Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Aura vs MSC Poesia
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 19 years newer than the Poesia, which was built in 2008 and renovated in 2025. The Poesia will receive a major dry dock refurbishment before its North America debut in May 2026 that will add new venues and Yacht Club cabins with associated areas.
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. Compared to the MSC Poesia, the Aura is 86% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Aura holds 55% more passengers than the Poesia 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 Poesia. 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.
| Norwegian Aura | MSC Poesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Prima Plus | Musica |
| Gross Tonnage | 172,000 | 92,627 |
| Length | 1,130 | 964 |
| Beam/Width | 133 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 13 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,952 | 2,550 |
| Crew | 1,388 | 1,027 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 44 | 36 |
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 Indulge Food Hall, Surfside Cafe, and Hasuki. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Poesia has nine fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Butcher's Cut, Kaito Sushi Bar, Seven of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Aura might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Poesia.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Norwegian Aura | MSC Poesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 7 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 7 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 11 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 31% | 29% |
| See the options | See the options |
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.
There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Aura and the Poesia 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.
MSC Poesia has fewer pools than the Aura and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Poesia. 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 | MSC Poesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | ||
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| 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. On the Aura, 61% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Poesia, only 43% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Aura | MSC Poesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Horizon Park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Midway | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Theater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian and MSC 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 MSC Poesia.
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 | MSC Poesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.99 See drink menus | $9.00 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $28.50 - $32 Learn more | $46 - $85 |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $17 - $27 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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