I tried Norwegian's and Celebrity's newest cruise ships to see how they compare

There is nothing quite like sailing on a brand-new cruise ship, as you’re able to experience the latest and greatest of what a cruise line has to offer. Similar to driving a brand-new car, everything on a new cruise ship is both fresh and modern.

2023 was a busy year for brand-new cruise ships from some of the biggest names in the cruising world, and I was lucky enough to set sail on two of the most exciting new cruise ships at sea! 

Last month, I was invited to sail on a two-night media cruise onboard Celebrity Ascent. This stunning cruise ship is the newest in Celebrity Cruises’ fleet and the fourth in the Edge Class series.

The day after I disembarked, I boarded the brand-new Norwegian Viva, which is the snazzy new cruise ship from Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian Viva is the second ship to debut in the new Prima Class for the cruise line.

Both of these cruise ships have so much to offer from dining, entertainment, port-intensive itineraries, and stateroom accommodations. Although Celebrity Ascent is classified as a premium cruise ship, there is no doubt that Norwegian Viva rivals a premium experience. Both of these brand-new cruise ships are sleek, innovative, and modern; yet each ship has its own distinct experience.

Sailing back-to-back on the newest cruise ships from Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line provided a unique perspective to see how the two ships stack up against one another. I only had a short time onboard each of these brand-new cruise ships, and I already want to plan more cruises onboard! 

Here’s how the newest ships from Norwegian and Celebrity Cruises compared.

Overview of Ships

To start, I first sailed on Celebrity Ascent for a quick two-night itinerary that was hosted by the cruise line. During this media event, I was able to experience the very best of the new Celebrity Ascent, and she stole my heart! It was a whirlwind cruise with little time to relax, as Celebrity Ascent is packed with amenities, dining options, and entertainment.

Celebrity Ascent debuted for Celebrity Cruises in November 2023. She is the latest ship in the award-winning and trailblazing Edge Class. Holding 3,260 passengers at capacity, Celebrity Ascent clocks in at 140,600 gross tons.

Read more: First look: Inside the brand-new Celebrity Ascent

Immediately following my jam-packed cruise on Celebrity Ascent, I hit the seas again onboard the newest ship from Norwegian Cruise Line on Norwegian Viva. The elegant ship is the second in Norwegian’s Prima Class and follows the success of Norwegian Prima, which debuted in 2022.

Norwegian Viva is similarly sized to Celebrity Ascent, measuring almost identical at 143,535 gross tons. Compared to Celebrity Ascent, Norwegian Viva holds fewer passengers at 3,099 guests at capacity.

Although Norwegian Viva is bigger and holds fewer passengers, I found the ship to feel more crowded. This is a common complaint with Norwegian’s Prima Class, prompting the cruise line to design the upcoming Prima Class ships to be 10% bigger. Of course, a smaller-sized vessel allows for more diverse ports of call since mega ships can run into problems with size restrictions.

Ship Design

(Penrose Atrium on Norwegian Viva)

Norwegian Viva and Celebrity Ascent are both beautifully designed ships that feel very fresh, elegant, and elevated. Both ships have a welcome, warm ambiance onboard, especially compared to mega cruise ships that are double the size. 

Moreover, Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Viva were designed with outdoor spaces in mind to allow guests more opportunities than ever to connect with the sea. On both of these new cruise ships, you can find ample space outdoors to lounge, have a drink, relax, or dine.

(Grand Plaza on Celebrity Ascent)

Comparing the two ships, it’s tough to beat Celebrity Ascent in terms of design. The ship is stunning from bow to stern with immense attention to detail. The entire ship feels like a work of art with its impressive design. From the European-inspired Sunset Bar on the ship’s aft to the Grand Plaza’s brilliant chandelier illuminating the ship’s atrium, Celebrity Ascent is more like a floating boutique hotel than a cruise ship.

Celebrity Ascent’s design facilitated better passenger flow with enough spaces onboard for everyone to relax. There were never any instances where the ship felt overly busy. In fact, many of the public spaces felt extra spacious with ample seating, such as the Oceanview Cafe buffet. With tall floor-to-ceiling windows and an open floor plan, the typically-crowded buffet was bearable.

Read more: I spent 48 hours on the brand-new Celebrity Ascent. Here are 10 reasons I want to go back

(Oceanview Cafe buffet on Celebrity Ascent)

On the other hand, Norwegian Viva’s design had a few more flaws. With so much outdoor space allocated for guests, the indoor spaces felt cramped. The ship is truly packed with bars, lounges, restaurants, and lots - and I mean LOTS - of shops. When most guests retreated indoors in the evenings or during the heat of the day, Norwegian Viva seemed very crowded.

