Cruise Spotlight
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Navigator of the Seas vs Escape
The Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2019. Explorer of the Seas was Amplified in 2021 which added many new features, restaurants, and attractions to this ship. It's 13 years older than the Escape, which was built in 2015 and renovated in 2019.
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 Navigator of the Seas is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,020 feet long and 157 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Escape, the Navigator of the Seas is 15% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas holds 21% fewer passengers than the Escape 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 Navigator of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Escape. 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.
| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Voyager | Breakaway Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 139,999 | 165,157 |
| Length | 1,020 | 1,069 |
| Beam/Width | 157 | 179 |
| Passenger Decks | 14 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,386 | 4,266 |
| Crew | 1,200 | 1,733 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 39 |
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 Navigator of the Seas has twelve different dining options like Jamie's Italian, Windjammer, and Chef's Table. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Escape has seven more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, District Brew House, and American Diner. ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other sixteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Escape might be a better choice. It has 58% more dining options than the Navigator of the Seas.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Navigator of the Seas might be a better choice then the Escape. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 12 | 19 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 9 | 10 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 16 |
| % of Included Options | 25% | 16% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas has 3 fewer bars than the Norwegian Escape. The Navigator of the Seas has 13 bars like Playmakers, Solarium Bar and Star Lounge. On Navigator of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Cellars Wine Bar, The Haven Bar and Tobacco Road.
| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape |
|---|---|
| •Boleros • Casino bar • Cosmopolitan Club • English Pub • Playmakers • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Star Lounge • Suite Lounge • The Bamboo Room • The Lime & Coconut • Viking Crown Lounge | •Atrium Bar • Cellars Wine Bar • District Brew House • Headliners Comedy Club • Mixx Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Pincho Tapas Bar • Pour House • Prime Meridian Bar • Skyline Bar • Spice H2O • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • The Haven Bar • Tobacco Road • Vibe Beach Club Bar • Waves Pool 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 Navigator of the Seas and the Escape 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 Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas has a total of 3 pools and 6 hot tubs.
Norwegian Escape has more pools than the Navigator of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Escape. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Navigator of the Seas.| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 4 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 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 Navigator of the Seas, 76% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Escape, only 60% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Square | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian 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 Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Escape.
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.
| Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas | Norwegian Escape | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $7.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 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. | ||
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.
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.
We sailed aboard the Norwegian Escape
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Escape. 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.
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