Norwegian Pride of America vs Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas

The Norwegian Pride of America was built in 2005. It was renovated in 2016. It's 5 years older than the Allure of the Seas, which was built in 2010. Allure of the Seas will undergo a $100 million rennovation in February to April 2025. They'll add water and dry slides, new restaurants and bars, and rennovated spaces.

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 Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas, the Pride of America is 64% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Pride of America holds 60% fewer passengers than the Allure of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Pride of America has less space per person compared to the Allure of the Seas.

The Allure of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

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 twenty different dining options like Main Dining Room, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Moderno Churrascaria. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.

The Allure of the Seas has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Starbucks, Cafe Promenade, and Izumi Hibachi & Sushi. thirteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other twelve have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Allure of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 25% more dining options than the Pride of America.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Pride of America has 12 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas. The Pride of America has 9 bars like Key West Bar & Grill, Mardi Gras Carabet Lounge & Nightclub and Waikiki Bar. On Pride of America, you can grab a drink at 21 different bars such as Casino Bar, Rising Tide Bar and Suite Lounge.

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. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Pride of America and the Allure of the Seas 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.

Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas has more pools than the Pride of America and more hot tubs.

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 Allure of the Seas, 83% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

Cruise Costs

Norwegian and Royal Caribbean 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 Pride of America will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas.

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 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.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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