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Margaritaville at Sea Paradise vs Norwegian Aura
The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was built in 1991. It was renovated in 2026. The Paradise previously sailed under two different names, the Costa Classica and Grand Classica, before being purchased by Margaritaville to launch their new cruise line. It's 36 years older than the Aura, which was built in 2027. The Norwegian Aura is the 21th ship in the NCL fleet and their largest ship yet. It's an evolution of the Prima Class design with 20% more space than the Prima and all new attractions.
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 Paradise is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 722 feet long and 102 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2 football fields, as wide as 1.9 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aura, the Paradise is 69% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Margaritaville at Sea Paradise holds 67% fewer passengers than the Aura 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 Paradise has less space per person compared to the Aura.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Classica | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 52,926 | 172,000 |
| Length | 722 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 102 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 1,308 | 3,952 |
| Crew | 620 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 40 | 44 |
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 Paradise has nine different dining options like Fins Dining, JWB Prime Steakhouse, and Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar. Of those options, seven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other two options have an additional fee.
The Aura has seven more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Hudsons, Hasuki, and The Commodore Room. Six of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Aura might be a better choice. It has 78% more dining options than the Paradise.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Paradise might be a better choice then the Aura. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 9 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 7 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 2 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 78% | 31% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has 9 fewer bars than the Norwegian Aura. The Paradise has 7 bars like 12 Volt Bar, Hemisphere Nightclub and Keys on the Water. On Aura, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Luna Bar, Proof Whiskey Bar and The Haven Bar.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura |
|---|---|
| •12 Volt Bar • 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill • Euphoria • Hemisphere Nightclub • Keys on the Water • License to Chill Bar • Stars on the Water Bar | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Swirl Wine Bar • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • The Bull's Eye Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means 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 Paradise and the Aura 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 Margaritaville at Sea Paradise has a total of 2 pools and 2 hot tubs.
Norwegian Aura has more pools than the Paradise and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aura. 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 Paradise.| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 2 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 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 Paradise. Only 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Aura, 61% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Horizon Park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Midway | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pickleball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tattoo Studio | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Margaritaville at Sea 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 Margaritaville at Sea Paradise will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Aura.
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.
| Margaritaville at Sea Paradise | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $22.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $2.95 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.00 See drink menus | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 64.99 | $28.50 - $32 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $17.99 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 Free 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 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.
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