At first glance, Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand-new Norwegian Viva — the second debut in the six-ship Prima class — looks to be a carbon copy of Norwegian Prima. And although the sister ships are nearly identical, there are a few changes worth noting for clients.
Unlike the preceding Breakaway- and Breakaway Plus-class ships, the abstract hull art doesn’t vary much from Prima to Viva, but there is a variation in the swooping geometric patterns, and Viva’s colors skew a bit more purple than Prima’s blues. Additionally, The Wave waterslide and The Rush and The Drop trio of dry slides differ slightly in hue between ships to match the hull scheme of each.
Meanwhile, the smaller Splash Academy and Kids’ Aqua Park remain an afterthought on Viva, along with a reduction in waterslides. But its Mandara Spa is definitely one of the best at sea thanks to therapeutic pools and a marvelous thermal suite, which serves as a bonus observation lounge to the one above it.
Rooms and Interiors
Inside Viva, the architecture and layout are mostly a mirror image of Prima, though there is new artwork peppered throughout. One notable piece is the 52-foot-wide “Every Wing Has a Silver Lining” by British digital artist Dominic Harris; guests can interact with it as they pass by, waving their hands across the animated tapestry of butterflies. On the inaugural sailing from Trieste, Italy, I noticed that children loved playing with the kinetic canvas.
A Balcony Stateroom on Viva
Credit: 2023 Jason LeppertI found that even the wall art adorning my Balcony Stateroom was an update over that onboard Prima. Instead of iconic imagery of nature, Viva’s cabins display a soothing backdrop of drippy brushstrokes. Most importantly, the spaciousness of cabins has carried over, particularly the industry’s new standard of significantly larger bathrooms and showers. Many hanging hooks are quite handy, as are USB and USB-C charging ports at both nightstands, although I believe rooms could benefit from more storage overall. I was told the bedding, shower pressure and vanity lighting have also been enhanced since Prima.
Dining
Onboard Viva, The Haven remains Norwegian’s creme de la creme of accommodations, offering not only the largest suites onboard, but also exclusives including a lounge, a concierge desk, a restaurant, a cold room, a sauna, an infinity pool, hot tubs and sun decks — all accessed by a private bank of elevators. For those looking for something in between, Vibe Beach Club offers daily paid access to a comparable sun deck with its own hot tubs. On the ship’s expansive wraparound promenade deck — open to all — there are also two infinity pools and a main pool with hot tubs, complete with lounge chairs and alfresco dining.
When it comes to Viva’s dining, a dedicated Starbucks is once again onboard, and favorite restaurants such as Indulge Food Hall have been repeated from Prima. The ease and speed with which customers can order from multiple “trucks” here — not to mention the delicious variety of cuisine — is outstanding.
Indulge Food Hall is a standout dining venue.
Credit: 2023 Jason LeppertI find the food hall to be preferable to a buffet, but the self-serve Surfside Cafe & Grill is still popular with cruise traditionalists — in fact, it’s often so crowded that overflow breakfast and lunch seating is available at the adjacent Food Republic, one of many specialty restaurants open for dinner. For those seeking to keep things complimentary, the scenic in-the-round Hudson’s and auxiliary The Commodore Room are the main dining rooms onboard, and menus change each night, compared to Prima’s previous fixed menu. The Local Bar & Grill also continues to serve free food around the clock.
As on Prima, Viva offers surcharge eateries that include Los Lobos for Mexican, Onda by Scarpetta for Italian, Le Bistro for French, Palomar for seafood, Hasuki for teppanyaki, Nama Sushi & Sashimi and Cagney’s Steakhouse. During my four-night sailing onboard Viva, I found Los Lobos, Onda, Le Bistro and Nama to all be standouts, but I was partial to Scarpetta for its exceptional pizza and pasta. Norwegian also continues to showcase its unique lineup of sustainable cocktails at the art-deco Metropolitan bar, located across from the Dominic Harris digital art display.
Entertainment
Viva’s signature Broadway-style production of “Beetlejuice: The Musical” was unfortunately not ready for the ship’s maiden voyage, but it is scheduled to make its debut in the multipurpose Viva Theater & Club by Aug. 29, according to Norwegian’s website. I did see a complete performance of the “Icons” production; however, I found it a bit lackluster due to its bare stagecraft, lack of dancers and small (but talented) cast of vocalists offset by canned backing music.
I was more impressed by the intimate live band performance of rock hits from the “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix” soundtrack, such as “Come and Get Your Love” and “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” at the standing-room-only Syd Norman’s Pour House. And on the opposite side of the ship, The Improv At Sea presents a mix of family-friendly and adult-only standup comedy sets.
Viva features a pair of escape rooms.
Credit: 2023 Jason LeppertBesides a requisite casino and shopping, the Galaxy Pavilion and a fresh set of virtual reality rides and gaming experiences — including a pair of escape rooms — round out Viva’s paid activities. I especially enjoyed the magic-themed escape room; I found its puzzles and practical and special effects to be on par with shoreside equivalents. I also loved the Tee Time course, a unique version of minigolf that utilizes RFID-chipped balls and nine elaborate point-keeping holes.
While I can’t yet speak entirely to the entertainment, Viva is already a worthy successor to Prima, with Norwegian keeping all the best parts of the experience and enhancing the rest based on customer feedback.
