Families who want the newest NCL ship and lots of outdoor thrills.
Think twice if: Not yet in service; first sailings are in the Caribbean, so no European itinerary is confirmed in the sources read.
See her Europe sailings ↓ · Where is she now? → · Norwegian Cruise Line's page for this ship →
What she's like
A floating resort with the most to do. Expect lines at boarding, the buffet and tender boats. About 45 tons of ship per guest. As a rule of thumb, 40 or more feels roomy and under 30 feels busy.
Unknown from line's site.
Our judgment, from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (ultra-luxury).
Cabin, main dining and buffet, entertainment, kids' clubs. 'Free at Sea' add-on (sold with many fares) gives unlimited drinks for guests 21+, some specialty dining nights, 150 Wi-Fi minutes, and a $50 shore-excursion credit. Gratuities and excursions extra.
Infants must be at least 6 months old on boarding; Splash Academy kids' club and Entourage teen club (adults 18+ not allowed in).
Unknown from pages checked (NCL dress code page not reachable).
Her Europe sailings, May 2027 to May 2027
3 sailings in Europe on the published schedule, 7 to 10 nights. Tap a start port to see how to get from the airport to the ship.
Where they start
- Trieste , 2 sailings how to get there →
- Piraeus (Athens) , 1 sailing how to get there →
What it costs beyond the fare
| Tips for the crew | $20 per person per day; Suites: $25 per person per day; Added to your bill automatically; Amounts found on NCL's India-market terms page (stated in USD); the US service-charge FAQ page returned 404. 20% added to spa, drinks and specialty dining. |
|---|---|
| Drinks package | Unlimited Open Bar comes with Free at Sea promotion; stand-alone price not published on pages checked. 20% service charge on drink purchases. Guests 18+ may drink on round-trip European voyages, but unlimited packages only for 21+. |
| Wifi | 150 minutes included with Free at Sea; package prices not published. |
| Specialty restaurants | Some nights included via Free at Sea; otherwise cover charge plus 20% service charge (price not published). |
| Money on board | USD ('The currency used onboard all Norwegian Cruise Lines International ships is US Dollars.') |
How tipping and money work on a European cruise → · Build a full trip budget →
Her restaurants · 7 included, 8 extra
| Where to eat | Cost |
|---|---|
| The Local Bar & Grill | Included |
| Surfside Café | Included |
| Hudson's | Included |
| The Panorama Room | Included |
| The Haven Restaurant | Included |
| Indulge Food Hall | Included |
| Surfside Grill | Included |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | Extra charge |
| Le Bistro | Extra charge |
| Palomar | Extra charge |
| Hasuki | Extra charge |
| Nama | Extra charge |
| Onda by Scarpetta | Extra charge |
| Sukhothai | Extra charge |
| Tamara | Extra charge |
Which cabin to book, and which to avoid
| Cabin type | Size | Decks |
|---|---|---|
| The Haven Premier Owner's Suite with Large Balcony | 2100 sq ft | 14 |
| The Haven Deluxe Owner's Suite with Large Balcony | 1607-1749 sq ft | 13,15 |
| The Haven Aft-Facing Owner's Suite with Master Bedroom & Large Balcony | 974-994 sq ft | 10,12 |
| The Haven Owner’s Suite with Large Balcony | 541-614 sq ft | 12 |
| The Haven 2-Bedroom Family Villa with Large Balcony | 606-658 sq ft | 13,14,15 |
| The Haven 2-Bedroom Duplex Suite with Large Balcony | 900-904 sq ft | 15 |
| The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony | 830 sq ft | 11 |
| The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Master Bedroom & Large Balcony | 496-599 sq ft | 10,11,12,13,14 |
| The Haven Penthouse with Balcony | 368-418 sq ft | 12,13,14,15,17 |
| Aft-Facing Suite with Large Balcony | 635 sq ft | 9 |
| Aft-Facing Suite with Large Balcony | 448 sq ft | 9 |
| Family Suite with Master Bedroom & Large Balcony | 388 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Forward-Facing Suite with Master Bedroom & Large Balcony | 412-487 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13 |
| Forward-Facing Suite with Large Balcony | 393-434 sq ft | 9,10,12 |
| Family Suite with Master Bedroom & Balcony | 480-577 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Forward-Facing Club Balcony Suite with Large Balcony | 358-412 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13 |
| Family Club Balcony Suite | 252-291 sq ft | 9,10,11 |
| Club Balcony Suite | 265-291 sq ft | 9,10,11 |
| Forward-Facing Club Balcony Suite | 241-271 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13 |
| Guarantee Club Balcony Suite | 241 sq ft | 11 |
| Aft-Facing Balcony | 288 sq ft | 9 |
| Family Balcony | 231 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Balcony | 231-358 sq ft | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Solo Balcony | 231 sq ft | 12 |
| Guarantee Balcony | 231 sq ft | 9 |
| Family Oceanview | 235-370 sq ft | 5 |
| Large Oceanview with Round Window | 235 sq ft | 5 |
| Oceanview with Round Window | 186 sq ft | 5 |
| Solo Oceanview | 186 sq ft | 5 |
| Guarantee Oceanview | 186 sq ft | 5,6 |
| Family Inside | 160 sq ft | 5,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Inside | 160-263 sq ft | 5,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| Solo Inside | 160 sq ft | 12,14,16 |
| Guarantee Inside | 160 sq ft | 5 |
| Solo Studio | 94 sq ft | 12,13 |
Good to know before you pick
- Solo cabins for one traveler: Solo Balcony on deck 12; Solo Oceanview on deck 5; Solo Inside on decks 12, 14, 16; Solo Studio on decks 12, 13
If you use a wheelchair or walk with difficulty
NCL deck plan marks wheelchair-accessible cabins with icons; no total count is published. Tender boats hold about 100 people and board from a tender platform; wheelchair tender policy not published. Our accessibility guide →
Find your way around
Our own deck plans, drawn from the line's official plan: tap a deck to see it from above, with what's at the front, middle and back of the ship. Use “Find on board” to light up every deck with a pool, a bar or a restaurant. Not to scale.
