Norwegian Pride of America vs Princess Cruises Ruby Princess

The Norwegian Pride of America was built in 2005. It was renovated in 2025. It's 3 years older than the Ruby Princess, which was built in 2008 and renovated in 2018. This ship is the second to sail under the Regal Princess name.

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 Pride of America is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 920 feet long and 120 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.6 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 10-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Ruby Princess, the Pride of America is 29% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Pride of America holds 29% fewer passengers than the Ruby Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Pride of America has the same amount of space per person as the Ruby Princess.

	Norwegian Pride of America	Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
Class	Pride of America	Crown
Gross Tonnage	80,439	113,561
Length	920	951
Beam/Width	120	118
Passenger Decks	10	19
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,186	3,080
Crew	927	1,200
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.4	2.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	37	37

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 Pride of America has fifteen different dining options like Main Dining Room, La Cucina Italian, and Teppanyaki. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other twelve options have an additional fee.

The Ruby Princess has two fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sabatini's, The Salty Dog Grill, and Main Dining Room. eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Pride of America might be a better choice. It has 15% more dining options than the Ruby Princess.

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

	Norwegian Pride of America	Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
Total Dining Options	15	13
Complimentary Dining Options:	9	11
Additional Fee Dining Options:	12	5
% of Included Options	20%	62%
	See the options	See the options

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.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Pride of America and the Ruby Princess 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 Pride of America has a total of 2 pools and 4 hot tubs.

Princess Cruises Ruby Princess has more pools than the Pride of America and more hot tubs.

	Norwegian Pride of America	Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
Total Pools	2	4
Pools - General Access	2	3
Pools - Adults Only		1
Pools - Exclusive
Total Hot Tubs	4	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only		2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive

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 Pride of America. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Ruby Princess, 67% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Norwegian Pride of America	Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
Adults-only area (additional fee)	✗	✓
Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Arcade	✓	✗
Art Auctions	✗	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Pool-side Movies	✗	✓
Putting green	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Sports Court	✗	✓
Thermal Suites	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Norwegian is considered 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.

Princess Cruises, on the other hand, is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.

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 Pride of America	Princess Cruises Ruby Princess
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$20.00	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	20%	18%
Soda Price	$3.50	$2.50
Domestic Beer Price	$7.50 See drink menus	$6.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	106 Learn more	$77 -$100
Internet Plan	$29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device	$24.99 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.

Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.

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