Norwegian Aura bars & entertainment venues are getting a major shake-up. This is part two of our Norwegian Aura series. Check out part one where we cover Norwegian Aura Dining Changes.
Starbucks Isn’t Going Away
If you were worried when we shared Le Bistro was taking over Starbucks’ space, not to fear. Starbucks is still coming to Aura! It just moves to the opposite side of the Penrose Atrium on Deck 7, near Guest Services on starboard.
Norwegian appears to be redesigning the Guest Services space pushing it farther back. That should help keep Starbucks traffic from clogging passenger flow. Additionally, with all of the swaps in this space, the Shore Excursions desk will now sit over with Guest Services.
A Redesigned Penrose Atrium
The Penrose Atrium has generated a lot of complaints on the existing Prima-class ships. Norwegian appears to be addressing many of those on Aura.
The Penrose Bar area is getting a major redesign. Stairways into the atrium are reconfigured. There’s a huge new LED screen and a new seating area, similar to what we’ve seen on Norwegian’s Breakaway-class ships.
The Penrose Atrium Bar itself also looks bigger, including the return of bar-side gaming machines.
On Prima and Viva, the atrium can feel tight. On Aqua and Luna, the casino eats up a lot of atrium space, leaving Penrose Bar feeling cramped. Aura’s redesign looks like it’s turning this into more of an entertainment hub for the ship.
Belvedere Moves
Belvedere is swapping sides, moving to starboard while the retail space there moves to port.
At first, this seems like an unnecessary change. But with Onda moving into the atrium, we suspect it’s another move to improve passenger flow.
Three New Bars
Aura is introducing three brand-new bar concepts.
Day Break Bar sits in the pool area on Deck 18, directly above Waves Pool Bar. The renderings show a large seating area overlooking the pool deck below, a great spot to enjoy a drink while people watching.
A new aft bar on Deck 18 appears where Bullseye Bar sits on several of her sister ships. It looks like a bigger gathering space overlooking the wake. Norwegian hasn’t named it yet, so stay tuned as we’ll have an update in a future post.
A new Infinity Beach Bar is being added outside on starboard. This should help spread passengers out instead of funneling everyone toward The Local Bar. We’re really excited for this addition as a second outdoor bar has been sorely missed.
The Local Bar Moves
This is a change you could easily miss. Instead of sitting along the inner wall, The Local Bar moves to the outer wall of the main aft walkway.
The new outdoor bar will back up against it, letting the two venues share plumbing and electrical systems. It’s subtle, but exactly the kind of detail that cruise nerds get excited about!
Swirl Wine Bar Gets Bigger
Swirl Wine Bar also looks bigger, with a more open connection to the surrounding space. That could make it easier for Norwegian to host wine classes and other upcharge events.
Metropolitan Bar & Lounge
The Metropolitan Bar and Lounge also appears larger (at least according to the deck plan). But there’s another change we’re noticing across Aura: the expensive Swarovski crystal ceiling appears to be gone, replaced by a more economical finish.
Thirsty for More?
We’re excited for all of the bar changes on board! If you want to see even more about the bar swaps and changes, check out our in-depth look at changes coming to Norwegian Aura on YouTube. We cover everything in this series, and more!
Syd Norman’s Is Replaced!
The theater stays put, but the Syd Norman’s space on Deck 7 is changing. Aura replaces it with Off Key, which sounds like a dedicated piano-bar concept.
That doesn’t mean Syd Norman’s entertainment disappears entirely. Norwegian has already been shifting some of that programming into the main theater fleet-wide, so some of it may live on elsewhere.
The Observation Lounge Mystery
The current deck plans show the arcade disappearing, replaced by what would be the largest Observation Lounge in the fleet. We’re skeptical. In fact, we think this might just be a copy-and-paste error on the deck plan, so don’t treat this one as confirmed.
The Midway Returns
Theater Shows
The Midway concept from Norwegian Luna is coming back, with what looks like a bigger footprint and more intentional design. We’re curious whether that makes it more appealing this time around.
Norwegian hasn’t released the full entertainment line up for Norwegian Aura yet. But don’t worry; we’ll do a full video on the additional entertainment offerings as soon as they announce the lineup! If you haven’t already, be sure to head over to YouTube and turn on notifications.
What do you think is the best change/update to Norwegian Aura bars & entertainment? Let us know in the comments below.
Next in the series: Ocean Heights, the new waterslides, and everything for families.