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Norwegian Joy vs Carnival Pride
The Norwegian Joy was built in 2017. It was renovated in 2024. The Joy will undergo some renovations in Jan 2024. They'll remove the Galaxy Pavilion virtual reality arcade and Laser Tag and add a Thermal Suite and expanded Vibe Beach Club. It's 15 years newer than the Pride, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2023.
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 Joy is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,094 feet long and 136 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.6 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Carnival Pride, the Joy is 90% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Joy holds 78% more passengers than the Pride 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 Joy has more space per person compared to the Pride. 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 Joy | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,725 | 88,500 |
| Length | 1,094 | 963 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,802 | 2,134 |
| Crew | 1,821 | 930 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 44 | 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 Joy has thirteen different dining options like American Diner, Main Dining Room, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, ten are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Pride has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are JavaBlue Cafe, Bonsai Sushi, and The Chef's Table. ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Joy might be a better choice. It has 30% more dining options than the Pride.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Pride might be a better choice then the Joy. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Joy | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 13 | 10 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 10 | 10 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 11 | 5 |
| % of Included Options | 15% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Joy has 5 more bars than the Carnival Pride. The Joy has 16 bars like Spice H2O, Sugarcane Mojito Bar and Waves Pool Bar. On Joy, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as Beauties Nightclub, Heroes Tribute Bar and The Piazza Cafe.
| Norwegian Joy | Carnival Pride |
|---|---|
| •A-List Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • Mixx Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Skyline Bar • Social Comedy & Night Club • Spice H2O • Starbucks • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool Bar | •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • Beauties Nightclub • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Butterflies Lounge • Heroes Tribute Bar • Ivory Piano Bar • Raphael Lounge • RedFrog Pub • RedFrog Rum Bar • The Piazza Cafe |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Joy serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. The Pride serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Joy and the Pride 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 Joy has a total of 3 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 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.
The Carnival Pride has the same number of pools as the Joy and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Pride. 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? two of the hot tubs are adults only on Joy.| Norwegian Joy | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| 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 Joy. Only 60% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Pride, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Joy | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Joy will likely be more expensive than on Carnival Pride.
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 Joy | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.50 See drink menus | $8.75 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 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 Carnival Pride
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Pride. 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 Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltimore
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Another Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Half Moon Cay
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Nassau
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Freeport
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Pride
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