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Norwegian Aura vs Carnival Mardi Gras
The Norwegian Aura is a fairly new ship, being 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. It's 6 years newer than the Mardi Gras, which was built in 2021. The Mardi Gras pays homage to Carnival's first ship, also named the Mardi Gras. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships: The French Quarter, a New Orleans-themed area, and La Piazza, which is dedicated to the Italian heritage of Carnival cabins.
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 Aura is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,130 feet long and 133 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. It's about the same size as the Carnival Mardi Gras.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Aura holds 25% fewer passengers than the Mardi Gras 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 Aura has more space per person compared to the Mardi Gras. 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.
The Mardi Gras uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Norwegian Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Prima Plus | Excel |
| Gross Tonnage | 172,000 | 180,800 |
| Length | 1,130 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 133 | 137 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 17 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,952 | 5,282 |
| Crew | 1,388 | 1,735 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 44 | 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 Aura has sixteen different dining options like The Local, Surfside Cafe, and Nama. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Mardi Gras has seven more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Street Eats, and Bonsai Teppanyaki. Nineteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Mardi Gras might be a better choice. It has 44% more dining options than the Aura.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Mardi Gras might be a better choice then the Aura. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 23 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 19 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 11 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 31% | 61% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Aura has 1 fewer bar than the Carnival Mardi Gras. The Aura has 16 bars like Starbucks, Swirl Wine Bar and The Haven Bar. On Mardi Gras, you can grab a drink at 17 different bars such as Grand View, The Watering Hole and Tides Pool Bar.
| Norwegian Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras |
|---|---|
| •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 | •Alchemy Bar • Bar Della Rosa • Casino Bar • Center Stage • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Fortune Teller Bar • Grand View • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • The Brass Magnolia • The Watering Hole • Tides 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 Aura and the Mardi Gras 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 Norwegian Aura has a total of 4 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 4 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.
Carnival Mardi Gras has more pools than the Aura and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Mardi Gras. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
| Norwegian Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 6 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 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 both ships, 61% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Norwegian Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Horizon Park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Midway | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Roller Coaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian and Carnival 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 Norwegian Aura will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Mardi Gras.
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 Aura | Carnival Mardi Gras | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.25 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.99 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $28.50 - $32 Learn more | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $18.70 to $23.80 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 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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