Norwegian Cruise Ships Newest to Oldest: Complete List

Norwegian Cruise Line currently has 18 cruise ships in its fleet. In terms of passengers carried, it is the 4th largest cruise line in the world, behind Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises.

From unique hull-art that stand out at sea to new innovations onboard, Norwegian Cruise Line has never been afraid to try something new.

This is the cruise line that invented the term “Freestyle Dining” which was a unique concept at the time and has really caught on. Norwegian also introduced Go-Kart tracks to cruise ships with a Ferrari-branded two-level track found on some ships.

With a majority Norwegian’s sailings travel to the Caribbean and Bahamas, Norwegian also offers cruises to Alaska and Europe and even has a dedicated ship for sailings in Hawaii.

There are currently 8 classes of Norwegian cruise ships, although 3 of them only have one ship in them.

• Sun class (Built 1999-2001) – Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun
• Dawn class (Built 2001-2002)- Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn
• Leo class (Built 1998) – Norwegian Spirit
• Pride of America class (Built 2005)- Pride of America
• Jewel class (Built 2005-2007) – Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Pearl
• Epic class (Built 2010)- Norwegian Epic
• Breakaway class (Built 2012-2019)- Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore
• Prima class (Built 2022) – Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva

Future cruise ships coming to Norwegian’s fleet:

• Norwegian Aqua: This will be the first Prima Plus class ship with Norwegian. It is set to debut in April of 2025. It will be 156,300 gross tons in size and will carry 3,571 guests at double occupancy.
• Norwegian Luna: Set to be delivered in 2026, this Prima Plus class ship will be 156,300 gross tons and 10% larger than previous Prima-class ships. The ship will sail out of PortMiami and offer Caribbean cruise itineraries, starting in April of 2026.
• Two other Prima-class ships are scheduled to be delivered in 2027, and 2028.
• It was recently reported that 4 mega-ships with a gross tonnage of 200,000 will be coming in 2030 – 2036. These vessels are expected to have a passenger capacity of 5,000.

Here is a list of every ship currently sailing with Norwegian Cruise Line.  The list will be updated as new ships are added so feel free to bookmark this page for future reference.

Norwegian Viva

Norwegian Viva took her maiden voyage in August of 2023 and is the second Prima-class ship with NCL. Viva is 143,535 gross tons with a capacity of 3,215.

Norwegian Prima

Norwegian Prima is the 1st of 6 Prima-class cruise ships.  The vessel was launched in August of 2021. With a gross tonnage of 142,500, the ship is 981 feet long and can carry 3,100 guests at double capacity.

Norwegian Encore

Norwegian Encore is the final Breakaway Plus class cruise ship from NCL. The cruise ship features a go-kart track, a 10,000 sq ft virtual reality center, a laser tag arena themed after the Lost City of Atlantis, and 29 venues for food and drinks. Take a Video Tour of Norwegian Encore

Norwegian Bliss

Norwegian Bliss entered service in April of 2018. It is the 3rd of the Breakaway Plus class ships and is 168,028 gross tons in size.

Norwegian Joy

Custom built for the Chinese market, Norwegian Joy debuted in March of 2017. In 2018 the ship was moved to the US for cruises to Alaska and Mexico. At 167,725 gross tons Norwegian Joy has a capacity of over 3,800 guests. See 6 cool things about Norwegian Joy. The ship was recently updated to include a new thermal suite among other features.

Norwegian Escape

Norwegian Escape was the first Breakaway Class Plus ship, debuting in October of 2015.   At 164,600 gross tons, Escape has a guest capacity of 4,266. See our article on top 10 reasons to sail on Norwegian Escape.

Norwegian Getaway

The second Breakaway-class ship, Norwegian Getaway debuted in February of 2014.  At 145,655 gross tons, Getaway has a capacity of 3,969 guests.  At the time of its launch it was the 9th largest cruise ship in the world.

Norwegian Breakaway

Debuting in April of 2013 Norwegian Breakaway was the 1st ship in “Project Breakaway”, named from a public contest. The 145,655 gross ton ship can carry 3,963 passengers at double capacity.

Norwegian Epic

Epic is the only ship in its class, although there are a few similarities in the subsequent class of Breakaway. Debuting in July of 2009, Norwegian Epic was the 3rd largest ship in the world at the time. At 155,873 gross tons, the ship can carry 4,100 passengers at double capacity.  Read our review on Norwegian Epic here.

Norwegian Gem

Norwegian Gem was the last Jewel-class ship made by Norwegian. Having debuted in October of 2007, Gem is 93,530 gross tons in size and has a double capacity of 2,394.

Norwegian Pearl

Launched in October of 2006, Norwegian Pearl is the 3rd Jewel-class ship with the line. At 93,530 gross tons, Pearl has a double capacity of 2,394 guests.

Norwegian Jade

The second Jewel class ship to be built, Norwegian Jade debuted in February of 2006.  However, the ship was originally built as Pride of Hawaii. Jade registers at 93,558 gross tons and has a guest capacity of 2,402 at double capacity.

Norwegian Jewel

The 1st of the Jewel class ships, Norwegian Jewel was launched in June of 2005. At 93,502 gross tons, the ship can carry 2,376 passengers at double capacity.  See what we loved about sailing on Norwegian Jewel.

Pride of America

The only ship in its class, Norwegian’s Pride of America is registered in Hawaii and offers week-long itineraries around the islands. The ship debuted in September of 2002 and can carry 2,500 passengers. Pride of America is registered at 80,439 gross tons.  Read our article on 12 reasons to sail on this ship.

Norwegian Dawn

A Dawn-class vessel, Norwegian Dawn entered service for Norwegian in June of 2002 after originally being intended to operate with Star Cruises. At 92,250 gross tons, the ship can carry 2,340 passengers at double capacity.

Norwegian Star

Also a Dawn-class vessel, Norwegian Star entered service for Norwegian in November of 2001. The ship was originally intended for Star Cruises before it was transferred to Norwegian Cruise Line. At 91,740 gross tons, Norwegian Star has a capacity of 2,348.

Norwegian Sun

A Sun-class vessel, Norwegian Sun entered service for the company in 2001. At 78,309 gross tons, the ship can carry 1,936 passengers at double capacity.

Norwegian Sky

Another Sun-class ship, Norwegian Sky was originally ordered by Costa Cruises.  From 2004-2008 the ship sailed as Pride of Aloha and now Sky does short sailings to the Caribbean. Christened in 1999 as Norwegian Sky, the vessel is registered at 77,104 gross tons and has a capacity of 1,928 guests.  Read our review on Norwegian Sky here.

Norwegian Spirit

The oldest ship in the fleet, Norwegian Spirit was launched in 1998 but was acquired by Norwegian in 2004.  Originally the ship was built for Star Cruises and was named Superstar Leo.  At 74,500 gross tons, Norwegian Star has a capacity of 1,996 passengers.

Every Norwegian Cruise Ship by Size: Largest to Smallest

Who owns Norwegian cruise line?

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is the parent company and owner of Norwegian Cruise Line. The company also owns other cruise brands: Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.