With 20 ships already sailing and another seven on the way, Norwegian Cruise Line is now one of the biggest cruise brands in the world – sitting just behind Carnival and Royal Caribbean in sheer fleet size.
And like those giants, NCL has spent years redefining what modern cruising looks like. The line has introduced everything from bowling alleys and 4D cinemas to full-blown go-kart tracks at sea, pushing boundaries with each new ship.
Every fresh addition brings something different, and NCL’s newest vessels continue to raise the bar. So, let’s take a look at the newest ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet – including the latest arrivals and the exciting ships still yet to make their debut…
The Newest NCL Cruise Ships:
- Norwegian Aqua
- Norwegian Viva
- Norwegian Prima
1. Norwegian Aqua – 2025
Launched in April 2025 as the first Prima Plus class ship, Norwegian Aqua is larger than her sisters, the Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, accommodating approximately 3,571 passengers.
The ship features a variety of entertainment, including the Aqua Slidecoaster, a hybrid waterslide and rollercoaster, and the return of The Drop free-fall dry slide. Additional attractions include the Glow Court LED sports floor and an expanded Aqua Game Zone offering arcade, VR, and mini-bowling games.
Norwegian Aqua also features the first-ever official Prince tribute show at sea. Titled “Revolution: A Celebration of Prince, the immersive theatrical concert will take place in the ship’s Aqua Theatre & Club.
The Norwegian Aqua spent its first summer sailing from New York to Bermuda before relocating to Miami for winter Caribbean cruises through April 2026.
2. Norwegian Viva – 2023
Launched in the summer of 2023, Norwegian Viva is the second Prima-class ship to arrive for Norwegian Cruise Line as part of a rapid expansion of the fleet.
And in true NCL style, she is packing some incredible entertainment options, with the three-storey go-karting track returning from Norwegian Prima along with plenty of other exciting options.
Most thrilling is The Drop – the first free-fall dry slide at sea that travels 10 decks down the side of the ship. Or race a friend in the twin dry slides, The Rush.
The ship has a Game Gallery, where guests can try high-tech mini golf or play a round of pub darts. And then there’s the Galaxy Pavilion, which hosts virtual reality games, golf simulators, flight simulators and a whole lot more.
Everything is high-tech, and everything is super-exciting. Guests love just how much fun they can have on this ship.
The Norwegian Viva spends her summers sailing the Mediterranean before crossing the Atlantic for the winter season, where she currently homeports in Galveston, Texas, offering round-trip cruises around the Caribbean and Mexico.
In terms of size, Norwegian Viva is a similar volume to sister ship Norwegian Prima, but she holds an increased number of passengers – around 3,200, compared to 3,100 on the earlier ship.
3. Norwegian Prima – 2022
Norwegian Prima is the third-most recent addition to the NCL fleet, having been first laid down in 2019 and then launched in 2022.
Often, when mainstream cruise lines announce a new ship, they aim for something bigger and better than they’ve had before. With Norwegian Prima, the focus was very much on ‘better’ and less on ‘bigger’.
In terms of volume, the Norwegian Prima was the smallest ship the cruise line had built since 2007’s Norwegian Gem.
And yet that is with purpose – the idea of the Prima-class ships is to provide more open spaces, more room for guests to relax, and a less ‘busy’ feel overall whilst still keeping that exciting and vibrant atmosphere that makes an NCL cruise special.
They’ve achieved that by reducing the guest capacity to just 3,099 but refining and introducing the amazing dining and leisure facilities onboard. There are plenty of excellent speciality dining restaurants to sample (and enough complimentary venues too), while during the day you can enjoy dry slides, various interactive games, a tidal wave waterslide and of course the three-storey go-kart course.
Norwegian Prima is of particular interest to UK cruisers, as she has offered itineraries from Southampton in the past and will return to do so in summer 2027. For now, she is based in North America, with departures from Port Canaveral (Orlando) for the Caribbean, and future sailings scheduled from San Juan and New Orleans, with European itineraries from ports like Barcelona, Rome, and Reykjavik returning to the schedule seasonally.
4. Norwegian Encore – 2019
The biggest ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, Norwegian Encore, is the pinnacle of the Breakaway Plus class.
First announced in 2014 at the same time as her sister ship Norwegian Bliss, she was originally intended to be designed for the Chinese market, although the decision was later reversed and she was fitted for a Western market.
Since her maiden voyage in late 2019, Norwegian Encore has demonstrated the very best of the Breakaway and Breakaway-Plus class of ships. She is packed with exciting things to see and do, including her own version of the Galaxy Pavilion and the Encore Speedway.
Evening entertainment is also outstanding, with epic live theatre shows and cool bars, including a replica of the Cavern Club from Liverpool. Norwegian Encore also has the widest selection of bars and restaurants of any of the ships in the NCL fleet, so you always have somewhere new to try.
During the winter months, the Norwegian Encore is based in the Caribbean, but then in summer, she crosses the Panama Canal and offers some thrilling Alaska itineraries, with the chance to soak up the view from the expansive decks as you sail past impressive glaciers and wildlife.
