Norwegian Luna Day by Day: A First Sailing in The Haven
One thing I’ve quickly learned when travelling on (and writing about) ships is the importance of always knowing which side is which - when facing forward towards the bow, port is the left side and starboard the right, with forward referring to the front and aft to the rear. To remember which side is which, port has four letters as does left, so that’s an easy way to remember. On this cruise, my Penthouse Suite is on the port side, mid-ship towards the aft, on deck 15.
I have already written about my full trip itinerary which you can find here, and I’ve already written about my initial Day 1 impressions here - this covers everything from boarding in Miami and first impressions of the ship, through to my Haven suite, dining experiences and how Norwegian Luna is laid out deck by deck.
When I complete the full review, I will also be writing about the whole experience from start to finish, including the booking and pre-cruise process, embarkation in Miami, first impressions onboard, a detailed look at The Haven suite, dining across both speciality and complimentary venues, bars and lounges, wellness and fitness facilities, entertainment and onboard atmosphere, shore experiences, service levels throughout the ship, and finally the overall journey through to disembarkation and whether Norwegian Luna is truly worth it.
In the meantime, here is a quick day by day summary to give you an idea of what cruising life can be like on board Norwegian Luna.
Day 1 – Embarkation in Miami & First Impressions of The Haven
The embarkation process at Miami was quick and efficient, once I actually got to the port terminal with the complete disorganisation of how the port authorities were managing traffic. Norwegian uses Terminal B, which was spacious and organised well, and exclusive areas for Haven and Suite guests, as well having the upstairs VIP lounge. I didn’t get to use that for long however, realising that passengers were already being escorted on board.
My initial view of The Haven with Norwegian that it wasn’t as exclusive as perhaps I had initially felt in The Retreat on Celebrity’s Xcel launch cruise, BUT it probably wasn’t fair comparison time wise with this being over the Easter and weekend and very much Spring Break for the US. Also, it probably also felt overly busy initially with everyone coming on board heading straight to The Haven. Once things had levelled out, I always found The Haven just that - a haven from the rest of the ship. But the rest of the ship was good too!
Lunch: The Haven Restaurant
Dinner: Surfside Café & Grill
Activities: Thermal Suite, Ship exploration
Day 2 – A Day at Sea: Settling into Life Onboard
As much as it can be interesting (or not as the case may be) to get off the ship and explore new places, I also really enjoy having a Sea Day so it’s all about experiencing the ship - and I do love to try and explore all areas and decks, and to check out as many restaurants and bars as possible.
Having checked out the gym class timetable (and having bought an unlimited week’s class pass) I went to a spin class this morning, which would be one of only two across the whole week (on sea days only) and as it would later transpire, with the Norwegian ship showing the wrong time, I would miss the second one on Friday! There have been very few negatives on board, but having bought the class pass when there were so few classes, was very misleading (and costly).
After breakfast, I literally started on the lowest deck of interest (deck 6) - deck 5 seemed to be guest cabins only, and I saw a bit of industrial deck 4 when embarking and disembarking from the ports (not Miami - which we entered on deck 6). I then worked my way around the lower decks, ending up at the Indulge Food Hall just before noon. I’ve loved all of the food options on board, but as a vegetarian (and being such a geek re things like ordering through iPads etc.) I’ve found Indulge for lunch or dinner really great. It does get busy though, and that first day I realised the best time was to get there maybe 10-15 minutes before the ordering starts in order to secure a table. You then just need to wait until precisely the opening times before the tablets will start accepting orders.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Lunch: Indulge Food Hall
Dinner: Indulge Food Hall
Activities: Spin Class, Thermal Suite
Day 3 – Harvest Caye, Belize: Private Island Experience
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Harvest Caye, but had assumed it would be like one of the other cruise line manufactured islands, and I guess it was. I had booked the only and only off-ship ‘excursion’ - a zipline experience. Although there were so few negative experiences with Norwegian, this was another one. I had assumed the on board app would show anything that had been booked, but when I asked on the first day I was told that anything prebooked did not transfer. Nor too, as I would find out, would either any prebooked spa appointments, or those booked on board, show either. I was so surprised that for such a brand new ship, and technology the way it now is, how paper based everything was. And also the volume of advertising that would come to the suite daily - selling the on board “art”, jewellery, next cruise booking, on board auctions and sales etc.
