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Norwegian Sky vs Princess Cruises Majestic Princess
The Norwegian Sky was built in 1999. It was renovated in 2019. The Norwegian Sky will leave the fleet in 2026. It's 18 years older than the Majestic Princess, which was built in 2017 and renovated in 2025. Majestic Princess was originally designed for the Chinese market. Because of this intent, the ship was unique to the Princess fleet with some additional features and unique restaurants, but during a 2025 drydock, most of the unique restaurants were replaced with Princess' standard offerings. It also has a great indoor pool for cooler weather cruising. Majestic Princess is also one of 3 ships that feature Princess' Watercolor Fantasy Show, an outdoor dancing fountain show.
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 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 Princess Cruises Majestic Princess, the Sky is 46% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Sky holds 44% fewer passengers than the Majestic Princess 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 Majestic Princess.
| Norwegian Sky | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Sun | Royal |
| Gross Tonnage | 77,104 | 143,700 |
| Length | 848 | 1,083 |
| Beam/Width | 123 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 8 | 19 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,004 | 3,560 |
| Crew | 899 | 1,346 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 38 | 40 |
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 Le Bistro French, La Cucina Italian, and Topsiders Bar & Grill. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other four options have an additional fee.
The Majestic Princess has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Catch by Rudi, Crown Grill, and Chef's Table Lumiere. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Majestic Princess 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 Majestic Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Sky | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 9 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 9 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 4 | 9 |
| % of Included Options | 56% | 25% |
| 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 Sky and the Majestic 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 Sky has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs.
The Princess Cruises Majestic Princess has the same number of pools as the Sky and fewer hot tubs.
| Norwegian Sky | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | ||
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 2 |
| 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 Sky. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Majestic Princess, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Sky | Princess Cruises Majestic Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Animated fountain | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Sky | Princess Cruises Majestic 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.
We sailed aboard the Norwegian Sky
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Sky. 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.
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Geiranger
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