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Norwegian Bliss vs Norwegian Sun
The Norwegian Bliss was built in 2018. It's 17 years newer than the Sun, which was built in 2001 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 Sun, the Bliss is 115% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Norwegian Bliss holds more than double the amount of people as the Sun 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 Sun. 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 Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Sun |
| Gross Tonnage | 168,028 | 78,309 |
| Length | 1,094 | 848 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 123 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 8 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,004 | 1,936 |
| Crew | 1,716 | 906 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 40 |
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 twenty-eight different dining options like Le Bistro French, The Local, and Q Texas Smokehouse. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other seventeen options have an additional fee.
The Sun has nine fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Topsiders Bar & Grill, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Le Bistro French. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Bliss might be a better choice. It has 47% more dining options than the Sun.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Sun might be a better choice then the Bliss. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Bliss & Sun
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Sun | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Ocean Blue | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Q Texas Smokehouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sports Bar | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✗ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Bliss has 7 more bars than the Norwegian Sun.
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| A-List Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Champs Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| District Brew House | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyline Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Cavern Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Champagne Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Local Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vibe Beach Club Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waves Pool Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windjammer 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 Sun 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 Bliss has a total of 4 pools and 11 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.
Norwegian Sun has fewer pools than the Bliss and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sun. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Bliss.| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 11 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 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. On the Bliss, 59% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Sun, only 50% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Bliss | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Sun.
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 | $7.50 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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