The 9 classes of Norwegian Cruise Line ships, explained

Table Of Content

• Prima Class
• Night Asia - South EastDetails
• (NEW) NCL cruises from Jacksonville Florida
• - 2025 Caribbean Cruises
• Experience
• Restaurants and dining
• Norwegian Escape

It has a curvy, sculptural feel as if the entire space were an art piece. We've seen these private The Haven suite areas on Norwegian ships before but never on this scale. If it's living large on a Norwegian ship that's your goal, you're not going to find anything better than this.

Prima Class

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).

Night Asia - South EastDetails

No matter where your dream vacation takes you, feel free to cruise your way. Our award-winning ships are designed for you to enjoy as you choose while cruising to beautiful destinations around the world. Add a wide range of superb dining options and spectacular entertainment and you’ll experience your best vacation ever. Dating to 2001 and 1999, respectively, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky are among the smallest ships at Norwegian.

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(NEW) NCL cruises from Jacksonville Florida

From casual buffets to exquisite specialty restaurants, learn everything there is to know about dining on board. Think of it as your travel companion, helping you experience an unforgettable cruise vacation every step of the way. Learn about the latest ships and destinations by browsing hundreds of questions (and the answers to those questions) posted by real cruisers. If you happen not to find what you’re looking for, you can even post a question of your own. Discover unparalleled luxury in The Haven, an exclusive enclave with our most premium and spacious accommodations.

Norwegian Bliss

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. It'll also operate trips to Bermuda from New York City and Boston, usually with two ships, and trips to the Bahamas and the Caribbean out of Miami. In short, if you want to turn a Norwegian cruise into a luxury experience, you can do that, too.

The open-air laser tag arenas also are significant venues that are unlike anything you'll find atop the ships of other lines. The one on Norwegian Encore, which is the largest laser tag arena ever put on a ship, is themed around the lost city of Atlantis and spans the back of the vessel. What you'll find on the top decks of Norwegian ships will vary quite a bit depending on the vessel. The line's smaller ships will have at least one or two pools, sunning areas and usually a sports court area — but not all that much else. All but one Norwegian ship (Pride of America) has a casino, and on the line's bigger vessels, they are huge operations. The casino on Norwegian Encore has more than 300 slot machines and 26 table games (including blackjack, roulette, poker and craps), plus its own bar.

In December 2016, NCLH (shipowner) received permission to operate cruises to Cuba, beginning March 2017. Starting June 2 through December 29, 2023, Norwegian Sky sails 3- and 4-day roundtrips from Miami Florida, calling at Freeport, Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay. Sailing roundtrip from Miami FL, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Escape offer a mix of 5- to 9-day roundtrips to Eastern-Western Caribbean.

Restaurants and dining

The sailings in and out of Buenos Aires and Melbourne, all on the longer side, will offer in-depth explorations of the southern half of South America (Argentina, Uruguay and Chile) and New Zealand, respectively. As a result, it draws far fewer families than most of the vessels mentioned above and caters more to an older crowd of mostly couples. For older travelers looking for a Norwegian ship that isn't filled to the gills with children, Norwegian Sun is the perfect option. Having sailed in one of Norwegian Epic's cabins for one, I can confidently declare them among the coolest solo digs at sea.

Norwegian Escape

What you won't find on the ships, because of their smaller size, are all the gee-whiz attractions such as go-kart tracks, laser tag courses and large water-park areas that Norwegian has put on its bigger vessels. If you can't live without those sorts of features on a cruise ship, then the Jewel class probably isn't for you. You'll find many of the same eateries, bars, lounges and entertainment venues on the Breakaway-class ships that you'll find on the Breakaway Plus-class vessels.

After her first summer season in NYC, NCL Encore returned to Miami for 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries visiting Roatan Island, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel. Also sails day Panama Canal cruises with visits to Puerto Plata, Kralendijk, Willemstad, Oranjestad, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Colon, Puerto Limon. From homeport Miami, the ship operates roundtrips (Sunday departures) on 7-day Eastern Caribbean itineraries with call ports San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas USVI, and Tortola BVI.

Some are jampacked with fun zones that make them perfect for families, while others are geared toward couples and retirees. Some ships have attributes that make them stand out for luxury, solo or budget travelers. The cabins measure just 100 square feet but are superbly designed to maximize storage space. They're also clustered around the exclusive Studio Lounge, which has its own private bar and a television area where solo travelers can mingle at daily hosted happy hour gatherings.

