Ocean Cruising · Contemporary

Norwegian

The line that killed the assigned dinner table.

Norwegian logo

Overview

Sailing with Norwegian

Norwegian pioneered Freestyle Cruising: no set dining times, no assigned tables, no formal nights required. It changed how the rest of the industry thinks about structure onboard, and most competitors have since copied some version of it.

Good to know

  • Casual dress code throughout
  • Family-friendly
  • Wide range of ship sizes

What Makes Them Different

What sets Norwegian apart

The only ship that can island-hop Hawaii

The only ship that can island-hop Hawaii

Pride of America is the only large cruise ship allowed to sail purely between the Hawaiian Islands without leaving U.S. waters, since it is U.S. flagged and built.

Freestyle Cruising

Freestyle Cruising

NCL was first to drop fixed dining times and formal nights fleet-wide.

Great Stirrup Cay

Great Stirrup Cay

Their private Bahamian island was one of the first private cruise line islands in the industry.

The Fleet

Norwegian ship classes

Prima Class

Prima Class

Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, the newest generation, launched in 2022 and 2023. Smaller and more contemporary than the Breakaway-era ships, with an outdoor promenade that wraps around the ship.

  • Prima Speedway is the largest go-kart track at sea, three levels and 14 turns with real ocean views as you race
  • The 360° Ocean Boulevard is the first walking promenade to wrap completely around a cruise ship, day or night
  • The newest generation in the NCL fleet, built at a scale for exploring rather than a mega-ship crowd
Prima Plus Class

Prima Plus Class

Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna, a slightly larger evolution of the Prima design, with Aqua debuting in 2025 and Luna following in 2026.

  • Aqua Slidecoaster is the world’s first hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide at sea, launching riders across three decks at up to 31 mph
  • Built on the celebrated Prima design but with more room to spread out
  • Norwegian Aqua debuted in 2025 and Luna follows in 2026, some of the newest ships sailing anywhere
Breakaway Plus Class

Breakaway Plus Class

Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Encore, all north of 160,000 gross tons, sitting just above the original Breakaway ships in size.

  • Multi-level go-kart racetracks on Bliss, Joy, and Encore, one of the only fleets where you can actually race around a cruise ship deck
  • Encore carries two separate water parks, one built for kids and one for teens and adults
  • Big enough, over 160,000 tons each, that there is always something new to find on a week-long sailing
Breakaway Class

Breakaway Class

Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, the ships that set the template most of the newer NCL fleet still follows.

  • The Waterfront was NCL’s first quarter-mile, ship-length oceanfront promenade lined with outdoor dining
  • The ropes course includes The Plank, a beam extending 8 feet over the side of the ship, not for guests afraid of heights
  • Set the template most of today’s NCL fleet still follows, the tried-and-true version of the brand
Jewel Class

Jewel Class

Norwegian Jewel, Pearl, Gem, and Jade, mid-size ships that fit into smaller ports the newer mega-ships cannot reach.

  • The Haven debuted here, NCL’s first ship-within-a-ship suite enclave with 24-hour butler service
  • Spice H2O is the adults-only, aft-facing sundeck and lounge that regulars specifically request
  • Small enough to reach ports the newer mega-ships cannot fit into

Next Step

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