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A large portion of Deck 17 aft is set aside for the extra-fee Vibe Beach Club, where loungers and cabanas can be rented for the voyage at a hefty cost -- which remained completely deserted, as far as we could tell, on our voyage. One deck down, on Deck 16, further open deck space is set aside for the exclusive use of passengers booked in Norwegian Viva's Haven Suites. By day, Norwegian Viva is hopping, particularly when it's cruising along at sea between ports of call (things do tend to quiet down when the ship is in port, as most big cruise ships do). Norwegian Viva offers plenty of entertainment by both day and night -- so much so that guests will find it difficult to do it all on a typical weeklong sailing that's already loaded with enticing ports of call. For those who are up to the challenge, however, Norwegian Viva is a destination in its own right, offering up enticing diversions from stem to stern. In general, Norwegian's newer ships including Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Prima and the Breakaway-class and Breakaway Plus-class vessels will be more expensive than the line's older, smaller ships.
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The benefits to a cruise line's shore excursions are that they depart from and return to the ship; you don't need to figure out where to meet a guide in a port you've never visited. Better still, should an unexpected problem (traffic, a medical emergency) occur during your outing, the ship will not leave port until all of its own tours have returned. A shore excursion could be a sightseeing bus tour, a guided visit to a museum or historic site, an athletic activity (like a hike, bike ride or snorkel outing), a day at the beach or a cooking or dance class. Shore excursions typically highlight the marquee attractions or culture of the destination you're visiting. Sometimes an excursion will take you to sites within walking distance of your cruise; on other occasions, they might take you on a day trip to a nearby city. 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.
What's the best way to book shore excursions?
At their core, Norwegian ships are mass-market ships, with entry-level cabins that are affordable to middle-class travelers. However, overlaid across most vessels are high-end suites and services that are at a luxury level, and the line draws a good number of luxury-seeking travelers. The key to getting the most from your cruise shore excursion is to know what you want and make sure the tour description matches your expectations. I find that the more I cruise, the less I take ship-sponsored shore excursions because they don't offer exactly what I want. A shore excursion is a group tour or activity aimed at cruise travelers who can only spend a limited time in each port they're visiting on their itinerary.
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Other stage performances held here on our inaugural sailing included This One's For Frankie, a tribute to Frankie Valli; and ICONS, showcasing blockbuster artists like Dolly Parton and Lady Gaga. Select evenings saw performances from guest entertainers as well, most of whom perform crowd-pleasing variety shows. Reaching the second tier, Silver (20 points), would take at the most three cruises if you're doing seven-night trips. Norwegian has a point-based frequent cruiser program, Latitudes Rewards, that has seven tiers, ranging from Bronze (requiring 1 point) to Ambassador (700 points). Norwegian allows you to bring bottles of your own wine or Champagne on board, but it will charge you a hefty corkage fee of $15 per bottle for the privilege — even if you plan to drink the bottle in your room. Most lines allow passengers to bring at least a bottle or two of their own wine on board at no charge.
NCL loyalty program: Latitude Rewards
Note the "based on double occupancy" caveat in the above paragraph. As is typical for cruise lines, Norwegian charges on a per-person basis, not per room, and it prices most cabins based on two people occupying a room. It does offer some cabins for solo travelers on some ships that are priced based on single occupancy. Spending on the Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® won’t earn you Latitude Rewards points (the only way to do that is by sailing with NCL), but it will earn you WorldPoints. This currency can be redeemed for onboard credits on future sailings, Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursions and other travel experiences.
Norwegian Viva Activities
Called Entourage, the teen zone is a place for teens to hang out, dance and play games, and it's supervised by counselors who plan activities and challenges. 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.
They also get an additional point for every night booked through a Latitudes Rewards Insider Offer. 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.
Norwegian Viva Bars and Lounges
Norwegian Viva launched in the summer of 2023, making it the newest ship for NCL. It has special features like a three-tier race track, the fastest slides at sea, a food hall with 11 complimentary eateries and a sustainable cocktail bar. Of course, the fare will always vary depending on which cabin type you book. Dedicated areas for Yoga and stretch classes are also situated here. Some classes carry an additional fee, as do personal training seminars.
Norwegian Cruise Line: The Complete Guide - NerdWallet
Norwegian Cruise Line: The Complete Guide.
Posted: Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
We'd have a tough time recommending Norwegian Viva, however, for families with little ones, unless they are sailing on a port-intensive itinerary and are planning to keep themselves occupied. Kid's Club facilities are on the small side for a ship of this size, and don't compare well to offerings from the likes of MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Even kids' facilities on Cunard -- a line steeped in tradition -- are more elaborate. There's a splash park tucked away on Deck 18 forward, but it's exposed location means the Mediterranean heat and blazing sun are likely to get in the way of your little ones' play time. Guest Services inquires are handled at the Guest Services desk, and tend to be busiest on embarkation day and the day prior to disembarkation. Most things -- like your account balance -- can be checked via the Norwegian Cruise Line app, or by using the interactive TV in your stateroom.
However, there are many factors that go into pricing for any given cruise, including the popularity of the specific itinerary, the time of year when the cruise is taking place and changing demand trends. Norwegian designs its ships to appeal to a broad mix of people, in part by offering a wide range of cabin types at varying price points. On a typical sailing, you might find an entry-level cabin for around $100 a night while a high-end suite is five to 15 times that amount. Norwegian also offers dedicated teen zones and programming on ships for children ages 13 to 17.
On Norwegian's recently built Breakaway Plus-class ships, there are up to 20 places to grab a bite, ranging from high-end French restaurants and steakhouses to casual pubs. 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. 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.
A welcoming reception area and relaxation room gives way to a wide variety of treatment rooms -- all of which wrap around one of the most attractive thermal suite complexes at sea. The Promenade Deck is also home to two infinity pools, one on each side of the vessel. This is bookended by plenty of comfortable lounge seating, including some loungers placed within a small area of water that's just deep enough to submerge your feet -- perfect for those who want to cool off without taking a full dip. Nights on Norwegian Viva are as busy as you want them to be -- or as quiet. Comedians perform in Improv at Sea, and live musical acts can be found all over the ship, in nearly every bar and lounge. Productions shows kick off before and after dinner, and some outdoor attractions still operate into the early evening hours -- though we were surprised to see mini-golf, in its sheltered and well-lit area, shuts down at 8 p.m.
While not the biggest vessels in the Norwegian fleet, these ships will be notably packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and decktop attractions. They also mark a more upscale turn for the line, with more space per passenger than earlier Norwegian ships and lots of suites. The fun of a cruise is equal parts what you do on board and what you do on shore. Cruise lines offer a full schedule of shore excursions to help you make the most of your time in port. However, the process of choosing and booking tours can be overwhelming for new cruisers.
The card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, making it ideal for world travelers. Most cruise lines either charge the same prices for shore excursions booked online and on board or offer a discount for tours purchased in advance. For example, Royal Caribbean often advertises up to 30% off select tours reserved ahead of the sailing. Around 17% smaller than Norwegian's biggest vessels, Prima and Viva are the first tow of six sister ships that the line will roll out between now and 2027 that will significantly change the composition of its fleet.
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