Norwegian has a smaller fleet than Carnival and Royal Caribbean, but that doesn’t mean choosing one of their seventeen ships is an easy task. To simplify the process, we crunched the ratings from every Norwegian review we received last year to help you choose the perfect ship for your 2020 cruise. Here are the top Norwegian ships for dining, cabins, service, and more!

Bring your hot hand to the table for our exciting 7th Annual Norwegian Poker Challenge onboard Norwegian Joy from November 6-13, 2021. During this 7-Day cruise we will host the $400,000 Main Event plus 3 additional tournament events, as well as daily cash games. Equipped with 310 slot machines, which include a Pusher, Key master, and 25 table games, the Norwegian Bliss cruise casino is truly a structure where players are ushered into a different world with the most innovative ship across the fleet. On most cruise ships, the minimum age to be in the casino is 18. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara raise that age to 21 on sailings in Alaska, while MSC raises it to 21 in the Caribbean. Norwegian has some of the most spacious and modern staterooms in the cruise industry to relax in before venturing into an exciting shore excursion. The Norwegian fleet contains some of the newest cruise ships in the industry, and has the youngest fleet of all the major North American cruise lines.

Cabins

1. Norwegian Encore - 4.47
2. Norwegian Joy - 4.43
3. Norwegian Bliss - 4.38
4. Norwegian Jewel - 4.37
5. Norwegian Gem - 4.34
6. Norwegian Escape - 4.34
7. Norwegian Jade - 4.34
8. Norwegian Breakaway - 4.30
9. Norwegian Sun - 4.29
10. Norwegian Spirit - 4.28
11. Norwegian Star - 4.27
12. Norwegian Getaway - 4.26
13. Norwegian Pearl - 4.23
14. Pride of America - 4.22
15. Norwegian Dawn - 4.18
16. Norwegian Sky - 4.12
17. Norwegian Epic - 4.06

What We Expected: Newer ships generally receive better cabin ratings, and that was exactly the case here as Norwegian’s three newest ships topped the list. Encore’s cabins had a lot of buzz so we weren’t surprised when it vaulted to #1, nor were we shocked when Epic finished last yet again, thanks to its odd layouts with the shower and sink in the main part of the cabin.

What Surprised Us: Even though Norwegian Escape is the newer ship, two of the older Jewel-class ships edged it out, taking fourth and fifth place while Escape came in sixth.

What Changed From Last Year: Breakaway went up from 4.17 to 4.29, likely because of a dry dock in mid-2018 that updated cabin fixtures and furnishings, marking the first of many improvements for a ship that struggled last year.

Food & Dining

1. Norwegian Encore - 4.26
2. Norwegian Joy - 4.21
3. Norwegian Bliss - 4.17
4. Norwegian Jewel - 4.13
5. Norwegian Gem - 4.10
6. Norwegian Jade - 4.10
7. Norwegian Spirit - 4.09
8. Norwegian Epic - 4.09
9. Norwegian Escape - 4.08
10. Norwegian Breakaway - 4.06
11. Norwegian Sky - 4.05
12. Norwegian Pearl - 4.05
13. Norwegian Sun - 4.04
14. Norwegian Getaway - 3.99
15. Norwegian Star - 3.97
16. Pride of America - 3.96
17. Norwegian Dawn - 3.92

What We Expected: Norewgian Joy vaulted to the top of the pack along with Bliss, showing that these newer ships are doing something right in the culinary arena.

What Surprised Us: Sometimes it takes a little while for new ships to gain their footing and operate smoothly, and dining is no exception. However, the brand-new Encore dominated the dining category and it’s only been in service for about two months. In less positive news, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian’s #1 ship for dining last year, fell to 9th.

What Changed From Last Year: Just like with cabins, Norwegian Breakaway showed major improvements, jumping from dead last to 10th place.

Service & Staff

1. Norwegian Encore - 4.62
2. Norwegian Spirit - 4.57
3. Norwegian Joy - 4.53
4. Norwegian Jewel - 4.52
5. Norwegian Gem - 4.51
6. Norwegian Jade - 4.47
7. Casino quel age. Norwegian Escape - 4.46
8. Norwegian Pearl - 4.43
9. Norwegian Sky - 4.41
10. Norwegian Sun - 4.39
11. Pride of America - 4.35
12. Norwegian Star - 4.34
13. Norwegian Bliss - 4.33
14. Norwegian Getaway - 4.33
15. Norwegian Epic - 4.31
16. Norwegian Dawn - 4.31
17. Norwegian Breakaway - 4.30

What We Expected: Norwegian Breakaway and Epic have historically performed poorly in this category and not much has changed this year.

