If you watched Super Bowl LIX or have been anywhere near a TV or computer screen since then, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of that ad in which actors Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom argue over whether one takes a “vacation” or a more continental-sounding “holiday.” But whatever word you assign to your travels, one thing is for sure: MSC World America, the new megaship that Barrymore (the ship’s godmother) and Bloom are shilling for, is making a major play for the U.S. cruise market.
World America made its grand debut in Miami earlier this month. The second of the European line’s World Class ships (four are planned) is the twin of MSC World Europa, but with tweaks to have greater appeal for U.S. cruisers.
That means out with the tea room, in with the comedy club. Out with Nordic-inspired fine dining and in with an Eataly outpost. Out with discreet European-style service and in with cheerful, outgoing staff members, all of whom are fluent in English.
With World America, MSC is still trading on its Mediterranean origins, but in a way that feels more like seeing Europe on a package tour rather than with a Eurail pass and a map.
In this tour of the ship, based on a recent 3-day preview cruise, we’ll cover what World America does well, where it falls short, and what you can expect on board.
MSC World America Quick Facts:
- Launched: 2025
- Cabins: 2,614, 65% with balcony
- Passengers: 6,764 (full capacity)
- Crew: 2,138
- Number of decks: 20
- Size: 216,638 gross tons, 1,094 feet long, 154 feet wide
- Prices: 7-night cruises from $689 per person, interior stateroom
- Booking: MSCCruisesUSA.com; 877/665-4655
World Promenade
There are few more eye-popping spots aboard than the World Promenade, the multistory, multisensory atrium on the aft end of Deck 8. The promenade overlooks the water and is one of the few public areas where you can stand at a railing and enjoy direct views of the ocean.
But there are a lot of other distractions here: LED Palm Tree Light Shows several times a day, frequent live music, Sweet Temptations (a confectionery straight out of Willy Wonka), the All-Star Sports Bar, and Paxos Greek restaurant. The promenade is also the end point of JawDrop @ The Spiral, an 11-story dry slide. More on that later.
Staterooms
Somewhat less visually striking was our 183-square-foot deluxe balcony stateroom, which can be configured with two twin beds or one queen. We had an unobstructed ocean view from our private balcony, a space large enough for a small table and two chairs.
The stateroom is done up in neutral tones that are pleasant enough, and there’s a couch, a console table and desk, a mini bar with drinks for purchase, and plenty of closet and drawer space for stowing belongings. More functional than the sort of space that tempts you to linger, the stateroom does its primary job of giving you a spot to sleep, shower, and take care of other necessities.
The deluxe balcony room category is supposed to accommodate a family of up to four people (using bunks or a pullout sofa), but it seems like that would make things quite tight. With all the distractions on board, however, the kids might not mind the cramped quarters. One consolation: The beds on MSC ships are extremely comfortable, with firm, Italian-made Dorelan mattresses and pillows and high-quality linens.
The bathroom, while compact, has a good shower and enough room for two cosmetic bags. But bathrooms lack even basic amenities. While you can’t expect to find robes and slippers in a lower-priced cabin, a box of tissues or a simple vanity kit with cotton swabs doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.
There are also balcony cabins overlooking the Promenade area. As with similarly designed ships like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, these staterooms can claim “outside” status without the ocean views, though those in the rear of the ship offer partial peeks at the sea. Guests in these accommodations likely hear Promenade noise day and night, but some travelers might appreciate the bird’s-eye views of the action.
Lower stateroom categories include ocean-view cabins with windows or portholes, interior cabins, and interior studios designed for solo travelers.
On the more upscale end, there are Junior Suites and Premium Suites, many with large balconies that wrap around the rear corners of the ship. Some suites can sleep up to six. Aurea-class rooms and suites come with perks such as complimentary access to the Aurea Spa Thermal Suite (normally fee-based) and a dedicated restaurant just for Aurea guests.
See the full range of available staterooms and suites here.
MSC Yacht Club
The Yacht Club is the private, “members-only” area available on 15 MSC vessels. The luxury ship-within-a-ship concept, similar to The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line or The Retreat on Celebrity Cruises, offers key-card or wristband access to hallways with premium staterooms and suites, a private pool and hot tub deck, and an upscale restaurant, open-air bar and grill, and lounge (pictured above) solely for Yacht Club guests.
