Our Honest Review of the Norwegian Viva

The Norwegian Viva, operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines, took its maiden voyage in August 2023. It is the second (after the Norwegian Prima) of six Prima-class cruise ships. These are the newest, though not the biggest, ships in the Norwegian fleet.

We first learned about the Viva and the Prima during a Cruise Next presentation while sailing on the Norwegian Breakaway in February 2023. While we enjoyed our Western Caribbean cruise on the Breakaway, overall we found the ship to be too crowded and noisy. We struggled to find a quiet place to sit and relax outside our room. It didn’t help that we sailed out of New Orleans during Mardi Gras!

Learning that the Viva and Prima were bigger but had a smaller passenger capacity caught our attention. So we went on the hunt for the right itinerary on one of those ships.

Ultimately, we ended up sailing on the Norwegian Viva in February 2025 on a seven-night Southern Caribbean cruise. We sailed out of San Juan, Puerto Rico and the itinerary included stops in Dominican Republic (La Romana), Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia and St. Kitts.  

(Disclaimer: When we link to places where you can buy our stuff or places we stayed, we are using special codes that earn us commissions on the sales at no additional cost to you. Please see our Review Policy  for more information.)

Overall Impression of the Norwegian Viva

The first thing any seasoned cruiser will notice about the Viva is its modern design. Everything about the ship is sleek and sophisticated, from the staterooms to the common areas.

We were searching for a ship that didn’t feel crowded and we found it! Yes, there were plenty of people on the ship. Still, it didn’t feel nearly as packed as many other cruises we’ve been on. 

Check out more of our cruise articles.

The ship has a good mix of open common space for those who want to be in the middle of the action and bars and restaurants tucked into corners, providing a quiet getaway. Sadly, we didn’t find the absolutely perfect bar for us but we are very picky! That said, we did find plenty of places to escape the crowds and relax. 

We particularly enjoyed the generous outdoor space on the Viva, both on the upper pool and activities decks and around the outside perimeter on lower decks. That said, the pool area itself is rather small. That wasn’t a big deal for us, though, as we generally are not “pool people.”

At its core, the Viva retains the traditional cruise ship feel. But it also boasts unique design elements and updated finishes, making it feel modern and fresh.

Norwegian Viva Balcony Stateroom Review

Our balcony room was a good size with tons of storage.

The closet allowed us both plenty of space to unpack all of our clothes and have everything organized for the week. Under-bed space provided the perfect place to get our suitcases and dirty laundry out of the way.

The bathroom was the most spacious cruise ship bathroom we’ve ever had. It had tons of counter space and shelves to organize toiletries. There was even a large cabinet under the sink, which I didn’t discover until the last day of the cruise. Even without that, we had plenty of space for all of our toiletries.

The balcony itself wasn’t the biggest balcony we’ve ever had but it wasn’t the smallest, either. We had room for our chairs side by side and a small side table as well. 

Overall, this is probably the best stateroom we’ve had out of the eight cruise ships we’ve been on together over three different cruise lines.

Restaurants and Bars on the Norwegian Viva

One thing we loved about the Viva is its wide variety of both complimentary and specialty dining options. This ship boasts a total of 13 restaurants, five of which are complimentary. Most impressive, the complimentary options include two standard “main dining rooms” plus two specialty dining restaurants and a buffet. 

We enjoyed the variety of restaurants, especially having some unique complimentary options. Our biggest complaint is the lack of options for lunch, especially since none of our excursions included a meal. 

Complimentary Restaurants

All of the complimentary restaurants operate on Norwegian’s “freestyle dining,” meaning there are no set dining times or reservations. With a party of just two people, we never had to wait more than a few minutes to get a table. Larger groups should expect a wait, especially at peak dining times.

The two main dining rooms are Hudson’s (breakfast and dinner) and The Commodore Room (dinner). The Surfside Cafe (breakfast, lunch, dinner) is the standard cruise ship buffet. We thoroughly enjoyed both Hudson’s and The Commodore Room but skipped the buffet on this cruise.

The final two complementary dining options are The Local and Indulge Food Hall.

The Local is a full-service restaurant serving classic pub fare. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also a bar side that serves snacks 24 hours a day. We found that having a complimentary full-service restaurant was nice, and we enjoyed the food. But the menu was somewhat limited, which got old after a couple of visits. 