Interestingly enough, Norwegian Viva’s design felt more like an older cruise ship with lower ceilings and a compartment-style design. Many of Norwegian Viva’s popular spots were crowded during peak busy times, such as the theatre during production shows, the pool deck during sea days, and the Surfside Cafe buffet in the mornings.

(Main pool on Norwegian Viva)

Overall, I preferred Celebrity Ascent’s design, including more open spaces and attention to detail. The large pool deck could easily accommodate passengers during a sea day, and none of the popular spaces felt overly cramped during my time onboard.

Dining

(Desserts available at the buffet on Celebrity Ascent)

One of my favorite parts of cruising is enjoying all of the dining options onboard, including both specialty and complimentary. Having subpar food can really dampen a cruise experience for me. Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Viva both offered a multitude of options for complimentary and specialty dining. Considering both ships are nearly identical in size, each have a similar assortment of restaurants, eateries, and cafes.

Both Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Viva have eight specialty dining restaurants onboard, although Viva’s for-fee restaurants are only open for dinner. In addition, most of the specialty restaurants onboard Norwegian Viva are à la carte, whereas Celebrity Ascent has mostly fixed prices (except Raw on 5, which is à la carte pricing).

I only had the option to dine at Le Petit Chef onboard Celebrity Ascent, which was an immersive dining spectacle featuring a tiny, animated chef. While looking at the menus and prices for Norwegian Viva, I was surprised by the higher prices and à la carte menu style. 

(Hudson's dining room on Norwegian Viva)

However, some restaurants were more expensive than others. Perhaps with more time onboard or if I had booked the Free at Sea package, I would have considered splurging on a specialty restaurant.

Comparing complimentary dining options, I was impressed with the dining experiences on Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Viva. Both have many options throughout the ship for both lunch and dinner, although each new ship has unique options that differentiate between the two.

To start, Celebrity Ascent has four main dining rooms, each with its own themed decor. The snazzy ship also has four complimentary casual dining venues, including the Spa Cafe, Eden Cafe, Oceanview Cafe Buffet, and Mast Grill. I’d argue that Celebrity Ascent has one of the best buffets at sea with a wide variety of high-quality cuisine, tall ceilings, and trendy decor.

(Oceanview Cafe seating on Celebrity Ascent)

On the other hand, Norwegian Viva’s buffet, Surfside Cafe, feels like an afterthought for Norwegian. The buffet was far too small for all of the guests onboard to use, creating an overly busy, cramped, and loud environment. We avoided Surfside Cafe for most of the cruise, although we did have breakfast here in the mornings.

In addition to the Surfside Cafe, Norwegian Viva featured two main dining rooms and three complimentary, casual dining venues. These include Local Bar and Grill, Indulge Food Hall, and the Observation Lounge.

(Surfside Cafe buffet on Norwegian Viva)

In my opinion, the Indulge Food Hall on Norwegian Viva is one of the most innovative and efficient dining options on any cruise ship. 

At each table, there is an iPad for guests to order their entrees from a long list of internationally-inspired food stalls, including Indian, barbecue, Asian, and more. 

Within minutes, the entrees were served to our table. Honestly, I was shocked this was a complimentary eatery and I’d consider this restaurant a grand slam with its quick service and excellent food.

Read more: 15 things I loved and hated about Norwegian Viva

(Indulge Food Hall on Norwegian Viva)

I was also impressed with the main dining rooms on Norwegian Viva, which included Hudson’s and The Commodore Club. While the latter is a smaller space, Hudson’s dining room provided nearly panoramic views from the ship’s aft with upscale decor.

Staterooms

(Suite onboard Celebrity Ascent)

Norwegian Viva and Celebrity Ascent have a huge array of staterooms available for guests to book, from cushy suites to affordable inside staterooms. To be frank, comparing my personal experiences will be very difficult since I had a luxurious experience on Celebrity Ascent in a suite compared to a frugal inside cabin on Norwegian Viva.

During my cruise on Celebrity Ascent, I was assigned an Aqua Sky Suite for our two-night media sailing. This was my first suite experience on a premium cruise line, and I was blown away by the top-tier suite. Moving towards the other end of the spectrum on Norwegian Viva, we booked an affordable inside cabin for three guests. Our cabin was considered an Inside Family Stateroom with bunk beds.

While it feels like comparing apples and oranges, I had positive stateroom experiences on both of these brand-new cruise ships; however, each stateroom had its own pros and cons. It was evident that both cruise lines have focused on designing staterooms that are equally functional as they are aesthetically pleasing onboard their newest cruise ships.