The staterooms and suites—outfitted with Nespresso machines, complimentary mini bars, sitting areas, and larger bathrooms with robes, slippers, and bath amenities—really do feel luxurious. Likewise for the private dining and outdoor spaces removed from thousands of your fellow passengers, who don’t get pampered with the services of a dedicated butler and a 24-hour concierge, among a multitude of other perks.
Of course, opting for Yacht Club status will add several thousand dollars to the cost of your cruise. But for guests who can afford the splurge, the Yacht Club lets passengers combine a megaship’s action with the privacy of an elevated small-ship experience.
The Harbour
Deck 20 is home to The Harbour, the ship’s outdoor playground featuring some attractions unique to World America. Chief among them is the Cliffhanger (pictured above), which MSC touts as the “only over-water swing at sea.” Held in by just a T-bar, four passengers at a time swing out 160 feet above the ocean for a ride that lasts less than a minute and supplies a tolerable level of terror.
Arguably scarier for those with acrophobia is the High Trail Ropes Course, where you can clamber across ropes, balance beams, and other elevated structures while strapped into a safety harness.
Also high on the list of thrills is JawDrop @ The Spiral, the giant metal corkscrew slide that twists from Deck 20 down to Deck 8. It’s a screaming good time and a fun free amenity (apparently, it’s a faster ride when the weather’s warm). Note that the ropes course is also included, while the Cliffhanger costs an extra $5.
Pools and Waterslides
Cruise ships are constantly one-upping each other with exciting amenities for days at sea, and water parks are practically obligatory on big ships nowadays. World America’s The Harbour Aquapark has four slides, including a 90-degree vertical drop and a looping slide with optional virtual reality (it’s better without the VR headset.) Adjacent to the big thrill slides is a kids’ splash area, with a small slide, fountains, and shallow pool.
The ship’s main pool, Mar Azul (pictured above), is on Deck 18. Next to it, the Botanic Garden has a semi-covered pool and several hot tubs set in nest-like rope structures. On the aft of the same deck, the Zen pools and hot tubs are reserved for adults.
In all pool areas, a bar is never far away. When the weather is fine and the ship at capacity, expect the Mar Azul pool deck in particular to be packed.
Included Dining
It’s no surprise that on a cruise ship this big, it takes a lot of dining venues to feed all those passengers. And it’s equally unsurprising that on World America, it’s hard to go hungry.
There are four sit-down restaurants included in the standard cruise fare: twin sisters Hexagon and Esagono, as well as Bubbles Restaurant and La Foglia. When you book your cruise, you can choose early or late seating and you’ll be assigned a dining room and table accordingly; that will be yours for the week. If you don’t need waiter service, Il Mercato and La Brasserie buffet restaurants are open from morning to late at night, and you can come and go as you please.
Among the included restaurants, we only had time to try Hexagon and Il Mercato (pictured above). At Hexagon, we had an unremarkable meal in an elegant setting. Il Mercato offers a dizzying array of food stations, including a salad bar, Asian fare, Mexican, burgers, hot dogs, and pasta, as well as continental food in a changing daily menu, plus an afternoon and evening dessert buffet. While we didn’t taste any standouts, all the food we tried was satisfactory and certainly filling.
Specialty Dining
World America’s specialty restaurants are available as add-ons or as part of a prepaid specialty dining package. These are the venues where the ship’s European and international ambience really shine.
Offerings include the only Eataly restaurant at sea, Paxos Greek restaurant (pictured above), Kaito Sushi and Teppanyaki, Hola! Tacos & Cantina, and the Butcher’s Cut steakhouse. On this cruise, we tried Kaito and Paxos. We had an excellent sushi appetizer that could easily have been the main course, followed by so-so entrees at Kaito. At Paxos, the starters were again the stars—a flavorful mix of hot and cold mezes for the table to share, followed by a less interesting fish entree.
Based on previous sailings, Butcher’s Cut and Hola! are reliable choices. Eataly is sure to be popular with American guests.
Meals at specialty restaurants have set menus (no à la carte options) and cost an average of $50 per person, not counting alcohol. Discounts are available for multimeal dining packages.
Shows and Entertainment
Cruise ship entertainment can lean toward the campy or even groan-inducing, which can be the case on MSC’s own World Europa. The new ship boasts a surprising caliber of talent, though. Dirty Dancing in Concert, for instance, is a crowd-pleasing 40-minute show with a live band, singers, and dancers. Yes, of course they re-create the famous lift from the 1987 movie.
