Norwegian Aqua Cruise Review: Spa Experience, Dining, and Balcony Stateroom
I’m back from a relaxing 5-day Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Aqua—but honestly, we barely left the ship. This trip was all about unwinding in the spa. It was our first time sailing on the Norwegian Aqua, and I had promised I’d share a full review.
My First Impressions of Norwegian Aqua
The ship is about a year old, and it truly shows. Everything feels modern, beautiful, and thoughtfully designed. Even with around 3,800 passengers onboard, it never felt crowded. Service was consistently attentive, and we never experienced long waits or overcrowded spaces—something that can make or break a cruise.
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| photo from their website |
Balcony Stateroom Review
We chose a balcony stateroom and opted for a “guarantee” rate, meaning we let the cruise line assign our room. We ended up with a standard balcony cabin (about 210 sq. ft.), and it worked out perfectly.
The room included:
- A comfortable king/queen bed
- A small sofa
- Plenty of built-in storage
- A surprisingly efficient closet layout for two people
Everything felt well-designed and functional and felt roomy.
Bathroom
The bathroom was slightly larger than what we’ve experienced on Celebrity Cruises ships, which was a pleasant surprise. It was comfortable, clean, and easy to navigate—important on a cruise.
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| Beautiful Hudson Dining room photo from the Norwegian website |
Dining on Norwegian Aqua
Main Dining Rooms
There are two main dining rooms, but we gravitated toward the Hudson Dining Room for both breakfast and dinner. It’s absolutely stunning—floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the ocean, with modern chandeliers that give the space a bright, elegant, almost ballroom-like feel.
The service was excellent—attentive, efficient, and warm.
Food-wise, there were plenty of options, however, I did notice something missing:
Unlike other cruise lines that we have been ob, there were no offerings such as steak, lamb chops, salmon, or lobster. Those are typically included in the dining room on ships like Celebrity. Here you had to pay extra.
My Husband’s Meals
My husband tried a variety of dishes from the dinner menu. There were 5 entree choices each night- perfectly adequate, but nothing special. He did really like the breads in the bread basket.
My husband tried:
- A chicken entree with risotto
- Brisket (his least favorite of the 4 meals - it was fatty and not flavored the way he likes)
- Eggplant parmigiana with spahetti
- A pasta dish
Most meals were good, but not memorable. The standout? The chicken risotto that he genuinely loved.
Meals always began with soup, salad, or appetizers- all were fine.
Vegetarian & Vegan Dining Experience
I typically follow a vegan, gluten-free diet, but when traveling, I sometimes include dairy to make things easier.
While the ship offered accommodations for dietary needs, the options felt limited. I could pre-order meals, but they were still restricted to modifying items already on the menu.
Most nights, the only vegetarian entrée choice was:
- Pasta - I had baked ziti and steamed veggies on the side
- Another night there was eggplant parmigiana with pasta (they made it vegetarian/ GF for me) and were very accomodating.
In short: I ate a lot of carbs. I would have liked more beans and legume choices such as chick peas, lentils, etc. There are so many vegetarian ethnic dishes.
That said, dining in such a beautiful setting made the experience enjoyable overall. There were many other places to eat perhaps with better choices for me, but we liked the ambiance of the main dining room.
Buffet & Casual Dining Options Lunch and Dinner
After dinner, we often headed to the dinner buffet to build our own large salads from the salad bar—I just needed more fresh, plant-based food than I could get at the Hudson dinner venue.
The buffet was perfect for young families with children. Everyone could pick what they liked and in their own time frame. But for us, the dining room was a true leisurely beautiful dining experience.
Another Choice: Indulge Food Hall
Our favorite lunch spot was Indulge, a food hall concept with multiple global stations: It also had another menu for dinner and Many liked it for dinner too.
- Indian
- Mexican
- Plant-based
- Noodle bar
- BBQ
- a few others that I didn't eat at
Each station offered a few entrees, soups, and appetizers. You ordered digitally, and everything is brought to your table by a server.
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| You ordered from this digital machine from any of the multiple food restaurant stations |
This was a great option for variety both vegan and carnivore, I typically ordered for lunch:
- A plant-based bowl consisting of rice, beans, cut up veggies, sweet potato slices,
- Indian dishes- all vegetarian
- Vegetarian soup- my favorite was the lemon lentil from the plant-based station.
The Local - Sports Bar
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| from Norwegian website |
Another lunch or dinner option was " The Local" which was a sports bar with typical bar food and large TV screens and beer on tap.
There were also self-serve ice cream stations and a full dessert area throughout the ship which my husband found hard to resist and resist.
Specialty Restaurants (Extra Cost)
Higher-end dining options—such as filet mignon, lamb chops, steak, salmon, sushi, and seafood—were available at specialty restaurants which were elegant.
These came at an additional cost of about $60 per person per meal, plus tax and tip, and did not include alcohol.
Drinks
We skipped the alcohol package since my husband doesn’t drink. Instead, I bought a bottle of wine on the first night, and the staff stored it and served me a glass each evening—simple, reasonable, and perfect.
The Spa Experience (Highlight of the Trip)
The spa was, without question, the highlight of our cruise.
We purchased a 4-day thermal spa pass, which gave us access from 8 AM to 10 PM daily—and it was worth every penny.
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| Multi sensory shower In the spa from their Norwegian Aqua website |
Spa Facilities Included:
- Beautiful locker rooms with robes, towels, and premium showers
- Eucalyptus Steam room
- Three different sauna experiences: clay, regular, and intense
- Himalayan salt room- a healing experience
- Ice room- to cool off after all the heat
- Multi-sensory showers (a 10 minute immersive experience with colorful glowing lights, alternating strong and light streams of water, cold hot experience)
- Large luxurious thermal pools with hydrotherapy jets and jacuzzis
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| from their Norwegian Aqua website |
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| Quiet Room- photo from their Norwegian website |
The Quiet Restorative Room
This quiet space alone made the spa pass worth it.
Imagine:
- Soft, calming spa music
- Heated stone loungers
- Plush relaxation lounges
- Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Caribbean
- a place to relax, meditate, restore
The water was that unreal shade of blue you only see in the Caribbean—it felt peaceful, luxurious, and completely restorative.
