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Norwegian Bliss vs Norwegian Breakaway
The Norwegian Bliss was built in 2018. It's 5 years newer than the Breakaway, which was built in 2013 and renovated in 2018.
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 Bliss is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,094 feet long and 136 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Breakaway, the Bliss is 15% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Bliss holds about the same number of passengers as the Breakaway 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 Bliss has more space per person compared to the Breakaway. 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 Bliss | Norwegian Breakaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Breakaway |
| Gross Tonnage | 168,028 | 145,655 |
| Length | 1,094 | 1,068 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 169 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,004 | 3,963 |
| Crew | 1,716 | 1,657 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 37 |
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 Bliss has 28 different dining options like Main Dining Room, Teppanyaki, and Cagney's Steakhouse. Of those options, 11 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 17 options have an additional fee.
The Breakaway has 2 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Teppanyaki, Shanghai's Noodle Bar, and Main Dining Room. 11 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 15 have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Bliss has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Breakaway.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Norwegian Bliss & Breakaway
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Breakaway | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Coco's | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Dolce Gelato | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Food Republic | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Garden Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Horizon Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Los Lobos | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Ocean Blue | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Q Texas Smokehouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Shanghai's Noodle Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spiegel Tent | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Raw Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Wasabi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Breakaway both have 17 bars to choose from during your sailing.
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Breakaway | |
|---|---|---|
| A-List Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bar 21 | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| District Brew House | ✓ | ✗ |
| Garden Cafe Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Headliners Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prime Meridian Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Skyline Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyy Vodka Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Syd Norman's Pourhouse | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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. 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 Bliss and the Breakaway 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 Norwegian Bliss has a total of 4 pools and 11 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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.
The Norwegian Breakaway has the same number of pools as the Bliss and fewer hot tubs.
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Breakaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 11 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 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 Bliss. Only 59% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Breakaway, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Breakaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sports Square | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian is a mainstream cruise line. 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 Bliss will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Breakaway.
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 understand what you might spend onboard a Norwegian ship.
| Norwegian | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.00 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $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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