Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Norwegian Encore vs Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
The Norwegian Encore was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. It's 3 years newer than the Ovation of the Seas, which was built in 2016.
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
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
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. It's about the same size as the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Encore holds about the same number of passengers as the Ovation of the Seas 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 Ovation of the Seas. 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 | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Quantum |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,800 | 168,666 |
| Length | 1,094 | 1,138 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 136 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,998 | 4,180 |
| Crew | 1,735 | 1,500 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 40 |
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 23 different dining options like Q Texas Smokehouse, Main Dining Room, and Food Republic. Of those options, 10 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 13 options have an additional fee.
The Ovation of the Seas has 2 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sorrento's Pizza, Windjammer, and Izumi. 12 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 9 have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Encore has about the same number of dining options as the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Ovation of the Seas 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 | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 23 | 21 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 12 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 13 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 43% | 57% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Encore has 6 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. The Encore has 16 bars like Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar, The Local Bar and Waves Pool Bar. On Encore, you can grab a drink at 10 different bars such as Boleros, English Pub and Vintages.
| Norwegian Encore | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •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 | •Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Music Hall • Pool Bar • Schooner Bar • Sky Bar • Solarium Bar • Vintages |
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. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Encore and the Ovation of the Seas 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 Encore has a total of 3 pools and 9 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools are adults only. 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.
The Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Encore and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Ovation of the Seas. 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 Encore | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 4 |
| 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 Ovation of the Seas, 73% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Encore | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bumper Cars | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Indoor Sky Diving | ✗ | ✓ |
| North Star | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian and Royal Caribbean 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 Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas.
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 | Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.00 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $19 to $30 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.
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas
Follow along on our sailing on the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Seattle
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Juneau
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Skagway
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Sitka
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Sea Day
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Victoria
Ovation of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 8 - Debarking in Seattle
6 Hits & Misses of Ovation of the Seas
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.