MSC Cruises vs Norwegian Cruise Line
A detailed side-by-side comparison of MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line covering ratings, fleet size, food quality, entertainment, value for money, and available sailings from UK ports. Updated for 2026.
The head-to-head
Ratings are based on aggregated passenger reviews, editorial analysis, and expert scoring. The cobalt outline marks the stronger line for each attribute.
Who should choose which?
Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Here is an honest look at who each line is best suited for, based on passenger feedback and our editorial assessment.
Choose MSC Cruises if you want…
- Value for money
- All-inclusive packages
- Families (kids sail free)
- Mediterranean itineraries
MSC Cruises may not suit you if…
- Those wanting British-focused experience
- Small-ship intimacy seekers
- Adults-only preference
Choose Norwegian Cruise Line if you want…
- Flexible, no-rules cruising
- Solo travellers (studio cabins)
- Broadway entertainment
- Modern ship design
Norwegian Cruise Line may not suit you if…
- Those wanting traditional cruise formality
- Budget travellers
- UK-departure-only preference
Ships at a glance
A quick comparison of each line's fleet including passenger capacity, tonnage, and year of launch.
MSC Cruises Fleet (22 ships)
MSC Virtuosa
Built 2021 · 6,334 guests
MSC World Europa
Built 2022 · 6,762 guests
MSC Euribia
Built 2023 · 6,334 guests
Norwegian Cruise Line Fleet (19 ships)
Norwegian Prima
Built 2022 · 3,215 guests
Norwegian Viva
Built 2023 · 3,215 guests
Available cruises
Current sailings from both cruise lines. Prices shown are per person based on two sharing the lowest-grade cabin available.
MSC Cruises Sailings
9 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Classic Mediterranean
7 NIGHTS7-night All Inclusive Spanish Shores & French Rivieras
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Kusadasi
Ports: Kusadasi · Marmaris · Naples · Civitavecchia · Mykonos
Save 6%10 NIGHTSMediterranean 10 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Málaga · Cádiz · Lisbon · Alicante
Save 6%9 NIGHTSMediterranean 9 Nights From Istanbul
Ports: Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Trieste · Katakolon · Piraeus
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 nights
Ports: Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy
Save 5%10 NIGHTSMediterranean 10 nights
Ports: Marseille, France
11 NIGHTS4-night Orlando & 7-night Bahamas, Mexico & Ocean Cay
Ports: Nassau, Bahamas · Cozumel · Costa Maya · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Cagliari
Ports: Cagliari · Palermo · Valletta · Barcelona · Marseille · Livorno
Save 6%9 NIGHTSMediterranean 9 Nights From Bari
Ports: Bari · Trieste · Katakolon · Piraeus · Kusadasi · Istanbul
Save 6%8 NIGHTSNorthern Europe 8 Nights From Stockholm
Ports: Stockholm · Copenhagen · Warnemünde · Kristiansand · Eidfjord · Lyngdal
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Palermo
Ports: Palermo · Valletta · Barcelona · Marseille · Livorno · Cagliari
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Naples
Ports: Naples · Civitavecchia · Mykonos · Kusadasi · Marmaris · Naples
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Tarragona
Ports: Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille
Save 7%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Palermo
Ports: Palermo · Naples · Livorno · Marseille · Barcelona · La Goulette
Save 6%9 NIGHTSMediterranean 9 Nights From Trieste
Ports: Trieste · Katakolon · Piraeus · Kusadasi · Istanbul · Corfu
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Palma de Mallorca
Ports: Palma de Mallorca · Barcelona · Cannes · Genoa · La Spezia · Civitavecchia
7 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 7-night Alaskan Explorer
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Messina · Valletta · Barcelona
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Kotor · Mykonos · Syros · Ancona
Save 7%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Cannes · Genoa · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Palma de Mallorca
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Split
Ports: Split · Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi
Save 6%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe 7 Nights From Kiel
Ports: Kiel · Copenhagen · Hellesylt · Geiranger · Ålesund · Flåm
Save 6%10 NIGHTSMediterranean 10 Nights From Lisbon
Ports: Alicante · Mahón · Olbia · Genoa · Marseille · Málaga
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille
Save 7%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Cagliari
Ports: Cagliari · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Livorno · Cagliari · Palermo · Valletta
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Cannes
Ports: Cannes · Genoa · La Spezia · Civitavecchia · Palma de Mallorca · Barcelona
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi · Split
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Barcelona · Spain
