Cruise Spotlight
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Symphony of the Seas vs Viva
The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas was built in 2018. It's 5 years older than the Viva, which was built in 2023.
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 Symphony of the Seas is considered an extra large size ship. Coming in at 1,188 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 16-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Viva, the Symphony of the Seas is 59% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas holds 78% more passengers than the Viva 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 Symphony of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Viva.
The Symphony of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Oasis | Prima |
| Gross Tonnage | 228,081 | 143,535 |
| Length | 1,188 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 216 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,518 | 3,099 |
| Crew | 2,200 | 1,506 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 41 | 46 |
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 Symphony of the Seas has twenty-one different dining options like Vintages Wine Bar, Windjammer, and Cafe Promenade. Of those options, fourteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fourteen options have an additional fee.
The Viva has five fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cagney's Steakhouse, Los Lobos, and Onda by Scarpetta. 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 Symphony of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 31% more dining options than the Viva.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 21 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 14 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 14 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 33% | 31% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas has 6 more bars than the Norwegian Viva. The Symphony of the Seas has 20 bars like Mast Bar, On Air Club and Suite Lounge. On Symphony of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 14 different bars such as The Haven Bar, The Local Bar and Waves Pool Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva |
|---|---|
| •Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • Dazzles • English Pub • Mast Bar • On Air Club • Playmakers • Pool Bar • Rising Tide Bar • Sand Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Attic • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout Bar • Wonderland | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local 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 Symphony of the Seas and the Viva 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 Symphony of the Seas has a total of 4 pools and 10 hot tubs.
The Norwegian Viva has the same number of pools as the Symphony of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Viva. 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 Symphony of the Seas.| Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 10 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 8 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 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 Symphony of the Seas, 78% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Viva, only 53% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✗ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✗ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✗ |
| 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 Symphony of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Viva.
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 Symphony of the Seas | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 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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