Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Jewel vs Norwegian Spirit
The Norwegian Jewel was built in 2005. It was renovated in 2022. It's 7 years newer than the Spirit, which was built in 1998 and renovated in 2022.
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 Spirit, the Jewel is 23% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Jewel holds 15% more passengers than the Spirit 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 Spirit. 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 Spirit | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Jewel | Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 93,502 | 75,904 |
| Length | 965 | 880 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 11 | 9 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,330 | 2,032 |
| Crew | 1,069 | 912 |
| 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 18 different dining options like Teppanyaki, Topsiders Bar & Grill, and Moderno Churrascaria. Of those options, 10 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.
The Spirit has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sushi Bar, The Great Outdoors, and Teppanyaki. 10 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 7 have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Jewel has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Spirit.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Norwegian Jewel & Spirit
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Spirit | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Bier Garten | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Chin Chin | ✓ | ✗ | |
| 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 |
| Onda by Scarpetta | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Silk | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Great Outdoors | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Jewel has 3 more bars than the Norwegian Spirit.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Spirit | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bier Garten | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Henry's Pub | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sake Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spice H2O | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Local Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Pit Stop | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside 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 Spirit 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 Spirit has fewer pools than the Jewel and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Spirit. 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 Jewel | Norwegian Spirit | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 4 |
| 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 both ships, 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Norwegian Jewel | Norwegian Spirit | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Spirit.
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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