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Norwegian Encore vs Norwegian Epic
The Norwegian Encore was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. It's 9 years newer than the Epic, which was built in 2010 and renovated in 2015.
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 Norwegian Epic, the Encore is 8% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Encore holds about the same number of passengers as the Epic 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 Epic. 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 | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Epic |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,800 | 155,873 |
| Length | 1,094 | 1,081 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 171 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,998 | 4,100 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 1,724 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 38 |
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 Q Texas Smokehouse, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Main Dining Room. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other thirteen options have an additional fee.
The Epic has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, Moderno Churrascaria, and Wasabi. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Encore has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Epic.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Norwegian Encore & Epic
| Norwegian Encore | Norwegian Epic | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Courtyard Grill | ✗ | ✓ | |
| 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 |
| Onda by Scarpetta | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Palomar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Posh | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Q Texas Smokehouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Shanghai's Noodle Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spiegel Tent | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Wasabi | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Epic both have 16 bars to choose from during your sailing.
| Norwegian Encore | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| A-List Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cascades Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| District Brew House | ✓ | ✗ |
| Epic Theater Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Headliners Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Posh Beach Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Skyline Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyy Vodka Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Encore and the Epic 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.
Norwegian Epic has more pools than the Encore and more hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Encore.| Norwegian Encore | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 11 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 0 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 5 | 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. You might up paying more while on board the Encore. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Epic, 59% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Encore | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bowling Alley | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Square | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Encore will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Epic.
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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