Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Norwegian Epic vs Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
The Norwegian Epic was built in 2010. It was renovated in 2015. The Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas was built in 2010 and renovated in 2025. Allure of the Seas underwent a $100 million renovation in 2025 where they added water slides, a dry slide, new restaurants, and bars.
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 Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, the Epic is 31% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Epic holds 25% fewer passengers than the Allure of the Seas 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 Allure of the Seas.
The Allure of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Norwegian Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Epic | Oasis |
| Gross Tonnage | 155,873 | 225,282 |
| Length | 1,081 | 1,187 |
| Beam/Width | 171 | 215 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,100 | 5,484 |
| Crew | 1,724 | 2,200 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 42 |
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 La Cucina Italian, The Great Outdoors, 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 Allure of the Seas has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Vitality Cafe, Dog House, and Chops Grille. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Allure of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 29% more dining options than the Epic.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Allure of the Seas might be a better choice then the Epic. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 17 | 22 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 15 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 14 | 13 |
| % of Included Options | 18% | 41% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Epic has 2 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas. The Epic has 16 bars like Bliss Ultra Lounge, Epic Theater Bar and The Cavern Club. On Epic, you can grab a drink at 18 different bars such as Schooner Bar, Suite Lounge and The Lime & Coconut.
| Norwegian Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •Atrium Bar • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Cascades Bar • Epic Theater Bar • Headliners Comedy Club • 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 • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • Waves Pool Bar | •Blaze • Boleros • Casino Bar • Comedy Live • Dazzles • English Pub • On Air Club • Pesky Parrot • Playmakers • Rising Tide Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Lime & Coconut • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout 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. 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 Epic and the Allure 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 Norwegian Epic has a total of 5 pools and 11 hot tubs. 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.
Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas has fewer pools than the Epic and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Allure 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.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Epic.| Norwegian Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 11 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 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 Epic. Only 59% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Allure of the Seas, 82% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bowling Alley | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Square | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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.
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 Epic | Royal Caribbean Allure 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 | $7.50 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.
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.