Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
MSC Seaside vs Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas
The MSC Seaside was built in 2017. It's 8 years older than the Star of the Seas, which was built in 2025. Star of the Seas will start sailing in Summer 2025. It'll feature many of the same restaurants and attractions as its sister-ship Icon of the Seas. The Star of the Seas is still under construction and Royal Caribbean hasn't released all the details yet.
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 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 Star of the Seas, the Seaside is 39% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Seaside holds about the same number of passengers as the Star 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 Star of the Seas.
The Star 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 Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Seaside | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 153,516 | 250,800 |
| Length | 1,060 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 135 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,084 | 5,610 |
| Crew | 1,513 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 30 | 45 |
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 16 different dining options like Biscayne Bay Restaurant & Buffet, Ocean Cay Restaurant, and Marketplace Buffet. Of those options, 8 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 8 options have an additional fee.
The Star of the Seas has 13 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Playmakers, Pearl Cafe, and Surfside Bites. 14 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 15 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Star of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 81% more dining options than the Seaside.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 16 | 29 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 8 | 14 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 8 | 15 |
| % of Included Options | 50% | 48% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The MSC Seaside has 6 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas. The Seaside has 18 bars like Garage Club, Haven Lounge and Seaside Bar. On Seaside, you can grab a drink at 24 different bars such as English Pub, The Overlook and Windjammer Bar.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Star 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 | •Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer 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 Star 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 problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The MSC Seaside has a total of 4 pools and 5 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 1 of the pools are adults only. 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.
Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas has more pools than the Seaside and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star 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.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 4 | 7 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 5 | 10 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 3 | 8 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
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 Star of the Seas, 79% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| MSC Seaside | Royal Caribbean Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Glass Bridge | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| 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 cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Star 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 Star of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | |
| Drink Package Price | $46 - $85 | $70 - $125 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $17 - $27 per device per day | $17 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.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.