Cruise Spotlight
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MSC Seaside vs Norwegian Viva
The MSC Seaside was built in 2017. It's 6 years older than the Viva, which was built in 2023.
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 Norwegian Viva, the Seaside is 7% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seaside holds 64% more passengers than the Viva 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 Viva.
| MSC Seaside | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside | Prima |
| Gross Tonnage | 153,516 | 143,535 |
| Length | 1,060 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,084 | 3,099 |
| Crew | 1,513 | 1,506 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.3 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 30 | 46 |
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 Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet, Ocean Cay Restaurant, and Marketplace Buffet. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Viva has five more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Commodore Room, Onda by Scarpetta, and Palomar. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Viva might be a better choice. It has 45% more dining options than the Seaside.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Viva might be a better choice then the Seaside. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| MSC Seaside | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 11 | 16 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 11 |
| % of Included Options | 27% | 31% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The MSC Seaside has 4 more bars than the Norwegian Viva. The Seaside has 18 bars like Marketplace Bar, Shine Bar and Top Sail Lounge. On Seaside, you can grab a drink at 14 different bars such as Syd Norman's Pourhouse, The Local Bar and Vibe Beach Club Bar.
| MSC Seaside | Norwegian Viva |
|---|---|
| •Aurea Bar • Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Garage Club • Haven Lounge • Jungle Bar • Marketplace Bar • Miami Beach Bar • Miramar Bar • MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar • Seaside Bar • Seaview Lounge • Shine Bar • South Beach Bar • Sports Bar • Top Sail Lounge • Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar • Wine & Cocktails | •Belvedere Bar • Improv at Sea • Luna Bar • Metropolitan Bar • Observation Lounge Bar • Penrose Bar • Proof Whiskey Bar • Soleil Bar • Starbucks • Syd Norman's Pourhouse • The Haven Bar • The Local Bar • Vibe Beach Club 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 Viva 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 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.
The Norwegian Viva has the same number of pools as the Seaside and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Viva. 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 | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 4 |
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 Viva, only 53% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| MSC Seaside | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 Seaside will likely be cheaper than on Norwegian Viva.
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 Seaside | Norwegian Viva | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
We sailed aboard the Norwegian Viva
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Viva. 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.
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Pre-cruise – Athens
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Athens
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Santorini
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Kusadasi
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Istanbul
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Mykonos
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 6 – Sea Day
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 7 – Messina
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 8 – Naples
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 9 – Florence
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 10 – Nice
Norwegian Viva – Cruise Blog - Day 11 – Rome
5 Hits and Misses on Norwegian Viva
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