Norwegian Luna was christened last week during a ceremony at PortMiami, marking the official naming of the second ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Plus Class of vessels.

Featuring largely the same footprint as classmate Norwegian Aqua and Prima Class sister ships Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Luna is certainly extra. It offers elegant but fun public spaces with some stellar new shows, comfortable cabins and 17 restaurants that feature 15 different cuisines.

To help you decide if you’d like to sail on this new ship, here are five things we loved and three that didn’t blow us away.

Hits

New Shows With High Production Value

Norwegian Luna debuted with three new shows, all happening in the main Luna Theater. Each of them is fantastic, employing phenomenal talent; elaborate, high-tech sets, lighting and projections; jaw-dropping costumes; and live music. Here’s a quick rundown.

“Elton”: This isn’t your average tribute show. It combines the best of Elton John’s music – think: “Saturday Night’s Alright (for Fighting),” “Crocodile Rock,” “I’m Still Standing” and others – with iconic costuming that will have passengers singing along and dancing in their seats.

The performance incorporates singing by members of the ship’s cast, as well as dancing to recorded lyrics sung by Elton John himself. Toss in a dozen pianos that decorate the stage, one of which is used by a live pianist, and it’s a compilation you won’t want to miss.

“HIKO: Innovation Meets Wonder”: The word “hiko” means “prince” in Japanese, making it a perfect name for this show, which focuses on a male protagonist. We struggled to find a plot in the performance, which is set to music but has no talking or singing.

However, its visual appeal – laser lights, digital projections, acrobatics, dancing, aerialist performances and a routine set on trampolines – was more than enough to hold our attention.

“Syd Norman’s Presents: A Tribute to The Eagles”: For years, Norwegian ships with Syd Norman’s Pour House (a rock ‘n’ roll-style lounge for intimate performances) have offered “Syd Norman’s Presents: Rumours.”

The wildly popular show – which sees a resident quartet perform the entirety of the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name, interspersed with stories about the band – has since moved to the main theater due to the number of passengers hoping to see it.

On Norwegian Luna, the cruise line has added a similar show as a tribute to The Eagles. Instead of playing one single album, the cast focuses on the band’s biggest hits, including “Heartache Tonight,” “Desperado” and “Hotel California.”

We’d be remiss if we didn’t also mention “LunaTique,” a fourth show, held in the ship’s Improv at Sea comedy lounge. It’s a blend of cabaret and circus-style immersive entertainment set to pop music.

Because it’s open to a limited number of passengers, we were unable to try it on our sailing. However, cruisers who did attend told us it has a bit of a speakeasy vibe. Unlike the other new shows, it costs extra – $45 per person – and includes several themed drinks.

The Aqua Slidecoaster

This fun top-deck attraction, which is free for passengers, combines the initial adrenaline rush of a roller coaster with a decidedly less butterfly-inducing trip down a moderately paced waterslide. Although the slidecoaster made its first appearance on Norwegian Aqua, it’s worth noting as a don’t-miss activity on Norwegian Luna, too.

Passengers board the attraction on Deck 19, where they wait in line to make sure they meet height and weight requirements. They can choose to either ride alone or in the same raft with one other person.

Two rafts launch at the same time, side by side, on dual conveyor belts. They are propelled uphill by mechanical arms at a thrilling speed until they enter the waterslide tubing, at which point it’s a pretty standard ride back down.

Family Areas

Many of NCL’s newest and largest vessels are great at catering to families, as is the case with Norwegian Luna. Returning from other ships in the Prima and Prima Plus Classes are the Glow Court, an interactive light-up sports court with lights and projections that change based on the activity; The Stadium, which features two types of shuffleboard, cornhole, foosball and other games; Tee Time, an interactive for-fee twist on mini-golf; and Moon Climber, which is new to the fleet with Norwegian Luna and features a harness-free enclosed ropes course climbing experience.

For family fun that involves less physical activity and more indoor time, check out the impressively expansive Game Zone. It’s a humongous arcade space on Deck 17, comprising racing games, claw games, pinball, air hockey, virtual-reality simulators and two miniature bowling lanes among its options. Just be prepared to shell out extra to play.

Indulge Food Hall

Call us crazy, but even if money were no object, we’d choose to dine at Norwegian Luna’s complimentary Indulge Food Hall over the onboard specialty restaurants every time. In the space on Deck 8, several food counters and even a faux food truck serve up cuisines that range from Mexican and Indian to Mediterranean and barbecue fare.

