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Norwegian Encore vs Carnival Breeze
The Norwegian Encore was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. It's 7 years newer than the Breeze, which was built in 2012.
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 Encore 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 Carnival Breeze, the Encore is 31% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Encore holds about the same number of passengers as the Breeze 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 Encore has more space per person compared to the Breeze. 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 Encore | Carnival Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Dream |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,800 | 128,000 |
| Length | 1,094 | 1,004 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 122 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,998 | 3,690 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 1,386 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 35 |
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 Encore has twenty-three different dining options like The Local, American Diner, and Garden Cafe. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other thirteen options have an additional fee.
The Breeze has one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Captain's Pasta Bar, Carnival Deli, and Cucina Del Capitano. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other seven have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Encore has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Breeze.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Breeze might be a better choice then the Encore. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Encore | Carnival Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 22 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 15 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 13 | 7 |
| % of Included Options | 43% | 68% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Encore has 6 more bars than the Carnival Breeze. The Encore has 16 bars like District Brew House, Observation Lounge Bar and Skyline Bar. On Encore, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Atrium Bar, Liquid Night Club and Piano Bar 88.
| Norwegian Encore | Carnival Breeze |
|---|---|
| •A-List Bar • Atrium Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • Mixx Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Skyline Bar • Social Comedy & Night Club • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar | •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Casino Bar • Limelight Lounge • Liquid Night Club • Piano Bar 88 • Plaza Cafe • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Encore serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. The Breeze serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Encore and the Breeze 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 Encore has a total of 3 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 5 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.
Carnival Breeze has fewer pools than the Encore and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Breeze. 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 are adults only on Encore.| Norwegian Encore | Carnival Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 0 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 0 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 5 | 0 |
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 Encore. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Breeze, 73% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Encore | Carnival Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor gym | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian and Carnival are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. 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 Encore will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Breeze.
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 compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Norwegian Encore | Carnival Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.50 See drink menus | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *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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