Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Epic vs Norwegian Escape
The Norwegian Epic was built in 2010. It was renovated in 2015. It's 5 years older than the Escape, which was built in 2015 and renovated in 2019.
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 Escape, the Epic is 6% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Epic holds about the same number of passengers as the Escape 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 Epic has less space per person compared to the Escape.
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Epic | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 155,873 | 165,157 |
| Length | 1,081 | 1,069 |
| Beam/Width | 171 | 179 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,100 | 4,266 |
| Crew | 1,724 | 1,733 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 39 |
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 23 different dining options like The Great Outdoors, Le Bistro French, and Main Dining Room. Of those options, 8 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 14 options have an additional fee.
The Escape has 3 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are District Brew House, Moderno Churrascaria, and Cagney's Steakhouse. 10 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 16 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Escape might be a better choice. It has 13% more dining options than the Epic.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Norwegian Epic & Escape
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Escape | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Bayamo | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Courtyard Grill | ✓ | ✗ | |
| District Brew House | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| 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 |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Pincho Tapas Bar | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Posh | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Shanghai's Noodle Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Spiegel Tent | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Studio Lounge | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Bake Shop | ✓ | ✓ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Supper Club | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Wasabi | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Escape both have 16 bars to choose from during your sailing.
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pincho Tapas Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Posh Beach Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pour House | ✗ | ✓ |
| Prime Meridian Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sake Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Skyline Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Skyy Vodka Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Cavern Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tobacco Road | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Epic and the Escape 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 Epic has a total of 5 pools and 11 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 2 of the pools and 4 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 Escape has fewer pools than the Epic and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Escape. 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 Epic | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 11 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 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 Epic. Only 59% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Escape, 60% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Epic | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 cheaper than on Norwegian Escape.
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 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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