The best Norwegian Cruise Line ship for every type of traveler
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It's a look that carries over to a bevy of high-end eateries, including Nama, a new-for-Norwegian sushi restaurant with a design that is as sophisticated as the sushi it serves. Also striking is the look of a version of Le Bistro, Norwegian's signature French eatery, that can be found on both of these vessels. Both of the spaces are built around three massive crystal chandeliers costing nearly $100,000 that hang down to the floor — a showstopper of a design element.
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Norwegian is one of the few lines that takes special effort to cater to you. Many ships have solo cabins that aren’t charged a single passenger supplement. They also feature solo-cruiser lounges for socializing with your other solo passengers. Evening ShowsNorwegian has put a big emphasis on its entertainment onboard the ship, and that means bringing Broadway shows to sea. The biggest-name shows are on their newest ships, including Choir of Man, Kinky Boots, and Footloose. Considering that people normally pay hundreds to watch these performances on Broadway, but they are free on the ship, it’s a great deal and a can’t miss.
15 things I loved and hated about Norwegian Epic - Cruise Blog
15 things I loved and hated about Norwegian Epic.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:15:21 GMT [source]
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Many of Norwegian's biggest ships have state-of-the-art theaters as big as those you'd find on Broadway, with big-name productions to match. Norwegian Bliss, for instance, has the Tony Award-winning "Jersey Boys." Norwegian cruises are very unstructured vacations, and that's by design. In a typical summer, the line will deploy nearly half its ships to Europe while sending several more to the West Coast to sail to Alaska from Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Seward, Alaska.
Norwegian Getaway spa thermal suite
Norwegian ships are also loaded with bars, lounges and nightclubs, including always-busy casinos. Put it all together, and you have vessels with a very lively atmosphere — particularly at night. If you had to compare Norwegian ships to something on land, you'd probably say they were like floating versions of the casino resorts you find in Las Vegas. While we haven’t sailed every ship in the fleet, there is a big difference between the newest ships and older ships we’ve seen (just like on many other lines). Your impression of the line may vary based on whether you sail an older ship or the newer fleet. Speedway (Go-Karts)Available on NCL’s newest and largest ships like Bliss, Joy, and Encore, the speedway is the only racetrack at sea.
Starting November 2025, Norwegian Gem ship offers roundtrip voyages visiting The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean island destinations. Onboard specialty restaurants (a la carte priced or cover charge venues) add an 18% gratuity service charge. In 2015, on NCL Sun and NCL Sky ships was introduced fare-inclusive open bars for all passengers 21 years and older. However, this program was terminated in 2019 (effective for itineraries on or after September 7, 2019).
Norwegian (NCL) Cruises Tips, Activities, and Overview

Like Royal Caribbean ships, Norwegian vessels have an inordinate amount of teen- and tween-friendly attractions — everything from some of the largest waterslides at sea to the only go-kart tracks on the ocean. That makes them particularly appealing to families, including multigenerational groups. One notable outlier among the smaller ships is the 2,186-passenger Pride of America. Sporting a patriotic U.S. theme (you'll find venues named after Thomas Jefferson and John Adams), and a distinct array of lounges and entertainment, it's the only big cruise vessel based year-round in Hawaii.
Norwegian Caribbean Lines
The biggest two of them, on Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima, are nearly 1,400 feet long and sprawl over three decks. Norwegian ships also all have Mandara Spas, which can be quite big on the bigger vessels, and there are fitness centers on every ship. As mentioned above, the line also operates one ship (Pride of America) in Hawaii year-round. Norwegian's 10 smaller vessels break down among five classes, but many are roughly the same size and offer similar amenities.
Complete Guide to Sailing Norwegian Cruise Line (What It’s Like)
An 80-min ling JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to Havana costs less than USD 100. Previously, air travel from the USA to Cuba was thought charter flights only. In December 2016, NCLH (shipowner) received permission to operate cruises to Cuba, beginning March 2017. (November 19 through December 3, 2023) NCL Prima from PortMiami offers 3x 7-day Western Caribbean voyages to Harvest Caye Belize, Cozumel Mexico, Isla Roatan Honduras.
The new restaurant joins Scarpetta's land-based restaurants in NYC, The Hamptons (Long Island NY), Miami FL, Philadelphia PA, Newport RI, Las Vegas NV, and London OH. "Onda by Scarpetta" restaurant's menu showcases the unique flavors of modern Italian cuisine featuring a selection of beautifully presented seafood and signature dishes, including daily handmade pasta and traditional gourmet desserts. The new Scarpetta restaurant is similarly designed as a land-based venue, with an interior featuring walnut wood and Calacatta marble. Once on board a Norwegian ship, you'll pay extra for most drinks, extra-charge restaurants, spa services, shore excursions, internet service and a few other things — unless you've bought a package for some of these items in advance. Some onboard activities such as go-karting also come with an extra charge.
It is also known for its beautiful hull art, pioneering Freestyle Dining and adding buzzworthy amenities like ice bars and race tracks to its ships. NCL cruises are fun for all types of travelers, and its loyalty program can provide added perks along the way. The exclusive, keycard-accessed suite complex called The Haven (found on 13 of Norwegian's 19 ships) comes with private lounges, pools and other tony features. It's essentially a small, luxury vessel that has been planted atop otherwise middle-class, mass-market megaships.
The Breakaway- and Breakaway Plus-class ships have innovative outdoor promenades called The Waterfront lined with seating for many restaurants and bars. The Waterfront is located on Deck 8 of each of the ships, which is one of the main decks for restaurants on them all. Some of the extra-charge restaurants come with a flat fee (the teppanyaki outlets are $59 per person, not including the cost of drinks). One thing you need to know upfront about going on a Norwegian cruise is that there are a lot of extra charges — and sometimes quite high extra charges — on the line's ships, particularly for things like restaurants. Norwegian is also heralded for kicking off the trend of more solo cabins on cruise ships. In 2010, it debuted an entire zone of small studio cabins for one — 128 in all — on its then-new, 4,070-passenger Norwegian Epic, and it has since added them to seven more new ships.
You'll find plenty of young families onboard Norwegian ships, especially during holidays and school breaks. However, the line's newest ship, Norwegian Bliss, is less family-friendly than the line's other ships, with all the kids clubs on the lowest levels of the ship and onboard entertainment that is decidedly adult. Impact on your credit may vary, as credit scores are independently determined by credit bureaus based on a number of factors including the financial decisions you make with other financial services organizations. Instead, you would earn benefits on future cruises related to your particular elite tier. Depending on how long you want to sail and where you're going, you can find cruises as brief as two nights and as long as 21 days or more. Its loyalty program, onboard amenities and variety of cabin types offer something for every type of traveler.
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