Over the last year, I have had the privilege of sailing with Norwegian Cruise Line four times. I have been lucky to sail on some of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ships as well as one of the cruise brand’s oldest vessels.
When it comes to a cruise vacation, there are so many different pieces that go into the planning process. Arguably one of, if not the, biggest part is deciding which ship to sail on. Norwegian Cruise Line is one of the biggest cruise lines in the industry and has 19 different ships to choose from.
Read more: Norwegian Cruise Line ships by age — from oldest to newest
Here are some of the pros and cons of cruising with Norwegian’s newer ships versus their older ships.
Ship Design
(Observation Lounge onboard the Norwegian Encore ship)
Inherently, an older Norwegian Cruise Line ship is going to reflect an older design, while a brand new ship will exhibit more modern aesthetics and features onboard.
I have noticed that on older ships, there tends to be a lot of dark woods and bright colors used throughout the ship’s design. Newer vessels tend to lean more towards modern Scandinavian design styles and aesthetics with light and airy colors paired alongside light woods.
The overall layout of ships is also quite different on older ships compared to newer Norwegian ships. For example, on our sailing onboard the Norwegian Sun, one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s oldest ships, I noticed the vessel had a drastically different layout than some of the other, newer Norwegian Cruise Line ships I have sailed with, such as Norwegian Getaway.
(Great Outdoors venue onboard the Norwegian Sun)
In a way, I appreciated the uniqueness of the older ship when compared to some of the newer ships. Norwegian Sun has some spaces onboard that are relatively unique that do not exist on some of the newer Norwegian ships, such as the ‘Great Outdoors’ dining space.
This area of the ship is an outdoor venue under a covered canopy, that features an outdoor portion of the buffet as well as plenty of seating. This spot makes for a great place to take in the views as the Norwegian Sun sails into and out of various ports of call.
Guests of Norwegian Cruise Line will definitely notice the ship design choices onboard compared to that of newer vessels. However, this does not have to be a bad thing. It is important to remember that every cruise ship has its pros and cons, and every guest will have their own unique preferences. Every cruise vacation is exactly what you make it!
Onboard Amenities and Activities
(Pool deck onboard the Norwegian Sun ship)
If you are someone who values all of the amenities onboard, and wants the latest and greatest onboard a cruise ship, I would recommend sailing with one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer ships.
When it comes to the onboard amenities, Norwegian Cruise Line shines with its newer vessels. Many of the older ships have some of the cruise brand’s classic dining spaces and familiar favorites, but when it comes to activities available onboard, the newer ships usually have much more to offer guests.
Guests will usually be able to find all of the standard onboard amenities on older ships. Such as a buffet, multiple restaurants, a spa, gym, lounges, bars, pool, and outdoor spaces. However, aside from that, the older Norwegian Cruise Line ships tend to focus more on the destination, rather than the ship itself.
(The Norwegian Speedway onboard the Norwegian Bliss ship)
Onboard newer ships passengers will be able to experience truly unique and thrilling activities with Norwegian. For example, guests can try their hand at laser tag, or put pedal to the metal in Norwegian’s Speedway at sea. With water slides both thrilling and family friendly, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer ships have so much for guests to explore that passengers will be excited to have a sea day in their itinerary!
Fellow Cruise Blog writer Allie stated that Norwegian Sun was a ‘no frills’ type of ship. It was a great casual ship that functioned as our home at sea during our short two-night sailing, but it did not offer a lot in terms of onboard activities and amenities.
This ship was definitely meant to help transport guests to their destinations, while serving as a boutique hotel of sorts at sea. All of that to say, we really enjoyed our time onboard Norwegian Sun and agreed that given the right itinerary we would sail with another older Norwegian Cruise Line ship again!
(Laser Tag course onboard the Norwegian Encore ship)
No matter which ship guests choose to sail on with Norwegian Cruise Line, they are sure to have a great cruise vacation. I would recommend setting expectations accordingly, and if a voyage is approached with the appropriate expectations and optimism, everyone is sure to have a wonderful sailing!
Price
(Spice H2O area onboard the Norwegian Bliss ship)
A big factor that goes into planning a cruise vacation is often the price. I highly recommend browsing everything a cruise line has to offer before booking a cruise, as well as setting a budget of how much you would like to spend beforehand; this will help you narrow down which cruise ship to sail on.
Something to note is that, often times, it is cheaper to sail onboard older ships. Guests can find a great price for a basic cruise package on older Norwegian vessels that otherwise might cost them a lot more on a newer Norwegian ship.
