For a journey unlike any other, Norwegian Cruise Line’s all-new Norwegian Aqua sets sail – and standards – sky-high.
The moment she majestically emerged on the grey horizon of Lisbon’s shores, there was a collective sigh of relief. The region had been pounded by a major storm the night before which closed the port – meaning this gleaming new jewel in Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet had to weather the waves before finding safe harbour and meeting her first lucky guests.
A New Class
Norwegian Aqua doesn’t just usher in a new vessel – she launches an entirely new class. The first in the Prima Plus Class, Aqua builds upon the award-winning foundations of the Prima Class but levels up with bold, sweeping innovations and an undeniable air of sophistication. The result is a ship that feels futuristic, yet grounded in the intuitive elegance luxury travellers have come to expect.
The brand’s newly minted philosophy, “Experience More at Sea,” is more than a catchy slogan. It’s embedded in every detail aboard Aqua, from the design of her three-storey Penrose Atrium – a luminous architectural heart wrapped in sculptural curves and flooded with natural light – to the refined culinary concepts and the reimagined entertainment.
“This is a milestone moment for Norwegian Cruise Line,” said David J. Herrera, NCL’s president, addressing guests shortly after embarkation. “Norwegian Aqua is designed to offer our guests MORE – more wide-open space, more thrills, more culinary experiences, and more immersive entertainment.” As we discovered on our 5 night cruise, he wasn’t exaggerating.
Luxurious cabins
As we delve deeper into the luxurious offerings aboard Norwegian Aqua, it’s impossible to overlook the exceptional accommodations that set this vessel apart. From the thoughtfully designed staterooms to the unparalleled opulence of The Haven, every detail has been meticulously crafted to provide guests with an unparalleled experience at sea.
Spacious Staterooms: Your Personal Haven
Norwegian Aqua boasts some of the most spacious accommodations in the fleet, ensuring that every guest enjoys a comfortable and relaxing retreat. Whether you’re seeking a cosy spot to unwind after a day of exploration or a serene space to enjoy the ocean views, there’s a stateroom tailored to your needs.
Balcony Staterooms: These rooms offer private balconies, allowing guests to savour panoramic sea views in solitude. The interiors are adorned with fine bed linens and memory foam mattresses, ensuring restful nights. Amenities include a sitting area, 24-hour room service, and the convenience of pre-booking dining and entertainment options.
Club Balcony Suites: Elevating the experience, these suites provide additional space and luxury. Guests are welcomed with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine and delightful treats delivered to their stateroom. The inclusion of complimentary laundry or pressing service adds an extra touch of convenience.
Solo Cabins: Recognising the needs of solo travellers, Norwegian Aqua offers dedicated solo cabins. These thoughtfully designed spaces provide comfort and privacy, ensuring that every guest feels at home.
The Haven: A Ship Within a Ship
For those seeking the pinnacle of luxury, The Haven by Norwegian offers an exclusive sanctuary at the top of the ship. This private enclave provides guests with unparalleled service, privacy, and amenities, creating an intimate experience within the grandeur of Norwegian Aqua.
Exclusive Amenities: Guests of The Haven enjoy access to private venues, including a secluded sundeck, pool, and hot tubs. The Haven Lounge and Bar serve as intimate spaces to relax and socialise, while The Haven Restaurant offers gourmet dining exclusive to its residents.
Personalised Service: From embarkation to debarkation, guests are pampered with personalised services. This includes priority boarding, a personal escort on and off the ship at ports-of-call, concierge assistance for booking dining and entertainment, and 24-hour trained and certified butler service attending to every need.
Luxurious Accommodations: The suites within The Haven are among the most luxurious at sea. Options include:
3-Bedroom Duplex Suite with Large Balcony: These two-story accommodations feature separate living and dining areas, three bedrooms (two with king-size beds and one with a single bed), three bathrooms, and a spacious balcony offering breathtaking views.
Premier Owner’s Suite: Boasting floor-to-ceiling glass doors, these suites provide panoramic ocean vistas. The expansive balconies and chic interiors create a serene retreat for discerning travellers.
Deluxe Owner’s Suite: Located in The Haven, these suites offer aft-facing balconies with stunning views, separate living and dining areas, two bedrooms with king-size beds, two luxury baths with jetted showers, a half-bath, and an outdoor hot tub. Butler and concierge services complete this indulgent experience.
