Norwegian Sun vs Norwegian Luna

The Norwegian Sun was built in 2001. It was renovated in 2018. The Norwegian Sun will leave the fleet in 2027. It's 25 years older than the Luna, which was built in 2026. The Norwegian Luna will be the 21st ship in the NCL fleet, debuting in April 2026. The Luna is still under construction and Norwegian hasn't released all the details yet.

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 Sun 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 Luna, the Sun is 50% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Sun holds 45% fewer passengers than the Luna 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 Sun has less space per person compared to the Luna.

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 Sun has thirteen different dining options like Cagney's Steakhouse, Teppanyaki, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Luna has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, Surfside Cafe, and Le Bistro French. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Luna might be a better choice. It has 23% more dining options than the Sun.

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

Restaurants on Norwegian Sun & Luna

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Sun has 6 fewer bars than the Norwegian Luna.

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 Sun and the Luna 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 Sun has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs.

Norwegian Luna has more pools than the Sun and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Luna. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

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 Sun. Only 50% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Luna, 53% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Norwegian Sun will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Luna.

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 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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