Oasis and Icon Class Competitor Debuts in the US: Meet MSC World America
A massive cruise ship is now sailing out of Miami, complete with an 11-story dry slide, seven distinct neighborhoods, interior-facing balcony cabins, and an expansive family play area. Sound like one of Royal Caribbean’s newest ships? It’s not—it’s MSC World America, the latest launch from MSC Cruises. At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the ship for a member of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class, thanks to its split superstructure and open-air promenade leading to interior neighborhoods. But this isn’t a copy—it’s MSC’s own vision of a next-gen mega-ship, part of what they call the World Class. While sister ship MSC World Europa has been sailing in the Mediterranean since 2022, MSC World America was custom-built for the North American market and has officially arrived in Miami.
How MSC World America Stacks Up Against Oasis Class Ships
MSC World America ranks among the ten largest cruise ships in the world, coming in at 215,863 gross registered tons. It’s about 9% smaller than the newest Oasis Class ship from Royal Caribbean, Utopia of the Seas. At this scale, you’re not likely to notice a size difference; an extra 9% won’t make a ship feel drastically larger or smaller.
World America can accommodate 6,762 guests, while Utopia of the Seas can carry 6,988 (a 3% increase). It means guests may have less space onboard World America than an Oasis Class ship.
A More Subtle Elegance to World America
World America‘s design has a subtle elegance that you don’t see as much on Royal Caribbean’s newest ships. When you look at the Icon of the Seas from a distance, the massive waterpark immediately screams theme park, while on Oasis Class ships, the magenta Ultimate Abyss sticks on. On World Europa, while they have kid-focused areas, they’re much more blended in with the overall design. You’ll find a lot of LED screens, crystal, and shiny metals throughout the entire ship.
World America’s Distinct Districts
Like the Oasis Class ship, World America splits the ship into seven different areas, or “districts,” as they call them.
World Promenade: The Star of the Show
One of the most impressive design elements onboard is the split-deck Promenade on Deck 8, partially open to the sky. In the center, you’ll find their version of the Ultimate Abyss slide, Cliffhanger, a shining, swirling dry slide that drops 11 decks and serves almost as an art installation.
It’s the clearest visual nod to Royal’s Central Park and Boardwalk areas but carries its own European twist. The space also still allows beautiful views of the ocean, something that’s missing on Oasis Class ships due to the Aqua Theater. In the World Promenade, you’ll find restaurants, bars, and shops that you can enjoy throughout the day.
World Galleria: Entertainment, Dining, and Retail Collide
The Galleria is the heart of MSC World America, a bustling indoor area packed with restaurants, bars, cafés, shops, and entertainment venues. This area most closely resembles Royal Caribbean’s Royal Promenade but has a much more elevated feeling. The massive LED display overhead provides impressive visuals during the day and creates an excellent party vibe at night.
The Terraces: Indoor-Outdoor Dining and Drinks
The Terraces are two levels that overlook the World Galleria are a hybrid indoor/outdoor space with nine restaurants and bars, retail shops, and a comedy club that doubles as a piano bar by night. You’ll find several of the ship’s specialty restaurants here, plus spots for smoothies, cocktails, and evening DJ sets.
Aqua Deck: The All-Day Pool Party
At the center of the ship’s pool scene is the Aqua Deck, home to two massive pools and a layout that adapts depending on the time of day. In the morning, it’s a calm retreat with wellness vibes and lounging. By afternoon and evening, it shifts into full party mode with music, entertainment, and late-night events. With a variety of pools (including one with a ceiling that can close), whirlpools, and an Aqua Park, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Zen Area: Adults Only, No Distractions
Tucked away at the ship’s aft, the Zen Area is a quiet, adults-only retreat with two pools, loungers, and prime ocean views. While Royal Caribbean leans heavily into the Solarium concept with enclosed glass and whirlpools, MSC’s take is fully open-air and focused on simplicity and calm.
Family Aventura: Built for Maximum Kid Appeal
High up on the ship, Family Aventura is MSC’s ultimate family zone. Anchored by The Harbour, an outdoor play space that includes a ropes course and playground designed to look like Ocean Cay’s lighthouse, this area is made for all-ages fun. There’s also Doremiland, MSC’s expansive kids’ club complex, as well as bumper cars, a roller rink, water slides, and a multi-story dry slide that zips through the heart of the ship. It’s a full-blown attraction zone that rivals the Surfside Neighborhood on the Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class but caters to a much broader age range than Surfside, which skews younger.
MSC Yacht Club: A Ship Within a Ship
Perched on the forward upper decks, MSC Yacht Club offers a fully separate experience for those willing to splurge. With keycard-only access, this exclusive enclave includes its own restaurant, lounge, sun deck, and two private pools. Guests here get 24/7 butler service, priority embarkation and disembarkation, and a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship. It’s MSC’s version of a luxury suite complex—similar in idea to Royal Caribbean’s Suite Neighborhood on Icon of the Seas.
Customized for an American Market
MSC is an Italian cruise line that caters much more to the European market, but for World America, they’ve customized the ship to appeal more to North American audiences. While subtle, they may improve the experience of the average American cruiser. For example, they’ve added their first sports bar on World America and added a complimentary restaurant where you can get burgers and sandwiches most of the day. One of the main shows is “Dirty Dancing” where dancers perform as the music plays in the background.
The cruise director? MSC went for an American as well, and chose one who came from “America’s Cruise Line” Carnival. It’s the popular Rev Dr E (Eversen Bevelle) who served throughout the Carnival fleet (and appeared on The Circle on Netflix). Even the Godmother of the ship is American focus, with actress and daytime talk show host Drew Barrymore serving as the figurehead for the ship.
Plenty of Bars and Dining Options
Like Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Icon class ships, World America has many restaurants and bars, with about 40% of them included at no additional cost. On World America, you’ll find 18 different bars, including a two-story brewery at sea. For food, you’ll have 19 different options to choose from, including two buffets and six specialty restaurants including the first Eataly at Sea.
Massive Price Gap: MSC World America Is Half the Price of Icon of the Seas
Now, where the big difference comes in is price. Royal Caribbean’s latest ship, Icon of the Seas, has experienced record demand and along that has come record prices. How does the World Europa compare?
We looked at two cruises, both leaving out of Miami on June 14, 2025, the peak of the summer cruise season. Both ships visit Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel, and their own private island. We ran a scenario of a family of four, two parents and two children under 10, standing in an ocean view balcony. A cruise on MSC World Europa is half the price. For another $530, the parents can add on Wi-Fi and drinks packages (which would usually be around $1,000 on Royal Caribbean).
Will MSC’s American Debut Win Over US Cruisers?
Overall, MSC World America makes a strong play at the North American cruise market. The ship is absolutely stunning and has all the amenities most cruisers have come to expect from a mega-ship. Where MSC has traditionally fallen short, though, is a customer service and entertainment style that leans more European. It’s yet to be seen how that is on World America, but at half the price of Royal Caribbean, it’s likely to have many people think about MSC for their next cruise. MSC sure hopes so, they have a second World Class ship, World Atlantic, scheduled to debut in 2027 out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
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