Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Liberty vs Norwegian Jade
The Carnival Liberty was built in 2005. It's 1 year older than the Jade, which was built in 2006 and renovated in 2017.
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 Liberty is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 952 feet long and 116 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 13-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Jade, the Liberty is 18% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Liberty holds 24% more passengers than the Jade 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 Liberty has less space per person compared to the Jade.
| Carnival Liberty | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Conquest | Jewel |
| Gross Tonnage | 110,000 | 93,558 |
| Length | 952 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 116 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 13 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,974 | 2,402 |
| Crew | 1,160 | 1,307 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 37 | 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 Liberty has twelve different dining options like The Chef's Table, Mongolian Wok, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, thirteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Jade has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, Sushi Bar, and Teppanyaki. eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Jade might be a better choice. It has 17% more dining options than the Liberty.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Liberty might be a better choice then the Jade. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Liberty | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 14 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 13 | 11 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 8 |
| % of Included Options | 67% | 43% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Liberty has 1 more bar than the Norwegian Jade. The Liberty has 13 bars like BlueIguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar and Versailles Bar. On Liberty, you can grab a drink at 12 different bars such as Java Cafe, Sake Bar and Sugarcane Mojito Bar.
| Carnival Liberty | Norwegian Jade |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Hot & Cool Night Club • Jardin Cafe • Piano Man Bar • RedFrog Rum Bar • SkyBox Sports Bar • The Cabinet Bar • The Stage Bar • Versailles Bar • Victoria Aft Lounge | •Bliss Ultra Lounge • Casino Bar • Great Outdoors Cafe • Java Cafe • Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar • Mixers Martini & Cocktail Bar • Sake Bar • Spinnaker Lounge • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Tankards Beer & Whiskey Bar • The Pit Stop • Topside Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Liberty 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 Jade 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 Liberty and the Jade 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 Liberty has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.
Norwegian Jade has more pools than the Liberty and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Jade. 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 Liberty.| Carnival Liberty | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 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. On the Liberty, 73% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Jade, only 60% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Liberty | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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.
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 Liberty | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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