Tips For Travellers

A few more views of my home for my latest cruise — Norwegian Aqua, photographed here during our call in Bermuda.

Aqua is still a very new ship, having joined the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet in March 2025, with her first guests boarding later that month. She was officially christened in Miami on 13 April 2025, with Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet as her godfather.

She is the first of Norwegian’s Prima Plus Class, an enlarged evolution of Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva. At 156,300 gross tons and 1,056 feet (322 metres) long, Aqua is around 10% larger than those earlier Prima ships. Her official capacity is 3,571 passengers at double occupancy, with a crew of around 1,600.

One thing you certainly can’t miss is the hull artwork. It was designed by artist Allison Hueman, who became NCL’s first major female hull artist. Then high above the ship is probably Aqua’s most talked-about feature: the Aqua Slidecoaster, which combines a waterslide with a rollercoaster-style ride.

I’m staying in The Haven, Norwegian’s ship-within-a-ship suite area, on this trip, but I’ve also been spending plenty of time out around the rest of this very large ship seeing what the experience is like.

And standing ashore in Bermuda really brought home the sheer scale of Aqua. I think the second photo, taken from the Royal Naval Dockyard, does that particularly well!

What do you think of Norwegian Aqua’s design — and especially that hull artwork?

#NorwegianAqua #NorwegianCruiseLine #CruiseShip #Bermuda #Cruising

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1 day ago | [YT] | 163

Tips For Travellers

One of the touches I liked while staying in The Haven on Norwegian Aqua happened late afternoon when a plate of treats gets left in the cabin.

They’ve varied each day, including chocolate-dipped strawberries, handmade chocolates and little cakes and pastries. But a clever move is they arrive with a card saying “Compliments of…” one of the ship’s senior team.

For example, one came from the General Manager, Zafer Dal, another from the Concierge, Dilip John Lope.

Of course, it’s a relatively small thing in the overall Haven experience, but a clever touch to make the premium to stay in The Haven feel different.

And of course, discovering a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for me when I get back to the suite is something I really like!

What little extra or unexpected touch has made you feel particularly well looked after on a cruise?

#NorwegianAqua #TheHaven #NorwegianCruiseLine #CruiseLife #Cruising

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2 days ago | [YT] | 146

Tips For Travellers

I found one! 🦆

If you’ve been cruising recently, you may have come across the slightly curious phenomenon of “cruise ducks” — passengers hiding small rubber ducks around ships for other cruisers to discover.

The idea really took off from around 2018 and has since become a huge cruise-community activity. The ducks usually have a little tag saying which ship and sailing they’re from and who hid them. Finders can keep the duck or hide it again for someone else, and many post their discoveries in dedicated social-media groups.

On Norwegian Aqua, I saw quite a few people actively searching and finding them around the atrium area mostly. Then, while I wasn’t looking at all, I arrived at trivia and found this little fellow sitting on a chair!

It had been hidden by “Noble’s Family”, with the ship and sailing dates written on its tag. The instructions say: “Keep or Hide, YOU Decide!”


The whole cruise-duck craze has become more controversial. Disney Cruise Line asks guests not to hide ducks in public areas or staterooms, while Royal Caribbean has made Central Park on its Oasis- and Icon-class ships a duck-free zone to protect the live plants from people hiding and hunting for them. More recently, Marella has also asked guests not to hide them on their ships.

Supporters see it as harmless fun, particularly for families and children, and something that creates a little community between complete strangers. Critics see lots of little plastic toys being scattered around ships, worry about people putting them where they shouldn’t, point to the disruption or damage that enthusiastic duck hunters can cause, and feel they add to clutter.

Having watched people hunting for them on Aqua, I’m intrigued to know which side you are on.

Cruise ducks: harmless fun that adds something to a cruise, or an irritating trend that you’d rather see disappear?

#CruiseDucks #NorwegianAqua #NorwegianCruiseLine #CruiseTips #Cruising

3 days ago | [YT] | 189

Tips For Travellers

One of the big attractions of staying in The Haven on Norwegian Aqua is having its own private restaurant for Haven guests — away from the much busier dining venues elsewhere on the ship.

There is one rather unusual feature though: the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are exactly the same every single day of the cruise. They do not rotate or change.

That initially sounded rather limiting to me, but the dinner menu in particular has a good range. There are six appetisers, two soups, three salads and nine main courses, including salmon, squid ink pasta, seafood fideuà, scallops, surf and turf, chicken, pork chop, lamb chops and New York strip steak. Plus a selection of sides.

