Luna Docked at Stirrup Cay
Is Norwegian Luna Good for Families?
Yes. The Norwegian Luna is very family-friendly. There is plenty to do on the cruise ship that provides value for family members of all ages, and I will cover it in this article. Although there are things to do for all age groups, I believe that the cruise is best suited for ages 35 and up. The Observation Lounge seemed to provide the most value for teens, as it served as a really cool meeting location. My family enjoyed the overall vibe of the ship the most. We sailed with a group of 25 people, and as a group, we really enjoyed the ship. We would sail on the Luna again.
Our Family’s Norwegian Luna Experience
Before we can get into the Norwegian Luna Review, we have to start at the beginning of the journey. We flew from BWI Airport to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Friday, August 7th, and then took an Uber to Miami. We set sail on the Norwegian Luna on August 8th out of the Port of Miami and returned on August 15th. This 7-day cruise included 2 days at sea as well as port stops in Puerto Plata, Republic, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Tortola, and lastly, Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.
Let’s get this part out of the way… We booked this cruise 13 DAYS before its departure. I am glad that we did it, but I definitely do not recommend putting yourself through that type of stress. There were a ton of logistical things that needed to be nailed down before we left.
Because this was a last-minute booking, you can imagine that our options for cabins were slim. When we booked, we booked a family interior cabin which was located on deck 14. This interior room had 2 twin beds that would come together to form a queen-size bed, as well as 2 twin beds that would fold down from the ceiling. On our two prior sailings aboard the Disney Fantasy and the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas, we had a cabin with a balcony.
After booking, we had the option to bid on a room upgrade, so we entered a bid for a balcony room. Two days prior to sailing, we were notified that we won the bid and were then upgraded to a balcony room on deck 13 that would accommodate 4 people. We were in cabin 13122, which was located forward on the port side of the ship.
This was our first time sailing with Norwegian and the reason we selected the Luna is because we were joining a group that had already booked the cruise.
First Impressions of Norwegian Luna
After spending the night in Miami at the Moxy Miami Wynwood hotel, we traveled to the Port of Miami to board the Luna. It was less than five miles away from the hotel. Embarkation was really smooth. Our boarding time was 1 pm, but because we had family and friends who had earlier boarding times, we were able to board with them. When we received our cruise cards, I noticed that we were given the cards for the family that, I guess, cancelled and whose room we were upgraded to. They promptly fixed the mistake, and once our boarding group number was called, we proceeded to board the ship.
Walking on the ship didn’t give me a WOW experience. Don’t take that the wrong way; it’s a beautiful, modern design. It didn’t give GRAND entrance design feels like the Disney Fantasy or Royal Caribbean Harmony. The entrance design was modern/contemporary and immediately gave you views of the main sections of deck 5, 6, and 7.
The Norwegian Luna is part of the Prima class series of ships from the cruise line. It is a big ship, as most new ships these days are, but compared to ships that are in the new line of Icon ships from Royal Caribbean and the new line of MSC ships, I definitely wouldn’t put it at the top of the pack as far as size.
The ship was easy to navigate. It took a couple of days to figure things out like on most ships, but after that, it was pretty smooth. The elevators were pretty fast and moved people around, keeping the crowds from building up, other than the first day and port days.
Norwegian Luna Stateroom Review
Our room category for this cruise was B4, which in Norwegian talk represents a Family Balcony Stateroom. As I mentioned earlier in this article, we stayed in cabin 13122, which is on Deck 13 in the forward section of the ship. Now I will say, the evening we departed Port of Miami and the following day at sea, you could feel the ship moving through the waves. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely was noticeable.
I think this was due to us being located in the forward part of the ship. On our previous sailings, we stayed either towards the rear (aft) of the ship, or we stayed midship, and on those sailings, the movement on the water wasn’t quite as noticeable.
Our cabin featured a queen bed and a sofa/bed. As far as cruise cabins go, it was comfortable for 2 adults and 2 younger teens, but I will say we may look to get a slightly larger room next time if we opt to go with a single cabin. The bathroom was spacious! It had plenty of room to move around. The shower was also comfortable.
The balcony was the balcony. It was what you would expect and featured 2 chairs along with a small table. There were times all 4 of us were on the balcony looking out, and we were comfortable.
Now let’s talk about a major focal point of cabins these days…. POWER. We found that the cabin had plenty of power outlets to plug in the devices. There was a lamp on one side of the queen bed that featured a USB-C outlet as well as a regular USB outlet. There was a regular outlet on the other side of the queen bed. The desk in the cabin featured 2 outlets, one on each side of the desk. There was also an outlet in the bathroom.