(Inside stateroom on Norwegian Viva)

Celebrity Ascent features fully-sized king beds in nearly every stateroom category, which is a distinct feature of the premium cruise line. As such, I slept incredibly well both nights in our Aqua Sky Suite on Celebrity Ascent. The bathroom in our suite was also massive, with a separate toilet area, dual vanity, and shower tub hybrid.

(Aqua Sky Class ensuite bathroom on Celebrity Ascent)

Similarly, I enjoyed our experience on Norwegian Viva when sailing in an inside stateroom. Since I was cruising with two other people, we had to utilize the pullman beds for sleeping. Despite that, we had plenty of space during our four-night cruise with enough drawers, shelving, and closet space. The bathroom was particularly well designed with a very spacious shower - a big improvement from older cruise ship bathrooms.

(Pullman bed in an inside cabin on Norwegian Viva)

Both cabins were beautifully designed with light woodwork, ensuring the staterooms did not feel dark or cramped. I also noticed how each stateroom had more outlets for charging devices than any other ship I’ve sailed on. This was especially appreciated on Norwegian Viva since there were three of us traveling together.

(Ensuite bathroom on Norwegian Viva)

Notably, both of these new cruise ships have upscale and exclusive areas for suite guests, including Norwegian’s Haven and The Retreat on Celebrity Ascent. Think of a cruise ship having its own private resort with especially attentive service, spacious suites, and premium amenities. Both of these suite areas also feature a private restaurant, bar, lounge, and sundeck for guests to utilize during their sailing

One distinct difference between Norwegian Viva and Celebrity Ascent is the number of solo cabins. Norwegian Cruise Line is known for its solo cabin experience, providing guests with access to a Solo Lounge and even organized activities to connect with other solo guests. 

On Norwegian Viva, you can find 73 solo cabins available to book. On the other hand, Celebrity Ascent only has 16 single-occupancy cabins onboard. At the end of the day, Norwegian Viva is the best choice for solo travelers with a specifically curated experience.

Entertainment

(Entertainment in Eden on Celebrity Ascent)

Sailing on a brand-new cruise ship means you will get to experience some of the best production shows from the cruise line. From full-length Broadway musicals to immersive theatrical performances, there should be no shortage of awe-inspiring entertainment on a new cruise ship.

During my cruises on Norwegian Viva and Celebrity Ascent, I was able to see the newest entertainment options from each cruise line, and I was not left disappointed! Both Norwegian Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises are known for their exciting entertainment options, so I was eager to compare the two experiences onboard.

While cruising on Celebrity Ascent, we only had two evenings to cram in as many entertainment options as possible. The stage on Celebrity Ascent, along with all Edge Class ships, is especially innovative. The protruding stage allows for an immersive entertainment experience between the performers and audience members.

(Production show on Celebrity Ascent)

Three new shows debuted on Celebrity Ascent, and I was able to attend two: Awaken and Bridges. These are original production shows from the cruise line and feature singing, dancing, acrobatics, and technological elements. We also peaked into another show in Eden, which was a bit more intimate, interactive, and risqué. I’d love more time onboard to see all of the headliner shows on Celebrity Ascent.

If you’re looking for big-name entertainment and Broadway musicals, Norwegian Viva is the place to be. The brand-new cruise ship is the first to feature Beetlejuice The Musical: At Sea. 

(Beetlejuice The Musical: At Sea on Norwegian Viva)

While I had heard of Beetlejuice, I had never seen the movie or musical before. The 90-minute production was incredible on Norwegian Viva, complete with impressive sets and Broadway-style performers. However, Norwegian Viva seemed to be limited in other entertainment offerings; two evenings did not have any headliner productions.

One of the biggest disappointments on Norwegian Viva was the size of the theatre. While the space can transform into a nightclub in the evening, seating is very limited. Even after arriving 30 minutes before showtime, we had trouble finding seats for three of us to sit together. It was a competitive environment and seat saving was strictly prohibited and enforced! It created a tense environment before the show began.

Lounges and Bars

(Syd Norman's Pour House on Norwegian Viva)

No cruising experience is complete without a drink in hand while watching the sunset! Both of these brand-new ships have more bars and lounges than I can count. There always seemed to be another fun spot to grab a drink on both cruise ships, most with distinct menus and unique designs. It’s tough to declare one cruise ship better than the other, as Celebrity Ascent has 14 different cafes, bars, and lounges onboard while Norwegian Viva has 18 different bars and lounges onboard.

