New Miami Terminal
Even though Norwegian Aqua will not be sailing regularly from PortMiami, I wanted to share my experience with the new terminal. Norwegian Cruise Line’s terminal BB at PortMiami is very stylish, but not as accessible by vehicle as Royal Caribbean’s Terminal A or MSC Cruises Terminal AA. Wether you enter PortMiami by the bridge or tunnel, you’ll end up at the same point for baggage drop off and parking for Norwegian Cruise Line. The biggest difference with accessing these areas compared to Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises is that you need to make a turn, where the other two new terminals have a straight drive in design to keep traffic flowing. Once inside the terminal itself, the space is large with plenty of check-in counters, seating and restrooms.
Norwegian Cruise Line – PortMiami Terminal
Norwegian Cruise Line – PortMiami Terminal
Norwegian Cruise Line – PortMiami Terminal
Dining
For those interested in strictly included dining options, Norwegian Aqua is a little limited in choice as compared to other cruise ships. The two main dining rooms offered good ambiance, friendly efficient service and quality selections from the menu. You can choose from either The Commodore Room or Hudson’s, with the latter being my favorite. On my 4 night cruise, I had one breakfast and two dinners from the main dining room. On Deck 17 aft, you’ll find the Surfside Cafe, which is the buffet onboard Norwegian Aqua. I found choice to be limited and it’s location right off the main pool area meant slippery floors and major congestion, especially on sea days. There is also the Surfside Grill located all the way to the back with options like hamburgers, fries and other offerings that was open longer hours. Found on almost all NCL ships is The Local Bar & Grill. This bar area of this included option is open 24 hours with selections like chicken wings, burgers, sandwiches are other bar bites. There is also the restaurant area opposite the bar, that has more options, including breakfast served inside or al fresco along Ocean Boulevard. My absolute favorite included dining venue was Indulge Food Hall. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the concept features international food stations from India, Spain and Asia plus bbq, salads, desserts and more. Ordering from any station is easy from the many self serve tablets at each table. Service was always quick and the food was excellent. Personally, I would have liked to see a stand alone pizza option outside of the buffet and maybe one or two other spots.
Norwegian Aqua – Hudson’s (Main Dining)
Norwegian Aqua – Hudson’s (Main Dining)
Norwegian Aqua – Induldge Food Hall
Norwegian was one of the pioneers in offering specialty dining options onboard cruise ships and onboard Aqua there are several to choose from. From guest favorites like Cagney’s Steakhouse, Le Bistro, Teppanyaki and Onda by Scarpetta to newer choices Sukhotai, Nama Sushi and Palomar, you’ll definitely find something to delight your tastebuds.
Entertainment
Don’t miss any of the shows onboard Norwegian Aqua. Start off your night with live music in several spots around the ship, laugh till you drop at the Improv Comedy Club, grab a drink and sing-a-long at Syd Norman’s Pour House, with some tributes to the 80s, and a great duet performing music from the Bee Gees and Abba. You’ll also find amazing orignal shows in the Aqua Theater that will keep you wanting more. But be prepared to arrive as early as one hour before showtime. The Aqua Theater is not that large and many shows will be completely full closer to start times.
Amenities
Norwegian Aqua has beautiful interiors, wide open deck spaces and tons of venues offering amenities to fit any want or desire. Take time for pampering at the Mandara Spa, with its enticing Thermal Suite and a host of treatment services. Take in the panoramic forward views from the Observation Lounge, try your luck at the Casino, enjoy a cigar at The Humidor, or shop at some of the boutiques around the ship. Get outside and experience the wonder of Ocean Boulevard complete with infinity pools, tons of lounging spots, and the best spot for sailaway at the aft Soleil Bar. Topside you’ll find the Waves pool and hot tubs, the sun deck and for something really special upgrade your view to the Vibe Beach Club.
Speaking of Ocean Boulevard, it can’t be said enough how wonderful that area of the ship is. In fact, I would say that it was my favorite aspect of Norwegian Aqua. Especially with the limited pool deck space, having another area to stroll during the day or night, relax with access to the infinity pools, dining and beverage service just seps away and being much closer to the ocean is just incredible.
Staterooms
Norwegian offers a wide array of accommodations, from standard staterooms to the splendor of The Haven by Norwegian. Since I was traveling by myself, on my sailing, I opted for a solo stateroom. I originally booked one of Norwegian’s Studio rooms, which are a really cool option with the utmost in efficiency and design, but later had an opportunity to move up to a Solo Oceanview for less than $50 more, almost doubling my space. If you travel solo, these rooms also include access to the Studio Lounge, offering snacks throughout the day, self-service beer, wine and soda (for a charge) and best of all, a complimentary expresso machine. Regardless of which category you book, rooms are comfortable with nice touches throughout.
Activities
There’s lot to do onboard Norwegian Aqua. Kids and Teens have their own spaces at Splash Academy and Entourage Teen Club. Kids of all ages will enjoy the massive Aqua Game Zone with state-of-the-art VR simulators, prize machines, bowling, racing games, classic arcades and more. Notch up the thrills outdoors with the Aqua Slidecoaster, a hybrid water coaster with impressive launch system. Interactive mini-golf awaits at Tee Time with some challenging and entertaining holes. At The Stadium, go head-to-head in shuffleboard, ping pong, cornhole, beer pong and more. There’s also a dedicated pickle ball court, and The Drop, a dry slide that whisks down a winding spiral from deck 18 to deck 8. Rounding off the activities is the GlowCourt where basketball comes alive at nighttime with interactive lighting and music as you play.
Overall
There are some very compelling reasons to book Norwegian Aqua. Crew were very attentive and friendly and the ship itself is beautiful with plenty to see and do. Some negatives in my opinion include the very small main pool deck that is almost shoehorned in due to the amount of space taken up by the Slidecoaster. The pool and surrounding space is much smaller than you might find on ships of similar size. Another miss was the Surfside Cafe, which is too small for the number of guests and has several bottlenecks. Many use this as a passthrough from the pool to the attractions on the upper decks causing slow moving lines at many times. Not ship specific, but Norwegian Cruise Line needs to include some type of premium coffee choices in their standard beverage packages. The Starbucks branded coffee kiosk can get expensive and negates the value received by the “More at Sea” promotions. Personally, I would choose another cruise line before sailing on a Norwegian cruise, but at the right price point or offer, I might consider a future sailing at some point.
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