Overall, the beds were comfortable. I would offer a bit of a warning with the pull-out couch. They seem to be made for smaller or lighter-framed individuals. It does not have the same amount of cushion as the queen bed, and at a certain weight, I think you start to feel some of the framing of the pull-out couch. Also, they are not meant for taller people.
As far as luggage storage… we really did overpack for this trip, but all of the luggage fit neatly under the queen bed, not causing any issues to the available space in the cabin.
Is a Norwegian Luna Cabin Big Enough for a Family of Four?
Yes, the Norwegian Luna Family Balcony is big enough for a family of four, but let me give you a little more context. As a family of four with two teenagers (a boy and a girl), we were comfortable being inside our cabin. However, I will say, with the sleeper sofa pulled out, it was tough moving around the cabin unless you went one at a time. With the sleeper sofa put away, there is obviously much more room.
The only bottleneck at that point was getting in and out of the bathroom while everyone was getting ready. The bathroom is directly across from the closet area, so there is only space for one person to walk through at a time.
This is something to keep in mind also, depending on the size of your children. I would not recommend a family of four with all full-grown adults. In a pinch, could you do it? Yes, but it would be a tight living space.
Norwegian Luna Food Review
We cannot do a Norwegian Luna Review and not discuss the food. Ok, let’s get into the food. Full disclosure, we didn’t make restaurant reservations at the specialty dinner restaurants; however, we did visit one for dinner, and people within our group did, so I will share some of their experiences as well.
Norwegian Luna Complimentary Dining Restaurants
The Luna offers quite a few complimentary dining options: Hudson’s, The Commodore Room, Surfside Café & Grill, Indulge Food Hall, The Local Bar & Grill.
We spent most of our time eating at the Surfside Café & Grill. It is a buffet and bar far, this was the most popular complimentary dining spot on the ship primarily because of its location (mid-ship) and its proximity to the main pool area. The food options were pretty good. There were some items that were staples there, like burgers, fries, and spaghetti. But they did a good job of switching up the other foods each day of the ship. It opened for breakfast at 6 am and closed a little after 9 pm.
Indulge Food Hall was really nice. When you walk in, it gives the feeling of being in a few different eateries. We ate there one night, and the food was really good. Unlike the Surfside Café, you ordered your food on tablets, and they brought the food to your table. Indulge had several global food stations which offered a variety of food for everyone.
The Local Bar & Grill was the late-night option. They didn’t have too many choices as far as food, but if it was late at night, that was the spot for wings, friends, and a couple of other bites.
Soft Serve Ice Cream is a HIT on any cruise ship, but during our sailing all of the ice cream was created equal. A couple of days into the cruise, the kids were telling us about this one ice cream machine that was much better than all of the other machines. In my mind, I’m thinking, “How?” It’s the same people making it; how can it be different? THEY WERE RIGHT!
There were two soft serve machines at the Surfside Café. I was going to be content with those until I tried the station located right outside of Indulge Food Hall. Saying that it was a night-and-day difference is a strong statement, but it is sort of true. If you compare the machines, the ones at Surfside Café tasted closer to ice milk, while the one located outside of Indulge Food Hall was just how soft serve should be. Maybe it will change from cruise to cruise, but if you like ice cream, you definitely owe it to yourself to try both areas.
Norwegian Luna Specialty Dining Restaurants
At the time of our sailing, Norwegian offered a package that allowed you to pay $120 for your stateroom, and it would give the two adults the option to dine at 3 specialty restaurants ($20 per adult, each meal). If children attended the dinner with you and they ate from the kids’ menu, it was free. If they ordered from the regular menu, it was 50% off your price, so it was $10.
The specialty dining restaurants are: Cagney’s Steakhouse, Onda by Scarpetta (Italian cuisine), Sukhothai, Palomar (Mediterranean and seafood dishes), Los Lobos (Mexican cuisine), Le Bistro (French dining), Hasuki (Japanese grill), and Nama Sushi & Sashimi.
On our last at-sea day, we dined at Los Lobos. They were actually offering a special; we all ate for $20. This special was during certain timeframes, like 5:30 p to 6 p and another one later in the evening. The food was good; I had a nice steak along with tacos as an appetizer. For dessert, I had the coconut tres leches cake, which was really good. I am a coconut fanatic and really enjoyed it.
