Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Elation vs Norwegian Luna
The Carnival Elation was built in 1998. It was renovated in 2020. It's 28 years older than the Luna, which was built in 2026. The Norwegian Luna will be the 21st ship in the NCL fleet, debuting in April 2026. The Luna is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet.
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 Elation is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 855 feet long and 103 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.4 football fields, as wide as 1.9 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 10-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Luna, the Elation is 55% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Elation holds 42% fewer passengers than the Luna based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Elation has less space per person compared to the Luna.
| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Fantasy | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 70,367 | 156,300 |
| Length | 855 | 1,056 |
| Beam/Width | 103 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 10 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,052 | 3,550 |
| Crew | 920 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 34 | 44 |
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 Elation has fifteen different dining options like Pizza Pirate, Guy's Burger Joint, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other three options have an additional fee.
The Luna has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Onda by Scarpetta, Surfside Cafe, and The Local. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Luna might be a better choice. It has 13% more dining options than the Elation.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Elation might be a better choice then the Luna. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 15 | 17 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 3 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 80% | 35% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Elation has 7 fewer bars than the Norwegian Luna. The Elation has 9 bars like Casino Bar, Java Blue Cafe and Romeo and Juliet Night Club. On Elation, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Proof Whiskey Bar, Swirl Wine Bar and Syd Norman's Pourhouse.
| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Duke's Piano Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • RedFrog Rum Bar • Romeo and Juliet Night Club | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Swirl Wine Bar • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • TheBull's Eye Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Elation serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Luna serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like 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 Elation and the Luna 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 Carnival Elation has a total of 1 pools and 4 hot tubs.
Norwegian Luna has more pools than the Elation and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Luna. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Elation.| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 1 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 4 |
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. On the Elation, 70% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Luna, only 53% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Slidecoaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Norwegian are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. 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 Carnival Elation will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Luna.
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 compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Elation | Norwegian Luna | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $7.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $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.
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