Transatlantic Cruise on Norwegian Viva

Hello, We’re sailing on the Norwegian Viva from Lisbon to Galveston. From what I’ve read on the NCL site, there’s no formal night; is that correct? If so, that’ll lighten the suitcase! 😊 The ship stops in Cabo Rojo in the Dominican Republic, and I haven’t found much info on this stop—it seems to be recent. I’m thinking of just heading to the seaside near the ship, but if you’ve got another **bon plan**, I’m all ears. Same for La Romana: last time we went to Bayahibe Beach, so if you’ve got another idea... Thanks in advance!

Just to confirm, there’s no gala night, white party, or anything like that... I took a cruise on the Viva this summer and on the Prima two years ago...

Thanks. If you know the Viva, what did you think of it? Are there quite a few free activities on board?

Personal review of the NCL Viva cruise in Greece this summer: Positive points: Plenty of staff and they’re charming. The cabin is spacious and well-designed with large closets. You can really spread out at the desk, and there’s plenty of room to move around behind it—something that’s not always the case in balcony cabins. The bed is high, so you can slide your suitcases underneath, and there’s no dust-catching mattress cover. The shower room and the shower itself are perfect. Deck 8 goes all the way around the ship and offers different spaces for walking, relaxing, or eating. On the same deck, there’s a large, original culinary space with a variety of international dishes and a dessert corner. For dinner, there are two restaurants with the same menu. The one with the larger dining room is really beautiful. You can also order steaks and lobster from the à la carte Cagney’s restaurant for a $20 supplement. For teenagers, this ship is ideal. There’s a go-kart track—fun, electric cars so no noise, but the speed is limited. A big game room with headsets for augmented reality (or not), and moving cars—but watch out, everything is extra! There’s also a giant waterslide. For adults, the theater is great, and there are dance classes, especially in the atrium in the late afternoon. But since I only take cruises with a maximum of port stops, I never check out the activities. Negative points: The buffet is undersized and repetitive. Thankfully, there’s a restaurant room and a terrace where you can have breakfast and lunch in peace. Very few people used them, though. The specialty restaurants are expensive, and we found a slight drop in quality compared to our previous cruise on the Prima. There’s a cheaper Italian restaurant that’s very good. No real espressos on the self-service deck or in the grand panoramic lounge. There’s only one Starbucks on Deck 7 or 8—that’s totally insufficient and poorly thought out! On the Prima, if there were strong winds at night, you had to lock the French doors to avoid noise. No issues with that on the Viva. I’ve only done two cruises in the Caribbean and the Antilles, so I don’t know those two ports. Happy cruising

Hi there, I’ll be on this cruise too. When do you arrive in Lisbon? And are you leaving from Houston afterward?

Thanks so much, It was only today when I checked my spam folder that I saw the latest messages. Since we spend quite a few days at sea, I really appreciate when there are stretching classes, muscle wake-up sessions, or dance activities. I always bring books for a transatlantic crossing, but I’ve had times when I didn’t even open them—it really depends on the ship and the activity leaders. When you mention the terrace for lunch, is it at the buffet or in a restaurant? Thanks again

It’s awesome to have other French folks on this cruise! We’ll arrive in Lisbon the day before and booked an apartment right across from the cruise terminal (Alfama Apartment Service). Did you guys book any shore excursions? Maybe we can continue this chat in a private message 😊

hello we’re also arriving the day before—our flight’s booked with NCL, and we’re staying at an Ibis-style hotel. I’ve booked two beach excursions: one in the Dominican Republic and one in Jamaica. Falmouth seems to have already resumed its port activities. This is our 2nd NCL cruise—nothing like Costa or MSC! ;)

Good evening, Did you book the excursions with NCL? Generally, we don’t go through the ship and handle things on our own. I’ve booked Ponta Delgada, St. Thomas, and La Romana. I didn’t look into Jamaica because I was told the ships wouldn’t go there before December 15th, so I’ll have to look into that. We’ve stayed in Saint Martin several times—both times we were there on a cruise, we just took a water taxi to the beach, but this time the stop is longer, so we’ll see… We don’t like spending a whole day at the beach but love snorkeling. On Costa, you can take a non-alcoholic drink on board—how does that work on NCL? At the end of the cruise, I’m thinking of taking an Uber to Houston—what about you? Have a great evening!

I only took two excursions. St. Thomas will require us to go through immigration—we’ve already stopped there before, same for St. Martin. For La Romana, I was thinking of heading to Bayahibe.

At the end, we plan to spend the day in Galveston, which is a really nice city, and then take an Uber to Hobby Airport where we’ll spend the night. After that, we’re off to Cancun for 3 days before flying back to France.

Hi Nathalie,

Wishing you all the best for 2026—health and some amazing trips! Any chance you could share a little feedback on your NCL cruise to Heaven? 😉

Hi there! Best wishes to you too. I’ll keep that in mind 😄 I’d done quite a few recaps on Facebook 🧳