Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Spirit vs Norwegian Bliss
The Carnival Spirit was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2025. It's 17 years older than the Bliss, which was built in 2018 and renovated in 2024.
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 Spirit 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 Bliss, the Spirit is 47% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Spirit holds 47% fewer passengers than the Bliss based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Spirit has the same amount of space per person as the Bliss.
| Carnival Spirit | Norwegian Bliss | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 168,028 |
| Length | 963 | 1,094 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 136 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,124 | 4,004 |
| Crew | 930 | 1,716 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 42 |
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 Spirit has twelve different dining options like Pizza Pirate, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and Carnival Deli. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other five options have an additional fee.
The Bliss has six more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are La Cucina Italian, The Local, and Main Dining Room. eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other fifteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Bliss might be a better choice. It has 50% more dining options than the Spirit.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Spirit might be a better choice then the Bliss. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Spirit | Norwegian Bliss | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 18 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 11 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 5 | 15 |
| % of Included Options | 58% | 17% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Spirit has 7 fewer bars than the Norwegian Bliss. The Spirit has 10 bars like Alchemy Bar, RedFrog Pub and The Fountain Cafe. On Spirit, you can grab a drink at 17 different bars such as A-List Bar, Mixx Bar and Waves Pool Bar.
| Carnival Spirit | Norwegian Bliss |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Dancin' Dance Club • Deco Lounge • Heroes Tribute Bar • RedFrog Pub • Shanghai Piano Bar • The Fountain Cafe • Versailles Lounge | •A-List Bar • Atrium Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • Mixx Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Skyline Bar • Social Comedy & Night Club • Spice H2O • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Spirit 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 Bliss 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 Spirit and the Bliss 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 Spirit has a total of 3 pools and 2 hot tubs.
Norwegian Bliss has more pools than the Spirit and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Bliss. 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 one of the hot tubs are adults only on Spirit.| Carnival Spirit | Norwegian Bliss | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 2 | 11 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 1 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 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. On the Spirit, 71% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Bliss, only 65% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Carnival Spirit | Norwegian Bliss | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Horizon Park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Spirit will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Bliss.
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 Spirit | Norwegian Bliss | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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