MSC Seascape vs Margaritaville at Sea Islander

The MSC Seascape was built in 2022. The MSC Seascape has a New York City-inspired theme complete with a 10-foot-fall replica of the Statue of Liberty at the heart of the casino and shopping area called Times Square. It's 22 years newer than the Islander, which was built in 2000 and renovated in 2024. The Islander formerly sailed as the Costa Atlantica before it was brought to the Margaritaville fleet.

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 Seascape is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,060 feet long and 135 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.9 football fields, as wide as 2.5 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, the Seascape is 98% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

The MSC Seascape holds more than double the amount of people as the Islander based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Seascape has less space per person compared to the Islander.

	MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Class	Seaside EVO	MAS Spirit
Gross Tonnage	169,400	85,619
Length	1,060	960
Beam/Width	135	127
Passenger Decks	15	11
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,877	2,114
Crew	1,648	920
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.6	2.3
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	28	40

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 Seascape has twelve different dining options like Marketplace Buffet, Butcher's Cut, and Kaito Teppanyaki. Of those options, six are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.

The Islander has one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Mexican Cutie Cantina, JWB Prime Steakhouse, and Far Side Sushi. Seven of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.

The MSC Seascape has about the same number of dining options as the Margaritaville at Sea Islander.

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

	MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Total Dining Options	12	11
Complimentary Dining Options:	6	7
Additional Fee Dining Options:	6	9
% of Included Options	50%	18%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The MSC Seascape has 7 more bars than the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. The Seascape has 19 bars like Casino Bar, Shine Bar and The Uptown Lounge. On Islander, you can grab a drink at 12 different bars such as Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar, Hot, Hot, Hot Night Club and JWB Prime Lounge.

MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
•Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Chef's Court Cocktail Bar • Horizon Bar • Infinity Bar • Jungle Pool Beach Bar • Le Cabaret Rouge • Loft Cafe • Long Island Bar • MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar • Seascape Bar • Shine Bar • Sky Bar • Sports Bar • The Uptown Lounge • The Wine Cellar • Top 19 Bar • Top Sail Lounge • Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar	•5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar • Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar • Coral Reef Lounge • Flip Flop Atrium Bar • Havana Daydreamin' Sports Bar and Lounge • Hemisphere Dancer Craft Spirits • Hot, Hot, Hot Night Club • JWB Prime Lounge • LandShark Bar and Lookout • Love and Luck Casino Bar • The Far Side Lounge • The Tiki Bar

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.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Islander below.

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 Seascape has a total of 5 pools and 15 hot tubs. 2 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.

Margaritaville at Sea Islander has fewer pools than the Seascape and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Islander. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.

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

	MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Total Pools	5	3
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	2
Total Hot Tubs	15	3
Hot Tubs - General Access	12	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only		1
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	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 Seascape. Only 52% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Islander, 71% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✗	✓
Adventure Trail	✓	✗
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Comedy Show	✗	✓
Dry kid's play area	✗	✓
F1 Simulator	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Glass Bridge	✓	✗
Interactive XD Cinema	✓	✗
Mini golf	✗	✓
Pickleball	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✗	✓
Robotron	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Tattoo Studio	✗	✓
Theater	✓	✗
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
Waterslide	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

MSC and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. 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 Seascape will likely be more expensive than on Margaritaville at Sea Islander.

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 compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	MSC Seascape	Margaritaville at Sea Islander
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$17.00	$22.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	20%
Soda Price	$3.50	$2.95
Domestic Beer Price	$9.00	$9.00 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$46 - $85	64.99
Internet Plan	$17 - $27 per device per day	$17.99 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

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