Norwegian’s Newest Ship Levels Up Luxury, Amenities, and Cuisine

I am the designated vacation planner in my family. We love to travel – and planning can get quite hectic. Cruises offer a refreshing break from the constant Googling of dinner options or coordinating trains and planes to get to our next destination. Following my first cruise experience in the Mediterranean last October, I recently joined the inaugural sailing of the Norwegian Aqua for my inaugural Caribbean cruise. After easily persuading my friend to come with me, we indulged in a glorious 3-day girls’ weekend aboard Norwegian’s newest ship. Our days were filled with poolside lounging, sipping the cocktail of the day, and sampling delicious offerings at various complimentary eateries — or getting thoroughly pampered in the spa. Evenings found us enjoying dessert and drinks between shows and dips in the hot tub. The Oceanwalk quickly became one of my favorite parts of the ship, offering both endless-ocean views and ultimate lounge goals for deep talks and infinity pool swims.

Aqua, the latest addition to Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Class and the very first in its Prima Plus Class, offers more of, well, just about everything. It’s massive. Larger than its other Prima class ships (the Prima and Viva), this vessel contains more deck space, more lounge chairs than any other Norwegian ship, more restaurants and food offerings.

Norwegian’s Aqua – five years in the making

Photo courtesy Norwegian

After five years of dreaming and planning, the Aqua was completed in 2025 by Fincantieri, an Italian ship-making company, at its shipyard in Marghera. With an overall length of 1,056 feet, she can hold 3,571 guests within 1,659 staterooms. She’s the fifth-largest Norwegian cruise ship in its fleet of 20 vessels. Although not the biggest in terms of size, the intention was to bring a more luxurious feel, making it feel larger through ample space on every floor.

With the brand’s luxury “ship within a ship” concept, The Haven, Norwegian’s goal was to make Aqua feel like you’re part of that luxury cruise experience. The ship boasts Norwegian cruise line’s most spacious staterooms, more restaurant options, a bigger and better spa, 17 percent larger patio areas, 11 percent larger bathrooms than other Norwegian ships, better Wi-Fi with Starlink, more venues on top decks for relaxing, and a bigger pool.

Also unique to Aqua is a male Godparent, Eric Stonestreet – from the popular show Modern Family – became the 4th male godparent in cruise ship history. “It’s the ultimate elevated vacation,” Eric explained during the ship’s christening ceremony. The goal, he noted, was to give customers “more of what they love.”

You’ll never find yourself bored, aboard

Photo: Lauren Bailey Madden

I’m pretty sure the entire top deck heard me scream after I was launched faster than I had anticipated on the SlideCoaster. Running 600 feet long, it’s the only roller coaster/water slide on a ship. And it’s not the only waterslide on board. There’s also The Drop, which literally drops you from ten stories high as the floor beneath you opens.

Outside of waterslides, there are five swimming pools (two being infinity pools), nine jacuzzi hot tubs, and small wading pools scattered between cushioned bed loungers on either side of the ship on Ocean Boulevard. In between lounging poolside and riding the SlideCoaster, grab a putter for some minigolf (with this course being 12 holes and 2.5 times larger than the Norwegian Prima and Viva class ships) or snag a paddle and a partner for some pickleball. You can play some hoops on the interactive LED glow court or head to the gaming zone for bowling and arcade classics.

At night, Norwegian encourages guests to head to the theater for A+ entertainment, from the newest addition as an ode to Prince, Revolution: A Celebration of Prince, or their bigger (and better) rendition of the most popular show ever, Elements: The World Expanded. You can find comedy, game shows, and a Rumors rock show, too.

And of course, save some time for the spa area. Outside of the lounge spaces, this was a highlight of my trip. After a glorious deep-tissue massage, I alternated between the larger jacuzzi and the cooler pool. With four different types of thermal rooms (steam, salt, charcoal, and clay), an ice room to cool down, and thunderstorm experiential showers, I hopped between rooms to soak up all the health benefits—and enjoy a break from my phone (no phones allowed). After a final cool down in the ice room, I relaxed in the aptly named Relaxation Room, sinking into thalassotherapy heated chairs and gazing out through floor-to-ceiling windows at the ocean views.

