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Norwegian Breakaway vs Norwegian Joy
The Norwegian Breakaway was built in 2013. It was renovated in 2018. It's 4 years older than the Joy, which was built in 2017 and renovated in 2024. The Joy will undergo some renovations in Jan 2024. They'll remove the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality arcade and Laser Tag and add a Thermal Suite and expanded Vibe Beach Club.
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 Joy, the Breakaway is 13% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Breakaway holds about the same number of passengers as the Joy 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 Joy.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 145,655 | 167,725 |
| Length | 1,068 | 1,094 |
| Beam/Width | 169 | 136 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,963 | 3,802 |
| Crew | 1,657 | 1,821 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 37 | 44 |
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 American Diner, The Raw Bar, and Garden Cafe. Of those options, 11 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 15 options have an additional fee.
The Joy has 5 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are La Cucina Italian, Ocean Blue, and Le Bistro French. 10 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 11 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Breakaway might be a better choice. It has 24% more dining options than the Joy.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Joy 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 & Joy
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Joy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Dolce Gelato | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Food Republic | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Garden Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| 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 |
| 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 Breakaway has 1 more bar than the Norwegian Joy.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Breakaway and the Joy 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 Joy has fewer pools than the Breakaway and fewer hot tubs.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 0 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 10 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 3 |
| 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. On both ships, 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Joy | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 cheaper than on Norwegian Joy.
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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