Carnival Venezia vs Norwegian Aqua

The Carnival Venezia was built in 2019. The Venezia is part of Carnival's "Fun Italian Style" Program. This ship is on loan from sister company Costa cruises. It's similar to Carnival's Vista-class ships, but it has a distinct Italian style. It's 6 years older than the Aqua, which was built in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua will be the 20th ship in the NCL fleet and will debut in March 2025. The Aqua is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet.

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 Venezia is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,061 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 14-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aqua, the Venezia is 13% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Carnival Venezia holds 14% more passengers than the Aqua 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 Venezia has less space per person compared to the Aqua.

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 Venezia has 20 different dining options like Bonsai Teppanyaki, Bonsai Sushi, and Seafood Shack. Of those options, 13 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.

The Aqua has 3 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, Nama, and Hasuki. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 11 have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Venezia might be a better choice. It has 18% more dining options than the Aqua.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Venezia might be a better choice then the Aqua. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Bars and Drinks

The Carnival Venezia has 4 fewer bars than the Norwegian Aqua. The Venezia has 12 bars like Atrium Bar, Burano Pool Bar and Rococo. On Venezia, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Metropolitan Bar, Penrose Bar and Starbucks.

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Venezia 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 Aqua 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 Venezia and the Aqua 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 Venezia has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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 Aqua has more pools than the Venezia and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aqua. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

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 Venezia, 75% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Aqua, only 53% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

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 Venezia will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Aqua.

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.

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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