Norwegian Aqua Review: Spa, Food, Balcony Room

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.

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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, it was good and there were plenty of options, however, I did notice something missing which didn't affect me as a vegan:

Unlike other cruise lines that we have been on, there were no offerings such as steak, lamb chops, salmon, or lobster. Those are typically included in the dining room on Celebrity ships. Here you had to pay extra for pricier choices. Between starting at $20 + tax and tip.

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My Husband’s Meals

My husband tried a variety of dishes from the dinner menu. There were 5 simple entree choices each night- perfectly adequate. He found the nightly rolls in the bread basket really good.

My husband tried:

• A chicken entree with risotto one night
• Brisket (his least favorite of the 4 meals - it was fatty and not flavored the way he likes)
• Eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti another night
• A pasta dish that we could not remember.

 The standout? The chicken risotto that he genuinely loved.

Meals always began with a soup, individual small salad, and or an appetizers- all were fine but not memorable.

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Vegetarian & Vegan Dining Experience

I typically follow a vegan, gluten-free diet, but when traveling, I often add dairy to make things easier and also to get enough protien.

While the ship offered accommodations for dietary needs such as mine, and were very serious about being sure those with allergies were safe and well taken care of, the choices felt somewhat limited. I could pre-order meals, but it was restricted to modifying items already on the menu which for vegetarians was usually pasta whether Italian or Asian noodles. 

My adapted vegetarian gluten free meals in the main dining room: 

•  baked ziti and steamed veggies on the side
•  Pad Thai 
•  Eggplant parmigiana with pasta 
•  Baked ziti again 

The salads were small, and the only vegetarian appetizer I could eat every night was a slice of bruschetta (served to me on gluten-free bread). I enjoyed it. 

In short: I ate a lot of carbs. I would have liked more beans and legume choices in the main dining room such as chick peas, lentils, etc. That said, dining in such a beautiful setting made the experience enjoyable overall. 

There were other restaurants, such as Indulge,  with better vegetarian choices for me such as guacamole, lentil soups, vegetable bowls with grains and beans, sweet potatoes, Indian Dahls, tofu or tempeh dishes,  but we liked the ambiance of the main dining room and ate in Indulge for lunch. 

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Buffet & Casual Dining Options Lunch and Dinner

After dinner in the main dining room, we often headed to yet another choice- the dinner buffet.  There we were able to build our own large salads from the plentiful 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. 

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 at ate Indulge 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.

Lunch in Indulge from the Planterie Vegan Station

Lemon Lentil Soup with Lunch at Indulge 

Everything was so good, we definitely typically over-ordered—because everything was so good.

Some of the seating in the Indulge Hall 

The Local - Sports Bar

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.

Soft Serve

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. 

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Specialty Restaurants (Extra Cost)

Higher-end dining options that served filet mignon, lamb chops, steak, salmon, sushi, surf and turf, lobster—were available at specialty restaurants which were quite elegant. There were about 6 specialty restaurants.

These came at an additional cost of about $60 per person per meal, plus tax and tip, and did not include alcohol.

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Drinks

We skipped the alcohol package since my husband doesn’t drink. Instead, I bought a bottle of wine (I selected a red blend for $29) on the first night, and the staff stored it and served me a glass each evening with dinner in the diningroom room —simple, reasonable, and perfect.

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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.

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

from their Norwegian Aqua website

Quiet Room- photo from their Norwegian  website

After using the thermal areas, we’d stop at the hydration station for complimentary herbal tea, water, or fresh fruit before heading to the quiet/relaxation room to rejuvenate for an hour.

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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.

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There was so much more to the ship: I'll cover entertainment and facilities in the next post. The review is based on my own experience . I am not being paid to review the ship.

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There were pools that lined the perimeter of the ship with lounges  that was included 

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