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Norwegian Aqua Review: The Great, the Good, the Bad, and the Unknown
I recently sailed on Norwegian Aqua for a five-day roundtrip cruise from New York City to Bermuda. This was my first time sailing with Norwegian. I chose the Aqua because it is a new ship and has several outdoor dining options.
Of course, what works for the average cruiser doesn’t necessarily work for someone who uses a wheelchair or mobility aid, deals with fatigue, or takes precautions to avoid viruses.
So, as always, this isn’t a traditional cruise review. I’m looking at Norwegian Aqua through the lens of wheelchair or mobility aid accessibility, chronic illness, and/or traveling while immunocompromised. If you are looking for a review that addresses one or all of these, then this is the review for you.
Overall, I had a good experience on Norwegian Aqua. There were a few things that didn’t work for me, especially the lack of accessible shore excursions, but there was much more that I liked than I didn’t.
Here’s what I loved, what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what I didn’t get a chance to experience.
The Great
1. The Cabin
I stayed in cabin 11222, a fully accessible balcony cabin, and it was one of the largest fully accessible cabins I’ve stayed in.
The bathroom had a spacious roll-in shower, there was ramp access to the balcony, and there was a good turning radius for most wheelchairs. There was also space next to the bed for most wheelchairs, which isn’t always the case on cruise ships.
We were also provided distilled water at no extra charge, which was helpful because we use it for nasal rinses.
The balcony did not face the ocean. Instead, it faced aft. You could still see the ocean, although a large slide blocked part of the view. I didn’t mind the location. I like people watching, and my husband enjoyed watching people go down the slide. If you don’t want to be near the slide, I recommend choosing a fully accessible balcony cabin on the other side of the ship.
There is one other thing to know about these cabins. Some are positioned at an angle where you can see into the balcony of the cabin next door. We could see directly into our neighbor’s balcony. If you don’t want a catty-cornered balcony, you may have to splurge on a suite, since most of the accessible balcony cabins are in the same area.
Overall, I was happy with the cabin. It was one of the best accessible cruise cabins I’ve stayed in. You can watch a full review of the cabin here.
2. The Outdoor Restaurants
There are several outdoor dining options on Norwegian Aqua, and that was one of the main reasons I chose to sail Norwegian.
If you’re immunocompromised or take virus precautions, having places to eat outside gives you more options.
The complimentary options with outdoor seating include:
Surfside Café & Grill — buffet
Indulge Food Hall
The Local Bar & Grill
There are also premium restaurants with outdoor seating:
Los Lobos
Onda by Scarpetta
Palomar
We mostly ate at The Local because Indulge Food Hall was usually crowded, and I wasn’t a fan of the buffet. Both The Local and Indulge had plenty of food options. I especially liked the fish and chips at The Local. You can also order them through room service.
We also ate at Los Lobos and Onda by Scarpetta. Both were good, and the service was great. We had two complimentary premium dinners through the Free at Sea promotion, so we were able to try both without paying the usual specialty dining prices.
Having several outdoor dining options is a big plus for travelers who need or prefer to eat outside.
The Good
1. The Spa
The day pass for the spa was more expensive than I would have liked, but the spa had a lot to offer.
There were multiple treatment rooms and pools with different temperatures. I especially liked the relaxation lounge. It stretched across much of the front of the ship and had plenty of space to stretch out. The beds were comfortable, and there was an unobstructed view of the ocean. If you have chronic illness or fatigue, having somewhere quiet to rest can make a difference.
I also tried the snow treatment room. Unfortunately, the “snow” was more like crushed ice than snow. It still did the job and helped with my circulation. I was hoping to have a snowball fight with my husband in there, so that was a little disappointing.
2. The Air Quality and Cleanliness
I brought my CO2 monitor into the cabin, although I didn’t write down the actual readings. The numbers stayed at a level that felt comfortable to me.
The cabin, hallways, and indoor venues were also clean. Nothing felt stuffy, and I didn’t encounter any areas where I felt like I needed to leave. For someone who is immunocompromised or takes virus precautions, that’s important.
Of course, no cruise ship can guarantee that you won’t be exposed to a respiratory virus. You’re still sharing a ship with a lot of people. (If you would like more information on how viruses spread on cruises and the precautions I take, read this.)
But having clean spaces, reasonable air quality, and plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors made the Aqua a good fit for me.
3. Embarkation and Debarkation
Compared with my experience embarking on Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady at the same pier the year before, embarking on Norwegian Aqua was much smoother.
There were priority lines for wheelchair users and people who needed assistance. The line was also quick for passengers who didn’t need assistance. I appreciated that they didn’t make passengers wait outside until their assigned arrival time was called. It was hot outside, so being able to wait inside was helpful. I still recommend arriving no more than about an hour before your assigned time. There’s no reason to arrive much earlier and create a long wait for yourself.
If you’re driving to the Manhattan terminal, keep in mind that the accessible parking spaces in the garage can fill up quickly. I had my power wheelchair, so I didn’t have to walk the distance from the parking area to the ship.
The Bad
1. The Cabin Door
The cabin door was automatic. In theory, that’s a great accessibility feature. In practice, you couldn’t manually close the door. Instead, the door stayed open for about ten seconds longer than I thought it should. That may not be a problem for most people. For us, it was.
We were trying to minimize the amount of hallway air entering our cabin, so we wanted the door to close as quickly as possible. We also ordered room service often, which meant the door opened and closed frequently. Every time it opened, we had to keep our masks on for longer after it closed.
