NCL Ships Ranked By Age, Newest To Oldest For 2026

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Booking a Norwegian Cruise vacation offers so many diverse choices. Choosing the right family cruise ship for your cruise depends on so many factors. Where do you intend to sail? What’s on your cruise itinerary wish list? Or are you led by the best cruise deal or cruise ship?

NCL Ships By Age, Newest To Oldest 2026

Guide to Norwegian Encore
Photo Credit, Sarah Christie, Cruising With Kids

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We fit between all brackets of choosing a cruise ship depending on the trip; however, for us, the ship is a huge factor. Thus we thought it a great idea to share all of the NCL Ships By Age and Size, Newest To Oldest and also by how many passengers each NCL ship holds.

Ship And ClassClassYearRefurbishedPassengersCrewWeight
Gross Tons
Length
Norwegian LunaPrima ClassDue 20263,571156,3001,056ft
Norwegian
Aqua
Prima ClassM/V March 20253571156,3001,056ft
Norwegian VivaPrima Class202332151388142,500965ft
Norwegian PrimaPrima Class202232151388142,500965 ft
Norwegian EncoreBreakaway Plus 201939981735169,1161094 ft
Norwegian BlissBreakaway Plus201840041716168,0281094 ft
Norwegian JoyBreakaway Plus 2017201938041821167,7251094 ft
Norwegian EscapeBreakaway Plus 2015202242661733164,9981069 ft
Norwegian GetawayBreakaway2014202039631646145,6551068 ft
Norwegian BreakawayBreakaway2013202039631657145,6551068 ft
Norwegian EpicEpic2010202041001724155,8731081 ft
Norwegian GemJewel 200720222394107093,530965 ft
Norwegian JadeJewel200620222402103793,558965 ft
Norwegian PearlJewel200620212394107293,530965 ft
Pride of America20052022218692780,439920 ft
Norwegian JewelJewel200520222376106993,502965 ft
Norwegian DawnDawn200220162340103292,250965 ft
Norwegian SunSun20012018193690678,309848 ft
Norwegian StarDawn200120182348103191,740965 ft
Norwegian SkySun Class19992022200489977,104848 ft
Norwegian Spirit19982022201891275,904880 ft
NCL Ships By Age, Passengers, Weight And Size?

How Many Ships DO NCL Have?

Guide to Norwegian Encore Full Review and Ship photo tour
Photo Credit: Sarah Christie, Cruising with Kids

Norwegian Cruise Line has 21 ships, including the launch of Norwegian Viva in August 2023 and the new Norwegian Aqua in March 2025. And Luna in 2026.

Norwegian Cruise Line Ships By Age, Newest To Oldest

Norwegian Encore in port and Taino Bay Dominican Republic, Ncl is a great line for cruising for families of five,
Photo Credit: Sarah Christie, Cruising with Kids

The below list details each NCL Ships By Age when it was launched. Additionally, if the ship has been refurbished, we have included the year.

  1. Norwegian Luna 2026
  2. Norwegian Aqua, March 2025
  3. Norwegian Viva, 2023
  4. Norwegian Prima, 2022
  5. Norwegian Encore, 2019 Refurbished 2025
  6. Norwegian Bliss, 2018, Refurbished 2021
  7. Norwegian Joy, 2017, Refurbished 2019
  8. Norwegian Escape, 2015, Refurbished 2022
  9. Norwegian Getaway, 2014, Refurbished 2020
  10. Norwegian Breakaway, 2013, Refurbished 2020
  11. Norwegian Epic, 2010, Refurbished 2020
  12. Norwegian Gem, 2007, Refurbished 2022
  13. Norwegian Jade, 2006, Refurbished 2022
  14. Norwegian Pearl, 2006, Refurbished 2021
  15. Pride of America, 2005, Refurbished 2022
  16. Norwegian Jewel, 2005, Refurbished 2022
  17. Norwegian Dawn, 2002, Refurbished 2016
  18. Norwegian Sun, 2001, Refurbished 2018
  19. Norwegian Star, 2001, Refurbished 2018
  20. Norwegian Sky, 1999, Refurbished 2022
  21. Norwegian Spirit, 1998, Refurbished 2022

What Are The Newer NCL Ships?

Ncl Norwegian Prima Ship
Photo Credit, NCL

The newest NCL ships sailing are Prima Class Ships, Norwegian Prima and Viva. NCL Encore, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy preceded her. These Breakaway Plus class ships offer excellent facilities such as race tracks at sea, Broadway shows, and boardwalks lined with bars and restaurants overlooking the sea.

Which Is NLC’s Biggest Ship?

Photo Credit: Sarah Christie, Cruising with Kids

Norwegian Encore is Norwegian Cruise Line’s Biggest Cruise Ship as of 2019 at a whopping 169,116 tons an holding 3998 passengers and 1735 crew which is a passenger ratio of 2.3 passengers per crew member.

Her sister, Norwegian Bliss, closely follows this at 168,028 tons. The newer ships Luna and Aqua are smaller at 156,300gt; this is a conscious effort by NCL to maintain service on their ships; Prima holds 3215 guests with 1388 crew and a passenger-to-crew ratio of 2.3.

Which IS NCL’s Smallest Ship?

Ncl Norwegian Spirit Ship
Photo Credit: NCL

Norwegian Spirit is NCL’s smallest ship at 175,904 tons, holding 2018 passengers and 912 crew. However, after a recent renovation, I am dying to try out all the styles and classes of the larger vessels.

Norwegian Cruise Line Has A Fabulous Selection of Ships For Cruisers

Photo Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line has spent fortunes renovating its fleet in recent years, thus you can expect the same level of style and decor on many of their ships. The decision is based in itinerary, if you like the large ship experience offering facilities such as laser quest and racing tracks. Or indeed the more laid back feel of smaller cruise ships.

If You Are Sailing With NCL Check Out The Drinks Packages

Photo Credit: Sarah Christie, NCL Encore
Norwegian Cruise Line Ships by Age
Photo Credit: Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL Ships by age and passenger numbers

Author

  • Sarah Christie is a passionate family travel expert. With years of experience exploring the world by sea, Sarah specialises in helping families plan unforgettable cruise holidays with practical tips, honest reviews, and insider advice. From navigating mega ships with little ones to finding the best family-friendly excursions, she’s on a mission to make cruising stress-free and magical for all ages. Now that her children are grown up, Sarah is also embracing a new chapter of cruising as a couple, exploring adult-only experiences, romantic escapes, and bucket-list destinations with a fresh perspective.

    She also co-hosts the popular Magically Cruising Podcast, where she shares cruise news, destination insights, and first-hand experiences to inspire both first-time cruisers and seasoned sailors.

    Contact me on travelingchristie@gmail.com

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