Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Epic vs Norwegian Dawn
The Norwegian Epic was built in 2010. It was renovated in 2025. It's 8 years newer than the Dawn, which was built in 2002 and renovated 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
Ship Size
The Epic is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,081 feet long and 171 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 3.2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Dawn, the Epic is 90% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Epic holds 75% more passengers than the Dawn 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 Epic has more space per person compared to the Dawn. 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 Epic | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Epic | Dawn |
| Gross Tonnage | 155,873 | 82,250 |
| Length | 1,081 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 171 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,100 | 2,340 |
| Crew | 1,724 | 1,032 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 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 Epic has seventeen different dining options like Moderno Churrascaria, Main Dining Room, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fourteen options have an additional fee.
The Dawn has four fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Le Bistro French, Bamboo, and La Cucina Italian. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other ten have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Epic might be a better choice. It has 31% more dining options than the Dawn.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Dawn might be a better choice then the Epic. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Epic & Dawn
| Restaurant | Norwegian Epic |
Norwegian Dawn |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Bimini Grill | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Shanghai's Noodle Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Great Outdoors | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Posh | ✓ | ✗ | |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Bamboo | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Los Lobos | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spiegel Tent | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Wasabi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Courtyard Grill | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✓ | ✗ | |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Epic has 7 more bars than the Norwegian Dawn.
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bimini Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cascades Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Epic Theater Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gatsby's Champagne Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Headliners Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Java Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Juice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Posh Beach Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sake Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyy Vodka Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Cavern Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside 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 Epic and the Dawn 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 Epic has a total of 5 pools and 13 hot tubs. 2 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 Dawn has fewer pools than the Epic and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Dawn. 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 and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Epic.| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 13 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 5 |
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 Epic. Only 59% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Dawn, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Dawn | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bowling Alley | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Epic will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Dawn.
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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