I Cruised on Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Cruise Line’s New Cruise Ship

Ocean Boulevard is one of my favorite spots on Norwegian Viva.

Norwegian Cruise Line created a whole new feel for its vacations at sea when it launched Norwegian Prima in 2022.

The design features a variety of neighborhoods that allows the ship to serve as more of a floating boutique resort than a traditional cruise ship.

Norwegian Viva is the second ship in the Prima Class, and it reflects all the popular features first seen on Norwegian Prima. I was onboard Norwegian Viva for its christening sailing out of Miami in November 2023 and I was able to compare the ship with Prima, which I cruised on twice during its debut season.

Well, it turns out that Norwegian Viva is nearly identical to Norwegian Prima, which highlights the fact that Norwegian Cruise Line knows that if something works, you don’t really need to tinker with it. The arrival of Viva, though, means that more travelers will be able to enjoy a cruise on either of these two cool ships.

Norwegian Viva carries up to 3,099 passengers and will homeport out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in its first season. The ship design stands out for a number of reasons that contribute to a different kind of cruise experience.

For example, the pools are smaller and distributed around five spaces throughout the ship. The main lido deck area, for example, has a smaller pool than you would see on other large cruise ships. But you can choose to hang out there or at Vibe Beach Club (exclusively for cruisers 18 and older) on Deck 17 at the aft or at the infinity pools on either the port or starboard side of Ocean Boulevard, the showpiece promenade on Deck 8.

There are a variety of specialty-dining options and restaurants included in your cruise fare that are great to try throughout your vacation. These are spread throughout the ship, as are lounges, theaters, bars and a casino so that you can always find something fun to enjoy during your time onboard.

Here is a breakdown of what I think stands out about Norwegian Viva, including some things I love and some that don’t quite work for me.

6 Things I Love on Norwegian Viva

1. Ocean Boulevard

This is the packed promenade that encircles Deck 8. This outdoor space connects to restaurants and shops indoors and is the primary feature that makes the ship feel like a boutique resort. There is something new at each turn.

Indulge Food Hall has outdoors seating at the aft of the ship, where you also can enjoy colorful cushioned seating or bamboo chair swings amid live plants. Soleil Bar is at the very aft.

Video: Ocean Boulevard on Norwegian Cruise Line

On each side of the ship toward the aft is an Infinity Beach pool area with daybeds and swimming pools. As you wander along Ocean Boulevard, you’ll undoubtedly settle on your favorite space, which might be enjoying a meal al fresco at The Local Bar & Grill, Los Lobos Mexican eatery or Onda by Scarpetta (Italian dinners) or sitting at the La Terraza seating alcoves situated at each side of the ship toward the bow.

Norwegian Viva features two dry slides, The Drop and The Rush, that start at the very top of the ship and have a landing zone on each side of the vessel down on Ocean Boulevard. It can be fun to hang out for a bit to hear the screams of the riders and see their smiles as they exit the ride.

Each side of the ship also has an Oceanwalk attraction, which is a glass floor that allows you to traverse a stretch of the promenade while gazing down at the sea below. Finally, the Concourse is a serene sculpture garden on starboard side midship that features a variety of modern art sculpture pieces.

2. Galaxy Pavilion

Galaxy Pavilion on Norwegian Prima is filled with games.

This brilliant arcade is filled with 14 games and experiences, including virtual reality games, two Escape Rooms and a Top Golf Swing Suite that will please avid golfers who want to work on their game.

There is a charge for the activities in Galaxy Pavilion on Norwegian Viva.

3. The Haven

The infinity pool on The Haven pool deck.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s secluded ship-within-a-ship enclave The Haven offers a truly pampered cruise experience. On Norwegian Viva, travelers are spoiled with a host of fantastic amenities.

Video: A Tour of The Haven on Norwegian Viva

We stayed in The Haven during our short preview sailing, and it was our first experience with this program. Not only do you get a spacious cabin with butler service (staterooms here range in size from 368 square feet to The Haven Premier Owner’s Suite at 2,100 square feet), you also have exclusive access to a lounge, concierge desk, sundeck with hot tubs and an infinity pool and a fantastic restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner (with indoor or outdoor seating).

