Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Encounter vs Norwegian Aqua
The Carnival Encounter was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2026. The Carnival Encounter is a rebranded ship, previously sailing as Star Princess with Princess Cruises and the Pacific Encounter for P&O Australia. It has been brought into the Carnival family and they added things like the HUB app and Camp Ocean, but it missing several key Carnival elements. For example, they charge for pizza outside of lunch hours and there is no complimentary soft serve ice cream or burgers. It's 23 years older than the Aqua, which was built in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua is the 20th ship in the NCL fleet. It's nearly identical to its sister ship which will debut in 2026, the Luna.
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
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Encounter is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 951 feet long and 118 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aqua, the Encounter is 30% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Encounter holds 26% fewer passengers than the Aqua 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 Encounter has less space per person compared to the Aqua.
| Carnival Encounter | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Adventure | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 108,865 | 156,300 |
| Length | 951 | 1,056 |
| Beam/Width | 118 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,636 | 3,571 |
| Crew | 1,100 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 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 Encounter has eleven different dining options like Dragon Lady, Waterfront Restaurant, and Angelo's. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.
The Aqua has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Nama, Hudsons, and Hasuki. 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 Aqua might be a better choice. It has 45% more dining options than the Encounter.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Encounter might be a better choice then the Aqua. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Encounter | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 11 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 6 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 45% | 31% |
| See the options | See the options |
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.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Encounter and the Aqua 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 Encounter has a total of 4 pools and 8 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 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 Aqua has the same number of pools as the Encounter and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aqua. 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? One of the pools are adults only on Encounter.| Carnival Encounter | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 8 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 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 Encounter, 55% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Aqua, only 50% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Encounter | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge Adventure Park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Encounter will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Aqua.
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 Encounter | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.25 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $9.99 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 Free 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 Free 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.
We sailed aboard the Norwegian Aqua
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Aqua. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
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