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MSC Seaside vs Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas
The MSC Seaside was built in 2017. It's 8 years newer than the Oasis of the Seas, which was built in 2009 and renovated in 2024. Oasis of the Seas was Amplified in 2019 which added many new features, restaurants, and attractions to this ship.
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 Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, the Seaside is 32% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seaside holds about the same number of passengers as the Oasis 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 Seaside has less space per person compared to the Oasis of the Seas.
The Oasis of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside | Oasis |
| Gross Tonnage | 153,516 | 226,838 |
| Length | 1,060 | 1,187 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 215 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,084 | 5,606 |
| Crew | 1,513 | 2,181 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.3 | 2.6 |
| 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 Seaside has eleven different dining options like Marketplace Buffet, Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet, and Ocean Cay Restaurant. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eight options have an additional fee.
The Oasis of the Seas has nine more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Portside BBQ, El Loco Fresh, and Izumi Hibachi & Sushi. Fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other twelve have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Oasis of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 82% more dining options than the Seaside.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Oasis of the Seas 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 | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 11 | 20 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 14 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 12 |
| % of Included Options | 27% | 40% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The MSC Seaside and Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas both have 18 bars to choose from during your sailing. The Seaside has 18 bars like Jungle Bar, Miami Beach Bar and Shine Bar. On Oasis of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 18 different bars such as Casino Bar, Comedy Live and Music Hall.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •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 | •Bionic Bar • Blaze • Boleros • Casino Bar • Comedy Live • English Pub • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rising Tide Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Suite Lounge • Suite Sun Deck Bar • The Lime & Coconut • Trellis Bar • Vintages • Wipeout 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. 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 Oasis 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 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 Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas has the same number of pools as the Seaside and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Oasis 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 Seaside.| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 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 Seaside. Only 57% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Oasis of the Seas, 78% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bionic Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on MSC Seaside will likely be more expensive than on Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas.
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 | Royal Caribbean Oasis 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 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.00 | $7.49 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.
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.
6 Hits and Misses on Star of the Seas
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