Video: A Tour of Our Suite in The Haven

We stayed in the entry-level Penthouse Cabin and loved it. We also enjoyed having special priority embarkation at the start of the cruise at the terminal in Miami and a fresh fruit plate delivered each day — as well as sweet treats — to our stateroom.

Haven cruisers also receive a personal escort on and off the ship in each port, with priority tender access and special seating access for onboard entertainment in the theater.

Sure, The Haven comes with a premium price, but the experience could be well worth it for you if you want to treat yourself for a special occasion. Fair warning, though: Once you try it, you’ll never want to cruise any other way.

4. Amazing Included Dining Options

Hudson’s, the main dining room on Norwegian Viva.

Norwegian Viva features a lineup of nice specialty restaurants that come with extra costs, such as Italian dining at Onda By Scarpetta, French cuisine at Le Bistro, Asian dishes at Hasuki (teppanyaki style) and Nama Sushi & Sashimi.

However, the included eateries offer a huge variety of really good food that give cruisers the best value. You can find meals to suit all tastes or moods.

Main dining rooms Hudson’s and The Commodore Room feature a rotating menu of the traditional cruise favorites with seafood, chicken dishes, steaks, pastas, salads and appetizers. Hudson’s is particularly notable for the incredible space it occupies. Along with the identical layout on sister ship Norwegian Prima, I find this to be the most beautiful main dining room at sea. The 270-degree panoramic window views mean that every seat in the restaurant is a good one. It’s a great place to enjoy a meal at sunrise or sunset.

The Commodore Room is open for dinner only.

Also included in your fare is The Local Bar and Grill, Indulge Food Hall and Surfside Cafe & Grill.

Indulge Food Hall offers nine stations with different types of food.

My favorites are The Local and Indulge, though. I really like the casual option, so I can stroll in any time for breakfast, lunch or dinner hours and grab a meal from either place.

Indulge has been a hit with cruisers. There are nine distinct venues in the sprawling food hall, serving all kinds of food. Indulge Food Hall includes Q Texas Smokehouse for barbecue, Nudls (noodle dishes), Tamara (Indian specialties), The Latin Quarter and Tapas food trucks, The Garden for custom salads, Seaside Rotisserie and two dessert spots. On Norwegian Prima, the complex includes a second Starbucks location (there is one also on Deck 7 in the atrium), but they removed it on Viva to allow for more seating in this popular dining venue. Indulge Food Hall also has indoor and outdoor seating, plus the Luna and Soleil bars. Cruisers place their orders on tablets at the tables, and the food is delivered promptly.

It’s a wonderful space to order a lot of items and share with friends or family during a casual meal.

The bar side of The Local Bar & Grill on Norwegian Viva.

The Local is like a sports bar, with a bar side and restaurant side along with big TVs. The menu includes favorites like cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, specialty sandwiches, seafood, pretzel bites, spinach and artichoke dip, chili and a fantastic ice cream sundae.

Surfside Cafe & Grill is the ship’s buffet restaurant, and I talk about it more in a section below.

5. Studio Cabins for Solo Cruisers

Norwegian Cruise Line leads the way for solo cruisers with its Solo Studio staterooms and accompanying lounge complex.

Norwegian Viva is the best version of this program, with 73 Studio cabins available on the ship for solo cruisers. This is the most on any ship in the fleet, matching the number of these charming 94-square-foot cabins on Norwegian Prima.

There is a living room space and a small cafeteria with snacks and drinks available in the Lounge. This is a great way for solo cruisers to meet and mingle.

I stayed in a Solo Studio cabin on Norwegian Prima and created a video tour of the room and lounge to show you (just above). Check it out and let me know what you think.

6. Mandara Spa

The relaxation lounge at the thermal suite on Norwegian Viva.

Like every modern cruise ship, Norwegian Viva features a spa where you can get a variety of treatments, like massages and facials. The Mandara Spa facility of Norwegian Viva stands out, though, for its huge thermal suite.

Cruisers can reserve a day pass or cruise-length pass (prices vary on itineraries) for access to the space that includes a big relaxation lounge with loungers and day beds overlooking the bow of the ship with stunning views though large windows.

The thermal suite located within Mandara Spa features a fantastic pool.

You get a number of experiences in the thermal suite, such as the large pool area with both a salt flotation pool and hydrotherapy pool. The pretty space features a two-story waterfall wall and a majestic staircase that you descend to reach the thermal suite.

