MSC Grandiosa vs MSC World America

The MSC Grandiosa was built in 2019. It was renovated in 2024. The Grandiosa features a 364 foot indoor promenade with a "sky" made up of a massive digital LED screen that shows scenes 24/7. It's 6 years older than the World America, which was built in 2025. The World America was built specifically for the American market with customized venues like MSC's first sports bars and an onboard brewery. The ship is split into seven districts that provide unique restaurants, bars, and attractions; helping to reduce crowding.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Grandiosa is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,094 feet long and 141 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.7 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the MSC World America, the Grandiosa is 16% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

MSC Grandiosa holds 36% fewer passengers than the World America based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Grandiosa has more space per person compared to the World America. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

The World America uses a district layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.

	MSC Grandiosa	MSC World America
Class	Meraviglia Plus	World
Gross Tonnage	181,541	215,863
Length	1,094	1,092
Beam/Width	141	155
Passenger Decks	15	16
Passengers (double occupancy)	4,345	6,762
Crew	1,704	2,138
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.8	3.2
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	37	32

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Grandiosa has thirteen different dining options like Kaito Sushi Bar, Kaito Teppanyaki, and L'Atelier Bistro. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.

The World America has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Butcher's Cut, Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe, and Paxos. Twelve of these restaurants are complementary and the other twelve have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the World America might be a better choice. It has 38% more dining options than the Grandiosa.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the World America might be a better choice then the Grandiosa. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

Restaurants on MSC Grandiosa & World America

Restaurant	MSC Grandiosa	MSC World America
Included
Atmosphere Bar South	✓	✗
Il Mercato	✗	✓
La Brasserie Buffet	✗	✓
Luna Park Pizza & Burger	✗	✓	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✓	✓
Marketplace Buffet	✓	✗
Promenade Bites	✗	✓	Learn More
The Harbour Bar & Bites	✗	✓	Learn More
A la carte
All-Stars Sports Bar	✗	✓	Learn More
Atmosphere Ice Cream Bar	✓	✗
Eataly	✗	✓	Learn More
Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe	✓	✓	Learn More
Paxos	✗	✓	Learn More
Paxos on the Go	✗	✓	Learn More
Sports Bar	✓	✗
Sweet Temptations	✗	✓	Learn More
Flat fee
Butcher's Cut	✓	✓	Learn More
HOLA! Tacos & Cantina	✓	✓	Learn More
Kaito Sushi Bar	✓	✓
Kaito Teppanyaki	✓	✓	Learn More
L'Atelier Bistro	✓	✗
Exclusive (open to select guests only)
MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar	✓	✓	Learn More
MSC Yacht Club Restaurant	✓	✓	Learn More

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. Alcohol is not included in the base price of this cruise ship. To see if you would save money with a drink package, try our Drink Package Calculator.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The MSC Grandiosa has a total of 5 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 3 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.

MSC World America has more pools than the Grandiosa and more hot tubs.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Grandiosa.

	MSC Grandiosa	MSC World America
Total Pools	5	7
Pools - General Access	3	4
Pools - Adults Only	1	2
Pools - Exclusive	1	1
Total Hot Tubs	9	13
Hot Tubs - General Access	6	10
Hot Tubs - Adults Only
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	3	3

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Grandiosa. Only 50% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the World America, 55% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	MSC Grandiosa	MSC World America
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Adventure Trail	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Bowling Alley	✓	✗
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Carousel Acrobatic Production Show	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Cliffhanger	✗	✓
Comedy Show	✗	✓
Dueling Pianos	✗	✓
F1 Simulator	✓	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Indoor Sportsplex	✓	✗
Interactive XD Cinema	✓	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Production Shows	✗	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Theater	✓	✗
Thermal Suites	✓	✓
Thrill Slide	✗	✓
VR Arcade	✗	✓
Water slides	✓	✓
Zip Line	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

MSC is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on MSC Grandiosa will likely be cheaper than on MSC World America.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a MSC ship.

	MSC
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$9.00
Drink Package Price	$46 - $85
Internet Plan	$17 - $27 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

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