Cruise Spotlight
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MSC Seascape vs Norwegian Epic
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 12 years newer than the Epic, which was built in 2010 and renovated in 2025.
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 Norwegian Epic, the Seascape is 9% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seascape holds 43% more passengers than the Epic 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 Epic.
| MSC Seascape | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside EVO | Epic |
| Gross Tonnage | 169,400 | 155,873 |
| Length | 1,060 | 1,081 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 171 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 14 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,877 | 4,100 |
| Crew | 1,648 | 1,724 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.6 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 28 | 38 |
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 HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, Kaito Sushi Bar, and Ocean Cay Restaurant. Of those options, seven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.
The Epic has six more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are La Cucina Italian, Main Dining Room, and Shanghai's Noodle Bar. eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other fourteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Epic might be a better choice. It has 55% more dining options than the Seascape.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| MSC Seascape | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 11 | 17 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 7 | 8 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 9 | 14 |
| % of Included Options | 18% | 18% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The MSC Seascape has 3 more bars than the Norwegian Epic. The Seascape has 19 bars like Jungle Pool Beach Bar, Loft Cafe and Shine Bar. On Seascape, you can grab a drink at 16 different bars such as O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill, Spice H2O and Waves Pool Bar.
| MSC Seascape | Norwegian Epic |
|---|---|
| •Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Chef's Court Cocktail Bar • Horizon Bar • Infinity Bar • Jungle Pool Beach Bar • Le Cabaret Rouge • Loft Cafe • Marina 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 | •Atrium Bar • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Cascades Bar • Epic Theater Bar • Headliners Comedy Club • Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar • O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill • Posh Beach Club • Sake Bar • Shakers Martini & Cocktail Bar • Skyy Vodka Ice Bar • Spice H2O • Starbucks • The Cavern Club • The Haven Bar • Waves Pool 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 Epic 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.
The Norwegian Epic has the same number of pools as the Seascape and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Epic. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools are adults only on Seascape.| MSC Seascape | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 2 | 2 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 15 | 13 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 12 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 3 | 5 |
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 54% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Epic, 59% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| MSC Seascape | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bowling Alley | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Robotron | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sports Square | ✗ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
MSC and Norwegian 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 Norwegian Epic.
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 | Norwegian Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | |
| Domestic Beer Price | $7.50 See drink menus | |
| Drink Package Price | $46 - $85 | 106 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $17 - $27 per device per day | $29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a More at Sea fare. Through this program, guests receive open bar, a discount on excursions, some free internet, and some meals at specialty restaurants. If you book using this promotion, you'll be responsible for the gratuities on the dining and drink package. If you won't be using these options, booking a "sail away" rate that doesn't include the More at Sea benefits is considerably cheaper. Also, most of these benefits are the base packages; you can spend more to upgrade to better alcoholic drinks or faster/more wifi.
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