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Norwegian Jewel vs Norwegian Prima
The Norwegian Jewel was built in 2005. It was renovated in 2022. It's 17 years older than the Prima, which was built in 2022. The Prima is the first of six in a brand-new class of ship.
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 Jewel 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 Norwegian Prima, the Jewel is 35% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Jewel holds 25% fewer passengers than the Prima 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 Jewel has less space per person compared to the Prima.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Jewel | Prima |
| Gross Tonnage | 93,502 | 143,535 |
| Length | 965 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 11 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,330 | 3,099 |
| Crew | 1,069 | 1,506 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 39 | 46 |
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 Jewel has 18 different dining options like Main Dining Room, Moderno Churrascaria, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, 10 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.
The Prima has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Surfside Grill, Hasuki, and Cagney's Steakhouse. 6 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 12 have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Jewel has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Prima.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Jewel might be a better choice then the Prima. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Jewel & Prima
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Prima | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chin Chin | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Coco's | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Food Republic | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hasuki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Hudsons | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Indulge Food Hall | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Los Lobos | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Nama | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Onda by Scarpetta | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Palomar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Surfside Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Surfside Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Commodore Room | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Great Outdoors | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Jewel has 3 fewer bars than the Norwegian Prima.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Belvedere Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Improv at Sea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Luna Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Metropolitan Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Penrose Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Proof Whiskey Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sake Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Soleil Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Speedway Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starbucks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Syd Norman's Pourhouse | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Haven Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Local Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Pit Stop | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Jewel and the Prima 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 Jewel has a total of 3 pools and 5 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools are adults only. 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.
Norwegian Prima has more pools than the Jewel and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Prima. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 | 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. On the Jewel, 60% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Prima, only 47% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Golf Simulator | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Jewel will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Prima.
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.
We sailed aboard the Norwegian Prima
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Prima. 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.
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - NYC
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Halifax
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits and Misses on the Norwegian Prima
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