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Lisbon · Portugal
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Civitavecchia (Rome) · Italy
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 3%7 NIGHTSBermuda
Save 3%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Ravenna (Bologna) · Italy
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
Hot deal9 NIGHTSMediterranean: Italy, France & Greece
Ports: Barcelona · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Salerno · Messina
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain, France & Italy & 2-night Rome
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Save 2%8 NIGHTSBermuda: Royal Naval Dockyard
Ports: New York · Kings Wharf
Save 2%7 NIGHTSAlaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
Save 2%7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Port Canaveral · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay
Hot deal7 NIGHTSEurope: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimão · Cádiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTSWestern Caribbean
Ports: Miami · Cozumel · Roatán Island · Harvest Caye · Costa Maya
7 NIGHTSHalifax & Bermuda
Ports: Boston · Halifax · Kings Wharf
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Hubbard Glacier & Skagway
Ports: Whittier · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Vancouver
10 NIGHTS1-night Venice & 10-night Dubrovnik, Greek Gems, Turkey & 1-night Istanbul
Ports: Venice (Ravenna), Italy · Dubrovnik, Croatia · Bar, Montenegro · Athens (Piraeus), Greece · Kusadasi · Rhodes
Save 3%10 NIGHTSNorwegian Fjords
Ports: Southampton, Great Britain
Save 4%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 2%8 NIGHTSBermuda: Royal Naval Dockyard
Ports: New York · Kings Wharf
Hot deal10 NIGHTSGreek Isles: Santorini & Athens
Ports: Ravenna · Dubrovnik · Bar · Piraeus · Kusadasi · Rhodes
Hot deal7 NIGHTSHawaii: Inter-island
Ports: Honolulu · Kahului-Maui · Hilo · Kailua-Kona · Nawiliwili · Honolulu
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Hubbard Glacier & Skagway
Ports: Whittier · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Vancouver
Save 3%10 NIGHTSBritish Isles
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain, France & Italy
11 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Aberdeen · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
Save 2%7 NIGHTSAlaska: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
13 NIGHTSGreek Isles with Rome & Istanbul Stays
Ports: Civitavecchia, Italy · Salerno · Catania, Sicily · Valletta · Thira, Santorini · Athens (Piraeus)
11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 3%7 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain
9 NIGHTS9 Night Northern Europe Capitals
Ports: Copenhagen · Stockholm · Tallinn · Helsinki
14 NIGHTSGreek Isles with Istanbul & Venice Stays
Ports: Istanbul · Kusadasi, Turkey · Thira, Santorini · Mykonos Town, Mykonos · Athens · Katakolon
Save 3%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Epic Med
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
9 NIGHTSNorway & Iceland from Southampton with Reykjavik Stay
Ports: Southampton · Kirkwall, Orkney Islands · Bergen · Akureyri · Isafjordur · Reykjavik
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Alaska & Hubbard Glacier
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 3%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
MSC Cruises vs Norwegian Cruise Line: the bottom line
Choosing between MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line ultimately comes down to what kind of holiday you are looking for. Both are well-established cruise lines with loyal followings, but they cater to different preferences and budgets.
MSC Cruises, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, operates a fleet of 22 ships. It is categorised as a contemporary cruise line and scores 4.3/5 overall based on 15,600 reviews. The line is particularly strong for value for money and all-inclusive packages, making it a natural choice for cruisers who value those attributes.
Norwegian Cruise Line, established in 1966 from Miami, USA, has a fleet of 19 ships. As a contemporary line rated 4.4/5 from 13,800 reviews, it excels at flexible, no-rules cruising and solo travellers (studio cabins). If those are your priorities, Norwegian Cruise Line deserves serious consideration.
On food, MSC Cruises scores 7/10 compared to Norwegian Cruise Line's 7/10. For entertainment, MSC Cruises comes in at 7/10 versus Norwegian Cruise Line's 8/10. Value for money favours MSC Cruises with a score of 9/10.
Our recommendation: browse the available sailings above and compare itineraries, dates, and total cost including what is bundled in the fare. The best cruise line is the one that matches your specific needs, budget, and travel dates. Use the scores as a guide, but remember that individual ship and itinerary matter just as much as the cruise line brand.
MSC Cruises vs Norwegian Cruise Line — FAQ
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