Anyway, back to what would turn out to be the non-existent zipline booking - when I asked at The Haven Concierge and showed them my confirmation email, they asked if I had the yellow excursion vouchers, which of course I didn’t. I was told to check with the excursions team who were then on dock, but when checking there again I was told there was no booking. I did walk around the island instead, there was a main pool, large beach and a lot of bars, restaurants and ‘local’ shops but it was all a bit tacky - but actually as it would turn out, better than either the port options at Roatan or Costa Maya. Nevertheless, it was still good to walk around for the exercise and daily steps, then appreciating getting back on board to The Haven.
Later in the afternoon, I had my first treatment in the Mandara Spa - a very intensive bamboo massage with a very experienced massage therapist; then some down time again in the Thermal Suite afterwards. The pass for the Thermal Suite for the week was money very well spent - after feeling the same facility on Celebrity Xcel was over used (and it was almost impossible sometimes to tell if a steam room or sauna was already full there as they were so enclosed) on Luna this double height space never felt overly busy. There was such a great choice of steam, saunas, ice and salt rooms; as well as the huge thermal lounge right in the bow of the ship and the hot and cold bubbly pools. One thing, of many, that Norwegian had got right here I would say was the openness of the saunas and salt rooms - there were a choice of three different saunas (clay, charcoal and Finnish) was that they were all glass fronted and along a corridor so it was easy to see how occupied, or not, they were. There were also two good experience showers and of course all of the heated beds throughout. A highly recommended experience, and 10/10 for the design and creativity here.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Lunch: The Local Bar & Grill (main course limited bar menu, dessert in the restaurant)
Dinner: The Haven Restaurant
Activities: Walking, 75 minute Bamboo Massage, Thermal Suite
Day 4 – Roatán, Honduras: Reef, Rainforest & Island Culture
Other than I would find on the last (sailing) day where the waters back to Miami were very slightly (but only slightly) choppier, there was almost no movement on board the ship at all when sailing. It was therefore a nice surprise to wake up to this green hillside view, and what looked like a non-manufactured Caribbean island. From my suite’s location, I couldn’t actually see where the ship was docked too, although I knew we had) but it was only after breakfast and disembarking from deck 4 did I realise that it was a non-dissimilar port experience of a large pool, shops, restaurants and bars - and again all a bit tacky. Once I had braved the barrage of stands and people selling tours (and there were a lot) I navigated through the exit thinking that I would walk to the local town, Coxon Hole. It was described as the “lively heart” of Roatán, BUT in a very local, functional way rather than polished or touristy.
Although again it was good for the daily steps, and good exercise being so hot (so I was glad I was well supplied with water) I felt like I was probably the only ship tourist that had ventured further afoot that the nearest car park to the port, where clearly some passengers had agreed to meet a local guide. As I should have predicted, there was nothing of interest in Coxon Hole, and then it made me realise how the shops at the port itself were actually ok in comparison. Another day though where one of the best things was to get back on board.
Tonight would be my first show in the Luna Theatre, and it was really good - not just the music of The Eagles, but their back story and history too - very highly recommended. I just don’t know what happened to the other advertised show in advance on board, about Fleetwood Mac - once boarded, any sign of this seemed to have disappeared.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Lunch: Indulge Food Hall
Dinner: Surfside Café & Grill
Activities: Lots of walking, Syd Norman’s Presents: A Tribute to Eagles
Day 5 – Costa Maya, Mexico: A purpose-built port with easy access to beaches and Mayan ruins
Costa Maya was another purpose-built cruise port and secure tourist village in Mexico, featuring a large, free-to-use central swimming pool, swim-up bars, numerous shops, and themed cultural attractions. Located near the town of Mahahual, it provides easy access to beaches, Mayan ruins, and diving, making it an all-in-one destination for cruise travellers. The shops were all the same as elsewhere - jewellery, duty free, cosmetics, tourist tatt, drugstores etc. but there was (like elsewhere, but this seemed bigger and more professional) a two-floor open spa building. I opted for reflexology and it was a decent massage, and well-priced.
