John McGuire Travel insights from Jenna Buege, senior editor of The Compass
On August 10, 2023, Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) newest ship, Norwegian Viva, embarked on its maiden voyage from beautiful Venice, Italy. The ship is the second member of NCL’s groundbreaking Prima Class and mirrors the design of its award-winning sister ship Norwegian Prima with upscale touches and a bounty of exciting onboard experiences.
Norwegian Viva’s first days at sea will consist of an unforgettable nine-day adventure through the Mediterranean where guests will enjoy stops in iconic destinations like Salerno, Italy; Cannes, France; and Ibiza, Spain. The new ship will continue to treat travelers to bucket-list-worthy itineraries in the Greek Isles and the Mediterranean through November 2023. Then, in December, Norwegian Viva will make its way to San Juan, Puerto Rico which will act as its homeport for an exciting season in the Caribbean.
“This summer, our guests will have the opportunity to explore Europe aboard our newest magnificent vessel, Norwegian Vivia, while enjoying its well-appointed spacious design, elevated experiences, expansive culinary offerings and signature Norwegian Cruise Line hospitality provided by the best crew in the industry,” said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Norwegian Viva’s tagline is ‘Live it Up,’ and I have no doubt our guests will be doing just that while they cruise to some of the liveliest cities in Europe and the Caribbean during the ship’s inaugural season.”
As mentioned above, Norwegian Viva is packed to the gills with incredible onboard experiences ensuring cruise-goers will never run out of things to do. A few notable attractions include Viva Speedway — a three-level racetrack —, Indulge Food Hall — an upscale food market with 11 unique vendors —, The Drop and Rush slides (which are the fastest at sea) and Metropolitan Bar — NCL’s industry-exclusive sustainable cocktail bar. And the fun doesn’t stop there, Norwegian Viva is also home to an expansive collection of artwork across the ship most notably The Concourse, a multi-million-dollar outdoor sculpture garden featuring a 52-foot-wide interactive art piece created by Dominic Harris. Additionally, the ship features live entertainment in the form of performances of the Tony Award-nominated comedy “Beetlejuice The Musical” and “Press Your Luck LIVE,” an iconic game show where participants can win epic prizes.
On November 28, 2023, Norwegian Viva will visit Miami for its official Christening ceremony. The event is anticipated to be a grand affair with appearances from Luis Fonsi — Latin GRAMMY award-winning artist and godfather to Norwegian Viva —, Paulina Rubio, Marcello Hernandez and Pedro Capó.
To learn more about NCL and Norwegian Viva, contact Cruise Trip Planner.
About the Author
Senior Editor for VAX VacationAccess and world explorer, Jenna loves writing about all things travel. When she’s not busy creating content, she spends her time exploring the great outdoors, cuddling with her two black cats and researching her next big (sometimes strange) adventure.
