LUXURY ON THE WAVES

FROM A WILD WATER RIDE TO A LUXURIOUS SPA, GOURMET DINING EXPERIENCES TO HIGH ENERGY MUSICAL SHOWS, NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE’S NEWEST LUXURY SHIP - AQUA - TAKES CRUISING TO ANOTHER LEVEL.

- Pallavi Pasricha

After two days of stormy winds that almost blew me off my feet in Lisbon, I am not surprised by the announcement made just a few hours after I stepped onto the world’s newest luxury cruise shipthe Norwegian Cruise Line’s Aqua. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain. Unfortunately, due to the weather we have to change our schedule and dock in Lisbon for a couple of days and skip Rotterdam.”

I have joined the luxury liner’s inaugural five-day cruise from Lisbon in Portugal to Southampton in the UK with a one-night halt at Rotterdam. But I am not particularly disappointed at missing one destination -- after all there is a virtual city on water to explore with new thrills in store such as the world’s first combination of a roller coaster and water slide on sea.

If streets are splashed with colour why not a ship? The first thing that strikes me after I board is the vibrant artwork on the Aqua depicting mythology through abstract and figurative representations of the sea and sky, ruled by goddesses. It is done by Allison Hueman, who is renowned for her graffiti and street art.

ABOARD THE WAVES

My fairly spacious balcony stateroom is done in soft beige with two queen beds and a sofa that can be pulled out to convert into a bed. The chairs on the balcony give visions of lounging with a book in the company of the vast ocean. Luckily I am perched on a high deck, Number 16, which is close to the spa. This is one of the seven categories of staterooms in the ship, which can accommodate about 3500 people.