Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Norwegian Joy vs Norwegian Gem
The Norwegian Joy was built in 2017. It was renovated in 2024. The Joy will undergo some renovations in Jan 2024. They'll remove the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality arcade and Laser Tag and add a Thermal Suite and expanded Vibe Beach Club. It's 10 years newer than the Gem, which was built in 2007 and renovated in 2015.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Joy is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,094 feet long and 136 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Gem, the Joy is 79% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Joy holds 59% more passengers than the Gem based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Joy has more space per person compared to the Gem. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Gem | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Jewel |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,725 | 93,530 |
| Length | 1,094 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,802 | 2,394 |
| Crew | 1,821 | 1,070 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 44 | 39 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Joy has thirteen different dining options like Main Dining Room, Food Republic, and American Diner. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Gem has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are La Cucina Italian, Topsiders Bar & Grill, and O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill. twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Joy has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Gem.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Gem might be a better choice then the Joy. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Joy & Gem
| Restaurant | Norwegian Joy |
Norwegian Gem |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| American Diner | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Bali Hai Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Garden Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Orchid Garden Asian Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Food Republic | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Ocean Blue | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Q Texas Smokehouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| The Haven | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Gem both have 16 bars to choose from during your sailing.
| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Gem | |
|---|---|---|
| A-List Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Atrium Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bali Hai Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Corona Cigar Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| District Brew House | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Moderno Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Skyline Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Cavern Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Local Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vibe Beach Club Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waves Pool Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Joy and the Gem below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Norwegian Joy has a total of 3 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 4 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
The Norwegian Gem has the same number of pools as the Joy and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Gem. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Joy.| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Gem | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 1 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Joy. Only 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Gem, 64% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Gem | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Norwegian Joy will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Gem.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Norwegian ship.
| Norwegian | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a More at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the More at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.