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If you’re someone who loves to cruise on the bigger mega ships that rival floating cities, you’ll want to choose Icon of the Seas or Carnival Jubilee. Both of these massive cruise ships have everything you could want on a cruise ship; however, be prepared to fight crowds during popular events. Compared to her sister ship, Norwegian Viva is actually designed to be 10% bigger than her sister ship, Norwegian Prima.
Norwegian Cruise Line Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean's crowd is a mix of international travelers and those from North America, including couples, families and singles from all walks of life. You'll find night owls on Royal, too, though the crowd is a tad more upscale than Norwegian. That's partly because Royal Caribbean ships have a higher percentage of lavish, pricey suites on board and attract people who have money to spend to book them. Royal Caribbean seeks to please all travelers with the largest selection of cabin types of any cruise line. The line has everything from tight and inexpensive inside cabins with virtual balconies (sea views delivered via LED screen) and solo staterooms on select ships to two-story loft suites.
I tried the newest ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian. Here’s how they compare
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment on all four of these ships. I was least impressed with the entertainment on Norwegian Viva, although Beetlejuice was fantastic. Although you won’t find any name-brand entertainment on Carnival Jubilee, Carnival has really stepped up its game with its Excel Class ships. Finally, Carnival Jubilee’s ship design is equally as family-focused as Icon of the Seas. Compared to Icon of the Seas, there is certainly less hype and innovation.
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Known for its innovative design and need to add and provide only the latest technology onboard, Royal Caribbean is a force to be reckoned with. One of the most exciting aspects of sailing on a brand-new ship is experiencing the never-before-seen entertainment. As cruise ships get bigger in size, cruise lines are expanding their entertainment offerings thanks to more space and larger crowds to accommodate. In terms of included dining, Norwegian Viva has fewer options to align with her smaller size.
No comparison of Norwegian Cruise Line versus Royal Caribbean is complete without talking about who should take these cruises. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. As a result, it draws far fewer families than most of the vessels mentioned above and caters more to an older crowd of mostly couples.
March Update: Where in the World Are the Norwegian Cruise Line Ships? - Cruise Industry News
March Update: Where in the World Are the Norwegian Cruise Line Ships?.
Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
There are no sea days on these sailings, allowing cruisers to enjoy a new island paradise and the Caribbean’s warm, tropical climate each day. The newest Prima class ship will homeport in San Juan through March of 2024, from which it will offer seven-day roundtrip cruises throughout the Caribbean. Its first voyage of the season began on the evening of December 15, 2023. Both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean offer a multitude of dining options, especially on their newest ships.
Construction Begins on New Royal Beach Club in the Bahamas
Plus, our experienced travel consultants have access to exclusive vacation deals to make sure you get the best value for your time and money. On cruises from the U.S., the crowd is mostly from North America and represents all ages, from kids to seniors. Some adults stay up late partying in the dance club or trying their luck at Norwegian's award-winning casinos. While both lines offer a large selection of games and contests, Norwegian has floating, participatory versions of popular TV shows such as "Deal or No Deal" and "Press Your Luck." Norwegian's Splash Academy (for kids ages 5-12) entertains with creative play, including a Circus School.
Subsidiary Cruise Lines
The bigger Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss all have an 82-cabin solo complex, while two older ships — Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway — have solo areas with 59 cabins. The line's two newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian VIva, have 72-cabin solo complexes spread over two decks. Still, Norwegian Prima isn't necessarily the best Norwegian Cruise Line ship for you. Whether you'll have a better time on one of the other 18 vessels in the Norwegian fleet will depend a lot on the type of traveler you are. Over the years, I've sailed on all but three of Norwegian's 19 vessels, and my personal favorite is Norwegian Prima. I love its stylish design and upscale feel, as well as its wide mix of eateries, bars and entertainment.
Whether it’s Europe or Alaska, Australia or the Greek Isles, if you want to go there, these cruise ships can do it. This is a high-end “resort within a resort” that features a small number of higher-end cabins along with numerous private amenities like pools, lounges, a bar, and restaurant. While Norwegian has its “Free at Sea” offer (more on this below) that can save you money, in general you’ll find that prices on NCL ships are generally more expensive. For example, the cruise line’s drink package is priced at $109 per day, while Royal Caribbean’s varies, but starts around $70 per day.
One evening, the main production show was the game show Press Your Luck while one night lacked entertainment entirely. There’s no doubt that right now Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line offer a lot of similarities and generally appeal to the same sets of passengers. On Norwegian cruises we’ve see very few people with high-status key cards and fewer people in general wearing lanyards that show off the status of their card. One thing to know is that cabins with this perk are more expensive than booking without. As for gratuities, most cabins see a charge of $20 per person, per day with Norwegian (the price is $25 per person, per day for suites). That price is $18 per person, per day for Royal Caribbean, with those in suites paying $20.50.
For children, Royal features an Adventure Ocean program and many other children-centric events. With Norwegian, you’ll find that they have their Splash Academy program and other games and clubs for different ages. Instead, you can enjoy the engineering marvel of the Magic Carpet, which is a cantilevered platform that serves as a top-deck bar in the evening and tender launch during the day. One big difference you’ll find with Norwegian and Royal Caribbean is NCL’s “Free at Sea” offer. Royal Caribbean does offer exclusive areas for high-end suite passengers, but The Haven is a step above. On Royal Caribbean, it’s around $24 (often with discounts for booking early).
Unlike other cruise lines, Norwegian has done away with assigned meal times and tables for guests. Instead, you can choose to have your fill at the buffet or sit down in a dining room whenever you’d like. With so many different companies to choose from — each with its own ships, entertainment, destinations and personality — finding the cruise experience that fits your needs can take some research.
The dress code is whatever you like — dress up for a date night or down for a casual meal in a pub. Both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian have developed their newest ships to be active floating playgrounds with supercharged indoor and outdoor activities for all ages. Royal is tops in its ability to push the envelope, but Norwegian is coming on strong. Norwegian Viva is similarly priced to Icon of the Seas, although you can find more interesting itineraries to both Europe and the Caribbean with Norwegian. Destination-focused cruisers will appreciate the variety of itineraries on Norwegian Viva. This is a great option for families wanting to have diverse itineraries with a kid-friendly approach.
Pick one of the Caribbean regions (Eastern, Western, Southern) for a more in-depth look at a Caribbean cruise with Norwegian. The weather in the Eastern Caribbean Islands are usually around the mid 70 F to high 90 F throughout the year. Always make sure to check ahead of time for island conditions and pack appropriately for your Caribbean cruise. The ships also offer Aqua Parks with exciting dual racing slides, full-size basketball courts, escape rooms, laser tag, minigolf, darts, bowling and ropes courses. New on ships in the line's 3,250-passenger Prima Class are pairs of 10-story freefall thrill slides billed as the fastest at sea.
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