Norwegian Dawn vs MSC Seascape

The Norwegian Dawn was built in 2002. It was renovated in 2016. It's 20 years older than the Seascape, which was built in 2022. The MSC Seascape has a New York City-inspired theme complete with a 10-foot-fall replica of the Statue of Liberty at the heart of the casino and shopping area called Times Square.

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 Dawn is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 965 feet long and 125 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the MSC Seascape, the Dawn is 51% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Norwegian Dawn holds 60% fewer passengers than the Seascape based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Dawn has more space per person compared to the Seascape. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
Class	Dawn	Seaside EVO
Gross Tonnage	82,250	169,400
Length	965	1,060
Beam/Width	125	135
Passenger Decks	12	15
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,340	5,877
Crew	1,032	1,648
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.3	3.6
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	35	28

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 Dawn has nineteen different dining options like Moderno Churrascaria, La Cucina Italian, and Cagney's Steakhouse. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other ten options have an additional fee.

The Seascape has three fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Kaito Sushi Bar, Marketplace Buffet, and Kaito Teppanyaki. seven of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Dawn might be a better choice. It has 19% more dining options than the Seascape.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

	Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
Total Dining Options	19	16
Complimentary Dining Options:	8	7
Additional Fee Dining Options:	10	9
% of Included Options	47%	44%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Norwegian Dawn has 10 fewer bars than the MSC Seascape. The Dawn has 9 bars like Bliss Ultra Lounge, Gatsby's Champagne Bar and Java Cafe. On Dawn, you can grab a drink at 19 different bars such as Jungle Pool Beach Bar, Loft Cafe and Top Sail Lounge.

Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
•Bimini Bar & Grill • Bliss Ultra Lounge • Cellars Wine Bar • Gatsby's Champagne Bar • Java Cafe • Juice Bar • Sake Bar • Sugarcane Mojito Bar • Topside Bar	•Casino Bar • Champagne Bar • Chef's Court Cocktail Bar • Horizon Bar • Infinity Bar • Jungle Pool Beach Bar • Le Cabaret Rouge • Loft Cafe • Marina Bar • MSC Yacht Club Grill & Bar • Seascape Bar • Shine Bar • Sky Bar • Sports Bar • The Uptown Lounge • The Wine Cellar • Top 19 Bar • Top Sail Lounge • Venchi 1878 Chocolate 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 Dawn and the Seascape 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 Norwegian Dawn has a total of 2 pools and 5 hot tubs. 1 of the pools 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.

MSC Seascape has more pools than the Dawn and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Seascape. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

	Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
Total Pools	2	5
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only		1
Pools - Exclusive	1	2
Total Hot Tubs	5	15
Hot Tubs - General Access	5	12
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. On the Dawn, 60% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Seascape, only 54% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.

	Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
Adventure Trail	✗	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Cigar Bar	✓	✗
F1 Simulator	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Glass Bridge	✗	✓
Interactive XD Cinema	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✗
Robotron	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✗
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✓
Theater	✗	✓
Thermal Suites	✓	✓
Water slides	✗	✓
Zip Line	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Norwegian and MSC 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 Norwegian Dawn will likely be cheaper than on MSC Seascape.

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.

	Norwegian Dawn	MSC Seascape
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$20.00	$16.00
Tip added to drinks & services	20%	18%
Soda Price	$3.50
Domestic Beer Price	$7.50 See drink menus	See drink menus
Drink Package Price	106 Learn more	$46 - $85
Internet Plan	$29.99 - $39.99 per cabin per day, with $5 for each extra device	$17 - $27 per device per day
*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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