Cunard vs Norwegian Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of Cunard and Norwegian Cruise Line covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose Cunard if you want…
- Luxury and sophistication
- Transatlantic crossings
- Formal dining
- History and tradition
Cunard may not suit you if…
- Budget travellers
- Families with young children
- Those who dislike formal dress codes
Choose Norwegian Cruise Line if you want…
- Flexible, no-rules cruising
- Solo travellers (studio cabins)
- Broadway entertainment
- Modern ship design
Norwegian Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Those wanting traditional cruise formality
- Budget travellers
- UK-departure-only preference
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
Cunard Fleet (4 ships)
Queen Mary 2
Built 2004 · 2,691 guests
Queen Victoria
Built 2007 · 2,081 guests
Queen Anne
Built 2024 · 2,996 guests
Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet (19 ships)
Norwegian Prima
Built 2022 · 3,215 guests
Norwegian Viva
Built 2023 · 3,215 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
Cunard Sailings
18 NIGHTSWestbound Transatlantic Crossing from Southampton to New York with Stay
Ports: Southampton · Zeebrugge · Olden · Skjolden · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
9 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Luxury Western Mediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia · Tarragona · Palma de Mallorca · Villefranche · Marseille · Barcelona
Save 1%10 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 10 nights
10 NIGHTS3-night Barcelona & 7-night Luxury Italy And Spain
Ports: Barcelona · Ibiza · Cagliari · Messina · Salerno · Civitavecchia
Save 1%7 NIGHTSCunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic 7 nights
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska in Luxury
Save 1%7 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 7 nights
Save 1%11 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Luxury Greece & Adriatic & 2-night Venice
Save 3%17 NIGHTSAlaska Cruise and 5-night Seattle Stay with Mt Rainer National Park & Snoqualmie Falls Tours
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Haines · Sitka
Save 1%2 NIGHTSCunard Queen Mary 2 Northern Europe 2 nights
Save 1%11 NIGHTSCunard Queen Elizabeth Alaska 11 nights
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords Michelin-star Chef Michel Roux cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Kristiansand · Oslo · Skagen
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
14 NIGHTSSeattle Sights and Glacier Vistas: Cunard's Farewell Season to Alaska
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
Save 4%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona · Civitavecchia (Rome)
Hot deal7 NIGHTS7 Night Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: New York
Save 9%10 NIGHTS3-night Rome & 7-night Luxury France And Italy
10 NIGHTSItalian Coastal Treasures with Cunard
Save 1%7 NIGHTSTransatlantic
Ports: Southampton · New York
10 NIGHTSAlaska from Seattle with Stay
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Juneau · Victoria, British Columbia
19 NIGHTSMediterranean and Greek Islands cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Cadiz · Thira · Mykonos Town · Piraeus · Heraklion
10 NIGHTSVoyage of the Ancients: A Journey from Istanbul to Rome with Cunard
10 NIGHTSVoyage of the Ancients: A Journey from Istanbul to Rome with Cunard
Ports: Rome
Deal18 NIGHTSNo-fly Grand European Rail & Sail Adventure: Including 4* Hotel stays, Upgraded Rail & Queen Victoria Cruise
7 NIGHTS7 Night Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: New York
4 NIGHTS4-night Rotterdam And Zeebrugge Short Break
Save 1%16 NIGHTSCunard's Caribbean Eclipse with 12-night sailing on Queen Elizabeth
12 NIGHTSNorway and North Cape cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Alesund · Tromsø, Norway · Narvik · Stavanger, Norway
5 NIGHTS5-night Hamburg And Zeebrugge Short Break
Ports: Hamburg · Zeebrugge
13 NIGHTSFalls, Skyscrapers & Sea: Niagara, New York & Cunard Transatlantic Crossing
Ports: Niagara · New York
Save 3%7 NIGHTSSpain and France cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Bilbao (Getxo) · Santander · Gijon · Cherbourg · Southampton
Save 6%12 NIGHTSAzores, Portugal and Spain cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Ponta Delgada, Azores · Funchal, Madeira · Lisbon · Vigo · Southampton
Save 3%4 NIGHTS4-night Short Break To Rotterdam
4 NIGHTS4-night Zeebrugge And Cherbourg fr Southampton
12 NIGHTSNorway and North Cape Michelin-star Chef Michel Roux cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Alesund · Tromsø, Norway · Narvik · Stavanger, Norway
12 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · George Town, Grand Cayman · Montego Bay · Roatan Island · Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
4 NIGHTS4-night Short Break to Rotterdam
Save 14%7 NIGHTS7-night Zeebrugge, Amsterdam And Cherbourg fr Southampton
Save 8%7 NIGHTS7-night Le Havre & Amsterdam
Save 3%12 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami · George Town, Grand Cayman · Montego Bay · Roatan Island · Puerto Costa Maya · Cozumel
30 NIGHTSTransatlantic crossing and Caribbean Celebration cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · New York · Tortola · Philipsburg, St. Maarten · Bridgetown, Barbados · Castries, St. Lucia
7 NIGHTSHamburg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge
Save 8%7 NIGHTS7-night Spain And Portugal fr Southampton
5 NIGHTS2-night Hamburg & 5-night Rotterdam And Zeebrugge Short Break
Ports: Rotterdam · Zeebrugge
5 NIGHTSRotterdam and Zeebrugge Short Break
Save 2%13 NIGHTSAzores from Miami to Southampton with 1-night Stay
Ports: Miami · Praia da Vitoria · Ponta Delgada, Azores · Southampton
45 NIGHTSSouthampton to Sydney
