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Norwegian Star vs Norwegian Sun
The Norwegian Star was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2024. The Norwegian Sun was built in 2001 and renovated in 2018. The Norwegian Sun will leave the fleet in 2027.
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 Star is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Sun, the Star is 17% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Star holds 21% more passengers than the Sun 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 Star has less space per person compared to the Sun.
| Norwegian Star | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Dawn | Sun |
| Gross Tonnage | 91,740 | 78,309 |
| Length | 965 | 848 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 123 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 8 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,348 | 1,936 |
| Crew | 1,031 | 906 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 39 | 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 Star has twelve different dining options like Teppanyaki, Main Dining Room, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Sun has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sushi Bar, Main Dining Room, and Teppanyaki. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Star has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Sun.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Restaurants on Norwegian Star & Sun
| Restaurant | Norwegian Star |
Norwegian Sun |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Ginza | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sports Bar | ✗ | ✓ | |
| The Great Outdoors | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Topsiders Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Flat fee | |||
| Cagney's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| La Cucina Italian | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Bistro French | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Los Lobos | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Moderno Churrascaria | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Star and Norwegian Sun both have 10 bars to choose from during your sailing.
| Norwegian Star | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Atrium Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bliss Ultra Lounge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Champs Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Gatsby's Champagne Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Great Outdoors Cafe | ✗ | ✓ |
| O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill | ✓ | ✗ |
| Proof Whiskey Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sky High Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spice H2O | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spinnaker Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sugarcane Mojito Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Champagne Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Topside Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windjammer 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 Star and the Sun 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 Star has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools 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 Sun has the same number of pools as the Star and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sun. 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 Star | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 2 |
| 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. On the Star, 64% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Sun, only 50% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Norwegian Star | Norwegian Sun | |
|---|---|---|
| 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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