- Deck 21 , Aura Free Fall
- Deck 20
- Deck 19
- Deck 18 , Aura Midway; Vibe Beach Club
- Deck 17 , Observation Lounge; Aura Game Zone; Waves Pool Bar; Surfside Café; Surfside Grill; The Haven Sundeck
- Deck 16 , The Haven Restaurant; The Haven Bar
- Deck 15
- Deck 14
- Deck 13
- Deck 12 , Studio Lounge
- Deck 11
- Deck 10
- Deck 9
- Deck 8 , Belvedere Bar; Oceanwalk; Onda by Scarpetta; Palomar; Tamara; The Local Bar & Grill; Soleil Bar
- Deck 7 , Starbucks®; Le Bistro; Off Key; Cagney's Steakhouse; Metropolitan Bar; Nama; Hudson's
- Deck 6 , Penrose Bar; The Improv At Sea; Whiskey Bar; The Panorama Room; Hasuki
- Deck 5
What to book, and when
Booking, check-in and reservations
Online check-in should be completed at least 4 days before sailing (lose the option 3 days before). Deposit $250 per person on 7+ day cruises ($100 on 1-6 days); final payment 120 days before sailing. Flights ticketed about 30 days before.
Paying and cancelling
Club Balcony Suite and below: 25% at 119-91 days, 50% at 90-61, 75% at 60-31, 100% at 30 days or less.
Tips for her Europe sailings
Guests 18+ may buy alcohol on round-trip European voyages. Ports can switch from docked to tender for operational reasons.
The ship in numbers
- Cruise line
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Kind of ship
- Mass-market
- Built
- 2027
- Guests
- 3,835
- Guest decks
- 17
- Gross tons
- 172,000
- Length
- 344 m (1,129 ft)
- Class
- Prima Plus Plus (Prima class)
- Sister ships
- Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva
- In Europe 2026–27
- Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean & Greek Isles, Adriatic
Highlights
- NCL's newest and biggest ship, debuting in 2027 (NCL)
- Ocean Heights: a three-story outdoor complex with waterslides and a ropes course (NCL)
- Six waterslides and the Aura Free Fall on deck 21 (NCL)
- First season sails the Caribbean from April 2027 (NCL), not Europe
Sources & what we could not confirm · 10 sources · checked 2026-11
- NCL: Norwegian Aura
- NCL: Norwegian Aura deck plans
- Wikipedia: Prima-class cruise ship (secondary)
- NCL: cancellation fee schedule and terms (US)
- NCL: terms page, India market (service charge amounts)
- NCL FAQ: What is included in Free at Sea
- NCL FAQ: age requirements
- NCL FAQ: smoking
- NCL: before you cruise
- CruiseTimetables.com: Norwegian Aura schedule (independent listing)
- crew, length, beam, flag not published yet
- Wikipedia gives about 172,000 GT for Aura (secondary)
- venue list is pre-launch and may change
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Service charge amounts confirmed only on NCL India-market page
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Dress code
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Wi-Fi and drinks package prices
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Specialty dining prices
- Norwegian Cruise Line: Wheelchair tender policy
- Deck plan: Positions read by text recognition (OCR) from the official per-deck plan images; each image is cropped to its own deck, so forward/mid/aft is relative to that deck's own length, not aligned across decks
- Deck plan: Cabin presence per third inferred from stateroom numbers read on each deck image
- Deck plan: Elevator positions are drawn as symbols and were not read
- Deck plan: Listed on the line's ship page but not located on the plan by text reading: Indulge Food Hall (deck 8); The Humidor Cigar Lounge (deck 6); Swirl Wine Bar (deck 6); Barber Shop (deck 16); Aura Ropes Course (deck 19); The Haven Sundeck & Infinity Pool (deck 16)
- Deck plan: The Aura plan page links its Deck 20 image from a norwegian-aqua folder