Norwegian Jewel vs Norwegian Sky

The Norwegian Jewel was built in 2005. It was renovated in 2022. It's 6 years newer than the Sky, which was built in 1999 and renovated in 2019. The Norwegian Sky will leave the fleet in 2026.

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 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 Sky, the Jewel is 21% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Jewel holds 16% more passengers than the Sky 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 Jewel has more space per person compared to the Sky. 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 Jewel	Norwegian Sky
Class	Jewel	Sun
Gross Tonnage	93,502	77,104
Length	965	848
Beam/Width	125	123
Passenger Decks	11	8
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,330	2,004
Crew	1,069	899
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.2	2.2
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	39	38

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 twelve different dining options like Topsiders Bar & Grill, Le Bistro French, and Main Dining Room. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other seven options have an additional fee.

The Sky has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Local, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Le Bistro French. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other four have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Jewel might be a better choice. It has 33% more dining options than the Sky.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Sky might be a better choice then the Jewel. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Restaurants on Norwegian Jewel & Sky

Restaurant	Norwegian Jewel	Norwegian Sky
Included
Chin Chin	✓	✗
Main Dining Room	✓	✓	Learn More
O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill	✓	✗	Learn More
The Great Outdoors	✓	✓	Learn More
The Local	✗	✓	Learn More
Topsiders Bar & Grill	✓	✓	Learn More
A la carte
Pinnacle Lounge and Sushi Bar	✗	✓
Flat fee
Cagney's Steakhouse	✓	✓	Learn More
La Cucina Italian	✓	✓	Learn More
Le Bistro French	✓	✓	Learn More
Moderno Churrascaria	✓	✗	Learn More
Sushi Bar	✓	✗	Learn More
Teppanyaki	✓	✗	Learn More

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Jewel has 3 more bars than the Norwegian Sky.

	Norwegian Jewel	Norwegian Sky
Atrium Bar	✓	✓
Bliss Ultra Lounge	✓	✓
Champs Bar	✗	✓
Great Outdoors Cafe	✓	✗
Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar	✓	✗
Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar	✓	✗
O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill	✓	✗
Pinnacle Lounge and Sushi Bar	✗	✓
Sake Bar	✓	✗
Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar	✓	✗
Spinnaker Lounge	✓	✓
Starbucks	✗	✓
Sugarcane Mojito Bar	✓	✓
The Local Bar	✗	✓
The Pit Stop	✓	✗
Topside 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 Sky 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 Jewel 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.

Norwegian Sky has fewer pools than the Jewel and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sky. 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 are adults only on Jewel.

	Norwegian Jewel	Norwegian Sky
Total Pools	3	2
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1
Pools - Exclusive	1
Total Hot Tubs	5	5
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	5
Hot Tubs - Adults Only
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	1

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 Sky, only 57% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Norwegian Jewel	Norwegian Sky
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Cigar Bar	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
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 Jewel will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Sky.

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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