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Norwegian Breakaway vs Norwegian Jade
The Norwegian Breakaway was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2018. It's 7 years newer than the Jade, which was built in 2006 and renovated in 2017.
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 Breakaway is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,068 feet long and 169 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 3.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Jade, the Breakaway is 56% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Breakaway holds 65% more passengers than the Jade 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 Breakaway has less space per person compared to the Jade.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway | Jewel |
| Gross Tonnage | 145,655 | 93,558 |
| Length | 1,068 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 169 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,963 | 2,402 |
| Crew | 1,657 | 1,307 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 37 | 39 |
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 Breakaway has 26 different dining options like Main Dining Room, Shanghai's Noodle Bar, and O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill. Of those options, 11 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 15 options have an additional fee.
The Jade has 6 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Teppanyaki, Cagney's Steakhouse, and La Cucina Italian. 11 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Breakaway might be a better choice. It has 30% more dining options than the Jade.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Jade might be a better choice then the Breakaway. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Breakaway & Jade
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Jade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dolce Gelato | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Garden Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Jasmine Garden | ✗ | ✓ | |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Ocean Blue | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Shanghai's Noodle Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Spiegel Tent | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✗ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Pit Stop | ✗ | ✓ | |
| The Raw Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Wasabi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Breakaway has 5 more bars than the Norwegian Jade.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bar 21 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Garden Cafe Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Headliners Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Java Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mixers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Prime Meridian Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyy Vodka Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Syd Norman's Pourhouse | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tankards Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Pit Stop | ✗ | ✓ |
| Topside 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 Breakaway and the Jade 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 Breakaway has a total of 4 pools and 10 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.
Norwegian Jade has fewer pools than the Breakaway and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Jade. 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 Breakaway | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 10 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 1 |
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, 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Breakaway will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Jade.
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 | $109 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 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 free open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at their 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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