Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has opened bookings for two new inaugural Mediterranean cruises aboard Norwegian Aura, its newest and largest ship. According to the cruise line, the shipyard expects to deliver the ship earlier than planned, so her first sailing with guests moves forward to 2 May 2027. Until now, her first voyage was scheduled for 21 May.
The two new voyages
- 2 May 2027, 10 days: from Trieste (Italy) to Athens (Piraeus), with calls at Dubrovnik and Split (Croatia), Bar (Montenegro), and Corfu, Santorini and Mykonos (Greece).
- 12 May 2027, 9 days: from Athens (Piraeus) to Trieste, with calls at Rhodes, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu (Greece), Bar (Montenegro), and Split and Zadar (Croatia).
The rest of the first season
On 21 May 2027 the ship will sail a 7-day voyage from Trieste to Barcelona, calling at Valletta (Malta), Salerno and Rome (Civitavecchia). She will then cross the Atlantic in 13 days from Barcelona to Miami.
From June to October 2027 she will sail 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruises from Miami to Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, Tortola and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island in the Bahamas. In winter 2027/28 she will switch to the Western Caribbean, with calls at Roatán, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Harvest Caye, NCL’s destination in Belize.
The ship
Norwegian Aura will be the largest and longest ship in the NCL fleet: about 344 m (1,130 ft) long and around 170,000 gross tons, 10% larger than Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna. On decks 18 to 21 she will have Ocean Heights, an outdoor activity area with NCL’s first side-by-side mat racer slides, a drop slide, a 25 m (82 ft) ropes course, a climbing course and carnival-style games. She will also have the largest pool deck and Vibe Beach Club in the fleet.
On board, NCL will introduce new shows, among them “Whitney: A Celebration of Whitney Houston”, as well as Tamara, its first Indian specialty restaurant, and The Panorama Room, a dining venue included in the fare. At the Mandara Spa, the ship will have what NCL describes as the largest Thermal Suite in the cruise industry and a Sensory Rain Pool, the first at sea.
“The early delivery of Norwegian Aura allows us to welcome guests aboard sooner than expected”, said Marc Kazlauskas, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
