Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Norwegian Joy vs Norwegian Jade
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 11 years newer than the Jade, which was built in 2006 and renovated in 2017.
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 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 Norwegian Jade, the Joy is 79% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Joy holds 58% more passengers than the Jade 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 Jade. 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 | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Breakaway Plus | Jewel |
| Gross Tonnage | 167,725 | 93,558 |
| Length | 1,094 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 136 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,802 | 2,402 |
| Crew | 1,821 | 1,307 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 44 | 39 |
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 21 different dining options like Ocean Blue, Cagney's Steakhouse, and American Diner. Of those options, 10 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 11 options have an additional fee.
The Jade has 1 fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Teppanyaki, Main Dining Room, and Cagney's Steakhouse. 11 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Joy has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Jade.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Jade might be a better choice then the Joy. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Joy & Jade
| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Jade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Diner | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Food Republic | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Garden Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Jasmine Garden | ✗ | ✓ | |
| 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 |
| Ocean Blue | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Q Texas Smokehouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Haven | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Pit Stop | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Joy has 4 more bars than the Norwegian Jade.
| Norwegian Joy | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| A-List Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cellars Wine Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| District Brew House | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Java Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magnum's Champagne & Wine Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mixers Martini & Cocktail Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mixx Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sake Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Skyline Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Social Comedy & Night Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tankards Beer & Whiskey Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Cavern Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Joy and the Jade 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 Joy has a total of 3 pools and 9 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only. 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 Norwegian Jade has the same number of pools as the Joy and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Jade. 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 Joy | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 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 Joy | Norwegian Jade | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Observation Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race 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 Joy will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Jade.
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 | 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.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.