Cruise Spotlight
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MSC Virtuosa vs Norwegian Prima
The MSC Virtuosa was built in 2021. It was renovated in 2025. It's 1 year older than the Prima, which was built in 2022. The Prima is the first of six in a brand-new class of 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 Virtuosa is considered a large size ship. Coming in at 1,086 feet long and 141 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.7 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 15-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Prima, the Virtuosa is 26% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
MSC Virtuosa holds 56% more passengers than the Prima 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 Virtuosa has less space per person compared to the Prima.
| MSC Virtuosa | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Meraviglia Plus-class | Prima |
| Gross Tonnage | 181,541 | 143,535 |
| Length | 1,086 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 141 | 133 |
| Passenger Decks | 15 | 15 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 4,842 | 3,099 |
| Crew | 1,704 | 1,506 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 37 | 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 Virtuosa has fourteen different dining options like Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe, Sports Bar, and Indochine. Of those options, nine are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other eleven options have an additional fee.
The Prima has three more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Hasuki, Onda by Scarpetta, and Nama. Six of these restaurants are complementary and the other twelve have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Prima might be a better choice. It has 21% more dining options than the Virtuosa.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Prima might be a better choice then the Virtuosa. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| MSC Virtuosa | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 14 | 17 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 9 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 11 | 12 |
| % of Included Options | 21% | 29% |
| See the options | See the options |
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. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Prima 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 Virtuosa has a total of 5 pools and 9 hot tubs. 1 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.
Norwegian Prima has fewer pools than the Virtuosa and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Prima. 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 Virtuosa.| MSC Virtuosa | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 4 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 9 | 6 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 3 | 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. You might up paying more while on board the Virtuosa. Only 47% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Prima, 50% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| MSC Virtuosa | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (extra fee) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bowling Alley | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel Acrobatic Production Show | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dart Lounge | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Golf Simulator | ✗ | ✓ |
| Indoor Sportsplex | ✓ | ✗ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✗ | ✓ |
| Race Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Robotic Bartender | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Stadium Game Area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Theater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Virtual Arcade | ✗ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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.
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 Virtuosa | Norwegian Prima | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $20.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 20% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.00 | $9.99 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 Prima
Follow along on our sailing on the Norwegian Prima. 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 Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - NYC
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Halifax
Norwegian Prima - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits and Misses on the Norwegian Prima
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