NCL's next Prima-Plus ship is Norwegian Luna with dreamscape hull art by ELLE

NCL hosted a walk-through of 2025's Norwegian Aqua, the first Prima-plus ship, at Fincantieri's Marghera yard today. Herrera also shared the name for Aqua's 2026 sister, and sales are now open for Norwegian Luna's April 4 to November 2026 cruises from PortMiami.

The ship will operate two western Caribbean itineraries to Roatán, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Harvest Caye (Belize) then seven-day eastern cruises to Puerto Plata, Tortola, St. Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL's private island that's set to gain a pier by late 2025.

Norwegian Luna under construction at Fincantieri's Marghera yard PHOTO: ANNE KALOSH

The 156,300gt, 1,056-foot Norwegian Luna, like Norwegian Aqua, is 10% larger than the Prima-class ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, with a 10% capacity increase (3,550 lower berths).

The interiors are by AD Associates, Piero Lissoni, Rockwell Group, SMC Design and Studio DADO.

'La Luna' by ELLE

And Norwegian Luna's newly revealed hull art is a vibrant dreamscape by ELLE, who evolved from a New York graffiti artist into one of the most sought-after street artists. She's created large-scale murals in New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and Melbourne, and partnered with such brands as Nike, Reebok and Ralph Lauren.

‘La Luna,' ELLE's 1,056-foot artwork for Norwegian Luna's hull, is a visual exploration of humanity’s deep connection with celestial forces and nature. Luna, the moon, is on the bow, guiding the ship, just as the moon and the stars have guided sailors forever, the artist noted. Her collage-style work also depicts moonbeams, clouds, animals and waves.

'Norwegian Luna is the place for you to go on an adventure, and to dream. I wanted [the artwork] to be an epic voyage on the side, an adventure, a journey,' ELLE said.

50,000 to 60,000 man-hours for Fincantieri

Other cruise lines normally have one or two colors on their hulls. Norwegian Aqua has 15 or 16 and Norwegian Luna even more: 31, according to Emanuele Truant, Fincantieri's NCL project manager.

Truant explained the artist creates a piece that has to be scaled up by workers to 300 meters long and cover 10,000 square meters. This requires 50,000 to 60,000 man-hours — 10,000 of that for tracing and identifying the color changes.

It's a 'very, very long process and very demanding,' Truant said. It must be done when the hull is assembled to ensure correct positioning. And the work takes place at night because laser projection is used. First one side of the ship, then the other.

About 6,000 liters of paint is required.

'It will be magnificent,' Truant said of ELLE's artwork.

'Thoughtful approach'

Herrera told Seatrade Cruise News the selection of the ship's name, followed by the hull art, shows a 'more strategic, more thoughtful' approach to things overall at NCL.

David Herrera presents Norwegian Luna hull artist ELLE to media/travel partners who are in Venice to preview Norwegian Aqua PHOTO: ANNE KALOSH

'The hull art, the hull artist, the ship name, the itineraries, they all have to mean something. There has to be some overarching theme,' he said. And 'what was great' about ELLE was how she presented NCL many options so they could come up with a vision together in what he described as a 'more collaborative process where everybody has a voice.'

Otherwise, Norwegian Luna will mirror the design and structure of Norwegian Aqua, also with an Aqua Slidecoaster hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide, premium suites complex The Haven by Norwegian; Ocean Boulevard, the 46,000-square-foot outdoor walkway Ocean Boulevard that wraps around the ship, Indulge Food Hall, Thai restaurant Sukhothai and more.

Coming up: A first look at Norwegian Aqua