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Star of the Seas vs Norwegian Aura
The Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas is a fairly new ship, being built in 2025. It's 2 years older than the Aura, which was built in 2027. The Norwegian Aura is the 21th ship in the NCL fleet and their largest ship yet. It's an evolution of the Prima Class design with 20% more space than the Prima and all new attractions.
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 Star of the Seas is considered an extra large size ship. Coming in at 1,198 feet long and 216 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.3 football fields, as wide as 4.1 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 18-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Aura, the Star of the Seas is 45% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas holds 42% more passengers than the Aura 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 Star of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Aura. 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.
The Star of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Icon | Prima Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 248,663 | 172,000 |
| Length | 1,198 | 1,130 |
| Beam/Width | 216 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 18 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,610 | 3,952 |
| Crew | 2,350 | 1,388 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 45 | 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 Star of the Seas has twenty-six different dining options like Pier 7, Windjammer, and Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar. Of those options, seventeen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fifteen options have an additional fee.
The Aura has ten fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Indulge Food Hall, Los Lobos, and The Commodore Room. 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 Star of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 63% more dining options than the Aura.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Star of the Seas might be a better choice then the Aura. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 26 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 17 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 15 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 42% | 31% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas has 11 more bars than the Norwegian Aura. The Star of the Seas has 27 bars like Cantina Fresca, Swim & Tonic and Trellis Bar. On Aura, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as Luna Bar, Observation Lounge Bar and Soleil Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura |
|---|---|
| •1400 Lobby Bar • Aquadome Market Bar • Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Cloud 17 • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer Bar | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Swirl Wine Bar • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • The Bull's Eye Bar • 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 Star of the Seas and the Aura 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 Star of the Seas has a total of 7 pools and 10 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 Aura has fewer pools than the Star of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Aura. 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? Two of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Star of the Seas.| Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 7 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 4 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 10 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 8 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| 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 Star of the Seas, 74% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Aura, only 61% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Crown's Edge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Horizon Park | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Kid's Play Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Midway | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✗ | ✓ |
| Waterpark | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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.
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 Star of the Seas | Norwegian Aura | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $7.49 See drink menus | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | $28.50 - $32 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 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.
We sailed aboard the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas
Follow along on our sailing on the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas. 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.
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Port Canaveral
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Perfect Day at CocoCay
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Final Sea Day
6 Hits and Misses on Star of the Seas
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