There are other revue-type shows in the World Theatre and Panorama Lounge, as well as roving bands and circus-style performers.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
MSC’s private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay, is an artificial isle created in the 1960s and ‘70s from the mining and dredging of aragonite sand. Now rehabbed as Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the spot has a marine conservation center with a coral nursery. Foremost in the minds of most passengers, however, is that on MSC Caribbean itineraries Ocean Cay supplies a setting for an idyllic day on a tropical island.
There are several beaches, including a private Yacht Club stretch of sand with a restaurant. For everyone else, an “included” buffet restaurant, bars, and food trucks across the island provide sustenance. Among the paid excursion opportunities: snorkeling in a tranquil lagoon, riding Jet Skis, and climbing the lighthouse. Whether you book an excursion or not, there’s a sandy spot on the island for everyone, and it’s a fine way to while away the hours.
Aurea Spa and Thermal Suite
The ship’s Aurea Spa has a Thermal Suite with a heated indoor pool with whirlpools, plus saunas, steam rooms, and relaxation areas. We didn’t have time to sample the retreat on this sailing. On MSC’s World Europa, though, the area was noisy and crowded—the opposite of what you want in a wellness space. The Thermal Suite would be lovely with a handful of people, but it’s too small a facility to handle a full ship, even if entry is restricted to those who pay extra and make an appointment. Guests who book Aurea Experience staterooms get once-daily access to the Thermal Suite along with other perks.
As for spa services, MSC massages tend to be excellent. After any treatment, though, be prepared for employees to try to sell you products.
Bars and Drinks Packages
A cocktail is never far from reach on World America, where there are 20 bars, lounges, and cafes. For indoor drinking, guests tend to gravitate towards Masters of the Seas Pub, which can get crowded before or after dinner. Fizz Champagne Bar (pictured above) is an elegant place to sip some bubbly, and has an open-air terrace tucked in the back.
Just as you’d expect, multiple pool bars churn out colorful tall drinks that go down easy on a sunny day. World America also has a secret speakeasy that’s not on any ship map or roster—ask staff members and they’ll deny any knowledge of the spot. Your only chance of getting into this admittedly cool locale is to befriend a bartender and hope they slip you a coveted token.
As with any other cruise that’s not all-inclusive, whether or not to buy a drinks package (called Premium Extra on MSC) comes down to the math. The package is $70 per day if purchased in advance, and every adult in the stateroom needs to purchase. Beer and wine cost about $10 a glass, while those poolside piña coladas are more like $13 apiece. They can add up quickly. If you wait to buy a drinks package after you’ve set sail, the price bumps up to $85 per day.
Kids’ Clubs, Arcades, and Lego
In addition to the family-friendly activities at The Harbour and Aquapark, there are five kids’ clubs, separated by age ranges from babies and toddlers to teens up to 17, with activities suited to each group. Thanks to a partnership with Lego, World America offers a master builder area with Lego bricks of differing sizes depending on skill set, a Lego parade, and other themed activities.
The kids’ clubs and Lego areas are included with the cruise fare. You will need to pay extra for arcade games, Formula 1 simulators, and bumper cars. If you and your littles will spend a lot of time in the arcades, where fees of $1.50 to $5 per game can add up fast, a pre-purchased Fun Pass can save you a lot of money.
Children under 2 years old always sail free on MSC, and the line frequently offers kids-sail-free deals for kids ages 17 and younger. But keep in mind that if your kids want to drink anything besides tap water, tea, or milk (and juice at breakfast), you’ll need to purchase a soft drinks package at $19 per day (more if purchased onboard).
Final Thoughts
MSC’s slogan is “Let’s Holiday,” a play on the cruise line’s European roots and sensibility. While MSC is not new to the U.S. market, with World America the brand is making a big move to challenge megaship competitors like Royal Caribbean, with the premise of offering a more Americanized experience.
Here, that means a more fun-loving, extroverted vibe, with efforts to maintain some pockets of sophisticated calm. Granted, it’s easier to straddle those two worlds on the ship if you pay a lot extra for an all-inclusive experience like the Yacht Club. But even if you go à la carte, the ship has plenty of wow factor and countless diversions to keep you occupied. For fans of huge cruise vessels—and this is the eighth-largest at sea—World America supplies the intriguing answer to the question of what a European take on an American-style megaship might look like.