The imminent grand opening of Epic Universe may be the talk of the town, but it isn’t the only titanic debut making waves this summer in Florida’s tourism industry.
MSC Cruises (the family-owned subsidiary of the Italian cargo conglomerate) and Norwegian Cruise Line (an American-owned brand with Nordic flair) each recently christened their latest and greatest cruise ships with celebrity-studded events, and I was invited on back-to-back media sailings aboard both the MSC World America — making its home in Miami at the newly built world’s-largest cruise terminal — and the Norwegian Aqua, sailing now through August out of Port Canaveral. My three-day cruises weren’t enough to sample everything available aboard a weeklong trip, but here are some head-to-head highlights from these two new mega-ships, in case you’re itching for a European vacation without the international flight.
ATTRACTIONS:
As a theme park enthusiast, my top priority was the heavily advertised thrill rides, water slides, and other amusements that increasingly adorn cruise ships. MSC, which has previously attempted using Kuka robotic arms at sea, instead came out swinging on World America with the Cliffhanger, a bench seat that pendulums guests back and forth over the side of the 20th deck. The view is undeniably spectacular, but unless you have a severe phobia of height, the secure restraints and gentle rocking motion isn’t nearly as terrifying as advertised. Likewise, the Jaw Drop spiral dry slide descending 11 levels to the split hull’s outdoor promenade is similar to the Abyss on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, but is designed to abruptly slow you down just as it’s getting good; and the water slide’s virtual reality option was one-and-done for me despite delightfully trippy visuals due to a stuttering frame rate. My favorite World America attractions turned out to be the relatively underhyped High Trail Ropes Course — a multi-level playground of zip lines and balance beams — and the basketball court that periodically converts into a bumper-car arena, with shockingly speedy electric vehicles for fender-bending friends and family.
Norwegian Aqua’s big claim to fame is Aqua Slidecoaster, Wiegand’s first-ever hybrid water slide/roller coaster at sea (or on land, for that matter). Unlike earlier water coasters at Typhoon Lagoon or Volcano Bay, this new model pushes riders’ rafts uphill using a track-mounted sled instead of water or magnets. The resulting launch feels far more forceful than other methods, and the lack of restraints (beyond handles to white-knuckle) makes it even more intense; it’s only a shame the rafts lose most of that speed upon entering the first tunnel and mostly meander through the anticlimactic remainder.
Similarly, Aqua’s Drop dry slide is far more exciting that MSC’s equivalent, thanks to its bomb bay beginning, but some abrupt braking along the way had me begging off re-rides. However, Aqua’s huge Game Zone arcade — featuring Pac-Man and Skee-Ball alongside VR simulators — and interactive Tee Time mini-golf both reignited the 1980s kid in me for a couple hours.
ENTERTAINMENT:
When done exploring attractions, I’m the kind of cruiser who plans my evening around live entertainment. My past sailings with MSC have been marked by a mixed bag of talented performers with questionable Eurocentric content, but for World America they’ve licensed the film Dirty Dancing for a live tribute concert, as well as some Queen songs for a show featuring aerial acrobats and live singers accompanied by a specially recorded orchestra. MSC’s classically trained opera singers and competition ballroom dancers attempt to rock out with enthusiasm, and the ship’s Panorama Lounge boasts impressive projection mapping technology. But the star of the show — aside from the ship’s godmother, Drew Barrymore, accompanied by her Super Bowl commercial co-star, Orlando Bloom — was undoubtedly the high-octane performer inside MSC’s mascot Doremi, leading an adorable Lego character parade.
After previewing two of Aqua’s new shows at Norwegian’s Creative Studio in Tampa, I already knew I was in for something special, but I was unprepared for how exceptionally immersive director Patricia Wilcox’s work would be. Revolution: A Celebration of Prince completely surrounds standing audience members (similar to Broadway’s Here Lies Love) while over two dozen diverse, soulful singers, dancers and musicians generate the most enthrallingly energetic jukebox musical since the original Jersey Boys; it was so electrifying I watched it twice. The partial preview I saw of Elements: The World Expanded was equally jaw-dropping, with Vegas-worthy illusions and passionate modern choreography creating a credible challenge to Cirque du Soleil. And the hard-hitting house band from Syd Norman’s Pour House performs a note-for-note re-creation of Fleetwood Mac’s entire Rumours album — complete with salacious liner notes — that puts Classic Albums Live to shame. Even the stand-up talent in the Improv comedy club was a step above the cruise ship standard.
DINING & DRINKING:
I’ve written before about how good MSC is at Italian eats like freshly made pasta and pizza, but World America wisely accommodates American palates with a new complimentary grab-and-go diner supplying burgers, nuggies and nachos. MSC’s Kaito Teppanyaki still outdoes Kobe and its ilk with entertaining chefs grilling guilt-inducing quantities of wagyu beef, the new Paxos Mediterranean eatery has a mouth-watering seafood menu, and the buffet was the nicest and cleanest I’ve encountered aboard an MSC ship. Unfortunately, my MSC main dining room meal was marred by miscommunications and molasses-slow service that made the wedding banquet-quality surf-and-turf taste worse, and my attempts to imbibe at the new Elixir Mixology Bar were equally awkward, perhaps because of the menu’s complexity.
Contrast that with the impeccably prompt and personable service I received in Norwegian Aqua’s main dining room, which was only the beginning. On the specialty restaurant front, Sukhothai serves some of the best tom kha gai I’ve tasted outside Asia. And my new favorite restaurant aboard any ship is Indulge Food Hall, a quirky yet cozy hangout where you use iPads to order endless waves of complimentary sharables ranging from tasty tapas and plant-based plates to tandoori and naan, fresh-baked in a real oven. I ate three meals at Indulge in three days, and would happily do so for seven straight; the same could also be said of Aqua’s elegant Whiskey Bar, which pours a perfectly balanced barrel-batch Old Fashioned, as well as endless Suntory highballs.
OVERALL DESIGN & SUMMARY:
World America is easily the best and most beautiful MSC ship out of the four I’ve sailed on, and the first I’d even consider violating my “never leave MSC’s Yacht Club” edict for. I also feel good supporting MSC’s environmental efforts, including World America’s green LN2 engines and shore power capability, and especially the brand-new coral restoration center on their pristine private island Ocean Cay. But with a capacity of nearly 7,000 guests, I shudder to think what happens when World America’s 2,614 cabins aren’t mostly empty (like they were on my trip).
Norwegian Aqua is only 11 meters shorter and six meters narrower, but it holds about half as many passengers and a thousand fewer cabins. You feel that extra elbow room in both the spacious public spaces and the guest staterooms, where Aqua’s standard balcony cabins are almost 30% larger than MSC’s. And Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s 50-year-old private island resort, is finally getting a pier and giant pool, yet (aside from the noisy zip line) isn’t overdeveloped like its neighbors.
The elephant in the boat is that MSC’s nightly rates run about half of Norwegian’s, making World America accessible for cruisers on a budget. At the same time, World America felt like sleeping inside a fancy floating mall, while Aqua resembled relaxing at a ritzy resort with plentiful included perks. It may be many moons until I can afford it, but out of these two ships I’m saving my pennies for another voyage aboard Aqua.
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
This article appears in May 7-13, 2025.