Walking around though, the pool bar was quite manic as also in the same port at the same time was Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas and MSC’s Seascape, so a busy day. After the massage, and a quick walk around, it was good to get back on board and have my favourite lunch at the Indulge Food Hall. After another treatment in the spa, more time in the Thermal Suite, then the first showing of ELTON - it was a really good evening (great show) followed by a good dinner in another of the complementary restaurants, Hudson’s. This is the same menu as The Commodore Room - not amazing for vegetarians, but the menu board displayed outside did also feature a special option for each day - today it was Eggplant Parmigiana.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Lunch: Indulge Food Hall, with a pre-starter and cocktail at The Local Bar
Dinner: Hudson’s
Activities: The Barber Shop - Groom & Go; ELTON: A Celebration of Elton John
Day 6 – Cozumel, Mexico: Caribbean Shores & Hotel Esencia Escape
This would be a very different day for me, having visited Cozumel before with Celebrity Xcel, I took the chance to visit Hotel Esencia at Riviera Maya, on the Mexican mainland directly across from Cozumel by ferry. I had breakfast early in The Haven Restaurant, and got ready for the 9am ferry. FYI on this, there are three ferry companies, all doing the same routes but at different times and with different services. I opted for Ultramar (based on timing and there being a First Class), but there was also Winjet and Xcaret Ferry too. It’s a good idea to get your tickets in advance online, for ease of convenience at the ports just to scan your barcode ticket, but also to avoid the touts (and indeed my taxi driver) who also wanted to sell me tickets.
There are actually three ports too on Cozumel, the first (nearest to town and ferry port) being Punta Langosta, the second International Pier (SSA) where I had arrived before, and the third and furthest away being Puerta Maya. For convenience, I had hoped the ship would dock at Punta Langosta, a walk to the ferry, but in fact Luna docked at Puerta Maya. Taxis are freely available, just expect a bit of hassle and know the price in advance. After trying to sell me a day trip, then ferry tickets, he was telling me he’d waited in a three hour line just to get a fare to the ferry. The standard taxi fare seemed to be $10 US, and another tip is make sure you have appropriate cash as sometimes taxis (if you only have larger notes) won’t have change!
The ferry worked well, was on time and efficient - I just didn’t realise on the journey across to Playa Del Carmen ferry terminal (and the adjacent Paseo Del Carmen Shopping Mall) that I was sitting in the basic Premium Plus section, and First Class was actually upstairs. Despite having paid for First both ways, I only realised on the return! My day at Hotel Esencia was excellent, and I’ll write up a full separate Trip Report.
Back on board, and actually Puerta Maya the port didn’t seem as bad as some of the others, I took the chance to try out the Observation Lounge for some afternoon tea (or more High Tea maybe as there were some hot options, as well as sandwiches, cookies and scones). I then had the same therapist for a deep tissue massage which was also excellent. Dinner was back in The Haven restaurant, which was good, I just hadn’t appreciated that the menu remained fixed here every night.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Lunch: Out at Hotel Esencia; afternoon tea Observation Lounge
Dinner: The Haven Restaurant
Activities: Deep Tissue Massage 100mins, Thermal Suite, In-room movie (Marty Supreme)
Day 7 – A Final Day at Sea: Dining, Spa & The Haven Experience
Probably the most frustrating start to the day, and only because things didn’t work out as planned. As I said before, there were only two spin classes across the week - Sunday and Friday at 9am. I delayed having breakfast until after the class, and got there (as I thought) at 8:45am to warm up. I did think it was odd that no one else came (but on Sunday there had only been four including me) but at 9am I went into the gym to try and find an attendant. He told me that it was 10am then, and the class was over. With the ship going through a few different time zones, the time would change over at 2am and I knew there was a time change last night. With the Norwegian in-ship app showing the time as 9am, I had assumed that was right, but when I checked with the Haven Concierge they acknowledged that was often wrong, and I should only go by the time on the phone in the suite!
Not only this did this mean I had missed the spin class, I’d also missed breakfast in the Haven. There were later options elsewhere though, and I tried out for the first time breakfast elsewhere - Indulge Food Hall where different stations were set up for breakfast.
