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MSC Seaside vs MSC Grandiosa
The MSC Seaside was built in 2017. It's 2 years older than the Grandiosa, which was built in 2019 and 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.
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
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Seaside 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 MSC Grandiosa, the Seaside is 15% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seaside holds 17% more passengers than the Grandiosa 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 Seaside has less space per person compared to the Grandiosa.
| MSC Seaside | MSC Grandiosa | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside | Meraviglia Plus |
| Gross Tonnage | 153,516 | 181,541 |
| Length | 1,060 | 1,094 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 141 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,084 | 4,345 |
| Crew | 1,513 | 1,704 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 30 | 37 |
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 Seaside has eleven different dining options like Butcher's Cut, Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet, and Marketplace Buffet. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Grandiosa has two more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe, Sports Bar, and Kaito Teppanyaki. Nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other ten have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Grandiosa might be a better choice. It has 18% more dining options than the Seaside.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Seaside 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 Seaside & Grandiosa
| Restaurant | MSC Seaside |
MSC Grandiosa |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Atmosphere Bar South | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Marketplace Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | |
| A la carte | |||
| Asian Market Kitchen | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Atmosphere Ice Cream Bar | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Bistro - La Boheme | ✓ | ✗ | |
| Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Ocean Cay Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Sports Bar | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Venchi Gelateria & Creperie | ✓ | ✗ | 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 Seaside has a total of 4 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 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 Grandiosa has more pools than the Seaside and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Grandiosa. 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 Seaside.| MSC Seaside | MSC Grandiosa | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 5 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 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. On the Seaside, 57% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Grandiosa, only 50% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| MSC Seaside | MSC Grandiosa | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bowling Alley | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel Acrobatic Production Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Indoor Sportsplex | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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.
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. | |
We sailed aboard the MSC Seaside
Follow along on our sailing on the MSC Seaside. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
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