Norwegian Cruise vs. MSC Cruise: 10 Differences to Know

Norwegian Cruise Line or MSC Cruises? I’ve sailed on both, and some of the differences aren’t obvious until you’re actually on the ship.

Some are small conveniences, like having tissues in your cabin or a printed daily planner. Others affect how you communicate with your family, when you eat dinner, and how much you spend onboard.

After more than 25 cruises, including several sailings with Norwegian and MSC, here are 10 differences and similarities that stood out to me.

These observations reflect my own sailings. Amenities and procedures can vary by ship, itinerary, and booking category.

1. Paper Menus and Daily Planners

One of the first differences I noticed was how much I needed my phone on MSC.

On my recent MSC cruises, paper menus weren’t routinely handed out, and a printed daily planner was no longer delivered to my cabin. Instead, I used my phone to check the app or scan a QR code.

On my Norwegian sailings, I had paper menus at the restaurants and a printed daily planner delivered to my cabin each day.

Personally, I prefer having the paper planner. I like browsing the activities and planning my day without reaching for my phone.

At dinner, I also appreciate everyone having their own menu. When you’re traveling with children who don’t have devices, reading a digital menu can mean passing one phone around the table so everyone can decide what to order.

If you enjoy doing everything on your phone, you might prefer MSC’s paperless approach. But if you’re hoping to put your phone away on vacation, this is a difference that might annoy you.

2. Facial Tissues in the Cabin

This sounds like a small thing, but you notice it when you need one.

On a few of my MSC sailings, facial tissues weren’t provided in my cabin. On Norwegian cruise, I still had them.

A box of tissues probably won’t determine which cruise line you book, but it’s one of those little conveniences I appreciate having in the bathroom.

If you have allergies or simply like keeping tissues nearby, I would pack some for an MSC cruise rather than assume they’ll be provided.

3. Messaging Other Passengers

When you’re traveling with family or friends, being able to message each other makes it easier to coordinate plans.

MSC cruise has free onboard messaging through the MSC for Me app. You connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi, and you don’t need to buy an internet package to use the chat feature.

However, there’s a limitation parents should know about: the MSC app chat feature is available only to passengers ages 16 and older. That was frustrating for me because I couldn’t use it to message my son and tell him where to meet us.

On my Norwegian cruise sailing, I didn’t have the same free onboard messaging option. A CruiseChat plan was offered for $6.99 per person, per day, for text messaging through iMessage and WhatsApp.

Basically, the CruiseChat plan is like a lightweight WiFI subscription that only allows you to text words. You can’t even send photos.

If you want to send photos, you’ll need the more expensive WiFi packages.

I personally didn’t feel the need to pay for Norwegian’s CruiseChat.

And honestly, I think $6.99 per person per day is kind of pricey because you’ll probably want to get it for everyone in your group. So, for my family of four, it would have been $28 per day.

Instead, we made plans the old-fashioned way and agreed on a meeting time and place before splitting up.

4. MSC’s Booking Experiences Affect What You Get

MSC cruise groups passengers into 4 tiers and each tier will affect the benefits you get onboard.

Bella is the basic option. MSC assigns your cabin, and there are additional fees for things that are normally free. For example, Bella guests will have to pay extra to get continental breakfast room service.

Fantastica lets you choose your cabin and its location. It also includes complimentary continental breakfast room service. This is the tier that is on par with what you get when you book with Norwegian cruise.

Aurea adds benefits such as priority boarding, flexible My Choice dining, and access to the spa’s thermal area for adults. It is available with certain cabin categories, not necessarily a suite.

Then there’s MSC Yacht Club, the MSC cruise’s luxury experience, with perks such as a private restaurant, an exclusive pool area, butler service, and included drinks and Wi-Fi.

Yacht Club is the closest comparison to Norwegian’s The Haven, although the two experiences aren’t identical.

For me, the important thing is understanding what’s included before comparing prices. A lower MSC fare may come with different cabin-selection rules and benefits than you’re expecting.

5. MSC in Europe Felt Different From MSC in the U.S.

This was one of the biggest differences I noticed.

On my MSC cruises from the US, there were many American passengers.

But on my MSC cruises in Europe, the passenger mix was more European and international. In fact, Americans were the minority. 