Some of the people in our party dined at Cagney’s Steakhouse as well as Sukhothai and Nama Sushi & Sashimi. I heard mixed reviews regarding Cagney’s, but EVERYONE raved about Nama Sushi & Sashimi. They talked about that place several times, and one thing they were all pleased with was the quality of the food and the amount that you were served.
Norwegian Luna Activities for Families
There are several things to do for entertainment on board the ship. The biggest attraction had to be the Aqua Slide Coaster. There is really nice gaming area at the top of the ship, deck 18, that has putt putt golf along with table games and the Glow Court for basketball (there is a charge for this).
The Aqua Slide Coaster was fun. The most exciting part of the ride is the actual launch as it pushes you up the slide and into the water tubes. Once you are in the tubes, it is a pretty calm ride, nothing fast at all. Considering that you are on a cruise ship, it’s actually a pretty long ride.
We also got on the side which drops your from deck 18 to deck 8, twisting and turning along the way.
Gaming Area
Gaming Area
The main pool area near the Surfside Café and Grill was a busy spot, especially on at sea days and when it wasn’t raining. People started picking their chairs for the day as early as 6:30 / 7am. We did not get in the pool one time although some of the younger children in our party did enjoy it. I’ve never been a fan of crowded pools PLUS I knew we would be visiting some amazing beaches and pools at the ports that docked (more on those later). There is a lot of seating around the pool.
Entertainment on the Norwegian Luna
Live performances on the ship consisted of an Elton John show, a couple of comedians that that alternated evenings. Quite honestly, this is where I saw a big difference between Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. There is more of a focus on entertainment on Royal Caribbean sailings, than Norwegian.
What is Norwegian Luna Like with Teenagers?
My two teens did not get bored on the ship. While my son enjoyed our cabin as well as his time around the ship, my daughter was on the go all weekend. Now, to provide context, we were sailing with family and close friends so this was a great opportunity to hang out together. My daughter did make a couple of new friends on the ship and they did hang out.
Every few hours, my fatherhood senses would go off and I wanted to make sure the kiddos were ok. That was just a natural instinct. Overall, the ship is safe and they do have safeguards in place to keep the parents mind at ease.
As a family, the cabin was the meetup spot along with the pool area and observation lounge. We shared the internet package (I’ll explain that in a few). It was really clunky because I didn’t feel like paying the $6.99 per day/per device for us to all communicate via text message. But we made it work and when all else failed, we used the room as the meeting point and would leave messages for each other.
Norwegian Luna Wi-fi and Staying Connected
Ok. Let’s talk about this wi-fi situation. It was terrible. Not the connection speeds but how they nickel and dime everything about it. When we set sail, video streaming wi-fi was $39.99 per day/per device, regular wi-fi was $29.99 per day/device, and text messaging internet was $6.99 per day/per device.
By the second day of the cruise, the prices started dropping on the wi-fi rates. On the second day the standard wi-fi price was $18.99. By day three, the price had dropped to $14.99. That’s when I purchased it. For the remainder of the cruise the cost was $80 for the wi-fi.
I only purchased it for one device. My family used that account on their phones to check their emails and messages as well as text each other. Every time someone would log in to use the wi-fi, it would log the other person out of the wi-fi. Like I said, it was clunky, but we made it work. There was no way I was going to purchase it for multiple devices.
The standard wi-fi was terrible for social media and video browsing so I really didn’t bother with it much. When I decided to write the Norwegian Luna review, the wifi discussion was at the top of my list. You don’t necessarily plan to stay connected on a cruise, but if you do have to connect, the experience matters.
Norwegian Luna Fitness Center
I don’t think I can do a Norwegian Luna review without discussing the on board gym. If fitness is your thing, the Pulse Fitness Center on board the Norwegian Luna is a must see. The fitness center has everything you need during your cruise to keep you active and moving towards your fitness goals. One week prior to leaving from the cruise, I started a 50 pushup a day challenge with some of the fellas.
When we arrived on the ship, I knew that I would not be able to do my pushups comfortably in our room with the coach pulled out. I headed to the gym the first day to knock out my pushups and fell in love with the facility. Every day after, with no alarm set, I woke up between 5:50 am and 6 am and headed to the gym. Not only to do my pushups but to get a regular workout done.
The Verdict
The verdict on my Norwegian Luna review is this… it was worth it. There are pros and cons with every ship. Sailing as a family of four (with two teenagers) as well as sailing with a group of friends, I feel like this cruise gave us almost everything we needed.