But, instead of ordering at each counter and waiting, seat yourself and use your table’s tablet menu to order whatever you’d like. Within minutes, servers appear to deliver your food as it’s ready. We recommend ordering one or two items to start and, if you’re still hungry, ordering more as you go.

Some of our favorites include the guacamole, barbecued chicken plate and grilled saag paneer with garlic naan and vegetable pakora. The best part is it’s all included in your cruise fare.

Great Stirrup Cay

We know this isn’t technically part of the ship itself, but Norwegian Luna’s itineraries through at least the fall of 2026 include calls on NCL’s Bahamian private island, Great Stirrup Cay.

Since 2019, the line has made major improvements to the island, adding the luxurious Silver Cove and, in 2025, the Vibe Shore Club, which is an extension of the exclusive Vibe Beach Club found onboard the line’s ships.

Both offer for-fee adults-only respite from the more family-friendly atmosphere elsewhere on the island, complete with private beach and dining areas, as well as cabana options (some with full bedrooms and air-conditioning, making them suitable for families with kids who can’t miss naptime).

Also recently added was a pier for docking, Splash Harbor kids water play area and the absolutely massive Great Life Lagoon pool. Construction is ongoing, with the island’s Great Tides Waterpark set to open this summer, along with an expanded pier that will ultimately have space for two ships to tie up.

Misses

Luna Midway

New for the line with Norwegian Luna is the Luna Midway, an outdoor area on Deck 18, near The Stadium, which houses a small selection of arcade games like basketball and Bowler Roller. When we think of a midway, we think of lights and noise and a carnival-style atmosphere, but the Luna Midway was quiet and empty when we visited, leaving us feeling a bit disappointed. 

Overall, the space feels almost like an afterthought, with some games looking worn, as though they were pulled from other ships. We’re skeptical that it will see much use, especially when there are other more flashy games elsewhere onboard.

Sukhothai

Sukhothai, a Thai restaurant on Deck 17, first rolled out on Norwegian Aqua. The space is open for breakfast and lunch to accommodate overflow from the nearby Surfside Cafe buffet, but the actual Sukhothai menu items are only served during dinner.

For a cover charge of $50 per person, cruisers can select up to two appetizers, plus one main course and a dessert. We’re normally lovers of Asian food, but we were, unfortunately, underwhelmed by our yellow curry chicken, which featured rubbery dark meat, and our sour-tasting pad thai.

We also heard mixed reviews from others at our table, leading us to decide the experience was just so-so – not the desired outcome, particularly for the price.

For truly delicious Asian and Indian cuisine, head to Indulge Food Hall. The food is free and, oddly, much better.

Crowds

On our special naming ceremony voyage, which wasn’t even at half capacity, Norwegian Luna felt largely uncrowded. It was nice to see that some of the flow issues had been fixed from the Prima Class ships to the Prima Plus Class ones.

However, even with so few people onboard, several of the bars and lounges – particularly those on Decks 6, 7 and 8 in the Penrose Atrium – felt jammed for trivia, live music and other events.

The vessel’s main pool area on Deck 17 also seemed disproportionately bustling on our sole sea day and in the late afternoon after our call on Great Stirrup Cay.

When the ship is sailing full, we suspect sun loungers anywhere near the pool will be at a premium, and passengers will need to show up early for shows and other events and activities in order to snag prime spots and avoid standing-room-only situations.

It started with tea.

Not the kind you absent-mindedly order at a diner and don’t think twice about as you sip until the cup is empty. 

The kind you sit down for, learn about, and share with a stranger from Madison, Wisconsin who you never would have spoken to otherwise.

That conversation at a tea house in Singapore, on day one of a six-day segment aboard Holland America’s Volendam, was the moment I realized this trip was going to be different.

Not because of the ship. Not because of the ports. Because of the people.

I joined the Volendam on day 79 of a 133-day Grand Voyage. The ship had already crossed oceans, made stops on multiple continents, and turned strangers into something closer to a floating community by the time I stepped aboard in Singapore.

I was the newcomer. What I did not expect was how quickly that stopped mattering.

On most cruises, you see people moving about the ship with their heads down and their phones up. They’re checking messages or using the app to plan their day. They are, in a word, distracted by technology. And there is nothing wrong with that. But on this sailing, something was different.

People said hello in the hallway.

