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
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
18 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 5%16 NIGHTSCunard's Caribbean Eclipse with 12-night sailing on Queen Elizabeth
Save 8%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
Save 18%5 NIGHTS5-night Rotterdam and Zeebrugge
Save 1%21 NIGHTSSpain, Portugal & Cape Verde
Save 2%7 NIGHTSSpain and France
12 NIGHTSNorway and Northern Lights cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Narvik · Tromsø, Norway · Bergen · Stavanger, Norway
12 NIGHTSNorway and Northern Lights cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Trondheim · Tromsø, Norway · Andalsnes · Bergen
33 NIGHTSOceans, Rails & Waterfalls with Cunard & Rovos
4 NIGHTS4-night Short Break To Rotterdam fr Southampton
7 NIGHTS7-night Easter in Spain and France
5 NIGHTS5-night Northern Europe fr Southampton
Save 1%14 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 1%11 NIGHTSSpain and Morocco
Save 8%12 NIGHTSLake Garda & Magical Mediterranean
7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger · Bergen · Olden · Innvikfjorden · Nordfjord
Save 3%18 NIGHTSItaly, Spain and Portugal cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Lisbon · Alicante · Barcelona · Civitavecchia · Naples
7 NIGHTSNorway and Denmark cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Skagen · Copenhagen · Aarhus · Kristiansand
16 NIGHTSScandinavia and Northern Europe cruise from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Oslo · Visby · Stockholm · Riga · Klaipeda
Save 3%7 NIGHTSSpain and France
7 NIGHTSFrance
Save 1%7 NIGHTSDenmark and Norway
7 NIGHTS7-night Spain and France in Luxury
Save 1%7 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Ports: Southampton · Stavanger · Olden · Innvikfjorden · Nordfjord · Ålesund
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
Save 2%7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Encore Alaska & Glacier Bay
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Corfu & Adriatic Gems
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Nice, Florence & Amalfi Coast
9 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 9-night Joy of Alaska
7 NIGHTSItaly, Greece & Croatia Fly Cruise from Rome
Ports: Rome · Salerno · Catania · Corfu · Kotor · Zadar
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska & Glacier Bay
Save 14%7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, France & Spain
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Encore Alaska & Glacier Bay
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona · Spain
7 NIGHTSSpain & Portugal from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Palma De Mallorca · Valencia · Motril · Gibraltar · Cadiz
6 NIGHTS2-night Vancouver & 6-night Seattle, Astoria, San Francisco & 2-night Los Angeles
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaska & Glacier Bay
10 NIGHTS3-night Salou & 7-night Spanish Cities & Islands
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain, France & Italy
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Encore Alaska & Glacier Bay
Save 1%11 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 9-night Croatia, Italy, France & Spain
Ports: Venice (Ravenna) · Dubrovnik · Bar · Salerno · Rome (Civitavecchia) · La Spezia
Save 14%19 NIGHTSPanama Canal from Los Angeles with Stay
Ports: Los Angeles · Cabo San Lucas · Acapulco · Puerto Quetzal · Puerto Caldera · Panama City
7 NIGHTS2-night Athens & 7-night Greek Isles & Croatia
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Nice, Florence & Marseille
6 NIGHTS2-night Vancouver & 6-night Pacific Coast & 2-night Los Angeles
6 NIGHTS1-night Vancouver & 6-night Pacific Wine Country & 4-night Las Vegas
17 NIGHTSSeoul, Hakodate & Osaka to Tokyo with Stays
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Nice, Florence & Salerno
9 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 5-night Caribbean & Great Stirrup Cay
Ports: Caribbean · Great Stirrup Cay
14 NIGHTS1-night Barcelona & 14-night Transatlantic inc Drinks & Wi-Fi & 7-night Orlando
9 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 5-night Caribbean & Great Stirrup Cay
Ports: Caribbean · Great Stirrup Cay
Save 3%13 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 11-night Canaries, Madeira, Oporto voyage to Southampton
Ports: Lisbon · Las Palmas · Santa Cruz De Tenerife · Santa Cruz de la Palma · Funchal · Oporto (Leixoes)
11 NIGHTS1-night Lisbon & 11-night Canaries, Madeira, Oporto Voyage to Southampton
Hot deal15 NIGHTSAsia Voyage with Tokyo & Seoul Stay
Ports: Yokohama · Shimizu · Nagoya · Kobe · Kochi · Hiroshima
11 NIGHTS7-night Universal Orlando & 4-night Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau
12 NIGHTS7-night Universal Studios & 5-night Caribbean & Great Stirrup Cay
9 NIGHTS2-night Los Angeles & 7-night Mexican Riviera
12 NIGHTS7-night Universal Studios & 5-night Caribbean & Great Stirrup Cay
19 NIGHTSNew Year Thailand & Philippines fr. Hong Kong to Singapore with Stay
17 NIGHTSSingapore, Thailand & Vietnam to Hong Kong with Stays
11 NIGHTS7-night Universal Studios & 4-night Bahamas Getaway
15 NIGHTSPanama Canal with Miami Beach Stay
Ports: Miami Beach · Miami · Great Stirrup Cay · Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic · Willemstad, Curacao · Oranjestad, Aruba
Save 10%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
15 NIGHTSCaribbean Round-Trip from New York with Stay
Ports: New York · Puerto Plata · San Juan · Charlotte Amalie · Road Town · Basseterre
8 NIGHTS8-Day Bahamas Round-Trip Philadelphia: Nassau & Jacksonville
Ports: Philadelphia · Nassau · Bahama Islands · Orlando · Jacksonville
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
5 NIGHTS5-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Orlando: Cozumel
Ports: Orlando · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya
9 NIGHTS9-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Tampa: Dominican Republic & Key West
Ports: Tampa · Key West · Great Stirrup Cay · Falmouth · George Town
8 NIGHTSNASCAR Daytona 500 and Bahamas from Port Canaveral
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Great Stirrup Cay
Save 1%17 NIGHTSHong Kong, Nagasaki, Hiroshima & Osaka to Tokyo with Stays
Ports: Hong Kong · Kaohsiung · Taipei · Ishigaki · Nagasaki · Kagoshima
14 NIGHTSTokyo Stay, Mt. Fuji, Osaka, Hiroshima & Nagasaki to Seoul
Save 2%15 NIGHTSTokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima & Nagasaki to Seoul with Stays
Ports: Tokyo · Shimizu · Nagoya · Osaka · Kochi · Hiroshima
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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