Cruise Spotlight
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Sun Princess vs Norwegian Aqua
The Princess Cruises Sun Princess is a fairly new ship, being 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. It's 1 year older than the Aqua, which was built in 2025. The Norwegian Aqua is the 20th ship in the NCL fleet. It's nearly identical to its sister ship which will debut in 2026, the Luna.
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 Princess is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,133 feet long and 126 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.1 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 21-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aqua, the Sun Princess is 14% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Princess Cruises Sun Princess holds 20% more passengers than the Aqua 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 Princess has less space per person compared to the Aqua.
| Princess Cruises Sun Princess | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Sphere | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 177,882 | 156,300 |
| Length | 1,133 | 1,056 |
| Beam/Width | 126 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 21 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,300 | 3,571 |
| Crew | 1,600 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 44 |
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 Princess has sixteen different dining options like The Butcher's Block by Dario, International Cafe, and The Eatery. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other thirteen options have an additional fee.
The Aqua has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sukhothai, Hudsons, and Surfside Cafe. Six of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
The Princess Cruises Sun Princess has about the same number of dining options as the Norwegian Aqua.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Aqua 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.
| Princess Cruises Sun Princess | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 13 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 19% | 31% |
| 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 Aqua 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 Princess Cruises Sun Princess has a total of 5 pools and 11 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 1 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.
Norwegian Aqua has fewer pools than the Sun Princess and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aqua. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
| Princess Cruises Sun Princess | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | ||
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 11 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 10 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 | 4 |
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 Sun Princess, 62% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Aqua, only 50% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Princess Cruises Sun Princess | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adults-only area (additional fee) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Art Auctions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Royal Afternoon Tea | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Slidecoaster | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spellbound by Magic Castle | ✓ | ✗ |
| Splash park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Court | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Princess Cruises 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.
Norwegian, on the other hand, 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.
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.
| Princess Cruises Sun Princess | Norwegian Aqua | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $17.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.00 | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 -$100 | $28.50 - $32 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $24.99 per device per day | $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. | ||
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.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a Free 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 Free 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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