The company's new program was named "Premium All Inclusive" and is included in NCL's fares. The new program is only available to travelers living in select countries and as destinations - on cruises to Alaska, Hawaii, Asia, Bermuda, Caribbean, Europe, Panama Canal, South America. At 78,309 tons, Norwegian Sun is less than half the size of the biggest Norwegian ships, and it holds just 1,878 passengers at double occupancy.

NCL Getaway also offers 5-night voyages (December 2022 and February-March 2023). Norwegian Escape offers 7- and 14-day Caribbean voyages from December 2024 through to March 2025 from Galveston, Texas. The vessel's 7-day Western Caribbean itineraries visit Costa Maya, and Cozumel in Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Harvest Caye Belize. For guests searching for an extended vacation, the 14-day Eastern Caribbean voyages include visits to Cozumel, Mexico; St. Thomas, USVI; Castries, St. Lucia; George Town, Grand Cayman; Great Stirrup Cay Bahamas, and more. In March 2022, NCL Star offers fleet's first South American cruise that visits in Brazil Fortaleza and Salvador de Bahia (15-day out of Rio de Janeiro).

Norwegian Cruise Line Ships and Itineraries 2024, 2025, 2026

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• Acquisition by Star Cruises & Freestyle Cruising
• Night Repo - Pacific CoastalDetails
• Port Seattle starts 2024 Alaskan cruise season with Norwegian Bliss ship
• NCL cruise ship weddings

She was launched in 2001 in a dual christening ceremony with sister ship Norwegian Star. It’s worth noting that many of these ships have received substantial and even multiple refurbishments since their original builds. So, even if you took a cruise on Norwegian Spirit, for example, you’d still be able to take advantage of refurbishments that occurred as recently as 2020. Lastly, the oldest class for NCL is the Sun Class, which debuted in 1999 and includes Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun.

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Acquisition by Star Cruises & Freestyle Cruising

It does have very stylish decor, and the Alaskan summer itineraries are definitely more attractive to those who prefer sightseeing over partying. NCL is a cruise line that’s great for families and younger travellers looking to enjoy a cruise packed with variety, good food and great destinations. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. Norwegian doesn't have any formal nights, but there is an optional Norwegian's Night Out at least once per sailing, for which passengers are encouraged to dress up.

Night Repo - Pacific CoastalDetails

Called Guppies, the program offers parents a place to play with their youngest children, with occasional youth staff-led activities and games. As is typical for big-ship cruise lines, Norwegian has an extensive children's program, with programs and activities for children as young as 6 months through the age of 17. For those with money to burn (pricing on Norwegian Encore recently was $99 per person for a day pass), the Vibe Beach Clubs are lovely, secluded deck-top hideaways. However, there's a downside for everyone else on board the ships that have them, which is that they take away from the deck-top lounge space available to everybody else. As is the case with the Galaxy Pavilion attractions mentioned above, the go-kart and laser tag experiences on Norwegian ships don't come cheap.

Port Seattle starts 2024 Alaskan cruise season with Norwegian Bliss ship

There are also Howl at the Moon dueling piano bars on some Norwegian ships, and there's the lively Q Texas Smokehouse found on Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy (a music-and-food concept that pairs live music with barbecue). Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Epic, for instance, have the Cavern Club, a reproduction of the British club that gave rise to the Beatles. It comes complete with a cover band that plays the group's greatest hits.

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Norwegian (NCL) Cruises Tips, Activities, and Overview

The ship has made appearances on a variety of television shows and documentaries and frequently hosts themed or special interest cruises. Despite being in the same class, Norwegian Joy does stand apart in a few ways, from sister ship and predecessor Norwegian Escape. Norwegian Joy, for example, has a lower guest capacity, but also more restaurants, a larger casino and more shopping options. Another mammoth Breakaway Plus-class ship, Norwegian Joy was likewise built by Meyer Werft in Germany. Delivered in 2017, the ship has sailed around both Asia and North America. Scheduled to debut in 2023, Norwegian Viva is being built at Italian shipyard Fincantieri.