So there is certainly enough choice to work through on a shorter cruise.

These photos show some of what I tried, including the baked crab and shrimp dumplings, followed by surf and turf with lobster tail and filet mignon, and then a rather impressive chocolate dessert.

The food has been good, and I like the quieter, more relaxed Haven restaurant experience. But I do find the decision to serve identical menus every day interesting — particularly when The Haven comes at such a substantial premium and on a longer cruise you could very quickly work your way through everything that appeals to you.

Of course, you can still head out and use Norwegian Aqua’s many other restaurants, including the speciality dining venues, which is presumably part of the thinking.

What do you think? If you were paying the premium for The Haven, would you expect its restaurant menu to change during the cruise?

#NorwegianAqua #TheHaven #NorwegianCruiseLine #CruiseFood #Cruise

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5 days ago | [YT] | 151

Tips For Travellers

Welcome aboard Norwegian Aqua — and this was my home for my 5-night New York to Bermuda cruise: a Category HE Haven Penthouse with Balcony.

The Haven is essentially Norwegian Cruise Line’s luxury “ship-within-a-ship” concept. You’re sailing on a big resort-style ship, but Haven guests get access to a card-controlled area with its own restaurant, lounge, pool/sundeck areas, plus concierge and butler service.

My HE Penthouse sits towards the lower end of the Haven accommodation range. On Norwegian Aqua there are some seriously impressive categories above this, including aft-facing penthouses, two- and three-bedroom suites and Owner’s Suites, right up to a 2,100 sq ft Premier Owner’s Suite.

The HE is much more modest at around 368–418 sq ft including the balcony, sleeping up to three. But as you can see from the photos, it is still a spacious cabin with a king-size bed, sitting area, large TV, balcony and bathroom with a jetted shower. Mine also has L’Occitane toiletries.

Though it uses the description “suite” and “penthouse” rather generously as not sure it is either strictly speaking!

One of the things I’m interested in on this trip is whether paying the large premium for The Haven really does give you the best of both worlds: all the facilities and entertainment of a huge ship like Norwegian Aqua, but with a quieter and more luxurious retreat to escape to.

And, of course, whether I think it’s actually worth what it costs…

Would you pay extra for The Haven, or would you rather spend the money on more cruises?

#NorwegianAqua #NorwegianCruiseLine #NCLHaven #TheHaven #Cruise

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5 days ago | [YT] | 204

Tips For Travellers

There are some cruise sailaways that never get old, and sailing in or out of New York past the Statue of Liberty is definitely one of them for me.

As Norwegian Aqua headed down the Hudson and out towards the Atlantic, there she was — Lady Liberty — and i realised I have been fortunate enough to do this three times this year.

First on Queen Mary 2, then Celebrity Silhouette, and now Norwegian Aqua.

The Statue of Liberty has been welcoming ships into New York Harbor since 1886, and of course for millions of immigrants arriving by sea she became their first great symbol of America and a new life ahead.

Even though today I’m heading in the opposite direction, there is still something rather special about seeing her from the deck of a ship. And with Manhattan gradually disappearing into the distance behind us, it makes for one of cruising’s great sailaways.

What’s your most memorable landmark experience you’ve sailed past on a cruise?

#StatueOfLiberty #NewYork #NorwegianAqua #CruiseTravel #NYC

1 week ago | [YT] | 304

Tips For Travellers

I got an unexpected send-off from New York sailing out on Norwegian Aqua!

As we sailed away from Manhattan Cruise Port, this wonderful little red-and-white boat appeared alongside us, shooting huge arcs of water into the air. It turns out to have a fascinating history.

This is the John J. Harvey, a former New York City Fire Department fireboat that entered service in 1931 and served the city until 1994.

And there’s a poignant part to its story. Although already retired, the John J. Harvey was called back into service after the 9/11 attacks. With water mains around the World Trade Center damaged, it helped pump water at Ground Zero for around 80 hours.

Today the historic fireboat has been preserved and still sails New York Harbor, where its powerful water cannons make for a spectacular sight - as I experienced.

Seeing it putting on this display as we sailed past Lower Manhattan was impressive enough. But seeing One World Trade Center rising directly behind it, knowing the role this little vessel played following 9/11, made the sight rather more meaningful.

Have you ever seen the John J. Harvey while sailing into or out of New York?

#NorwegianAqua #NewYork #Cruise #cruiser

1 week ago | [YT] | 364