Indulge Food Hall is themed to resemble Food Trucks, offering several different cuisines including Texas BBQ, Indian, seafood, tapas and noodles. For lunch and dinner, you order food and drinks on tablets at the table and a server brings the food to you. For breakfast, however, you are left to wander around and grab food yourself.

We wanted to like Indulge, we really did. But the food delivery was inconsistent. Some items were delivered very quickly, while some took forever. It was also sometimes difficult to tell what was an appetizer-sized portion vs. an entree. Finally, it was difficult to find breakfast foods with all the different “nooks and crannies” of the various food trucks. 

Finally, the Observation Lounge served buffet-style grab-and-go snacks for a late breakfast or late lunch. This was nice if you wanted a later meal, but it really was snack-size portions.

Specialty Restaurants

The eight specialty dining restaurants (dinner only) on the Norwegian Viva are:

• Food Republic – Asian-Latin fusion served tapas style
• Cagney’s Steakhouse – an American-style steakhouse
• Hasuki – Japanese hibachi
• Le Bistro – Frech cuisine
• Los Lobos – Mexican cuisine
• Nama Sushi & Sashimi – Japanese sushi bar
• Onda by Scarpetta – Italian cuisine
• Palomar – Mediterranean cuisine

During this cruise, we dined at Food Republic and Palomar.

At Palomar, I couldn’t resist the Greek salad, followed by the Lavráki (Mediterranean Sea Bass). Grant chose the grilled squid to start and Festóni (Sea Scallops) for his entree. The salad wasn’t completely authentic (in Greece, the salad is served without lettuce), but it was still tasty! Grant thoroughly enjoyed the squid and both entrees were expertly prepared. Dessert, of course, was divine as well.

Overall, the service and food were outstanding and we very much enjoyed our meal.

That said, we Food Republic blew us away. While there is a server checking in with you frequently, you order food on tablets, just like at Indulge Food Hall. With the constant attention of the server, it’s a little easier to ask questions and make sure you know what you are getting. We also got some recommendations from fellow diners.

The cover charge includes four items each (so a total of eight for us to share). I’m pretty sure we only ordered seven, and it felt like we rolled out of there having eaten enough food for the entire week! And every bite was delicious!

Our meal included a wide range of dishes such as sushi, spicy Korean fried chicken, Peruvian beef skewers and, of course, dessert and wine. There were many more items we wanted to try but we simply couldn’t eat another bite.

We have previously eaten at Le Bistro (on the Norwegian Breakaway) and Cagney’s (on the Norwegian Sky) and found those restaurants to be fantastic. That said, Food Republic stands out as our absolute favorite. And that’s from two folks who don’t tout Asian cuisine as their number one choice. 

All specialty dining restaurants operate on reservations, though there may be some limited availability for walk-ins. 

Bars

With a whopping 17 bars and lounges on the Norwegian Viva, you are sure to find something you love. It’s important to note that a few of these bars are reserved for guests staying in suites, The Haven, or are in other restricted-access areas. Still, there are plenty of indoor and outdoor bars for all passengers to choose from.

A few of our favorite bars include Observation Lounge on Deck 17 with sweeping views, Soleil Bar on the aft end of Deck 8 and the Whiskey Bar near the center of Deck 8. 

We were most excited for the Observation Lounge, as we have found similar bars on other cruise ships that we absolutely loved. And while we enjoyed this bar, it was closed for private events quite often. Additionally, the setup made it somewhat difficult to find a seat and get consistent service. Still, it’s a good place to relax that was relatively quiet.

The Soleil Bar was great for a cocktail or beer after a day of sightseeing. We were pleased to find a mix of seats both in the sun and in the shade.

And we always love a good Whiskey Bar. Personally, we would prefer it in a quieter area, but it was still a nice bar for a before or after dinner drink.

Things to Do on the Norwegian Viva

Honestly, the activities and entertainment on a cruise ship is usually one of the things we value the least. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that we are usually more focused on relaxing.

But the Norwegian Viva has a good mix of options for families or anyone looking for a more active cruise.

The star of the ship is the Viva Speedway, a go-kart track. The track loops across decks 18, 19 and 20, offering a course with lots of hills and turns. There is an additional fee for the speedway, but we felt that it was a fair price for the amount of time you get.

Other activities include The Rush, a swirling dry slide on a mat, and The Drop, another dry slide with a free fall. The Rush was cool, but Grant and I both got “stuck” a couple of times, with mats that weren’t very slippery. Only Grant was brave enough for The Drop. I heard too many screams to try it myself.

