Norwegian Aqua Begins Second New York Season of Bermuda Cruises
After a trans-Atlantic crossing from Italy, Aqua held an April 13, 2025, PortMiami christening with actor Eric Stonestreet as godfather.
Norwegian Aqua has completed its first year in service. Fincantieri delivered Norwegian Cruise Line’s third Prima-series ship a little more than 14 months ago, on March 13, 2025. The 156,300-gross-ton vessel is now back at Manhattan Cruise Terminal for a second New York homeporting season, operating five- to eight-night Bermuda cruises after a winter program from PortMiami.
Aqua is the first of the larger Prima Plus ships in the Fincantieri-built Prima program, preceding Norwegian Luna, which joined the fleet in 2026.
First year moved through Europe, Miami, Port Canaveral and New York
Aqua welcomed its first guests in Europe a few weeks after delivery. It then sailed a trans-Atlantic crossing from Italy to New York before arriving at Norwegian’s cruise terminal at PortMiami for its April 13, 2025, christening.
Actor Eric Stonestreet served as godfather for the Miami ceremony, which also included a Prince-themed concert experience. After the inaugural events, Aqua repositioned to Port Canaveral for week-long Eastern Caribbean cruises calling at Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and Tortola, with Great Stirrup Cay included on each sailing.
The ship moved to New York in August 2025 for Bermuda and U.S. East Coast cruises, then returned to Miami for winter sailings. Its current Manhattan program features multi-day Bermuda stays at King’s Wharf at the Royal Naval Dockyard, with calls ranging from two to three days depending on itinerary length.
Larger than the first Prima ships
At 1,056 feet long, Aqua is larger than Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, the original roughly 142,500-gross-ton ships that opened the Prima program in 2022 and 2023. The ship has 1,760 cabins and carries about 3,570 guests at double occupancy, with a crew of 1,597.
Other ships fill out Norwegian’s New York schedule
Norwegian’s 2026 New York schedule also includes Norwegian Escape, which is due to join Aqua in late August for Caribbean and Canada/New England itineraries through late September. Norwegian Sun is scheduled for an October turnaround in New York at the end of a trans-Atlantic crossing before repositioning to Miami; the ship is set to leave Norwegian’s fleet in 2027.
Norwegian Bliss is scheduled to take over the company’s New York winter program in November, offering Bahamas and Caribbean cruises that include Port Canaveral, Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay on eight-night sailings, plus longer Eastern Caribbean itineraries. Norwegian Luna is expected to make its New York debut ahead of the 2027 summer season.
What’s next for Aqua
For the 2026-27 winter season, Aqua is scheduled to return to South Florida for additional PortMiami departures. The ship will join Norwegian Luna on seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises calling at Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and Tortola.
In late April 2027, Norwegian plans to move Aqua back to Port Canaveral for year-round operations.