Conversations started during sailaway. Nobody was allowing their phone to serve as a wall between themselves and the next person. They were taking photos of sunsets and posting sailaway videos, sure. But when it was time to talk, they were present.

I put my phone away too. Not in my cabin, granted. Just in my pocket. But it stayed a lot longer than usual.

It turns out that is what time spent on a world cruise segment does to you, if you let it.

The People You Meet on a World Cruise Are Not Who You Expect

Take, for example, the woman from Wisconsin. While chatting, she shared that she does variations of world cruises every year, switching between ships and itineraries.

For them, this was not a bucket list cruise. This was just what they have done since retiring from banking. I found that both impressive and quietly inspiring.

During that same shore excursion at a tea house in Singapore, I also met a recently retired nurse from Florida who had boarded in Sydney. Before joining the ship, she checked bungee jumping in New Zealand off her list. But that was only the beginning, as she had a long list of items and intended to work her way around the world, checking them off as she went.

A UK couple in their 70s told me the pandemic rewired how they think about time. They were not waiting anymore. If they wanted to do something, they were doing it. A 133-day grand voyage was not an extravagance to them, but an investment in their lives. It was the decision not to put things off.

And then there was the woman I spoke to in the elevator. She worked in healthcare and had sublet her New York City apartment for four months to fund the voyage. “It’s cheaper than staying home,” she shrugged, backing that up with some pretty solid math to prove her point.

Every one of them had a different reason for being there. None of them fit the profile most people picture when they hear world cruise. 

The Ship Gets Out of Your Way

The Volendam has nine decks. Ten if you count the sun deck. You can walk from one end to the other in a couple of minutes. 

After years of covering mega ships that require a map and a plan just to get to dinner, that simplicity was something I did not know I needed.

The ship runs quiet during the day. Port intensive itineraries will do that. Most guests are off exploring by mid morning, which means the lounges, the library, the Crow’s Nest (my favorite!), and the Ocean Bar are essentially empty until guests begin returning in the late afternoon. 

For me, that was ideal. I am a remote worker, and finding a quiet corner to plow through a few hours of work before the ship pulled into port was never a problem. I noticed I was not the only one. Microsoft Teams meetings were happening in quiet corners and lounges all around the ship.

The only thing that required self control was the food. Something was always available no matter where you went or what time it was. That is both a feature and a problem, depending on how you look at it.

By evening the ship came back to life. There was live music in the Ocean Bar, the Piano Bar was slowly morphing into a gathering place, the World Stage filling with guests to see a super talented electric violinist named Jocelyn Ng.

For a ship of 1,400 guests it covered a lot of ground entertainment wise without ever feeling like it was trying too hard.

The size also made it easy to settle into a routine. Wake up, find a quiet spot, get some work done, head ashore, come back, eat well, catch some live music, and sleep. Repeat. 

By day three it felt completely natural. A day later I was at the future cruise desk, just to see what a longer segment might look like.

That is probably the best endorsement I can give a ship.

Cruising as a Gateway

Cruising has a way of opening doors you did not know you wanted to walk through. A Celestyal Cruises sailing introduced me to Doha, Qatar. I have been back twice.

Holland America’s Eurodam showed me St. John in the US Virgin Islands. I have done three land trips since. Cozumel started the same way. The list now goes on and on.

This segment added Singapore and Halong Bay to that list. I stayed an extra day in Halong Bay after the ship left because I needed to explore more. 

The bay is one of those places that does not fully register until you are standing in the middle of it. (Sunrise is something that might just have the ability to change your life, if only for a few moments.) 

Singapore is already on the return list. It is not that far from Manila, which I know well, so it will happen sooner rather than later.

My Last Morning Onboard

I set my alarm for sunrise as the Volendam made its way into Halong Bay. What I woke up to looked like something out of a Bob Ross painting. If you are over 40, you’ll get the reference. If not, hit up Google.

Limestone karsts (mountains) rising straight out of the water in every direction. The ship threading through them like a needle, turning to port, then to starboard, with the kind of precision that makes you appreciate the river pilot’s knowledge of the local waterway. 

Both sides of the ship had views worth standing for, and I found myself bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball, trying to take in as much as I possibly could.

I was not the only one. The crew had lined up on deck nine to take it in themselves. That is when you know a place is something special. When the people who have traveled the world show up for it.

Six days on a world cruise segment will not scratch the itch. It will just give you a bigger one,… even for an introvert like myself.

Read More: Embarkation Thoughts of Holland America’s Volendam