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Carnival Jubilee vs Norwegian Epic
The Carnival Jubilee is a fairly new ship, being built in 2023. The Jubilee is named after the original Jubilee that sailed with Carnival from 1986 - 2004. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships, The Shores, a beach-themed area, and Currents which explores the depths of the ocean. It's 13 years newer than the Epic, which was built in 2010 and renovated in 2025.
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 Jubilee is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 137 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 17-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Epic, the Jubilee is 17% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Jubilee holds 32% more passengers than the Epic 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 Jubilee has less space per person compared to the Epic.
The Jubilee uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Jubilee | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Excel | Epic |
| Gross Tonnage | 182,800 | 155,873 |
| Length | 1,130 | 1,081 |
| Beam/Width | 137 | 171 |
| Passenger Decks | 17 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,400 | 4,100 |
| Crew | 1,700 | 1,724 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 38 |
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 Jubilee has twenty-three different dining options like Bonsai Teppanyaki, Rudi's Seagrill, and Seafood Shack. Of those options, nineteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Epic has six fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are La Cucina Italian, Le Bistro French, and Moderno Churrascaria. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Jubilee might be a better choice. It has 35% more dining options than the Epic.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Jubilee might be a better choice then the Epic. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Jubilee | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 17 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 19 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 14 |
| % of Included Options | 61% | 18% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Jubilee has 1 more bar than the Norwegian Epic. The Jubilee has 17 bars like Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse, The Golden Mermaid and The Watering Hole. On Jubilee, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar, O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill and Starbucks.
| Carnival Jubilee | Norwegian Epic |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Center Stage • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Grand View • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Inks, PH. D • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Marina Bar • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • The Golden Mermaid • The Watering Hole • Tides Pool Bar | •Atrium Bar • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Cascades Bar • Epic Theater Bar • Headliners Comedy Club • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Posh Beach Club • Sake Bar • Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar • Skyy Vodka Ice Bar • Spice H2O • Starbucks • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Jubilee 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 Epic 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 Jubilee and the Epic 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 Jubilee has a total of 6 pools and 7 hot tubs. 2 of the pools 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.
Norwegian Epic has fewer pools than the Jubilee and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Epic. 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 and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Jubilee.| Carnival Jubilee | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 6 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 7 | 13 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 5 |
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 Jubilee, 63% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Epic, only 59% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Jubilee | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bowling Alley | ✗ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Roller Coaster | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Square | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Jubilee will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Epic.
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 Jubilee | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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