Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Sky vs Norwegian Star
The Norwegian Sky was built in 1999. It was renovated in 2019. The Norwegian Sky will leave the fleet in 2026. It's 2 years older than the Star, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2024.
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 Sky is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 848 feet long and 123 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.4 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 8-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Star, the Sky is 16% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Sky holds 15% fewer passengers than the Star 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 Sky has less space per person compared to the Star.
| Norwegian Sky | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Sun | Dawn |
| Gross Tonnage | 77,104 | 91,740 |
| Length | 848 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 123 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 8 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,004 | 2,348 |
| Crew | 899 | 1,031 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 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 Sky has nine different dining options like The Great Outdoors, La Cucina Italian, and The Local. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Star has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Main Dining Room, Sushi Bar, and O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Star might be a better choice. It has 33% more dining options than the Sky.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Sky might be a better choice then the Star. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Norwegian Sky & Star
| Restaurant | Norwegian Sky |
Norwegian Star |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Ginza | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The Great Outdoors | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Local | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Pinnacle Lounge and Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sushi Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Sky has 1 fewer bar than the Norwegian Star.
| Norwegian Sky | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Atrium Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Champs Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Gatsby's Champagne Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pinnacle Lounge and Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Proof Whiskey Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sky High Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spice H2O | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starbucks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Local Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Topside 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 Sky and the Star 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 Sky has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs.
The Norwegian Star has the same number of pools as the Sky and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Norwegian Sky | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | ||
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| 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 Sky. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Star, 64% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Sky | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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.
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 | $7.50 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.
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