Norwegian Viva review: What to expect on Norwegian Cruise Line's 2nd Prima Class ship

Table Of Content

• NCL's Norwegian Prima started the inaugural cruise from Galveston Texas
• VIDEO: Luis Fonsi to serve as godfather of NCL's newest ship Norwegian Viva
• How much does The Drop cost?
• Studio Staterooms, Haven Suites the Crown Jewel of Norwegian Viva's Cabins
• NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line announces cancellation of multiple 2025 sailings (7 ships)
• Current itinerary of Norwegian Viva

Our modern inside staterooms are highlighted with appointments like a TV, sitting area and more. Finished with the finest touches, spacious suites with luxury accommodations. Starlink provides fast Internet service at sea and is now available on Norwegian Viva. Using advanced low earth orbit satellites, SpaceX’s Starlink delivers industry leading broadband internet connectivity, which will improve the capacity, speed, and reliability of Internet on board. Passengers who meet height and weight requirements can ride the slide (riders must be at least 55 inches tall – 4 feet and 7 inches – for instance). When I emerged from the slide, I stood up, finally exhaled and headed to the onboard Starbucks to go about my day.

NCL's Norwegian Prima started the inaugural cruise from Galveston Texas

The former offers for-fee a la carte sushi and sashimi, and the latter features a traditional experience where diners sit around a grill to watch a chef cook, perform tricks and tell cheesy jokes. The Haven Restaurant functions as the free main dining room for passengers booked in The Haven suite complex. It's open daily to passengers with access, and it features a set menu for the entire sailing.

VIDEO: Luis Fonsi to serve as godfather of NCL's newest ship Norwegian Viva

If you’re looking for accommodations with multiple bedrooms, you’ll have to book a suite in The Haven. Norwegian Viva will boast eye-catching hull art designed by Italian graffiti and sculpture artist Manuel Di Rita, commonly known as “Peeta,” who also illustrated the exceptional hull design on Norwegian Prima. World-class architects who helped design Norwegian Prima including Rockwell Group, SMC Design and Miami-based Studio Dado, also have returned to influence the aesthetic of various restaurants, staterooms and public areas. The two-level Mandara Spa is also nearby, with an entrance on Deck 16. In addition to for-fee treatments (massages, manicures, pedicures), the ship offers a gorgeous and expanded thermal suite that has salt and steam rooms, a sauna, a massive split thalassotherapy pool, an ice room, heated tile loungers and more.

How much does The Drop cost?

Items are priced a la carte and will be made to order, with each delivered when ready, rather than all at once. This specialty restaurant on Deck 7 is as elegant as they come, featuring a bright atmosphere with light blue accents and high-end decor, including giant floor-to-ceiling crystal chandeliers that are stunning. There's no dress code to dine at Le Bistro, but you might want to embrace the experience by making an effort. Free soft-serve machines can be found in the buffet and outside on Oceanwalk, near Indulge. Chocolate, vanilla and twist are offered, and the ice cream is vegan. The machines are not available 24 hours a day like they are on some cruise lines' ships.

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If your stomach is rumbling a bit too much before dinner, the luxuriously appointed Observation Lounge on Deck 17 forward offers gratis between-meal snacks daily from 3 to 5 p.m. It's common for passengers to order a couple of items, eat them and then order a couple more. I highly recommend the guacamole as a starter and something from the Tamara Indian menu, followed by a pulled pork sandwich from Q Texas Smokehouse if you have room left. And minus 100 points to whoever decided the fitness center's treadmills would be well placed directly over the thermal suite's heated loungers.

The first two Prima Class vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, will feature cutting-edge alternative technologies, such as a NOx reduction system (SCR), that reduce the ship’s overall environmental impact. SCR catalysts filter out sulfur oxides up to 98% and nitrogen oxides up to 90%, ensuring the vessels meet Tier III NOx compliance. For more information about the Company’s environmental, governance and social efforts, please click here.

Travelers will live up every second of their journey in the most spacious accommodations including the brand's largest inside, ocean view and balcony category staterooms. The vessel itself is smaller than ships in the line's previous class, and although it's family-friendly, it also houses a downsized version of the Splash Academy kids club, which lacks dedicated teen spaces. However, the ship has seen growth in the way of a larger onboard suite area with a better location and one of the fleet's largest go-kart tracks — something the Prima Class adopted from previous hardware. "The Haven by Norwegian" on PRIMA-class NCL ships (designed by Piero Lissoni & Partners) spans 8 decks and groups suites, public areas, and exclusive venues, all positioned in the aft/stern section. The Norwegian Viva has six complimentary dining venues, including The Haven, a fine dining restaurant that exclusively serves guests staying in The Haven section of the ship.

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It's home to a selection of video games, VR experiences and two escape rooms. Games can be played a la carte, and the escape rooms, which cost $15 per person, put groups of up to six people into a locked room for 45 minutes or until they solve clues needed to allow for their escape. A kids splash area is located on Deck 18, near the entrance to The Wave waterslide. Two dry slides — The Drop and The Rush — spiral 10 decks down the side of the ship. For passengers in the mood for Asian cuisine, Nama sushi and Hasuki teppanyaki on Deck 7 aft are both solid options.

But what's special about them on Viva is how upscale they look. The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony features a king-size bed, a bath with jetted shower, and a large balcony with an outdoor hot tub. The Owner’s Suite with Large Balcony has a separate bedroom with king-size bed, a double sofa bed, a living area, and a luxury shower. Forward-Facing Club Balcony Suites are at the front of the ship and can accommodate two guests.

The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Master Bedroom & Large Balcony includes a separate bedroom with a king-size bed. Some include a double sofa bed to accommodate two additional people. Oceanview with Round Window staterooms can hold two guests and feature two twin beds that can convert to a queen. Large Oceanview with Round Window cabins are essentially the same thing, but feature more square footage. Family Oceanview cabins include two twin beds that can convert to a queen as well as a double sofa bed that can hold two more people. In all three of these categories, some cabins have connecting doors so that larger groups can share a space.

Guppies, which normally caters to kids from 6 months to 2 years old, has no set space on board. Toys are laid out for use by children and their parents when the two existing rooms are not in use. This was particularly true on the day we sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar. There wasn't a single unoccupied table; I circled for 20 minutes to pounce on a table that someone had just vacated.

I drank a Mai Tai into which breakfast’s almond croissant had been crushed. Tell us about the ship in general Built in Italy in 2023, Viva is the second entry in Norwegian’s Prima class, the brand’s first new fleet of ships in over a decade. It follows in the wake of the Norwegian Prima, and is for the most part that ship’s mirror image—wide-halled interiors done in a softly luxurious neutral palette, with soft blue wave decals cresting on the hull. All of the shiny, indulgent features are present as well, from a virtual reality arcade room and rooftop go-kart track to a vast and bustling casino. The Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Large Balcony feature two bedrooms — one with a king-size bed and one with a queen — as well as a double sofa bed and two bathrooms with jetted showers. The final category is the Family Suite with Large Balcony, which are forward-facing.

NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). Each NCL PRIMA class unit's building cost is EUR 730 million (USD 850M). In short, as long as you're prepared to shell out a little more for the full onboard experience, Norwegian Viva will not disappoint. Passengers can also head down to The Local Bar and Grill on Deck 8, where casual fare like Reuben sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs -- plus a host of other flavorful delights -- is available nearly 24 hours a day. If you've cruised before, or even if you just like to venture a bit off the beaten path, then you might want to skip the typical activities and do something a little different.