MSC Seashore vs Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas

The MSC Seashore was built in 2021. The MSC Seashore has a New York City-inspired aesthetic complete with a 10-foot-fall replica of the Statue of Liberty at the heart of the casino and shopping area called Times Square. The Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas was built in 2021.

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 Seashore 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. It's about the same size as the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas.

Number of Passengers

MSC Seashore holds 35% more passengers than the Odyssey of the Seas 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 Seashore has less space per person compared to the Odyssey of the Seas.

	MSC Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Class	Seaside EVO	Quantum-Ultra
Gross Tonnage	169,400	169,000
Length	1,060	1,138
Beam/Width	135	135
Passenger Decks	15	14
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,632	4,180
Crew	1,648	1,550
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.4	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	30	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 Seashore has sixteen different dining options like Kaito Sushi Bar, HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, and Butcher's Cut. Of those options, seven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other nine options have an additional fee.

The Odyssey of the Seas has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Izumi, Starbucks, and Wonderland. eleven of these restaurants are complementary and the other ten have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Odyssey of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 31% more dining options than the Seashore.

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

	MSC Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Total Dining Options	16	21
Complimentary Dining Options:	7	11
Additional Fee Dining Options:	9	10
% of Included Options	44%	52%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The MSC Seashore has 8 more bars than the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas. The Seashore has 19 bars like Champagne Bar, Jungle Pool Beach Bar and The Wine Cellar. On Seashore, you can grab a drink at 11 different bars such as English Pub, Schooner Bar and Solarium Bar.

MSC Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
•Aurea Bar • Brooklyn Cafe • Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Chef's Court Cocktail Bar • Horizon Bar • Infinity Bar • Jungle Pool Beach Bar • Le Cabaret Rouge • Long Island Bar • MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar • Seashore Bar • Shine Bar • Sky Bar • Sports Bar • The Uptown Lounge • The Wine Cellar • Top Sail Lounge • Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar	•Bionic Bar • Boleros • Casino Bar • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Music Hall • Playmakers • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Suite Lounge • The Lime & Coconut

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. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Odyssey of the Seas 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 Seashore 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.

Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas has fewer pools than the Seashore and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Odyssey of the Seas. 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 Seashore.

	MSC Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Total Pools	5	4
Pools - General Access	2	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	2	1
Total Hot Tubs	15	5
Hot Tubs - General Access	12	3
Hot Tubs - Adults Only		2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	3	0

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 Seashore. Only 54% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Odyssey of the Seas, 75% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	MSC Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✗	✓
Adventure Trail	✓	✗
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Bionic Bar	✗	✓
Bumper Cars	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✗	✓
F1 Simulator	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✗	✓
Glass Bridge	✓	✗
Indoor Sky Diving	✗	✓
Interactive XD Cinema	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✗	✓
North Star	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✗	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Theater	✓	✗
Thermal Suites	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

MSC and Royal Caribbean 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.

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 Seashore	Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$16.00	$18.50
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price		$3.50
Domestic Beer Price		$8.25 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$46 - $85	$77 - $118 Learn more
Internet Plan	$17 - $27 per device per day	$19 to $30 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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