Ports: Southampton · New York · Oranjestad, Aruba · Panama Canal · Acajutla · Puerto Vallarta
34 NIGHTSSouthampton to the Caribbean & South America with Rio & Iguazu Falls Stays
Ports: Southampton · Hamilton · Orlando · Fort Lauderdale · Grand Turk · Bridgetown
Save 3%7 NIGHTS7-night Portugal & Spain fr Southampton
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia (Rome) · Italy
Hot deal9 NIGHTSNorway & Iceland from Southampton with Reykjavik Stay
Ports: Southampton · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Bergen · Akureyri · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
Save 3%9 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip Philadelphia
Ports: Philadelphia · Royal Naval Dockyard · Halifax · Philadelphia
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Croatia & Greece
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip New York
Ports: Royal Naval Dockyard
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Hawaii Inter-Island from Honolulu
Ports: Kahului · Hilo · Kona · Nawiliwili
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSFrance & Italy from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Messina · Salerno · Rome (Civitavecchia)
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 2%11 NIGHTSBritish Isles from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Invergordon · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Stornoway, Isle of Lewis · Belfast · Dublin (Dun Loaghaire)
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
9 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik with Stay
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven · Southampton
15 NIGHTS7-night Waikiki Beach Honolulu Stay with Tours & 7-night Inter-Island Cruise of Hawaii
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Kahului, Maui · Hilo, Hawaii · Kona, Hawaii · Nawiliwili, Kauai
Save 14%7 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Southampton
11 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain from Southampton to Barcelona
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) · Zeebrugge · Le Havre (Paris) · Vigo · Lisbon
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 7%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTS7-Day Greek Isles from Venice to Athens: Santorini, Mykonos & Croatia
Ports: Venice (Ravenna) · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Corfu · Olympia (Katakolon) · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Lisbon to Barcelona: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTS7-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Orlando: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Orlando · Puerto Plata/Dominican Republic · St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) · Tortola · Great Stirrup Cay
7 NIGHTS7-Day Alaska Round-Trip Seattle: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Rome to Venice: Italy, Greece & Croatia
Ports: Rome · Salerno · Catania · Corfu · Kotor · Split
11 NIGHTS11-Day Northern Europe from London to Reykjavik: Iceland, Scotland & Norway
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Kirkwall · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome: Nice, Florence & Amalfi Coast (salerno)
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Cannes · Florence/Pisa · Sicily · Salerno
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Boston & 7-night New England & Canada
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
Save 16%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 18%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean: Nice, Florence & Salerno
Ports: Civitavecchia · Salerno · Catania · Livorno · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Marseille
9 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 9-night Joy of Alaska
Save 4%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
7 NIGHTS3-night New York & 7-night Boston & Halifax
10 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Maloy · Leirvik · Invergordon
Save 10%7 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 4-night Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau
11 NIGHTSSpain & Portugal Explorer with Lisbon and Barcelona Stays
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza Town, Ibiza
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy & France
Save 19%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka & Victoria
Ports: Seattle · Sitka · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Icy Strait Point · Ketchikan
Save 3%11 NIGHTSCanada & New England: Boston, Bar Harbor & Halifax
Ports: Philadelphia · Boston · Bar Harbor · Saint-John · Halifax · Sydney
7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Cunard vs Norwegian Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between Cunard and Norwegian Cruise Line ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
Cunard, founded in 1840 and headquartered in Southampton, UK, operates a fleet of 4 ships. It is categorised as a luxury cruise line and scores 4.8/5 overall based on 8,900 reviews. The line is particularly strong for luxury and sophistication and transatlantic crossings, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Norwegian Cruise Line, established in 1966 from Miami, USA, has a fleet of 19 ships. As a contemporary line rated 4.4/5 from 13,800 reviews, it excels at flexible, no-rules cruising and solo travellers (studio cabins). If those are your priorities, Norwegian Cruise Line deserves serious consideration.
On food, Cunard scores 9/10 compared to Norwegian Cruise Line's 7/10. For entertainment, Cunard comes in at 7/10 versus Norwegian Cruise Line's 8/10. Value for money favours Norwegian Cruise Line with a score of 7/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
Cunard vs Norwegian Cruise Line — FAQ
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