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Giant new Norwegian Cruise Line ship will sail from Miami

Sept. 18, 2024
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4 min read
Norwegian Luna
Giant new Norwegian Cruise Line ship will sail from Miami
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A giant new Norwegian Cruise Line ship scheduled to debut in 2026 finally has a name — and a future home.

Currently under construction at a Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, the 3,550-passenger vessel will be called Norwegian Luna, Norwegian President David Herrera revealed late Tuesday during a preview event near the shipyard.

It'll sail weekly to the Caribbean out of Miami starting April 4, 2026, he added.

At 156,300 gross tons, Norwegian Luna will be tied as the fifth-largest Norwegian vessel ever built.

It's a sister ship to Norwegian Aqua, another new Norwegian vessel under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera that's scheduled to debut in March 2025.

Both Norwegian Luna and Norwegian Aqua are bigger versions of Norwegian's last two new ships, Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima, that boast new and expanded venues.

Related: The 9 types of Norwegian cruise ships, explained

Among the most notable new venues that will be on both Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna: an epic, first-of-its-kind hybrid roller coaster and waterslide ride to be called Aqua Slidecoaster.

"This is going to be the one feature that people are going to end up talking about the most," Herrera said during the preview event, which included a sneak peek at Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna under construction.

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During the sneak peek, several dozen travel agency leaders and members of the media got a first glimpse of the giant water attraction taking shape at the top of Norwegian Aqua.

Swirling around the superstructure of the vessel, it was an imposing sight with dual blue and aquamarine slides that soared three decks high in places. The attraction, which uses magnets to propel riders on floats forward at thrill ride-like speeds, is billed as the longest and fastest water attraction ever on a cruise ship.

Norwegian Aqua Slidecoaster
A massive new water attraction called the Aqua Slidecoaster takes shape atop the still-under-construction Norwegian Aqua. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY

Like Norwegian Aqua, Norwegian Luna will also feature a digital sports complex, the Glow Court, that is an interactive play zone by day but morphs into a nightclub at night.

As part of the event, Norwegian announced that Norwegian Luna would kick off its inaugural Caribbean season April 4, 2026, with two seven-night Western Caribbean sailings out of Miami to Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Harvest Caye, Belize, the brand’s resort-style destination.

Norwegian Luna will then switch to a series of seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailings out of Miami that feature calls in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas.

Norwegian's Herrera also revealed that the ship's hull art would be designed by Elle, a California-based street artist who also was in Italy for the event and to see Norwegian Luna under construction.

"It's an incredible honor," Elle said after being introduced to attendees. "To be able to see this incredible ship come to life is bigger than my wildest dreams."

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

Featured image by NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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