What Surprised Us: Newer ships tend to struggle with service and logistics (as we can see in the case of Bliss), which is why were floored when Encore (launched in 2019) performed as well as it did.

What Changed From Last Year: Norwegian’s average service score rose from 4.36 to 4.42. It may seem like a small increase, but considering that most scores only range from 4.0 to 4.6, that kind of improvement in just one year is nothing to scoff at.

Onboard Activities

1. Norwegian Encore - 4.09
2. Norwegian Jewel - 4.04
3. Norwegian Joy - 4.01
4. Norwegian Gem - 3.96
5. Norwegian Jade - 3.92
6. Norwegian Bliss - 3.92
7. Norwegian Pearl - 3.89
8. Norwegian Escape - 3.88
9. Norwegian Spirit - 3.87
10. Norwegian Breakaway - 3.87
11. Norwegian Star - 3.86
12. Norwegian Sun - 3.86
13. Norwegian Sky - 3.84
14. Norwegian Epic - 3.84
15. Pride of America - 3.82
16. Norwegian Getaway - 3.81
17. Norwegian Dawn - 3.73

What We Expected: Cruise ships launched within the last few years have more activities than most travelers can experience in a single sailing, so newer ships usually have a big advantage in this category. Norwegian Encore (2019) and Joy (2017) have the best lineup of activities in the fleet, leading both of them to a top 3 finish.

What Surprised Us: Norwegian Jewel turns 15 years old this year, so we didn’t expect it to finish second in the activities category, especially when many other newer Norwegian ships have so much more to do onboard.

What Changed From Last Year: Breakaway showed yet more improvements, rising from dead last to 10th (3.69 to 3.87). Meanwhile, Escape fell from first to 8th and dropped .12 points.

Entertainment

1. Norwegian Encore - 4.31
2. Norwegian Joy - 4.26
3. Norwegian Jewel - 4.24
4. Norwegian Gem - 4.22
5. Norwegian Bliss - 4.22
6. Norwegian Getaway - 4.17
7. Norwegian Star - 4.15
8. Norwegian Spirit - 4.14
9. Norwegian Epic - 4.13
10. Norwegian Jade - 4.13
11. Norwegian Breakaway - 4.12
12. Norwegian Dawn - 4.09
13. Norwegian Escape - 4.09
14. Pride of America - 4.08
15. Norwegian Pearl - 4.03
16. Norwegian Sun - 4.01
17. Norwegian Sky - 4.01

What We Expected: Cutting-edge venues can help the entertainment score, but at the end of the day, it’s the performers that make or break a ship’s entertainment. Norwegian Encore and Joy appear to have nailed both sides of the entertainment coin, finishing head and shoulders above the rest of the fleet.

What Surprised Us: Breakaway improved in yet another category, climbing from dead last with 3.91 to the middle of the pack with 4.12. This could partially be due to the 2018 dry dock which replaced the jazz bar and lounge with a much more popular rock ‘n’ roll-themed one.

What Changed From Last Year: Norwegian Bliss made significant progress, improving 0.21 points to move into the top 5.

Children’s Programs

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1. Norwegian Jade - 4.05
2. Norwegian Encore - 4.04
3. Norwegian Joy - 4.00
4. Norwegian Escape - 3.98
5. Pride of America - 3.90
6. Norwegian Jewel - 3.87
7. Norwegian Epic - 3.85
8. Norwegian Star - 3.83
9. Norwegian Getaway - 3.81
10. Norwegian Breakaway - 3.81
11. Norwegian Pearl - 3.80
12. Norwegian Bliss - 3.80
13. Norwegian Sky - 3.80
14. Norwegian Spirit - 3.78
15. Norwegian Dawn - 3.69
16. Norwegian Gem - 3.61
17. Norwegian Sun - 3.60

What We Expected: Newer ships almost always have better children’s amenities, so it made sense that Encore, Joy, and Escape finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. New isn’t everything though,

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