Norwegian Cruise Line

Last month, I took a bucket-list cruise through Africa with Norwegian Cruise Line onboard Norwegian Dawn. While this cruise ship was one of the oldest in the cruise line’s fleet at 22-years-old, the unique itinerary was one that I couldn’t resist.

Even better, the cruise fare was extremely affordable compared to other African cruise options. The 12-night itinerary on Norwegian Dawn featured ports of call throughout Africa, including Mauritius, Madagascar, and South Africa.

I recently cruised in one of the cheapest cabins available onboard Norwegian Dawn, which is one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s oldest ships. Norwegian Dawn was launched in 2002, making the ship nearly 22 years old. Norwegian Cruise Line has provided this older ship with plenty of upgrades, with a multi-million dollar refurbishment in 2016 and dry dock refresh as recent as 2021.

A few years ago, I was able to embark on a dream cruise around the United Kingdom on board one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s oldest ships, Norwegian Star. This voyage quickly became one of my favorite cruises, and it was largely due to the great itinerary and awesome ship. 

Norwegian Cruise Line has some of the best staterooms in the cruise industry. 

In fact, the cruise line is known for its forward-thinking cabin design by reinventing the stateroom experience. Norwegian Cruise Line offers a variety of stateroom accommodations for groups of all sizes, including families, couples, and solo travelers.

Norwegian Cruise Line is one of my favorite cruise lines in the industry. I appreciate their commitment to bringing great cruise vacations to their guests for reasonable prices. Plus, they're one of the best in the industry at offering something for everyone onboard. 

Norwegian Cruise Line introduced its new groundbreaking Prima Class in 2022 with the debut of Norwegian Prima. Since then, Norwegian has expanded and introduced its second Prima Class ship: Norwegian Viva. 

There is nothing quite like sailing on a brand-new cruise ship, as you’re able to experience the latest and greatest of what a cruise line has to offer. Similar to driving a brand-new car, everything on a new cruise ship is both fresh and modern.

2023 was a busy year for brand-new cruise ships from some of the biggest names in the cruising world, and I was lucky enough to set sail on two of the most exciting new cruise ships at sea! 

I took a short 4-night sailing on the Norwegian Viva ship during one of her first sailings departing from the United States.

Having sailed extensively with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) before, I was excited to board a Prima Class ship and experience everything from the new entertainment offerings to the Indulge Food Hall and more. 

In this article, I'll provide an in-depth Norwegian Viva cruise ship review, going over what I liked and disliked. Overall, I thought the vessel was beautiful but poorly designed in certain areas. 

We just returned from a 4-night sailing onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Norwegian Viva. This brand-new ship debuted in August 2023 in the Mediterranean, and we had the privilege of sailing onboard for her first cruise departing from the United States.