Room options and The Haven – Aqua’s private ‘ship within a ship’

Photo courtesy Norwegian

The luxury “ship within a ship” – available only to those who pay to be there – has its own pool, hot tub, restaurant, and bar, so technically, you never have to leave. The Haven offers a more deluxe experience, where you can enjoy the amenities throughout the ship, and then retreat to a peaceful and more private areas. With only 123 suites within and 24-hour dedicated butler service, it’s the perfect place for pampering. In this area, you’ll also get priority boarding and disembarking, including port days for tenders, plus priority access to specialty dining and entertainment. “Treat yourself” takes on a whole new meaning in The Haven. Prices for state rooms in The Haven are based on availability and time of the year, but currently, prices range from $4,578 to $8,678 per person for a seven-day cruise in the Caribbean. Day passes are also available for cruisers who don’t buy access to The Haven for their entire trip.

For the rest of us plebeians, the most affordable room starts at $1,388 for a seven-day cruise in the Caribbean to $3,578 for a suite with a balcony. And all kids sail for free (when staying in the same room). My friend and I had a balcony room with an extremely comfortable bed (very important) and a lot of closet space (even more important) with luggage storage underneath the bed.

Eleven dining options, so you’ll never go hungry (or wait in long lines)

Photo: Lauren Bailey Madden

There are six delicious complimentary eating areas (one inside The Haven), and eight specialty dining restaurants ranging from Mexican to Italian to Norwegian’s first ever Thai restaurant, the Sukhothai. Norwegian’s “More at Sea” package has also been enhanced this year across ships with two goals – offering more perks and making the package easier to understand. It costs $30 a day, and you get access to three meals, including specialty restaurants (with appetizers and desserts at each meal), unlimited open bar with premium spirits included (Grey Goose and Patron – hello!), Wi-Fi by Starlink, and a $50 credit at every port for offshore activities.

The Indulge dining area included multiple different menus, from a vegetarian selection to heavy-on-the-meat BBQ plates. It quickly became my favorite area to dine, with its outdoor patio seating and an iPad at each table so you can order anything you want. With food delivered directly to you, there’s no standing in lines at buffets or waiting for a waiter to take your order. We ate at Indulge multiple times a day for quick lunches, post-pool snacks, and dinners (with the Indian food menu being my favorite – I loved the handmade naan). If you are magically still powering through your New Year’s resolution to eat better, you can accomplish that here, but you’d miss out on some amazing dishes and desserts (including a soft-serve ice cream machine).

Private island vibes

Photo: Kelsey Wilking

The Aqua currently has 11 different voyage itineraries ranging from two days to seven, all based in the Caribbean. If you’re in the mood for a private island, select an itinerary that includes a port stop at Great Stirrup Cay (GSC), Norwegian’s own private island, where you can snorkel, lounge in private cabanas, paddleboard, zipline, and swim with pigs.

Access to Great Stirrup Cay, alongside the Aqua’s innovative cruise experience, makes the ship a beautiful addition to Norwegian’s fleet, thoughtfully crafted to allow travelers to customize their trips to best fit their vacation needs, from endless family fun to a rejuvenating vacation to get away from it all. Cruises are turning out to be my favorite place to be when insomnia hits. Exploring the ship at 3 AM just hits different, and as a woman traveler, this isn’t always possible with on-land destinations. But on a ship? With open water, me, the moon, a stunning array of stars, and virtually no other humans around, I could soak up all the Aqua had to offer, all to myself. As moody blue skies turned to soft pastel pinks, I found myself sprawled on a lounge couch, catching up on my latest read, and dreaming about what the day had in store aboard the Aqua.