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Carnival Panorama vs Norwegian Sky
The Carnival Panorama was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. The Panorama is the only cruise ship to have a Sky Zone trampoline park on board. It's 20 years newer than the Sky, which was built in 1999 and renovated in 2019. The Norwegian Sky will leave the fleet in 2026.
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 Panorama is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,055 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Sky, the Panorama is 74% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Panorama holds 100% more passengers than the Sky 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 Panorama has less space per person compared to the Sky.
| Carnival Panorama | Norwegian Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Vista | Sun |
| Gross Tonnage | 133,868 | 77,104 |
| Length | 1,055 | 848 |
| Beam/Width | 122 | 123 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 8 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,008 | 2,004 |
| Crew | 1,450 | 899 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 34 | 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 Panorama has nineteen different dining options like Seafood Shack, Cucina Del Capitano, and Captain's Pasta Bar. Of those options, fifteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Sky has ten fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Le Bistro French, Main Dining Room, and The Great Outdoors. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other four have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Panorama might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Sky.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Carnival Panorama | Norwegian Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 19 | 9 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 15 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 4 |
| % of Included Options | 53% | 56% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Panorama has 5 more bars than the Norwegian Sky. The Panorama has 14 bars like Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse, Heroes Tribute Bar and Tides Pool Bar. On Panorama, you can grab a drink at 9 different bars such as Atrium Bar, Bliss Ultra Lounge and Spinnaker Lounge.
| Carnival Panorama | Norwegian Sky |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • Tides Pool Bar | •Atrium Bar • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Champs Bar • Pinnacle Lounge and Sushi Bar • Spinnaker Lounge • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Local Bar • Topside Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Panorama 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 Sky 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 Panorama and the Sky 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 Panorama has a total of 3 pools and 6 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.
Norwegian Sky has fewer pools than the Panorama and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sky. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Panorama.| Carnival Panorama | Norwegian Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 |
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 Panorama, 65% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Sky, only 57% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Panorama | Norwegian Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Zone | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyride | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Panorama will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Sky.
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 Panorama | Norwegian Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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