Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
MSC Seascape vs MSC Seaside
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 5 years newer than the Seaside, which was built in 2017.
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 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 MSC Seaside, the Seascape is 10% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seascape holds 12% more passengers than the Seaside based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, MSC Seascape holds 16% more passengers than the Seaside.
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 Seaside.
| MSC Seascape | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside EVO | Seaside |
| Gross Tonnage | 169,400 | 153,516 |
| Length | 1,060 | 1,060 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 135 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,540 | 4,052 |
| Passengers (maximum occupancy) | 5,877 | 5,079 |
| Crew | 1,648 | 1,513 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 29 | 30 |
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 eleven different dining options like Marketplace Buffet, HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, and Kaito Teppanyaki. Of those options, seven are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Seaside has the same number of dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Butcher's Cut, Marketplace Buffet, and Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet. Eight of these restaurants are complimentary and the other eight have an additional fee.
The MSC Seascape has about the same number of dining options as the MSC Seaside.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Seaside might be a better choice than the Seascape. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on MSC Seascape & Seaside
| Restaurant | MSC Seascape | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Marketplace Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | |
| A la carte | |||
| Asian Market Kitchen | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Bistro - La Boheme | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Ocean Cay Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Venchi 1878 Gelato | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Venchi Gelateria & Creperie | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Butcher's Cut | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| HOLA! Tacos & Cantina | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Kaito Sushi Bar | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Kaito Teppanyaki | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| MSC Yacht Club Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| The One Pool Grill & Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The MSC Seascape has 1 more bar than the MSC Seaside.
| MSC Seascape | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Aurea Bar* | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Champagne Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chef's Court Cocktail Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Garage Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Haven Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Horizon Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Infinity Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jungle Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jungle Pool Beach Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Le Cabaret Rouge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Loft Cafe | ✓ | ✗ |
| Long Island Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketplace Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Miami Beach Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Miramar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar* | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seascape Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Seaside Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Seaview Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shine Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| South Beach Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sports Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Uptown Lounge | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Wine Cellar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Top 19 Bar* | ✓ | ✗ |
| Top Sail Lounge* | ✓ | ✓ |
| Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wine & Cocktails | ✗ | ✓ |
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 Barq's Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
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
MSC
Seascape
5
pools
15
hot tubs
MSC
Seaside
4
pools
5
hot tubs
| Seascape | Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| General-access pools | 2 | 2 |
| Adults-only pools | 1 | 1 |
| Exclusive pools | 2 | 1 |
| General-access hot tubs | 12 | 3 |
| Adults-only hot tubs | ||
| Exclusive hot tubs | 3 | 2 |
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.
MSC Seaside has fewer pools than the Seascape and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Seaside. 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.
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. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 52%
| MSC Seascape | MSC Seaside | |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✓ |
| Robotron | ✓ | ✗ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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 Seascape will likely be more expensive than on MSC Seaside.
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 may 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) | $17.00 |
| 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. | |
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related to These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.