Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Carnival Pride vs Norwegian Dawn
The Carnival Pride was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2023. The Norwegian Dawn was built in 2002 and renovated in 2016.
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 Pride is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 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 Dawn, the Pride is 8% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Pride holds about the same number of passengers as the Dawn 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 Pride has more space per person compared to the Dawn. 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 Pride | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Dawn |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 82,250 |
| Length | 963 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,124 | 2,340 |
| Crew | 910 | 1,032 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 35 |
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 Pride has 15 different dining options like Bonsai Sushi, Guy's Burger Joint, and JavaBlue Cafe. Of those options, 10 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 5 options have an additional fee.
The Dawn has 4 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sushi Bar, Le Bistro French, and O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill. 9 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 9 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Dawn might be a better choice. It has 27% more dining options than the Pride.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Pride might be a better choice then the Dawn. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Pride | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 15 | 19 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 67% | 53% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Pride has 2 more bars than the Norwegian Dawn. The Pride has 11 bars like Beauties Nightclub, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and The Piazza Cafe. On Pride, you can grab a drink at 9 different bars such as Bimini Bar & Grill, Bliss Ultra Lounge and Juice Bar.
| Carnival Pride | Norwegian Dawn |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • Beauties Nightclub • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Butterflies Lounge • Heroes Tribute Bar • Ivory Piano Bar • Raphael Lounge • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar • The Piazza Cafe | •Bimini Bar & Grill • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Cellars Wine Bar • Gatsby's Champagne Bar • Java Cafe • Juice Bar • Sake Bar • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Topside Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Pride 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 Dawn 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 Pride and the Dawn 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 problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Carnival Pride has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 1 of the hot tubs are adults only.
Norwegian Dawn has fewer pools than the Pride and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Dawn. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Carnival Pride | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
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 Pride, 71% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Dawn, only 60% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Pride | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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.
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 Pride | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $7.75 See drink menus | $6.00 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $59.95 - $69.95 Learn more | $109 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $12.75 to $18.70 per device per day | $12.50 to $25 per device per day |
| *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 free open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at their 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 Carnival Pride
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Pride. 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.
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltimore
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Another Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Half Moon Cay
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Nassau
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Freeport
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Pride
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