You should peruse Norwegian Cruise Line's website for deals, as well as to check different cruises you are interested in, as the price may drop. A great tip for Norwegian Cruise Line is that the price of a cruise will somtimes drop significantly the closer it gets to a sailing.
Waiting to book a cruise close to the sail date can be risky, however, as the cruise might fill up or travel, such as airline tickets, may become more expensive. If you are someone in the market for a relatively last minute cruise vacation, booking something this way can be a great way to save some money on a cruise with Norwegian.
Food
One of the biggest differences I have noticed when comparing newer and older Norwegian Cruise Line ships is the food.
I can confidently say that the food quality onboard Norwegian’s newer ships is some of the very best food I have had while cruising so far. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of meals onboard ships such as Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Encore. This goes for both the main dining experience, as well as the food in the buffets.
(Breakfast onboard the Norwegian Encore ship)
However, I will honestly say that I was slightly disappointed in the culinary experience onboard the Norwegian Sun. I felt that the overall quality of the food was much different than what I have experienced with newer ships.
The selection in the buffet was much, much smaller, and while there were some classic Norwegian Cruise Line dishes being served in the main dining rooms, I also felt the quality was lacking there.
If food is something that is extremely important to you when considering a cruise vacation, I might consider sailing with one of Norwegian’s newer ships. However, onboard our older Norwegian Sun ship, we always did find something that was appetizing, and we never went hungry! No matter what, guests are sure to find something they enjoy onboard.
Itineraries
(Lisbon Portugal visited with the Norwegian Sun)
Often times, many cruise lines’ newer ships will start out in the Caribbean. However, this is not always the case. Norwegian Cruise Line often moves their ships around the world depending on the season of the year.
For example, the newest ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, Norwegian Prima, visits the Caribbean, but also frequents Northern Europe in the summer time. Additionally, the brand new Norwegian Viva ship is scheduled to make its debut this summer. In August, she will start its maiden voyages in Europe, but will eventual making her way over to the Caribbean this fall and winter season.
Some of Norwegian Cruise Line’s older ships tend to have longer seasons in areas around the world such as Europe, Australia, South America, and Africa. Norwegian Cruise Line offers some really amazing cruise itineraries, and I highly recommend considering sailing on an older ship if it means getting to see an incredible itinerary.
Norwegian Cruise Line has an itinerary for nearly every traveler’s taste, style, and budget. However, it may mean that guests will need to sail on an older ship in order to voyage on a particular itinerary, or visa versa. Guests may need to sail on a newer, potentially more expensive ship depending on the itinerary they desire.
Cruise ships can be destinations in of themselves. If you are someone who wants to experience the best in cruise ship travel, I recommend trying out one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer ships.
If you are someone who is more focused on the ports of call and the travel destination, I recommend being open minded to trying out one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s older vessels. Some of the coolest itineraries we have ever seen for a cruise ship are onboard some of their oldest ships!
Embarkation Ports
Due to the fact that many older Norwegian Cruise Line ships frequent European waters, this means that their embarkation ports are in Europe. If guests are traveling from the United States or Canada for example, they will most likely need to fly in order to reach these embarkation ports for their cruise. Unless, that is, you find a transatlantic voyage that peaks your interest!
Norwegian Cruise Line does offer airfare through the cruise line, and I have a trip planned in the fall to see what it is like to book airfare through Norwegian!
Many of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newer ships have embarkation ports within the United States. For example, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami are all popular cruise terminals that Norwegian uses regularly. Norwegian Viva, Norwegian’s newest ship, for example will depart from Miami, Florida this coming fall and winter 2023.
Conclusion
Norwegian Cruise Line boasts an impressive cruise ship fleet consisting of 19 ships. This means that there are some newer ships that have been built in the last couple of years, as well as some older ships that are over 20 years old. Norwegian Cruise Line is at no shortage of ships to choose from!
Choosing a ship is arguably the very most important part of a cruise vacation. Norwegian Cruise Line does a great job of providing many different options for every type of cruise traveler. I recommend visiting Norwegian Cruise Line’s website and setting filters for which ship you would be interested in sailing on, and then taking a look at which itineraries this ship offers.
We are confident that no matter which ship you cruise on with Norwegian, whether it be older or brand new, you will have a wonderful cruise vacation. Every trip is exactly what you make it, and with the appropriate expectations, every cruise vacation can be a great one!
Hayley Phillips
Hayley Phillips is a military spouse currently living in Florida and loves all things travel and travel planning.
