Norwegian Aqua vs Norwegian Prima

The Norwegian Aqua is still being built and will debut in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua will be the 20th ship in the NCL fleet and will debut in March 2025. The Aqua is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet. It's 3 years newer than the Prima, which was built in 2022. The Prima is the first of six in a brand-new class of ship.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs
• See Our Detailed Cruise Blog

Ship Size

The Aqua is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,056 feet long and 133 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Prima, the Aqua is 9% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Aqua holds 15% more passengers than the Prima based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Aqua has less space per person compared to the Prima.

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Aqua has 17 different dining options like Le Bistro French, Hasuki, and Surfside Cafe. Of those options, 6 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 11 options have an additional fee.

The Prima has 1 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Commodore Room, Food Republic, and Onda by Scarpetta. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 12 have an additional fee.

The Norwegian Aqua has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Prima.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Norwegian Aqua & Prima

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Prima both have 15 bars to choose from during your sailing.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Aqua and the Prima below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.

The Norwegian Aqua has a total of 4 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 4 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

The Norwegian Prima has the same number of pools as the Aqua and the same number of hot tubs.

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Aqua, 60% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Prima, only 47% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

Cruise Costs

Norwegian is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Norwegian Aqua will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Prima.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Norwegian ship.

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a More at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the More at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.

We sailed aboard the Norwegian Prima

Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Prima. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.

Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - NYC

Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day

Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Halifax

Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Final Sea Day

5 Hits and Misses on the Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Prima Bar Menus

Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Articles Related the These Ships

How Norwegian Cruise Line’s Drink Packages Work

Norwegian Cruise Line To Sail Year-Round from Galveston

Norwegian Adding a Teen Club to Prima

Norwegian Luna – Twin Sister-Ship to the Aqua

Bull’s Eye Dart Lounge: A Fun Onboard Activity on Select Norwegian Ships

Norwegian Aqua Entertainment Options Revealed

About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.