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Ship comparison

Carnival Pride vs Norwegian Sky

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Carnival Pride is a large Carnival Cruise Line ship carrying 2,124 passengers, in service since 2002. Norwegian Sky is a large Norwegian Cruise Line ship carrying 2,004 passengers, in service since 1999.

Choose Norwegian Sky if you want a more active cruise, a more romantic trip or better-rated staterooms: it outscores Carnival Pride for active (7.0 vs 4.0), romantic (5.0 vs 2.0) and staterooms (8.0 vs 6.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Carnival Pride does not lead by a clear margin on any measure we track, so pick it for its itinerary or its dates.

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

Carnival PrideNorwegian Sky
Cruise line Carnival Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line
Ship size Large Large
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2002 (better) 1999
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2015 2019 (better)
Gross tonnage 88,500 77,104
Passengers 2,124 2,004
Crew 930 934
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 2.3 2.1 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 41.7 (better) 38.5
Decks 12 13
Length 963 ft 848 ft
Beam 106 ft 106 ft
Speed 25 mph 26 mph
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 7 / 10 8 / 10 (better)
Cruises on sale 8 7
Upcoming sailings 71 15
Cruise lengths 7 to 14 nights 5 to 14 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $546 —

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. Carnival Pride leads on 1 of the ten, Norwegian Sky on 6, with 3 level.

  • Active Carnival Pride: 4.0 Norwegian Sky: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature Carnival Pride: 2.0 Norwegian Sky: 3.0
  • Cultural Carnival Pride: 6.0 Norwegian Sky: 7.0
  • Dining Carnival Pride: 5.5 Norwegian Sky: 6.0
  • Entertainment Carnival Pride: 7.6 Norwegian Sky: 7.4
  • Family friendly Carnival Pride: 8.0 Norwegian Sky: 8.0
  • Party Carnival Pride: 8.0 Norwegian Sky: 8.0
  • Romantic Carnival Pride: 2.0 Norwegian Sky: 5.0
  • Spa & fitness Carnival Pride: 8.0 Norwegian Sky: 8.0
  • Staterooms Carnival Pride: 6.0 Norwegian Sky: 8.0

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Sky

As the smallest vessel in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, Norwegian Skyembodies many of the elements you will find on larger vessels from the brand, including the Freestyle dining approach with no set seating assignments for dinner.

Highlights

  • Guest celebrity DJs spin till the late hours!
  • At the Longboard Bar you'll find live broadcasts of sporting events
  • Take your clubs out for a drive at one of two Golf Driving Nets onboard
  • Stay overnight on the ship during a two-day stay in Cuba.

Sailing now

7 cruises on sale.

Questions

Carnival Pride or Norwegian Sky?

Which is bigger, Carnival Pride or Norwegian Sky?

Carnival Pride is bigger at 88,500 gross tons, against 77,104 gross tons for Norwegian Sky. Carnival Pride carries 2,124 passengers and Norwegian Sky carries 2,004.

Which ship is newer, Carnival Pride or Norwegian Sky?

Carnival Pride is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2002 against 1999 for Norwegian Sky.

Which has more space per passenger?

Carnival Pride, with 41.7 gross tons per passenger against 38.5 on Norwegian Sky. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

Norwegian Sky, with one crew member for every 2.1 passengers against one for every 2.3 on Carnival Pride.

Which is better for families?

They score the same for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 8.0 out of 10.

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