Norwegian Cruise Line reveals new onboard dining, including first Thai restaurant at sea
Ready your stomachs. Food options on Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, Norwegian Aqua, will include a dedicated Thai restaurant, as well as an eatery that caters to passengers who prefer plant-based diets.
Norwegian is introducing Sukhothai, the first Thai restaurant at sea, featuring new spins on traditional dishes, and Planterie, which will offer a menu of meatless bowls.
Here's everything we know so far about these two new dining options.
Sukhothai, a sit-down restaurant on Norwegian Aqua's Deck 17, plans to whip up Thai favorites, such as cashew chicken, salt and pepper prawns, grilled steak salad, and a number of curries. Its interior, designed to evoke Thailand, will be a mix of modern and traditional, featuring colorful furniture and rice paper pendant lights. You can dine there for an extra fee.
Planterie will be positioned in the ship's Indulge Food Hall. It will cater to anyone looking for meatless meals with selections like the Mediterranean Goddess Bowl, packed with spiced vegetables, tabbouleh and honey-roasted carrots, and the Southwest Bowl, which features smoked tempeh. As with other venues at Indulge, Planterie will offer both indoor and outdoor seating, and the food will be included in the cruise fare.
NCL also announced that Norwegian Aqua will house a new wine bar called Swirl. Despite the venue's upscale nature, its goal is to remain approachable — something the bar hopes to accomplish by offering an extensive list of wines by the glass, as well as more rare and premium vintages. It will be found on Deck 6, between the Whiskey Bar and Hasuki, the ship's hibachi-style eatery. The interior design was inspired by Antelope Canyon in Arizona, featuring warm colors and a serene atmosphere.
"Expanding on our award-winning food and beverage program, we're looking forward to bringing new concepts to life aboard Norwegian Aqua, while continuing to deliver on the variety of available offerings and value that NCL delivers," said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, in a statement.
In addition to the new venues, returning passenger favorites — some with a new twist — include the Metropolitan sustainable cocktail bar, Nama Sushi and Sashimi, the Surfside Cafe buffet, Mediterranean seafood restaurant Palomar, The Local Bar & Grill, Cagney's Steakhouse, main dining rooms Hudson's and The Commodore Room, upscale Italian restaurant Onda by Scarpetta, French eatery Le Bistro, and Mexican restaurant Los Lobos.
Other standout ship features already revealed for Norwegian Aqua include a 10-deck dry slide with a nearly vertical drop, a hybrid waterslide and roller coaster, and Glow Court, a glowing sports court illuminated with LEDs.
The 3,571-passenger ship, which will be the first in the line's expanded Prima Plus Class — a larger version of the Prima Class — is slated for completion in April 2025. For the first four months, the vessel will sail seven-night Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida, near Orlando. The ship will then relocate to New York's Manhattan terminal to sail a brief series of voyages to Bermuda before taking up residence in Miami and returning to Caribbean cruises through the end of 2025.
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