Norwegian Cruise Line Unveils Viva, Its Next Prima Class Ship

Norwegian Cruise Line on Wednesday gave the first glimpse into Norwegian Viva, the next in its Prima Class of ships following Norwegian Prima.

Viva, which is currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, will reflect many of the features of its sister ship. Viva will come into service at a similar size (965 feet long and 142,500 gross tons) with a similar guest capacity (3,219 guests at double occupancy). Just like Prima is expected to be one of the Norwegian’s most upscale ships to date, Viva will provide a lot of the same with a similar design.

Viva will feature Ocean Boulevard, first revealed for Prima, an evolution of the brand’s The Waterfront. On deck 8, Ocean Boulevard will run 44,000 square feet long, wrapping around the entire deck, and sporting double the space of The Waterfront. Plans also call for Indulge Food Ball and Infinity Beach, another two standout features from Prima, along with the freefall waterslides The Rush and The Drop, and the three-level racetrack Viva Speedway.

Viva will also reflect the look of Prima—Venice-based Italian graffiti artist Manuel Di Rita, commonly known as "Peeta," who also illustrated the hull design on Norwegian Prima is expected to lend his talents to Viva, as well.

And, also just like Prima, Viva is getting an expanded Haven, Norwegian’s ship-within-a-ship concept with 107 suites designed by Piero Lissoni, one of Italy’s most renowned designers.

"Norwegian Viva sets the standard in the premium segment, illustrating our commitment to pushing boundaries in four main areas: wide open space, service that puts guests first, thoughtful design, and experiences beyond expectation. We have taken everything our guests love to the next level with this brand-new class of ships designed with them in mind,” Norwegian president Harry Sommer said.

The ship will debut with a series of sailings in the Mediterranean starting in June 2023, homeporting in Southern European port cities including Lisbon, Venice, Rome, and Athens. Viva will then move to the southern Caribbean for the 2023-2024 winter with sailings from San Juan.

Viva will be the second of six ships to come in the Prima-class, which is Norwegian’s first new class of ships in more than a decade. The class of ships was originally called Project Leonardo by Norwegian and is a long-time coming for the cruise line, revealed almost five years ago.