If you’re looking for information on the specialty restaurants on board, a good way to check them all out is to visit the reservations desk in Hasuki next to the Whiskey Bar on deck 6. They have all the menus available to view, and also to book restaurant times. For the bulk of the week, I had ignored the speciality options, thinking that it just didn’t make sense to pay an extra fee to have the most limited vegetarian options of any restaurant. That said, I only realised on the second last night that my on board package already included three speciality dining meals - I had already paid the service charge (£20) x three meals. I therefore took the chance to book the Italian speciality option, Onda by Scarpetta for my last night.
Breakfast: Indulge Food Hall (they serve a later breakfast, with a time change issue)
Lunch: Indulge Food Hall
Dinner: Onda by Scarpetta
Activities: A more lazy day, albeit gym session later followed by a final visit to the Thermal Suite
Day 8 – Disembarkation in Miami & Final Thoughts
Breakfast was served in The Haven from 6-8am, and I was to be off the ship by 9am. Priority luggage labels were provided for Haven guests, and as long as you had any luggage outside the suite before 10pm the previous evening, they would be transferred into the cruise terminal for collection there. Haven guests got priority embarkation and disembarkation at some ports, and Miami would be one where Haven guests got escorted directly from the lounge to disembark.
My only other observations would be to withdraw any cash for gratuities before disembarkation day - once you’re in port all of the Casino machines (including the ATM’s) do not work. I had breakfast about 7:30am and The Haven Restaurant was by the far the busiest I’d seen, and then went down to deck 6 about 8:30am where there was a priority queue for Haven guests. It was easy to retrieve my luggage from the Haven priority area, but it was quite manic outside with lots of other passengers getting taxis and Ubers.
Breakfast: The Haven Restaurant
Final Thoughts - Is Norwegian Luna Worth It? A First Sailing Perspective.
Yes, my resounding response is a definite yes. There were a few quirks with the app and pre-bookings, and having such limited spin classes felt like a waste of the unlimited class pass. I wasn’t enthralled by any of the port stops, but this trip was never really about the destinations themselves, but more around the experience of the new Norwegian Luna ship. The facilities on board were excellent, as were all the dining and bar options, and the Mandara Spa and Thermal Suite was way beyond expectations, as were the two shows I saw in the Luna Theatre. All in all a very positive response, and as I’ve said before, The Haven was indeed a haven.
Booking Norwegian Luna & Luxury Cruises with The Private Traveller
If you’re considering Norwegian Luna — particularly experiencing The Haven — getting the booking right can make a significant difference to the overall experience.
From choosing the right suite category and deck location, to understanding what’s genuinely worth paying for onboard, there are a number of small decisions that can elevate a cruise from good to exceptional.
Through my affiliation with Fora Travel, I’m able to offer the same publicly available rates, alongside additional benefits where available — including priority access, onboard credit, potential upgrades, and a more personalised booking experience.
Having now experienced Norwegian Luna first-hand — from embarkation in Miami through to life in The Haven, dining, spa and the day-to-day flow of the ship — I can provide clear, practical guidance on:
Choosing the right Norwegian Luna itinerary
Selecting the best Haven suite for your preferences
When it’s worth upgrading — and when it isn’t
How to make embarkation and onboard life seamless
How Norwegian compares to other premium and luxury cruise lines
Whether you’re planning a Caribbean sailing, a Mediterranean itinerary, or exploring other cruise options, the goal is always the same — to tailor the experience so it works for you, rather than simply following a standard booking.
Start Planning Your Next Cruise
If you’d like help planning your own Norwegian Luna sailing, or any cruise experience:
📩 dave.gillan@fora.travel
🌐 theprivatetraveller.com
Why book with The Private Traveller?
Because the difference isn’t just in the booking — it’s in the detail, the insight, and ensuring the experience feels considered from start to finish.
Step onboard Norwegian Luna for a first look at Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, including a detailed deck guide and an inside experience of The Haven. From Ocean Boulevard to private dining, discover how this “ship within a ship” concept transforms the cruise experience into something far more refined and effortless.