Onboard Review: Norwegian Viva—Cruising in Comfort and Style

FOOD HALLNorwegian Viva—Cruising in Comfort and StyleBy Regina BarabanMy favorite place on the new Norwegian Viva is the Thermal Suite in the Mandara Spa, a soaring atrium space with a Zen vibe. I could spend all day here, floating in the warm salt pools and resting on heated lounges between rounds of various sauna, steam and ice rooms. Meanwhile, others on board can’t get enough of the heart-pumping, 3-story Viva Speedway, navigating 14 nail-biting turns as they compete with other daredevil drivers. The thoughtful design of this ship, the second in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima class, seamlessly accommodates all manner of travelers, with plenty of options for both relaxation and high-adrenaline activities. Indeed, “With the debut of the Prima class last year, NCL has enhanced the guest experience for different types of travelers, from large families to solo cruisers and couples,” John Chernesky, sr. v.p. of North America sales for Norwegian Cruise Line, tells Recommend. “The variety of activities is outstanding. The overall elevation of our offerings is truly unmatched and to me is the chief selling point for our travel partners.”LOUNGE CHAIRSDining, Drinking & EntertainmentSailing on Viva’s 3-night christening cruise from Miami gave me a taste of the NCL experience and what the stunning, 3,099-passenger ship has to offer. Norwegian’s reputation for world-class entertainment began on our first night, with godfather and five-time Latin Grammy winner Luis Fonsi headlining a Latin-themed evening. There’s nightly entertainment at the Viva Theater & Club, whose flexible design transforms from 3-story theater to sparkly nightclub for different shows. Our cruise featured the family favorite game show “Press your Luck LIVE” and my personal fave: the irreverent and hilarious “Beetlejuice: The Musical.” There are also smaller venues with comedy, karaoke, music and dancing. The many bars and lounges on board, each tastefully designed with different vibes, buzz with conviviality. PRO TIP: Tell clients to check out the zero-waste Metropolitan Bar, a chic outpost enlivened by the 52-ft.-long interactive digital artwork “Every Wing Has a Silver Lining” by Dominic Harris. Running your hands over the surface sets a fluttering landscape of silver-winged butterflies taking flight. Here, delicious cocktails and mocktails are handcrafted with repurposed ingredients like leftover croissants, banana peels, pineapple rinds and cucumber pulp, and other cocktail ingredients and spirits are sustainably sourced. With five inclusive dining choices and eight up-charge specialty restaurants on board (plus a Starbucks), Viva’s food variety is impressive. While I experienced just a fraction of the offerings, everything I ate tasted uniformly good. I loved the laid-back atmosphere and upscale Mexican cuisine at Los Lobos, where the tableside-prepared guacamole was to die for. And I couldn’t get enough of the (fee-free) Indulge Food Hall, which reimagines and updates the traditional food court with 11 fun eateries serving up tasty world cuisine from tapas to Indian and from Texas barbecue to Pad Thai. There’s no buffet line here; diners input their orders on touch-screen tablets. First introduced on Norwegian Prima, the Indulge Food Hall was so popular that it was expanded with additional indoor and outdoor seating on Viva.PRO TIP: A stroll on the outside promenade known as Ocean Boulevard that wraps around the ship on Deck 8, is a lovely way to enter and exit Indulge. Along the way, clients will pass a modern sculpture collection and stroll over a glass walkway with views of the ocean underfoot. It’s one of several places on board that lends a feeling of spaciousness to the ship. According to NCL, there’s up to 36 percent more space per guest on Viva compared to other contemporary cruise lines. “One of the features I love is how much outdoor space there is,” notes Chernesky, “and it feels like you can soak in the ocean views from so many areas of the ship.” BEDROOMSolo Staterooms to Haven SuitesThe diverse range of Viva’s 1,586 staterooms “is a true selling point for travel advisors,” says Chernesky. New for solo travelers are 73 inside studios, tiny and efficient at only 94 sq. ft. Importantly, there’s no single supplement required. And I was impressed by the private and relaxing Studio Lounge, a place for single travelers to meet and mingle. On the other end of the spectrum is The Haven, the ship’s tony and exclusive ship- within-a -ship enclave. The Haven has 107 spacious suites and a private restaurant, lounge and pool; plus 24-7 butler and concierge service. “We sell luxury and The Haven is very popular with our clients,” Daniel Goldwasser, CTA, president of Unique Travel, a Virtuoso agency, tells Recommend. “They get a luxury product and also have access to all the amenities and entertainment of a contemporary ship—it’s their choice. Many bring families and grandkids to enjoy the many shows and fun activities not available on higher level ships.”STAIRCASEFor Travel Advisors“We are committed to our travel partner community,” says Chernesky. “Advisors are an extension of our team. When you succeed, we succeed. Our main goal is to continue to invest in this relationship year after year and strive to be the easiest cruise line to do business with.” To that end, Norwegian Central, NCL’s portal for travel advisors, recently added the Travel Partner Resource Guide, “with details and information on where to locate NCL’s wide variety of resources,” Chernesky notes. “We’ve reorganized the portal to make it easier to navigate more than 800 promotional tools, and we’ve added new bite-sized learning materials aimed at assisting partners in positioning themselves as NCL experts.” Chernesky also wants travel advisors to know about Viva’s destination-driven itineraries. She is based in San Juan this winter, sailing 7-day trips with zero days at sea, and will then make her way to the top-selling destinations of Europe for a variety of thoughtful 9-, 10- and 11-day cruises, most with every day in port. “These are bucket-list worthy cruises,” he concludes. Contact Information Norwegian Viva: ncl.com

COVERHAL GATE 1HAL GATE 2 & 3HAL GATE 4Table of ContentsSANDALSSANDALS SPREADEditor's NotesAMERICAN CRUISE LINESAdvisor Speak: Passion for Cruises Led Her Here— A $3 Million Travel AgencyIndustry Insights: Tour Operators are ‘Highly Confident’ About 2024Cruise: Swanky SailingsCruise: Multimillion-dollar Revamp for Windstar Sailing YachtsATLAS OCEAN VOYAGES SCATLAS OCEAN VOYAGESPRINCESS CRUISES SCPRINCESS CRUISESSCENIC SCSCENIC LUXURY CRUISES & TOURSSEABOURN SCSEABOURNDISNEY SCAlaska Cruise Season—Booking Options for 2024 & 2025DISNEY CRUISE LINEHOLLAND AMERICA LINE SCRECOMMEND EDU HOUSE ADALASKA RAILROAD SC ADOnboard Review: Discovery Princess—10 Reasons to Book for an Alaska VoyageOnboard Review: Celebrity Ascent Offers Elevated Experience for TravelersOnboard Review: Norwegian Viva—Cruising in Comfort and StyleMexico/Caribbean: Elevating Romance Through LuxuryPALLADIUM HOTEL GROUP SPREADATLANTIS SCATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND BAHAMASINCLUSIVE COLLECTION SCINCLUSIVE COLLECTIONSANDALS SCOnsite Review: Impression Isla Mujeres by SecretsOnsite Review: Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & SpaOnsite Review: Sandals Dunn’s River—Sandals 2.0 Looks Mighty FineOnsite Review: 3 Melia Hotels & a Theme ParkPALLADIUM HOTEL GROUPCUNARD