Norwegian Prima vs Norwegian Viva

The Norwegian Prima is a fairly new ship, being built in 2022. The Prima is the first of six in a brand-new class of ship. It's 1 year older than the Viva, which was built in 2023.

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 Prima is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 133 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. The Prima and the Viva are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Prima holds about the same number of passengers as the Viva based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Prima has the same amount of space per person as the Viva.

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 Prima has 18 different dining options like Onda by Scarpetta, Los Lobos, and Nama. Of those options, 6 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 12 options have an additional fee.

The Viva has 1 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Local, The Commodore Room, and Food Republic. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 11 have an additional fee.

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

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

Restaurants on Norwegian Prima & Viva

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Prima has 1 more bar than the Norwegian Viva.

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 Prima and the Viva 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 Prima 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 Viva has the same number of pools as the Prima 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. You might up paying more while on board the Prima. Only 47% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Viva, 53% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit Norwegian's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.

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 and Norwegian Viva

We sailed aboard both of these ships. Follow along on our sailings at the links below. 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 ships.

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

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Pre-cruise – Athens

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Athens

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Santorini

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Kusadasi

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Istanbul

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Mykonos

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 6 – Sea Day

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 7 – Messina

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 8 – Naples

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 9 – Florence

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 10 – Nice

Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 11 – Rome

5 Hits and Misses on Norwegian Viva

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

Norwegian Evolves Onboard Activities for Aqua and Luna

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

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.