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MSC World America vs Norwegian Star
The MSC World America is a fairly new ship, being built in 2025. The World America was built specifically for the American market with customized venues like MSC's first sports bars and an onboard brewery. The ship is split into seven districts that provide unique restaurants, bars, and attractions; helping to reduce crowding. It's 24 years newer than the Star, which was built in 2001 and renovated in 2024.
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 World America is considered an extra large size ship. Coming in at 1,093 feet long and 154 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.9 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the Norwegian Star, the World America is 135% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The MSC World America holds more than double the amount of people as the Star 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 World America has less space per person compared to the Star.
| MSC World America | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | World | Dawn |
| Gross Tonnage | 215,863 | 91,740 |
| Length | 1,093 | 965 |
| Beam/Width | 154 | 125 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 6,762 | 2,348 |
| Crew | 2,138 | 1,031 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 3.2 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 32 | 39 |
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 World America has eighteen different dining options like La Brasserie Buffet, HOLA! Tacos & Cantina, and Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Cafe. Of those options, twelve are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other twelve options have an additional fee.
The Star has six fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Sushi Bar, O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar & Grill, and Cagney's Steakhouse. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other eight have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the World America might be a better choice. It has 50% more dining options than the Star.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| MSC World America | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 18 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 12 | 9 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 12 | 8 |
| % of Included Options | 33% | 33% |
| 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 Star 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 World America has a total of 7 pools and 13 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 Star has fewer pools than the World America and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Star. 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? Two of the pools are adults only on World America.| MSC World America | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 7 | 2 |
| Pools - General Access | 4 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 2 | |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 13 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 10 | 5 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | ||
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 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. You might up paying more while on board the World America. Only 50% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Star, 64% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| MSC World America | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adult Only Relaxation Area (free) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Adventure Trail | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bumper Cars | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cigar Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cliffhanger | ✓ | ✗ |
| F1 Simulator | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Interactive XD Cinema | ✓ | ✗ |
| Jogging Track | ✗ | ✓ |
| Production Shows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Shows - musical review | ✗ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| VR 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 World America will likely be more expensive than on Norwegian Star.
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 World America | Norwegian Star | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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