The Haven truly encapsulates the essence of a “ship within a ship,” providing an intimate and luxurious experience that caters to the most discerning travellers.
Norwegian Aqua’s accommodations, from its spacious staterooms to the exclusive offerings of The Haven, redefine luxury at sea. Every detail has been thoughtfully curated to ensure that guests experience unparalleled comfort, privacy, and service throughout their voyage.
Dining That Delights and Surprises
For gourmands, Norwegian Aqua offers a culinary landscape as broad as the Atlantic she sails. There are 17 dining venues – an impressive feat even for a ship of this scale – and 18 bars and lounges, each offering a different rhythm, tone, and temptation.
The debut of Sukhothai, Norwegian’s first-ever Thai specialty restaurant, deserves special mention. It’s a triumph of both form and flavour. Rather a Thai food fan, I indulged in a variety of wonderfully tasty dishes and this quickly became my favourite eatery.
Then there’s Planterie, a soft-spoken revolution in sea-bound cuisine. NCL’s first plant-based eatery, nestled within the Indulge Food Hall, doesn’t try to convert anyone – it simply delivers exquisitely flavourful, beautifully plated dishes that happen to be entirely plant-based.
The Belvedere Bar, now stylishly set within the Penrose Atrium, quickly became the social nexus during the voyage. With mixologists shaking up craft cocktails infused with elderflower, hibiscus and small-batch spirits, it was the perfect place to toast the twilight.
Spa Time
Norwegian Aqua’s Mandara Spa® offers a sanctuary of tranquillity and rejuvenation, seamlessly blending innovative therapies with timeless relaxation techniques. This world-class spa invites guests to embark on a holistic wellness journey, surrounded by the serene backdrop of the open sea.
Thermal Suite: A Symphony of Sensations
Somewhere I enjoyed several hours in was the expansive Thermal Suite, located at the heart of Mandara Spa – a curated collection of therapeutic experiences designed to detoxify, relax, and invigorate. This sanctuary features:
Vitality Pool & Flotation Salt Pool: Immerse yourself in the warm embrace of these pools, where massaging jets alleviate tension and the salt-infused waters promote a sense of weightlessness, reducing stress and revitalising the skin.
Clay Sauna: Experience the first clay sauna at sea, offering deep cleansing and gentle exfoliation to enhance skin tone and texture.
Charcoal Sauna: Harnessing the detoxifying properties of charcoal, this sauna aids in boosting circulation and metabolism while eliminating toxins, providing relief from muscle tension and promoting overall well-being.
Salt Room: Inspired by ancient European salt caves, this chamber offers a natural therapy known to alleviate respiratory ailments, reduce stress, and rejuvenate the skin through the inhalation of micronised salt particles.
Ice Room: A refreshing retreat where crisp, cold air stimulates circulation, invigorates the senses, and strengthens the immune system, leaving you feeling revitalised and alert.
Experiential Shower: Engage in a multi-sensory journey with varying temperatures, water pressures, and chromotherapy, designed to refresh and invigorate, leaving your skin hydrated and your mind energised.
Relaxation Area: Serenity with a View
Adjacent to the Thermal Suite, the Relaxation Area offers an expansive space with panoramic ocean vistas. Here, guests can recline on heated loungers, allowing the gentle warmth to soothe muscles and promote deep relaxation. The floor-to-ceiling windows ensure that the calming presence of the sea is ever-present, enhancing the overall sense of tranquillity.
Pulse Fitness Centre: Energise with Ocean Views
For those seeking to maintain their fitness regime, the Pulse Fitness Centre provides state-of-the-art equipment in a setting that inspires. With 270-degree views of the ocean, guests can engage in cardiovascular workouts, strength training, or participate in group classes such as yoga and TRX suspension training. The seamless integration of cutting-edge facilities with breathtaking scenery transforms exercise from routine to revitalising.
Personalised Treatments: Indulgence Tailored to You
Beyond the Thermal Suite and fitness offerings, Mandara Spa presents an extensive menu of over 50 specialty treatments. From the soothing strokes of a hot-stone massage to rejuvenating facials and acupuncture sessions, each therapy is administered by skilled professionals dedicated to your well-being. The spa also features a full-service salon, ensuring guests can enjoy beauty treatments ranging from hair styling to manicures, leaving them refreshed and radiant. My signature massage and facial using the best Elemis products was excellent.
