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Norwegian Star vs Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas
The Norwegian Star was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2024. It's 8 years older than the Oasis of the Seas, which was built in 2009 and renovated in 2024. Oasis of the Seas was Amplified in 2019 which added many new features, restaurants, and attractions to this ship.
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 Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, the Star is 60% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Star holds 58% fewer passengers than the Oasis 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 Star has less space per person compared to the Oasis of the Seas.
The Oasis of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Norwegian Star | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Dawn | Oasis |
| Gross Tonnage | 91,740 | 226,838 |
| Length | 965 | 1,187 |
| Beam/Width | 125 | 215 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,348 | 5,606 |
| Crew | 1,031 | 2,181 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| 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 Main Dining Room, Moderno Churrascaria, 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 Oasis of the Seas has eight more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are El Loco Fresh, Dog House, and Cafe Promenade. fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other twelve have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Oasis of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 67% more dining options than the Star.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Oasis of the Seas might be a better choice then the Star. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Star | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 20 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 9 | 14 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 12 |
| % of Included Options | 33% | 40% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Norwegian Star has 8 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas. The Star has 10 bars like Proof Whiskey Bar, Sky High Bar and Sugarcane Mojito Bar. On Star, you can grab a drink at 18 different bars such as Blaze, Casino Bar and Suite Lounge.
| Norwegian Star | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •Atrium Cafe • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Casino Bar • Gatsby's Champagne Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Proof Whiskey Bar • Sky High Bar • Spice H2O • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Topside Bar | •Bionic Bar • Blaze • Boleros • Casino Bar • Comedy Live • English Pub • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rising Tide Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Lime & Coconut • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout 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. 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 Star and the Oasis 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 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.
Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas has more pools than the Star and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Oasis of the Seas. 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 | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 2 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 1 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 5 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 |
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 Star. Only 64% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Oasis of the Seas, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Star | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
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 Star will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Oasis 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 Star | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $20.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.50 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | 106 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device | $19 to $30 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.
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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