5. Norwegian Bliss – 2018
The Norwegian Bliss was the fifth Breakaway-class ship to launch for the cruise line, and the third in the larger Breakaway Plus subclass.
Announced alongside her sister ship the Norwegian Encore, she is only marginally smaller – around 1,000 gross tonnes less. Despite that, she has a very slightly higher guest capacity of 4,002 – four more than her sister.
The ship was handed over to NCL in April 2018 and took her maiden voyage at the start of June that year. She actually took her name from her earlier sister – the Norwegian Joy was originally intended to be the Bliss, but was renamed when it was decided she was headed to a base in China.
She has a very similar layout to the other ships in the Breakaway Plus subclass, with an incredible range of dining options, evening entertainment venues and daytime activities. She also has fantastic accommodation choices. The Haven is a stunning area on any NCL ship but on the Breakaway Plus class it really is something special, and worthy of the upgrade cost if you have the budget.
In reviews, Norwegian Bliss is the most popular ship in the fleet, just ahead of Norwegian Encore and, surprisingly, the older ship Norwegian Jewel. The newest ship in the fleet, Norwegian Prima, is fourth in the list.
Read more: Norwegian Cruise Line Ships Ranked Best To Worst
Norwegian Bliss mirrors the typical season of her newer sister Norwegian Encore – during the winter months, she currently sails the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles before traversing the Panama Canal in the spring. As summer arrives, she sets up a base in Seattle and offers breathtaking cruises to Alaska.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
Don’t miss the latest NCL offers…
More NCL Ships Arriving Soon…
Norwegian Luna – 2026
The second Prima Plus ship, Norwegian Luna, is due to launch in April 2026 and follows the larger design of her twin sister, Norwegian Aqua, with a 10% increase in size and capacity over the original Prima-class ships. The ship’s moon-themed artwork, “La Luna” by street artist ELLE, sets the tone for an epic voyage.
In true NCL style, she will be packed with thrilling activities, including the Aqua Slidecoaster, a hybrid waterslide and roller coaster that is the fastest and longest at sea. The Glow Court sports complex offers interactive digital games by day before transforming into a nightclub after dark. Other top-deck thrills include the return of the 10-storey free-fall dry slide, The Drop, and the Stadium, an outdoor space for complimentary activities.
She’ll also feature an upgraded entertainment program, with the headline show Rocket Man: A Celebration of Elton John. A futuristic mixed-reality show called HIKO: Innovation Meets Wonder will also be on board. In terms of accommodation, you can find the new luxurious Three-Bedroom Duplex Haven Suites within The Haven, NCL’s exclusive, keycard-access-only complex.
The Norwegian Luna will offer Caribbean sailings out of Miami for her inaugural season, including stops at NCL’s private destinations, Harvest Caye and Great Stirrup Cay. She will also sail to Bermuda from New York in 2027.
Two More Prima Plus Class Ships – 2027 & 2028
Norwegian Cruise Line is not messing around. The cruise line has announced that, as well as the impending launch of Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna, there will be two more Prima Plus-class ships joining the fleet.
This is one of the fastest expansions of a cruise line that I’ve ever seen, with a ship due to launch every year until 2028.
While no official names or specific features have been released for the final two ships yet, we do know that the vessels launching in 2027 and 2028 will be even larger than Aqua and Luna, featuring an enlarged Haven luxury enclave and expanded public areas.
We also know from interviews with the bigwigs at NCL that they are looking at basing the ships in different locations around the world, so don’t expect them all to move back and forth between Europe and the Caribbean.
Four New Ships (Unnamed Class) – 2030 to 2036
As if the new Prima Plus ships weren’t enough, it was announced in April 2024 that another four ships would be joining the fleet from 2030, part of a brand new class that would be the biggest yet for NCL.
They’re expected to host 5,000 passengers each and have a gross tonnage of around 200,000, which would put them some way ahead of the largest ships currently sailing in the fleet.
With all these new ships, NCL will definitely strengthen its position as one of the leading cruise lines in the world.
NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!
Don’t miss the latest NCL offers…
Final Word
It’s interesting to note that Norwegian had appeared to step away from the supersize of the Breakaway Plus ships with their immediate next class. Not that those ships have been ditched at all – the Norwegian Encore remains one of the current flagships of the fleet and is an amazing cruise ship, as are her sisters. Anyone booking a cruise on those ships could hardly complain of boredom during their voyage, but the Prima and Prima Plus class ships take the innovations even further and also add space for guests to relax and not feel overcrowded.
The success of Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva, and the recently launched Norwegian Aqua shows just how well they have done, and no doubt the soon-to-launch Norwegian Luna and the rest of the Prima Plus Class to follow will be just as exciting.
And then we have that brand-new class of four massive ships arriving from 2030, which signals a return to larger volumes! That expansion will put the NCL fleet at an incredible 27 ships in total -could it potentially become the biggest fleet of cruise ships in the world? Only time will tell, but it’s certainly an exciting time to be an NCL fan!
Related posts:
- NCL Suite Perks Explained
- NCL Drinks Packages: Worth It Or Not?
- 14 NCL Haven Butler Requests You Can Make