NCL cruise ship dining packages

At the high end, the accommodations are aimed at affluent travelers who, for whatever reason, prefer the megaship experience to that of a luxury ship, and they truly are among the most spectacular accommodations at sea. Norwegian appeals to vacationers who want a big-resort experience at sea with lots of options for dining and entertainment. In that, it's similar to Royal Caribbean — perhaps its closest competitor. As mentioned above, the line also operates one ship (Pride of America) in Hawaii year-round. Our gift shops onboard carry everything you’ll need for fun in the sun. Shop from a variety of souvenirs, cosmetics, clothing, snacks and sundry items.

Norwegian Joy's refurbishment details/changes unveiled (SPA, Suites, Beach Club)

Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima offer the largest variety of suite categories (13) for a large ocean ship, the largest three-bedroom suites of any new cruise vessel and the brand's largest-ever inside, ocean-view and balcony cabins. In part because of its smaller size, Norwegian Spirit also offers fewer (but still quite a few) venues and attractions than newer Norwegian vessels. In all, you'll find 13 food outlets on Norwegian Spirit, including two main restaurants, a casual buffet eatery, and versions of the line's signature Cagney's steak house and French eatery Le Bistro. The first two Breakaway-class ships entered service in 2013 and 2014 as Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. On October 17, 2012, Meyer Werft and Norwegian reached a second agreement for the construction of two new vessels,[36] slated for delivery in October 2015 and 2017, respectively. The project was under the code name "Breakaway Plus Class", with the vessels expected to be 163,000 gross tons and hold 4,200 passengers.

Sailing roundtrip from New York, Norwegian Prima offers 10-to-12-day Caribbean cruises beginning November 2024 through to March 2025 visiting Puerto Plata, San Juan, Basseterre, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. The new sailings offer a selection of Extraordinary Journeys - longer, one-of-a-kind port-rich cruises. Norwegian Sun is for the first time sailing in Asia beginning January 28, 2022, offering a 5-day Japan itinerary from Hong Kong, prior to sailing a series of 11-day voyages from Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Hong Kong, and Singapore. NCL Joy is homeported in Miami (for the first time) for 5- to 7-day Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises. Western Caribbean roundtrips visit Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel, while the Eastern Caribbean roundtrips are to Puerto Plata, St Thomas, Tortola, Great Stirrup Cay.

A bigger caveat, perhaps, is that these solo cabins have become so popular they often sell out far in advance and at prices that aren't much better than booking a cabin for two. Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your purchase when paying for the cruise by using a card that offers extra points for travel purchases. That said, passengers who are 18 to 20 can purchase and consume beer or wine on ships in international waters with permission from parents or legal guardians. The parent or legal guardian must be on board and sign a waiver at guest services.

January 20, 2023, through May 29, 2023, NCL Sky cruises on 3- and 4-day roundtrips from Miami to Nassau, Freeport, Great Stirrup Cay. (March through May 2023) the ship from NYC offers 5-7-day roundtrips to Bermuda. Norwegian Prima is a newbuild (2022) ship with Maiden Voyage currently scheduled for August 17, 2022. The inaugural season in Northern Europe (August 17 through September 13, 2022) includes 10-day Baltic itineraries leaving from Amsterdam and Copenhagen. (April 22-October 15, 2023) NCL Alaska schedule lists 4 ships (Sun, Jewel, Joy, Encore) and 5- to 9-day itineraries out of Seattle WA, Vancouver BC, and Seward AK.

In April 2017, NCL announced it will employ certified lifeguards on some of its vessels (in summer 2017) and fleetwide (by the year 2018). The news made NCL the 3rd major cruise company with shipboard lifeguards - following Disney and Royal Caribbean. Through NCL's "Free at Sea" program on both vessels, passengers continue to enjoy an unlimited open bar, complimentary specialty dining, free WiFi, excursion credits, and family members sail for free, reduced or free airfare. Ship refurbishments were the biggest part of "The Norwegian Edge" (fleetwide upgrade program). Drydock refurbishments started in October 2015 with NCL Epic, followed NCL Gem in November 2015.

For now, there are only two vessels in the class that you can sail — the recently unveiled Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima. Norwegian Aqua is the newest Norwegian Cruise Line ship you can book now. While the ship isn't yet sailing, its initial voyages scheduled for April 2025 are already on sale, as are future sailings through April 2026. The three other Norwegian ships on order have yet to open for bookings. Deck-top attractions on Norwegian Spirit include several pools, whirlpools, waterslides, a basketball court and a jogging track. On average, the line comes out with about one new ship every 18 months, and it typically keeps vessels in its fleet for around 20 to 30 years before retiring them.