vegetarian options are available at every venue and are clearly marked on menus. The Indulge Food Hall is particularly good for vegetarians - the Tamara Indian station has multiple vegetarian dishes including saag paneer and aloo gobi. The main dining room has a dedicated “Meatless” section on the dinner menu.

Vegan options exist but are more limited. The buffet and Indulge Food Hall are your best bets. Specialty restaurants can accommodate vegan requests, but the options are not always listed on the menu. Ask your server.

Gluten-free options are available across all venues. The main dining room and specialty restaurants handle gluten-free requests well. The buffet is harder to navigate for gluten-free diners because of cross-contamination risks.

Kosher and halal meals can be arranged with advance notice. NCL asks for at least 45 days before sailing. Complete a Special Needs Request Form through NCL’s website or your travel agent. On board, speak to the maitre d’ at Hudson’s or The Commodore Room to confirm arrangements.

For anyone with a serious allergy, my practical tip: tell NCL when you book, fill out the form, and then remind your server at every single meal. The system works, but it works best when you are proactive about it.