Sponsored By

NCL's Prima Plus ship Norwegian Aqua to sail from Canaveral, NYC, Miami

Norwegian Cruise Line's 2025 ship will be called Norwegian Aqua and debut in April with weeklong cruises from Port Canaveral.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

November 2, 2023

3 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

The ship will then reposition to New York for Bermuda cruises from August through October 2025 before undertaking five- and seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises from PortMiami through April 2026.

For its Canaveral series, Norwegian Aqua will call at Puerto Plata, Tortola, St. Thomas and Great Stirrup Cay.

10% larger

This first Prima Plus ship, 1,056 feet in length, is about 10% larger than Norwegian Prima and this year's Norwegian Viva, at approximately 156,300gt, up from 143,500gt, with about 3,571 lower berths, up from 3,125.

No racetrack

Norwegian Aqua will not have a racetrack. Instead, if offers what NCL touts as the world's first hybrid roller-coaster and waterslide, the Aqua Slidecoaster. 

Other novel features include a digital sports complex and the largest Haven suites complex with three bedroom duplex Haven suites.

CRUISE Norwegian Aqua

Norwegian Aqua's hull art by Allison Hueman is called 'Where the Sky Meets the Sea'

Hull art by Allison Hueman

Norwegian Aqua's lively and colorful hull art is by Filipino-American Allison Hueman, the first woman to conceive hull art for NCL. Renowned for her street art and global brand collaborations including Nike, L’Oreal and Google, Hueman created a design called 'Where the Sky Meets the Sea' for Norwegian Aqua, evoking modern mythology through colorful mashups of abstract and figurative representations of sea and sky, ruled by ancient goddesses. The work is curated by Goldman Global Arts.  

Hybrid roller-coaster-waterslide

The Aqua Slidecoaster is complete with exhilarating dual slides and a magnetic lift that propels riders through two different courses. This NCL exclusive will feature three stories of twists and turns around the ship's funnel.

Glow Court

The new Glow Court, a digital sports complex with an interactive LED floor, will offer a variety of interactive activities by day before transforming into a nightclub in the evening.

CRUISE Norwegian Aqua Glow Court

The new Glow Court

Some upper-deck Prima-class experiences continuing aboard Norwegian Aqua include The Drop, a 10-story free-fall slide, and the Stadium, a now expanded game space offering complimentary activities.

Largest Haven complex

The Haven by Norwegian will be the largest in the fleet with 123 suites including NCL's first three bedroom duplex Haven suites. These four two-story suites feature separate living and dining areas, three bathrooms, a sprawling balcony and three bedrooms (two with king-sized beds and the mater offering floor-to-ceiling windows).

Among the ship's regular accommodations will be NCL's latest solo expanded stateroom categories: solo inside, solo ocean-view and solo balcony.  

Infinity pool with expanded seating

Norwegian Aqua’s infinity edge pool will provide expanded seating and, for the first time in NCL’s fleet, day beds will be available on the main pool deck.

For an elevated, adults-only experience, the expanded Vibe Beach Club will also offer more lounge seating.

Most expansive Ocean Boulevard

The ship also offers NCL's largest Ocean Boulevard, the wrap-around outdoor walkway, with Oceanwalk, a glass bridge for photo opportunities; Infinity Beach with pools pools overlooking each side of the ship; and La Terrazza, the open-air lounge with sweeping views.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

The latest cruise news, analysis and more straight to your inbox
Get the free newsletter read by industry experts

You May Also Like