Viva

Overall description

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva

Norwegian Viva was still a very new ship when we sailed her, and it showed.

The ship felt modern, clean, and much more contemporary than some of the older ships we'd sailed. The design and newer spaces gave Viva a different feeling from the older Norwegian ships we were familiar with.

Pools & Deck Areas

This is one area where Viva's design isn't necessarily perfect for us.

It's a large ship with a lot happening onboard, but that doesn't always translate into a huge amount of traditional pool-deck space. On a warm Caribbean cruise, outdoor space matters to us.

There are plenty of interesting outdoor areas around the ship, but if your idea of cruising is spending the entire day around a giant pool deck, Viva may feel different from what you're expecting.

Food

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva

The food on Norwegian Viva was good overall and consistent with what we've come to expect from Norwegian. NCL isn't necessarily the cruise line we choose specifically for amazing food, but we really like the variety and flexibility.

Having multiple places to eat works particularly well for our family because we don't all have to want the same thing at the same time. With Ollie being a picky eater, that flexibility makes cruising much easier.

Cabins

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva: Veranda.

Entertainment

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva

There was plenty happening around the ship, although entertainment wasn't the main focus of this cruise for us.

We were sailing an itinerary with some fantastic Caribbean ports, so much of our attention was on what we were doing off the ship. We enjoyed having entertainment available when we wanted it without feeling like we needed to plan our vacation around a show every night.

Kids & family activities

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva

Viva had plenty available for families, but we don't judge a ship solely by how many organized children's activities it offers.

By this point, Ollie was old enough to have very definite opinions about what he did and didn't want to do. Sometimes he was interested in the organized activities, and sometimes he would rather do something with us.

That's become increasingly true as he's gotten older.

For our family, the best activities on this particular cruise were often the things we did together—especially exploring the islands.

Service

Spring Break 2024 aboard Norwegian Viva

Service was excellent. This has been one of the most consistent parts of cruising for us, and Viva was no exception. The crew was friendly and helpful, and we don't remember having any significant service problems during the week.

Who we think this ship is best for

Families interested in combining a modern ship with a busy itinerary, who appreciate Norwegian’s flexible, relaxed style of cruising.