Cruise Spotlight
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Norwegian Viva vs Princess Cruises Sun Princess
The Norwegian Viva is a fairly new ship, being built in 2023. It's 1 year older than the Sun Princess, which was built in 2024. Sun Princess is the first in a whole new class of cruise ship for Princess Cruises. It's the 3rd ship to be sailing under the Sun Princess name.
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 Viva is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 133 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Princess Cruises Sun Princess, the Viva is 19% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Norwegian Viva holds 28% fewer passengers than the Sun Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Viva has more space per person compared to the Sun Princess. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.
| Norwegian Viva | Princess Cruises Sun Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Prima | Sphere |
| Gross Tonnage | 143,535 | 177,882 |
| Length | 965 | 1,133 |
| Beam/Width | 133 | 126 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 21 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,099 | 4,300 |
| Crew | 1,506 | 1,600 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 46 | 41 |
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 Viva has sixteen different dining options like Indulge Food Hall, Cagney's Steakhouse, and Le Bistro French. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Sun Princess has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sabatini's, O'Malleys Irish Pub, and Crown Grill. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other thirteen have an additional fee.
The Norwegian Viva has about the same number of dining options as the Princess Cruises Sun Princess.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Viva might be a better choice then the Sun Princess. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Norwegian Viva | Princess Cruises Sun Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 6 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 11 | 13 |
| % of Included Options | 31% | 19% |
| 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 Viva and the Sun 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 Viva has a total of 4 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 4 of the hot tubs 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.
Princess Cruises Sun Princess has more pools than the Viva and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Sun Princess. 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 Viva | Princess Cruises Sun Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - Adults Only | ||
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 11 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 4 | 1 |
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 Viva. Only 53% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Sun Princess, 62% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Norwegian Viva | Princess Cruises Sun Princess | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dart Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Royal Afternoon Tea | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spellbound by Magic Castle | ✗ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Court | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Viva | Princess Cruises Sun 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 Viva
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Viva. 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.
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Pre-cruise – Athens
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Athens
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Santorini
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Kusadasi
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Istanbul
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Mykonos
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 6 – Sea Day
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 7 – Messina
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 8 – Naples
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 9 – Florence
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 10 – Nice
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 11 – Rome
5 Hits and Misses on Norwegian Viva
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About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
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