We sailed on an older Norwegian ship and a newer one. The big changes show how the cruise line is evolving to compete with Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

• We sailed on an older and newer ship on Norwegian Cruise Line: 11-year-old Breakaway and two-year-old Prima.
• Breakaway was larger but had markedly less exciting family-friendly amenities.
• Mass-market cruise lines have been building flashier ships with more pay-to-play activities.

A lot can happen in nine years — more than two presidential terms and your child’s high school and college graduation, for example.

In the case of Norwegian Cruise Line, nine years means the difference between a bare-boned ship and one with show-stopping amenities.

Two Business Insider reporters sailed on Norwegian’s 11-year-old Norwegian Breakaway and two-year-old Norwegian Prima. (Reporter Taylor Rains spent seven nights on Breakaway in mid-September, while Brittany Chang joined Prima’s complimentary four-night inaugural press sailing in late 2022.)

The older (though still young by industry standards) and larger Breakaway has a capacity of about 3,900 guests — 800 more than Prima. And yet, Prima was notably more amenity-heavy and extravagant, showcasing Norwegian’s — and the general mass-market cruise industry’s — evolving preference for amusement park-like ships.