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Norwegian Dawn vs Norwegian Aqua
The Norwegian Dawn was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2016. It's 23 years older than the Aqua, which was built in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua is 10% larger than its sister ships. It gets rid of the Race Track and instead has a new Slidecoaster around the funnel. The Aqua is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet.
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 Dawn is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aqua, the Dawn is 47% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Dawn holds 34% fewer passengers than the Aqua 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 Dawn has less space per person compared to the Aqua.
| Norwegian Dawn | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Dawn | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 82,250 | 156,300 |
| Length | 965 | 1,056 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,340 | 3,571 |
| Crew | 1,032 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 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 Dawn has 19 different dining options like Teppanyaki, Sushi Bar, and Main Dining Room. Of those options, 9 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 9 options have an additional fee.
The Aqua has 2 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Commodore Room, Los Lobos, and Hasuki. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 11 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Dawn might be a better choice. It has 12% more dining options than the Aqua.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Dawn might be a better choice then the Aqua. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Dawn & Aqua
| Norwegian Dawn | Norwegian Aqua | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Bamboo | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Bimini Grill | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hasuki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hudsons | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Indulge Food Hall | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Los Lobos | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Nama | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Onda by Scarpetta | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Palomar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Sukhothai | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Commodore Room | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Dawn has 6 fewer bars than the Norwegian Aqua.
| Norwegian Dawn | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Belvedere Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bimini Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gatsby's Champagne Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Improv at Sea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Java Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Juice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Luna Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Metropolitan Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Penrose Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Proof Whiskey Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sake Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Soleil Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Swirl Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Syd Norman's Pourhouse | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Local Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Dawn and the Aqua 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 Dawn has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools 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 Aqua has more pools than the Dawn and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aqua. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Norwegian Dawn | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | ||
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 2 |
| 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 Dawn, 60% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Aqua, only 56% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Dawn | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Golf Simulator | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slidecoaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Dawn will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Aqua.
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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