Sarah Bretz, ContributorNorwegian Cruise Line and shipbuilder Fincantieri celebrated a major construction milestone for Norwegian Aqua today, as the ship was floated out from its dry dock at the shipyard in Marghera, Italy. The occasion marks the first time the vessel touched the water.
The first in the Prima Plus class, today’s float out signifies the completion of the external work on the ship ahead of its April 2025 debut. To celebrate the milestone, two ceremonial coins were welded into Norwegian Aqua, a maritime tradition for good luck and safe passage for the ship. The ceremony was followed by a blessing by a local chaplain and a champagne bottle breaking across the hull.
“We are excited to celebrate another milestone with our partners at Fincantieri, who are integral to the Prima Class journey and supporting us in evolving the amazing experience we design and deliver for our guests,” said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Building upon the guest-favorite features of the award-winning vessels of this class, the 10% increase in space provides us with more flexibility to deliver more offerings and more beautifully designed venues for our guests to relax and explore on board Norwegian Aqua.”
Norwegian Aqua will be 10 percent larger than the first two Prima class ships (Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva) at 156,300 gross tons. It will feature the world’s first-ever hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide, the Aqua Slidecoaster. It will also include a new digital sports complex with an interactive LED floor and NCL’s most expansive 360-degree outdoor promenade to date. In The Haven ship-within-a-ship complex, Aqua will offer NCL’s first-ever three-bedroom Duplex Haven Suites.
Norwegian Aqua Itineraries
Construction now continues on Norwegian Aqua until her debut in April 2025. The vessel will operate seven-day Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral. Port calls will include Puerto Plata, Tortola, and St. Thomas. The voyages will also stop at NCL’s private Bahamian island Great Stirrup Cay.
Following her inaugural Caribbean season, Aqua will offer five and seven-day cruises to Bermuda from NYC from August 2025 through October 2025. From October 2025 to April 2026, the ship will sail five and seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries from Miami.
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