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Norwegian Gem vs Carnival Celebration
The Norwegian Gem was built in 2007. It was renovated in 2015. It's 15 years older than the Celebration, which was built in 2022. The Celebration is named after the original Celebration that sailed with Carnival from 1987 - 2008. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships: The Gateway, an area dedicated to travel and Carnival's history, and 820 Biscayne which has a retro-Miami vibe.
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 Gem is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 11-story building. Compared to the Carnival Celebration, the Gem is 49% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Gem holds 55% fewer passengers than the Celebration 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 Gem has more space per person compared to the Celebration. 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.
The Celebration uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Norwegian Gem | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Jewel | Excel |
| Gross Tonnage | 93,530 | 183,521 |
| Length | 965 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 137 |
| Passenger Decks | 11 | 17 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,394 | 5,374 |
| Crew | 1,070 | 1,735 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 39 | 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 Gem has fourteen different dining options like O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill, Teppanyaki, and The Great Outdoors. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Celebration has nine more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship), JavaBlue Cafe, and Miami Slice. Nineteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Celebration might be a better choice. It has 64% more dining options than the Gem.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Celebration might be a better choice then the Gem. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Gem | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 14 | 23 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 19 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 43% | 61% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Gem has 2 fewer bars than the Carnival Celebration. The Gem has 16 bars like Atrium Bar, Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar and Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar. On Celebration, you can grab a drink at 18 different bars such as Bar 820, Limelight Lounge and Tides Pool Bar.
| Norwegian Gem | Carnival Celebration |
|---|---|
| •Atrium Bar • Bali Hai Bar & Grill • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Casino Bar • Corona Cigar Club • Great Outdoors Cafe • Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • Moderno Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Sake Bar • Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar • Spinnaker Lounge • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Topside Bar | •Alchemy Bar • Aquaria • Bar 820 • Casino Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Golden Jubilee • Guy's Pig and Anchor Brewhouse • Havana Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Latitudes • Limelight Lounge • Piano Bar 88 • Punchliner Comedy Club • RedFrog Tiki Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • The Watering Hole • Tides Pool Bar • Tropicale 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 Gem and the Celebration 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 Gem has a total of 3 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 1 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.
Carnival Celebration has more pools than the Gem and more hot tubs.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Gem.| Norwegian Gem | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 6 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 | 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. On the Gem, 64% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Celebration, only 61% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Gem | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Outdoor gym | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Roller Coaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Norwegian and Carnival 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 Gem will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Celebration.
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 Gem | Carnival Celebration | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $17.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.25 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.99 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a Free 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 Free 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.
We sailed aboard the Carnival Celebration
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Celebration. 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.
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Miami
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Cozumel
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Costa Maya
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Roatan
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Sea Day
Carnival Celebration - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Sea Day
5 Hits and Misses on Carnival Celebration
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