Other wellness experiences include the steam room, salt room and ice room, as well as an infrared sauna and charcoal sauna.

The spa also offers salon services for hair, nail and other treatments, and the Mandara Spa entrance leads back to the Pulse Fitness Center located at the front of the ship on Deck 16.

(Note: I think the gym space, especially the free weights area, is way too small to accommodate a ship that carries more than 3,000 people. Mornings are crowded and lead to frustrating workouts.)

Video: Full Cruise Ship Tour of Norwegian Viva

Video: A Tour of Our Cabin on Norwegian Viva

More Experiences on Norwegian Viva

The go-kart track Viva Speedway is located on the top three decks of the ship.

The most recent Norwegian Cruise Line ships have featured ever larger go-kart tracks. Viva Speedway is a fun race-track on Norwegian Viva where you can buy a single ride or a pass to ride as much as you like during your voyage.

The track is 1,400-feet long and covers three decks at the top of the ship.

Check out this video of my ride on the track when I cruised on sister ship Norwegian Prima.

Within the Viva Speedway complex are a broad range of other fun activities.

Each side of the ship offers a dry slide ride: The Drop and The Rush.

Video: The Drop/The Rush on Norwegian Cruise Line

You can also enjoy a game of mini golf at Tee Time or book a lounge to shoot darts with your friends at Bull’s Eye (groups of up to six players). These two activities require a fee.

Free games are available at The Stadium, which is home to ping-pong and beer-pong tables, foosball, shuffleboard and a fantastic pickleball court.

Norwegian Viva’s Signature production show is “Beetlejuice, The Musical”, which takes place in Viva Theater & Night Club. This large multi-level theater space is converted to a dance club during the evenings for lively parties with themes like disco or 80s.

There are a few cool bars that really bring the nights to life on Norwegian Viva. Metropolitan Bar is located just off Penrose Atrium and serves up delicious craft cocktails alongside live music. This is the line’s sustainable cocktail bar, with concoctions designed in part from ingredients that otherwise would end up as waste, such as banana peels, coffee grounds and some pastry or bread items.

The Improv at Sea is an intimate comedy club, the Whiskey Bar serves up drinks in Penrose Atrium on Deck 8 and Syd Norman’s Pour House is always busy every evening with cruisers hanging out listening to rock music favorites from a live band.

Vibe Beach Club is an adults-only space on Norwegian Viva.

One more spot worth mentioning here: Vibe Beach Club (access with for-fee passes; one day about $99 or cruise length for about $250) is an adults-only resort deck (Deck 17 aft) that features a bar, lounges, hot tubs and cabanas to reserve for the day.

Some Things I Dislike on Norwegian Viva

I do have a few things that I didn’t really like about Norwegian Viva. I’ll list them here briefly for you.

The ship’s buffet restaurant Surfside Café & Grill is small with limited seating. The area gets incredibly crowded during breakfast and lunch. The food choices aren’t as varied as you might expect from a large cruise ship buffet, either, but the pizza is good.

The main pool area is small, as well, with limited loungers. This lido deck is tucked in between the bar and outdoor seating area for the Surfside Café. Also, there is not a proper sports court for people who like to play soccer or hoops.

These drawbacks are mainly attributed to the innovative design of the ship. So, some sacrifices had to be made to have a variety of more intimate neighborhoods, as well as the gargantuan race-track facility at the top of the vessel. So, we can’t really expect Norwegian Viva to offer all the things you would expect on a traditional cruise ship. The idea clearly is for this ship to be different than anything else out there.

Onda by Scarpetta specialty Italian restaurant.

One thing that is a growing trend, though, is the sky-high a la cart pricing you will find at the ship’s specialty restaurants. Onda by Scarpetta, the Italian restaurant, for example, features amazing food. It really has a great variety of tasty Italian classics and delicious pizza. But the prices are higher than you might even expect to pay for similar items at a restaurant back home.

Appetizers include fingerling potatoes for $9, burrata for $16 and short ribs for $21. A calzone is $19, spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil is $24 and a beef fillet is $43.

The Bottom Line

Both Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima stand out as inspired new options for people looking for a hip, resort-feel cruise option. They are worth a try to see whether they fit with how you want to enjoy a sailing vacation.

Thanks for reading,

JR