For someone taking virus precautions (or someone who doesn’t want people looking into your room), those extra seconds matter.
2. The Lack of Wheelchair-Accessible Shore Excursions
This was my biggest disappointment.
There was only one fully accessible shore excursion offered by Norwegian in Bermuda, and it was a bus shopping trip. My husband gets nauseous on buses, and I didn’t want to spend the day being driven from one store to another.
Instead, we chose an “easy walking” glass-bottom boat tour. It wasn’t accessible for me, but I knew this going in. Luckily, Bermuda offers pier assistance, and the boat tour was right outside of the ship, so I thought I would be okay.
We had to navigate narrow, tall stairs to get to our seats on the boat. The glass-bottom portion had no air conditioning, and they packed people in closely. I started feeling faint, so we left the lower area and went back upstairs. I was surprised I didn’t faint on the stairs.
Turns out, I could’ve stayed on the top deck of the boat where our seats were. You could still see the shipwreck from that deck anyway.
The excursion triggered a flare, and I wasn’t able to enjoy our final sea day the way I had planned.
I still had fun on the cruise, but this was a good reminder that “easy walking” does not mean accessible. If you use a wheelchair or have significant mobility limitations, don’t assume an excursion labeled “easy” will work for you. I wish Norwegian offered more accessible options in Bermuda.
3. No Ambulatory Accessible Cabins
This is an accessibility issue I wish more cruise lines would address.
Unlike Virgin Voyages, Norwegian only offers fully accessible cabins. There aren’t separate ambulatory accessible cabins for people who can walk or transfer but still need certain accessible features.
I’m a part-time wheelchair user, and one of the main things I need from an accessible cabin is the accessible bathroom, particularly the roll-in shower and shower chair. When there are only a limited number of fully accessible cabins, I can feel uncomfortable booking one because someone with more extensive mobility needs may need those features.
Of course, if you need an accessible cabin, you should book one. Don’t make yourself unsafe because you’re worried about taking a cabin from someone else. But I wish cruise lines offered more options.
Ambulatory accessible cabins would give people who don’t need a fully accessible cabin access to the features they need while leaving the fully accessible cabins available for people who require them. Not every disabled traveler has the same needs, and cruise ships should offer different types of accessible cabins to reflect that.
The Unknown
1. The Medical Bay
I didn’t have to visit the medical bay on this trip.
Yay!
After my experience on Brilliant Lady, where the medical team helped me get medication I had accidentally left at home, I was curious about the medical center on Norwegian.
Fortunately, I didn’t need their services. So I can’t tell you much about the medical team on board.
2. The Shows
We saw a game show in the main theater, and it was hilarious. An octogenarian couple stole the show. But we didn’t get to see any of the main theater productions, so I can’t tell you whether they’re worth adding to your cruise schedule. This was another case where the length of the cruise worked against us.
3. …So Much More
Five days wasn’t enough time. Norwegian Aqua has a lot going on. On our first sea day, I spent most of my time in the spa. On our last sea day, I was too fatigued to do much other than sit on my balcony and sleep. There were still many things I hadn’t experienced.
If you have fatigue issues, this is something to consider when choosing an itinerary. A five-day cruise may sound manageable, but on a ship this size, you can easily end up trying to fit too much into a short amount of time. There are restaurants, shows, activities, pools, the spa, and everything else happening around the ship.
You may find yourself thinking, “I paid for this, so I need to experience everything!”
Don’t.
You don’t need to experience everything.
If you have chronic illness or significant fatigue, I’d recommend choosing a longer sailing on a ship this size. That gives you more time to spread things out, build in recovery time, and enjoy the ship without feeling like you need to fit everything into five days.
Would I Recommend Norwegian Aqua?
To a wheelchair or mobility-aid user?
Yes.
The fully accessible balcony cabin I stayed in was one of the best I’ve experienced, and the ship had a lot to offer.
I recommend booking your accessible cabin early because there aren’t many of them. I’d also recommend researching shore excursions carefully rather than assuming that an excursion labeled “easy” will be accessible. As an accessible travel agent, we can help you find shore excursions that are accessible to you, outside of what the cruise line has to offer.
If you want to learn more before you book, read my complete guide to accessible cruising.
To an immunocompromised or chronically ill traveller?
Yes, with some caveats.
The outdoor dining options were one of my favorite things about Norwegian Aqua. Having several places to eat outside gives you more flexibility than a ship where your only options are indoor dining rooms. The ship also felt clean and didn’t feel stuffy during my sailing. Of course, a cruise ship is still a shared indoor environment, so there is no way to eliminate your exposure risk completely.
If you deal with significant fatigue, I’d also recommend choosing a longer sailing. There is a lot to do on Norwegian Aqua, and five days wasn’t enough time for me to experience everything without pushing myself.
Overall, I had a good time on Norwegian Aqua. There are things I’d like to see Norwegian improve, particularly the availability of accessible shore excursions and ambulatory accessible cabins. But the accessible cabin, outdoor dining options, spa, and overall ship environment made this a cruise I’d take again. Just give me more than five days next time.
Ready to try out a Norwegian cruise for yourself? Have another idea for a vacation? Schedule a free consultation!
If you do not need a travel agent but have been helped by my resources, I would really appreciate a tip! Thank you!
NOTE: I cannot actually drink coffee or any caffeinated beverage due to my POTS, so you will not actually be buying me coffee. Money will most likely go to treats for my dog instead.
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