Norwegian Aqua: Official Christening by Eric Stonestreet in Miami

This marks the second high-profile ship christening in Miami within just a few days. On April 9, 2025, the MSC World America was named by actress Drew Barrymore at MSC Cruises' newly opened terminal.

Today's naming ceremony for the Norwegian Aqua will take place at NCL's dedicated cruise terminal in PortMiami. Invited guests, including media representatives and the cruise line's business partners, will attend an event featuring a comprehensive program. The ceremony's highlight will be the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle against the ship's bow by godfather Eric Stonestreet.

Norwegian Aqua's inaugural cruise with paying passengers departing from a US port is scheduled for April 16, 2025, also starting from Miami. This official US service debut was preceded by preview cruises for invited guests and media in European waters. Furthermore, the ship completed a publicly bookable transatlantic crossing that commenced in Southampton on March 28, 2025. This voyage required significant adjustments due to adverse weather conditions. The originally scheduled inaugural US call in Boston on April 4, 2025, was cancelled; the Norwegian Aqua instead arrived in New York City on April 7, 2025. This resulted in an unexpected three-day extension of the voyage for the passengers onboard.

However, these weather-related delays did not impact the subsequent schedule, as no further voyages were planned before the naming ceremony. Norwegian Aqua arrived in Miami, its christening port, ahead of schedule on April 11, 2025. Following a brief excursion at sea yesterday, Saturday, April 12, 2025, the vessel is now securely docked at the pier, awaiting today's ceremony.

Looking ahead, Norwegian Cruise Line plans diverse deployments for Norwegian Aqua departing from various US ports. From April to August 2025, the ship is scheduled for seven-day Caribbean cruises roundtrip from Port Canaveral. Subsequently, from August to October 2025, the vessel will sail from New York City to Bermuda. Norwegian Aqua will spend its inaugural winter season based in Miami, operating week-long Caribbean itineraries.