I noticed it in the languages I heard and the food selection is not the same as what you get in the US cruises.

That’s something I think American cruisers should understand before booking MSC in Europe, especially if their only experience with MSC has been a Caribbean cruise.

With Norwegian cruise, I found the onboard experience more consistent between my US and European sailings. There was still a strong American presence on the European cruises I took.

Of course, the passenger mix varies by sailing. But in my experience, the difference between cruising in the US and Europe was more noticeable on MSC.

If you enjoy an international atmosphere, that can be part of the appeal. Just don’t assume your MSC Mediterranean cruise will feel exactly like your MSC Caribbean cruise.

6. Continental Breakfast Room Service

If you’re like me and you enjoy having coffee and breakfast on your balcony, pay attention to the room service rules.

On MSC cruise, complimentary continental breakfast room service is included with Fantastica and Aurea. Bella guests pay a delivery charge.

The complimentary continental breakfast includes yogurt, Danish, croissants, coffee, tea, fruit and cereal.

On Norwegian cruise, the breakfast room service fee is $4.95 per order for regular cabins. Room service is not free even for continental breakfast orders.

Haven and qualifying suite guests are exempt from that room service fee.

That means even a simple order of coffee and a pastry can come with a delivery fee on Norwegian.

I enjoy having breakfast on my balcony, so MSC’s complimentary continental breakfast delivery is a benefit I actually use.

On my recent 14 days MSC cruise, I ordered coffee and pastries every morning. It became part of my routine, like my wake-up call.

7. Ordering a Second Entrée Will Cost Extra

Here’s a similarity between Norwegian and MSC: you will be charged if you order another main course in the main dining room.

Norwegian has a $5 fee for each additional entrée in its complimentary main dining rooms.

MSC cruise also has a $5 surcharge for an additional entrée.

If you see two main courses you want to try, read the fine print at on the menu or ask your server before ordering both.

This extra charge only applies to main course. You can still order multiple appetizers and desserts.

8. You Need to Keep Track of Your Pool and Beach Towels

Make sure you are keeping track of your beach towels. Both Norwegian cruise and MSC cruise will charge you for missing towels.

Don’t just leave them on a lounge chair and assume the crew would handle the return.

Instead, follow the ship’s towel return procedure and make sure any checked out towels are accounted for.

This is especially important when taking towels off the ship for a beach day. Before heading back, check that everyone has theirs.

I’ve sailed on other cruise lines like Celebrity Cruise where the towel setup is more relaxed, with passengers helping themselves to clean towels and leaving used ones on the lounge chairs for collection.

On Norwegian and MSC, that’s not the case.

9. Flexible Dining Versus Assigned Dinner Times

Dinner scheduling is another difference I noticed.

Norwegian’s Freestyle Dining meant I didn’t have an assigned dinner time, table, or serving team. We could go to the main dining room whenever we wanted.

There could still be a wait for a table, but we weren’t committed to eating at the same time every night.

I like that flexibility, especially after a long day in port. I don’t have to rush back and get ready for an assigned seating.

On my MSC cruises, we had traditional dining with an assigned dinner time and table. We also had the same serving team throughout the trip.

There’s something nice about that, too. Your servers get to know your preferences, and you know exactly where you’re going each evening.

But you have less flexibility when you want to eat earlier one night and later the next.

MSC’s dining options are evolving, however. In addition to Aurea’s guaranteed My Choice dining, MSC now offers a capacity-limited “Dine on Your Time” option for Bella and Fantastica guests on MSC Seashore and MSC Seaside.

Yacht Club guests have a separate dining setup in their private restaurant. Check the options for your particular ship and booking.

10. Choosing Your Disembarkation Time

Disembarkation is handled differently.

On my Norwegian sailings, I could choose from the available disembarkation groups by picking up luggage tags corresponding to my preferred departure time.

I attached those tags to the suitcases we were leaving outside our cabin the night before, then waited for our group to be called the next morning.

On my MSC cruises, luggage tags and a departure time were assigned to us. Our groups were organized by deck and cabin number rather than everyone selecting their preferred time.

If you have an early flight or tour and your assigned time doesn’t work, you need to speak with Guest Services to get a new luggage tag so you can leave the ship earlier.