Norwegian Aura to Debut Early, Adds 2 Mediterranean Sailings
Apparently, new cruise ships arriving ahead of schedule are becoming a trend. Earlier this week, Royal Caribbean announced that Hero of the Seas would debut early, adding two new sailings. Now, Norwegian Cruise Line is doing the same thing with its newest and biggest ship, Norwegian Aura.
Originally scheduled to welcome its first guests on May 21, 2027, Norwegian Aura is now expected to be ready nearly three weeks early. Because of that, Norwegian is adding two new Mediterranean cruises, giving guests an opportunity to be among the first to sail on the cruise line’s largest ship yet.
Norwegian Aura Adds Two New Sailings
The two new cruises are now available for booking, with the first departing May 2, 2027. These aren’t just short preview cruises. Norwegian is adding two longer voyages that visit some impressive Mediterranean ports.
10-Day Mediterranean Cruise: May 2, 2027
The first sailing aboard Norwegian Aura will be a 10-day cruise departing from Trieste, Italy, and ending in Athens (Piraeus), Greece.
The itinerary includes stops in Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Bar, Montenegro; and Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos, Greece.
It’s a pretty impressive itinerary for an inaugural sailing, especially for a ship designed primarily for Caribbean cruising.
9-Day Mediterranean Cruise: May 12, 2027
The second new sailing will be a 9-day cruise departing from Athens (Piraeus), Greece, and returning to Trieste, Italy.
This itinerary visits Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini, and Corfu, Greece; Bar, Montenegro; and Split and Zadar, Croatia.
What About the Original Inaugural Sailing?
The previously announced first sailing on May 21, 2027, will still go ahead as scheduled. That 7-day Mediterranean cruise will depart Trieste, Italy, and end in Barcelona, Spain, visiting Valletta, Malta; Salerno, Italy; and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy.
After that, Norwegian Aura will make a 13-day transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Miami, where it will begin sailing 7-day Caribbean cruises in June 2027.
For guests who booked the original inaugural sailing (and paid a premium) specifically to be among the first onboard, the announcement might be disappointing.
When Royal Caribbean announced its earlier sailings for Hero of the Seas, it gave guests booked on the original inaugural cruise an opportunity to switch to one of the new sailings. Norwegian hasn’t announced any similar arrangements for Norwegian Aura guests, at least not in today’s press release.
Be Among the First to Experience Norwegian Aura
Norwegian Aura will be the fifth ship in Norwegian’s Prima Class, but it won’t simply be a copy of the previous ships. The ship will be roughly 10% larger than Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna, with quite a few changes to the design.
One of the biggest additions will be Ocean Heights, a new outdoor adventure area spanning Decks 18 through 21. It’ll feature Norwegian’s first dueling mat racer waterslides, a free-fall waterslide, an 82-foot ropes course, and carnival-style games.
Norwegian is also addressing some common complaints about the earlier Prima Class ships. The pool deck will be larger, and the Surfside Cafe buffet will finally take up both sides of the ship instead of just one.
The ship will also offer new dining experiences, including Tamara, Norwegian’s first specialty Indian restaurant, and The Panorama Room, an included dining venue with immersive LED displays and synchronized lighting.
For entertainment, guests will be able to see “Whitney: A Celebration of Whitney Houston,” a new production developed with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, along with “ILLUMINOX: Infinite Wonder Unboxed,” a show combining illusions, acrobatics, and visual effects.
We’ve previously taken a closer look at all the changes coming to Norwegian Aura, including its redesigned outdoor spaces, new restaurants and bars, and entertainment lineup.
With these two new sailings, guests now have an opportunity to experience the ship in the Mediterranean before it makes its way to Miami for its inaugural Caribbean season.
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