There is also a wave-style water slide, miniature golf, darts, an arcade and an area with pickleball, tabletop shuffleboard and other activities. Interestingly, there is no basketball court or jogging track, which are staples on most cruise ships.

Finally, there is a somewhat small pool area and kids splash area. You’ll also find some infinity pools and other lounge areas on the outside decks all around the ship.

Of course, there is also a shopping area, spa, salon, barber shop, casino and theater. The crew also provides daily activities such as trivia, pool parties and wine tastings. And we thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the Broadway play, Beetlejuice, and Icons, the ship’s revue show that pays homage to musical legends from the past six decades. 

Perhaps our favorite activity was the Behind-the-Scenes Tour, which we booked well in advance. One of the crew members took us through several different areas, where we got to see an inside look at the workings of the ship. 

We toured through the refrigerator and freezer, the housekeeping and laundry area, the engineering room, backstage of the theatre and the bridge. (Sadly, we didn’t get to see the kitchen due to a special event that day.) In each area, a crew member provided information on logistics and answered passengers’ questions. It really was a fantastic tour and worth the added expense.

Norwegia Viva’s Southern Caribbean Itinerary

The Norwegian Viva splits its time between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. While a Mediterranean cruise is high on our bucket list, it wasn’t in the cards this time. This cruise sailed out of San Juan and through the Southern Caribbean. It took us back to St. Kitts and St. Lucia, which we first visited on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas in 2017. We also added new stops in the Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curacao. Cruises make it relatively easy to visit a lot of different countries!

Read more about the pros and cons of cruising here.

Initially, our itinerary included a stop in Bonaire. In fact, we specifically wanted a cruise that visited all three of the “Dutch ABC” islands. Alas, Norwegian adjusted the itinerary, giving us an at-sea day instead. Honestly, we are OK with the change. While we missed out on port, we did get a full day to enjoy the ship.

In Dominican Republic, we enjoyed a tour of Santo Domingo, the cultural center of the country. While in Aruba, we toured the rugged coast of Arikok National Park (you know how we love a national park in any country!). We had some fun in Curacao with a tour of an Ostrich Farm, then a visit to a cave.

In St. Lucia, we skipped doing an excursion and just took a water taxi to the “downtown” area and walked through some of the souvenir and produce stalls. Finally, in St. Kitts, we took a ride on the historic railroad that circles the island. 

Stay tuned for more information on each island and our excursions. 

It really was a good balance of adventure, culture and fun. We hated to miss Bonaire, but that’s part of the deal with a cruise. You just have to go where the ship takes you! We’ve had itineraries changed on us before. Most notably, our five-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Regal Princess, which was initially a three-night Bahamas cruise!

Finally, I have to mention the ease and speed of boarding the Norwegian Viva in San Juan. It took us less than 15 minutes to get from our Uber, through check-in and onto the ship. Seriously, this was the smoothest embarkation process ever. Kudos to Norwegian Cruise Lines for that experience!

If you have more time in Puerto Rico before or after a cruise on the Norwegian Viva, check out our articles on visiting the San Juan National Historic Site, exploring the rest of Puerto Rico from San Juan and a one-day trip to Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Final Thoughts on the Norwegian Viva

Overall, we loved sailing on the Viva. What we enjoyed most was the ship’s fresh, modern design. Not only did everything feel new, it also felt more sophisticated than many other ships we’ve sailed on.

The Norwegian Viva boasts a large number of restaurants and bars plus a wide variety of activities for passengers of all ages. You’ll find the standard kids’ clubs, special interest meetings, comedy shows and shopping. Elements like the speedway, multi-level slides and infinity lounge pools provide a unique experience to keep cruiser’s interested. 

Perhaps the biggest downside for many people would be the small pool deck. But that, honestly, was a plus for us. With my fair skin, I can’t sit out in the sun for long. And we are now old enough that we tend to avoid crowded areas rather than flock to them.

And, the ship has tons of outdoor space, allowing for plenty of opportunity to enjoy the sun while cruising through the Caribbean or Mediterranean. That space is just split into many different areas rather than centered around the main pool.

If you’re considering a cruise on the Norwegian Viva, we say go for it! We certainly were not disappointed and would gladly sail on the Viva or one of its sister ships in the future.

---

Travel Resources