In essence, Mandara Spa aboard Norwegian Aqua is more than a place of relaxation; it is a holistic retreat that harmoniously blends innovative wellness experiences with the timeless allure of the sea, inviting guests to embark on a transformative journey of mind, body, and spirit.
Spaces That Invite You to Breathe
There’s an undeniable sense of scale and calm aboard Aqua – a difficult balance to strike on a ship carrying thousands. Wide-open public spaces, thoughtfully designed lounges, and expansive decks mean you never feel crowded.
Activities galore!
We have to start with a mention of the striking (and probably rather terrifying for some!) Aqua Slidecoaster – a hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide – claims the title of the world’s first of its kind. It’s hard to overstate the audacity of engineering that went into creating not one, but two ride experiences onboard a luxury cruise ship. I am afraid I chickened out, but fellow passengers said the ride was fantastic fun.
Another surprise sits mid-ship: the Glow Court. By day, this digital sports complex uses an interactive LED floor to transform seamlessly between games, capturing the imagination of kids and adults alike. By night, it morphs into a pulsating club, lit in iridescent tones that reflect off the surrounding chrome and glass. It’s playful yet slick – very much Aqua’s signature.
Just a few decks away, the Aqua Game Zone redefines onboard entertainment. Inspired by NCL’s Galaxy Pavilion, this space is an eclectic mash-up of retro arcade charm and cutting-edge virtual reality. It’s an immersive playground for all ages, and a masterclass in how to cater to multigenerational travel without compromising on aesthetic or experience.
Evening Entertainment
A Show Fit for a Legend
No inaugural cruise is complete without spectacle, and Norwegian Aqua pulls out all the stops. The headline act, “Revolution: A Celebration of Prince”, is a high-energy, theatrical concert experience that feels more West End than cruise ship. With powerhouse vocals and stagecraft that pulsed with purple-hued electricity, it had the audience on its feet from the first beat of “Let’s Go Crazy” to the echoing encore of “Purple Rain”.
‘Rumours’ was also fantastic, and a treat not only for long time Fleetwood Mac fans, but those not that familiar with the famous tracks too. Vocals and storytelling was on-point.
“Elements: The World Expanded” also showcases the ship’s technical prowess. A heady blend of aerial acrobatics, illusion, and cinematic projection, the show draws inspiration from earth, air, fire, and water – and feels uniquely at home at sea.
The Aqua Theatre is quite incredible – super high tech, even to the point it converts into a night club with large dance floor in around 20 minutes as the rows of seating miraculously fold away.
Where next? Beyond Europe: Aqua’s Grand Journey
After departing Southampton, Norwegian Aqua will sail a Transatlantic voyage to Miami, where she’ll be officially christened on 13 April 2025, with Emmy® Award-winning actor Eric Stonestreet serving as godfather. From there, she will homeport in Miami, Port Canaveral (Orlando), and New York City, offering a kaleidoscope of itineraries through the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Bermuda well into 2027.
And there’s more incentive than ever to come aboard. NCL’s new More At Sea™ programme elevates the all-inclusive experience, bundling premium open bar (think Grey Goose, Woodford Reserve, Casamigos), specialty dining, Wi-Fi, and $50 shore excursion credits per port into a seamless package with savings of over 75%. On select sailings, children even sail free, and a second guest flies free – subtle reminders that Norwegian’s definition of luxury includes value, too.
In summary
For a large ship newbie, I confess I was really impressed at how fantastic Norwegian Aqua is. It’s perfect for solo travellers, couples, and families. It blends Norwegian Cruise Line’s trademark playfulness with elegance, crafting an experience that’s immersive, innovative, and quietly glamorous.
For those seeking a new kind of voyage – one where entertainment dazzles, cuisine surprises, and space is celebrated – Norwegian Aqua delivers in spades. It’s a ship that doesn’t just carry you from one port to another; it invites you to play, to rest, to savour, and to be part of something new.
To book your voyage or learn more about Norwegian Aqua and her worldwide itineraries, visit:
Visit www.ncl.com for more information.
By Lisa Curtiss