I particularly enjoyed the bar experience on Celebrity Ascent, though. To start, the European-designed Sunset Bar is the perfect place to grab a cocktail and take in the sweeping views of the ocean passing by. This is probably one of my favorite bars on any cruise ship! 

(Cocktail on Celebrity Ascent's Magic Carpet)

The Grand Atrium is also home to a huge Martini Bar, with 20-something martinis on the menu served up with tricks from the bartenders. Finally, the Magic Carpet is one of the most distinct bars onboard, as you can enjoy unparalleled views off the side of the ship.

Norwegian Viva has a few more bars and lounges onboard compared to Celebrity Ascent. I was surprised by how many bars and lounges were onboard, each with its own unique ambiance. In particular, Norwegian Viva has many outdoor bars and lounges for guests to enjoy.

(Soleil Bar on Norwegian Viva)

When it comes to onboard drinking, many guests on Norwegian’s ships pay for the Free at Sea open bar add-on. As such, you will not find any shortage of bars onboard to grab a cocktail. In fact, I asked a bartender on my recent Norwegian Star cruise and he said that typically 70% to 80% of guests have a drink package onboard.

Read more: 19 Tips and Tricks about Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package

Innovation, Technology, and Thrills

(Main pool area on Norwegian Viva)

Cruise lines always look for ways to bring bold technology, innovation, and onboard thrills to their newest cruise ships. Comparing Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Viva is a little difficult, as Norwegian’s newest ship caters to a wider demographic. On the other hand, Celebrity Ascent was designed with adults in mind. Regardless, both of these new cruise ships had impressive technology and innovation onboard.

Norwegian Viva has a lot to offer for guests and looks to offer a little bit of something for everyone. When looking at the top deck of Norwegian Viva, you can’t miss the Viva Speedway. This is the largest racetrack from Norwegian Cruise Line, and it takes up a lot of space on the ship’s top deck. In fact, I’d argue that it takes up too much space and leaves little room for the pool.

(The Rush onboard Norwegian Viva)

In addition, Norwegian Viva has two dry slides, called The Rush and The Drop. Although dubbed “The fastest slides at sea,” my own experiences would highly disagree, as the slides were quite slow. There is also one waterslide, called The Wave, which is the cruise line’s first wave waterslide. This experience was a bit more thrilling!

Compared to Celebrity Ascent, Norwegian Viva is a better fit for families or thrill seekers. However, Celebrity Ascent has its own technological advancements and innovations onboard. 

First, the Magic Carpet is an engineering marvel. The cantilevered platform can serve as a bar in the evening on the top deck or be lowered to serve as a tender launch.

(Magic Carpet on Celebrity Ascent)

Because Celebrity Ascent is designed to be a premium adult experience, you won’t find any onboard thrills. Instead, you can find innovative spaces like the Rooftop Garden with real greenery and the transformative Eden space. Additionally, Celebrity Ascent was designed to have the first flex fuel engine that allows the ship to run off three different types of fuel. 

Norwegian Viva and Celebrity Ascent are both modern, innovative cruise ships with so much to offer

(Main pool area on Celebrity Ascent)

It’s important to remember that Celebrity Cruises is a premium cruise line, meaning the onboard experience is catered towards adults. On the other hand, Norwegian Cruise Line is more family-friendly and aims to have something for everyone onboard.

At the end of the day, I have a hard time overlooking Norwegian Viva’s obvious design flaws. The ship felt crowded and cramped during our cruise; this was true even while we were docked in port and opted to stay onboard. Norwegian Viva’s pool deck is far too small with too much space allocated for the Viva Speedway.

However, Norwegian Viva has tons of outdoor space for guests to enjoy during their cruise. With the right climate and itinerary, utilizing the outdoor space could alleviate some of the crowdedness inside the ship. Additionally, guests traveling with children will want to consider the attractions offered by Norwegian Viva that you won’t find on the top deck of Celebrity Ascent.

(Vibe Beach Club on Norwegian Viva)

On the other hand, Celebrity Ascent is part of the award-winning Edge Class series from Celebrity Cruises. The ship’s design feels flawless with so much attention to detail around every corner. There seems to be the perfect ratio of indoor to outdoor space, with enough room for everyone onboard to relax.

Additionally, Celebrity Ascent appears to have more entertainment options compared to Norwegian Viva; however, you won’t find the big-name Broadway shows on Celebrity Ascent like you can enjoy on Viva. Depending on your itinerary, you might be looking for more entertainment options than you will find on Norwegian Viva.

Regardless, both of these brand-new cruise ships are sure to offer incredible vacation experiences. There's nothing quite like sailing on a new cruise ship and experiencing the best of the best from a cruise line!