Thoughts - just got off Norwegian Aqua NYC to Bermuda 6/27-7/3: AMA!
My husband and I just got off the Aqua this morning. He had never cruised before and was wary of the crowds and lines, but I convinced him to try it (I cruised once before on RC, pre-pandemic). We purchased Free at Sea Plus so we could drink top shelf everything, have unlimited Starbucks, bottles of water, and streaming internet. Here are our thoughts.
1.The ship: some say the layout is confusing but we had no issues. I'm terrible at new spaces but I learned it quickly. Staying on decks 6/7/8 became our go-to which meant no long elevator rides, just some stairs. We found the decor beautiful and inviting, modern but not cold. Plenty of little nooks and crannies to sit and enjoy the ocean. It was also super clean and never smelled.
Yes, it lacked pools/ability to swim. You can't really swim at all as the main pool is tiny and shallow. The two other infinite pools are small. The two hot tubs are packed at all times. We didn't mind too much but for kids this might not work. The kids area in general had no pool and just a small splash pad for toddlers. Our first sea day was totally rained out and it did feel crowded.
- The room, #9726, balcony cabin ocean view, category T4: this is where the Aqua shined for us. Keep in mind we are from NYC and used to living in small apartments - but we did not feel cramped at all. Plenty of space to move around and access the balcony without feeling like the bed was in the way. Tons of drawers and little storage spaces with two sliding closets. The bathroom was spacious with plenty of hot water and no toilet issues. My husband is 6'0" and had no problem standing under the shower head. The water pressure was a little low but nothing terrible. I brought a non-surge protector for extra outlets but ended up not even needing it.
The cleanliness: amazing. Spotless and no bad smells the entire trip. The daily room cleaning crew hit it out of the park: super friendly and accommodating. I had brought my own bed linens and blankets (I just sleep better with them) and they nicely made the bed with them each day. Our PJs folded and put on our pillows. Fresh towels whenever we wanted. And again, it smelled fresh and clean the whole trip - not overly perfumed or bleach-y.
- The food - reviews of each:
a. Indulge Food Hall: we went for breakfast each morning. We like a little bit of everything in the am and it worked well for us. Highlights: blueberry compote for pancakes, mini omelets, crispy bacon, soft baked goods. Best thing we ate on the boat, by far: Tamara Indian food station. We love Indian food and it was as good as anything in NYC - don't miss the chicken korma, lentils, garlic naan, and chicken biryani. Perfectly spiced and not salty.
b. Surfside Cafe: we went for a buffet dinner one night. Yes, like most say, it's a poor layout - narrow and only one path for food. RC's buffet was more easily navigated and less crowded. The variety was good but the quality hit or miss. We liked: fried lemon cauliflower, jerk chicken (but get the sauce to add needed spice), simple salad station (we needed greens), berry cobbler, and rum cake. We did not like any of the pastas (dried out from sitting) or the pizzas (congealed cheese and not tasty).
c. Observation Deck: great hidden snack spot. Loved the scones and mini tea sandwiches. Also a quieter part of the ship.
d. Specialty dining, two included with Free at Sea Plus:
LE BISTRO: beautiful dining space and we got a lovely booth at a window. Unfortunately we didn't love the food. My goat cheese salad was dry, the french onion soup very salty. My coq au vin was perfectly cooked but also very salty. The fish was light and nothing special. The dark chocolate dessert was my favorite on the entire ship, however - not too sweet or rich and very delicious.
CAGNEY'S: it gets rave reviews for a reason. Wedge and caesar salads both crispy with fresh dressing. Filet mignon and rib eye both a perfect medium and medium rare. My husband is picky about his steak but he was very impressed. Baked potato side dish fresh and hot with the ability to choose toppings - cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, chives. We both loved the raspberry creme brulee dessert - crunchy sugar topping and not too sweet.
e. Main Dining Rooms: we went to Hudson's and the Commodore. Same menus at both, but we preferred Hudson's due to the more open air feel and sleeker decor (Commodore felt dark to us). On RC you can make a res for a specific time and I did miss that - this was the longest time we waited in a line the whole trip, as we just didn't time dinner to avoid the crowds. In general, though, pleasantly surprised by the MDR - chicken dishes tasty and not at all dry, fish dishes light but flavorful. Fig and apple tart just okay, chocolate mousse cake very good. We got the wine pairing included with Free at Sea Plus and liked the majority of the pairings. Dare we say it was better than Le Bistro.
Final thoughts on the food: Yes, Norwegian doesn't really have snack stations throughout the day like RC does, and late night after 9pm all you have is a small menu at the Local with burgers and pretzel bites. We knew this going in. But one huge miss we found was when they streamed a USA World Cup game on the main pool deck TV. The deck was packed and it was 9pm. Literally zero food served. It would have been awesome with some popcorn, pizza, something fun and festive. Everyone was drinking and could have used some snacks.
If you like coffee, get the Starbucks included. The ship coffee isn't good and won't give you a buzz.
The bars: we chose our favorites and returned often. The Whiskey Bar was best, great vibe and made the best drinks. Swirl Wine Bar was hidden and quiet. Other bars on the ship were fine and we never waited too long for drinks.
The entertainment: we didn't do many activities on the boat but my husband enjoyed the casino. We went to two themed DJ nights, the 80s and 70s. The app showed a 90s party but it never happened and we were sad! I love 80s music and that night was great - they even showed retro music videos on a big screen. Good song choices and not too crowded. We added on a wine + cheese tasting at Onda and enjoyed it - four wines and four cheeses, easy to follow sommelier who guided us through the short tasting. We tried to go on the Aqua Coaster but we chose a sea day to try it (obvious mistake) and the line was too long, so we decided to forgo.
The internet: we got unlimited streaming with our package. It was fine. Scrolling on our phones worked well. When we tried to stream from Netflix or Verizon Fios it was glitchy and at some times better than others, but we expected that.
The crowd: lots of cruisers seem to worry about kids being the most annoying people on board, but the kids on our ship were better behaved than the adults! We witnessed people cursing at ship employees when they came late to the food hall and missed lunch. A short wait in a Starbucks line had adults huffing and puffing. The kids were just happy to get their mocha fraps. Of course the chair hoggers showed up at 5am to claim loungers on sea days, but we expected that. Getting a chair mid day was easier once everyone went to lunch. We did one NCL excursion to the crystal caves and many adults on the bus complained the entire time - it was too hot, too long of a trip, the driver was talking too much, the caves had too many steps - which means they didn't read what the excursion was all about, and that's on them. The kids? Happy and excited to see such an old cave and listen to the cool history.
Overall: we enjoyed Norwegian and would repeat. My husband was pleasantly surprised at the ability to escape the crowds on the ship and lack of long lines. However, if we bring our son (he's 10), we would probably try for a ship that has more slides/water activities that would keep him busy.
AMA!