Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Luminosa vs Norwegian Escape
The Carnival Luminosa was built in 2009. It was renovated in 2022. The Carnival Luminosa originally sailed with Carnival's sister cruise line, Costa Cruises. Because of that, it will have some differences compared to other Spirit-class ships and will be missing some Carnival signature items like Guy's Burger Joint. It's 6 years older than the Escape, which was built in 2015 and renovated in 2019.
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 Luminosa is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 964 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Escape, the Luminosa is 44% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Luminosa holds 47% fewer passengers than the Escape 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 Luminosa has more space per person compared to the Escape. 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.
| Carnival Luminosa | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 92,720 | 165,157 |
| Length | 964 | 1,069 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 179 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,260 | 4,266 |
| Crew | 926 | 1,733 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 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 Luminosa has nine different dining options like The Chef's Table, Pizzeria del Capitano, and Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Escape has ten more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Le Bistro French, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Main Dining Room. ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other sixteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Escape might be a better choice. It has 111% more dining options than the Luminosa.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Luminosa might be a better choice then the Escape. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Luminosa | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 9 | 19 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 10 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 16 |
| % of Included Options | 56% | 16% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Luminosa has 7 fewer bars than the Norwegian Escape. The Luminosa has 9 bars like Atrium Bar, Casino Bar and Ocean Plaza Bar. On Luminosa, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Cellars Wine Bar, Headliners Comedy Club and Mixx Bar.
| Carnival Luminosa | Norwegian Escape |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Altair Nightclub • Atrium Bar • Casino Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • Sunset Bar | •Atrium Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Headliners Comedy Club • Mixx Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Pincho Tapas Bar • Pour House • Prime Meridian Bar • Skyline Bar • Spice H2O • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Haven Bar • Tobacco Road • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Luminosa 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 Escape 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 Luminosa and the Escape 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 Luminosa has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.
Norwegian Escape has more pools than the Luminosa and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Escape. 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 Luminosa.| Carnival Luminosa | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 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. You might up paying more while on board the Luminosa. Only 58% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Escape, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Luminosa | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Luminosa will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Escape.
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 Luminosa | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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