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
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Hot deal7 NIGHTSAlaska 7 Nights From Seattle, Washington
Ports: Seattle · Ketchikan · Icy Strait Point · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Naples (Pompeii)
Ports: Sicily · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Barcelona · La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Kusadasi
Ports: Marmaris · Naples · Rome · Mykonos · Kusadasi
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Civitavecchia (Rome)
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: La Goulette · Palermo · Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Livorno (Florence)
Ports: Florence/Pisa · Cagliari · Palermo · Malta · Barcelona · Marseille
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Piraeus (Athens)
Ports: Kusadasi · Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon)
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Piraeus
Ports: Piraeus · Katakolon · Argostoli · Corfu · Bari · Santorini
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Messina (Taormina)
Ports: Malta · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily
10 NIGHTS10 nights Western Mediterranean from Malaga (Granada)
Ports: Cadiz · Lisbon · Alicante · Mahon · Olbia/Sardinia · Genoa
12 NIGHTSUniversal Orlando Resort Stay with Bahamas & Caribbean Explorer
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya · Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve
Save 2%4 NIGHTSFar East
Ports: Shanghai, China
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 2%10 NIGHTS10 nights Caribbean from Port Canaveral (Orlando)
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Ocean Cay · Cozumel · Puerto Costa Maya
9 NIGHTS9 nights Eastern Mediterranean from Istanbul
Ports: Istanbul · Corfu · Bari · Venice (Trieste) · Olympia (Katakolon) · Athens
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Ports: Naples, Italy
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Marseille
Ports: Marseille · Tarragona · Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza
Save 5%7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Ibiza · Cagliari · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Palermo (Monreale)
Ports: Naples · Florence/Pisa · Marseille · Barcelona · La Goulette
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa · Naples · Sicily · Malta
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Marseille (Provence)
Ports: Genoa · Rome · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona
Save 2%4 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 6%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Mykonos · Kusadasi · Marmaris · Naples
7 NIGHTS7 nights Western Mediterranean from Tarragona
Ports: Valencia · Florence/Pisa · Rome · Genoa · Marseille
Save 6%12 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Valencia
Ports: Valencia · Livorno · Civitavecchia · Genoa · Marseille · Tarragona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Kotor · Mykonos · Syros · Ancona
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Split
Ports: Split · Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi
Save 12%7 NIGHTSNorthern Europe 7 Nights From Copenhagen
Ports: Copenhagen · Warnemünde · Eidfjord · Bergen · Kristiansand · Oslo
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Genoa
Ports: Genoa · Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSCaribbean and Antilles
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%11 NIGHTSCaribbean 11 Nights From Port Canaveral, Florida
Ports: Port Canaveral · Nassau · Cozumel · Costa Maya · Ocean Cay · Port Canaveral
Save 12%9 NIGHTSAsia 9 Nights From Shanghai
Ports: Shanghai · Busan · Fukuoka · Shanghai · Jeju Island · Busan
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Civitavecchia
Ports: Civitavecchia · Palermo · Ibiza · Barcelona · Marseille · Genoa
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSMediterranean
Save 12%7 NIGHTSMediterranean 7 Nights From Venice
Ports: Venice · Dubrovnik · Corfu · Kotor · Brindisi · Split
Norwegian Cruise Line Sailings
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
Save 3%9 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip Philadelphia
Ports: Philadelphia · Royal Naval Dockyard · Halifax · Philadelphia
Save 3%3 NIGHTSBahamas
7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italy, Croatia & Greece
7 NIGHTS7-Day Bermuda Round-Trip New York
Ports: Royal Naval Dockyard
Save 3%7 NIGHTSAlaska
7 NIGHTS7-Day Hawaii Inter-Island from Honolulu
Ports: Kahului · Hilo · Kona · Nawiliwili
Save 3%7 NIGHTSCaribbean
Save 5%7 NIGHTSFrance & Italy from Barcelona
Ports: Barcelona · Nice (Villefranche Sur Mer) · Florence & Pisa (Livorno) · Messina · Salerno · Rome (Civitavecchia)
Save 3%11 NIGHTSNorthern Europe
Ports: Reykjavik · Iceland
Save 2%11 NIGHTSBritish Isles from Southampton
Ports: Southampton · Invergordon · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Stornoway, Isle of Lewis · Belfast · Dublin (Dun Loaghaire)
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
9 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik with Stay
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven · Southampton
15 NIGHTS7-night Waikiki Beach Honolulu Stay with Tours & 7-night Inter-Island Cruise of Hawaii
Ports: Honolulu, Oahu · Kahului, Maui · Hilo, Hawaii · Kona, Hawaii · Nawiliwili, Kauai
Save 14%7 NIGHTSIceland & Scotland from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Lerwick, Shetland Islands · Newhaven (For Edinburgh) · Southampton
11 NIGHTSPortugal & Spain from Southampton to Barcelona
Ports: Southampton · Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) · Zeebrugge · Le Havre (Paris) · Vigo · Lisbon
7 NIGHTS2-night Lisbon & 7-night Spain & Portugal
Save 7%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTS7-Day Greek Isles from Venice to Athens: Santorini, Mykonos & Croatia
Ports: Venice (Ravenna) · Dubrovnik · Kotor · Corfu · Olympia (Katakolon) · Mykonos
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Lisbon to Barcelona: Spain & Portugal
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza
7 NIGHTS7-Day Caribbean Round-Trip Orlando: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic
Ports: Orlando · Puerto Plata/Dominican Republic · St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) · Tortola · Great Stirrup Cay
7 NIGHTS7-Day Alaska Round-Trip Seattle: Glacier Bay, Skagway & Juneau
Ports: Seattle · Juneau · Skagway · Ketchikan · Victoria
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Rome to Venice: Italy, Greece & Croatia
Ports: Rome · Salerno · Catania · Corfu · Kotor · Split
11 NIGHTS11-Day Northern Europe from London to Reykjavik: Iceland, Scotland & Norway
Ports: Southampton · Newhaven · Kirkwall · Bergen · Alesund · Akureyri
7 NIGHTS7-Day Mediterranean from Barcelona to Rome: Nice, Florence & Amalfi Coast (salerno)
Ports: Barcelona · Marseille · Cannes · Florence/Pisa · Sicily · Salerno
Save 4%11 NIGHTSBaltic Cities with Helsinki & Copenhagen Stays
Ports: Helsinki · Tallinn · Stockholm (Nynashamn) · Riga · Berlin (Warnemunde) · Kiel
Save 1%7 NIGHTS2-night Rome & 7-night Italian Gems & South of France
7 NIGHTS2-night Boston & 7-night New England & Canada
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Spain & Portugal
7 NIGHTS2-night Venice & 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia
Save 16%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Save 18%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
Hot deal7 NIGHTSMediterranean: Nice, Florence & Salerno
Ports: Civitavecchia · Salerno · Catania · Livorno · Villefranche-sur-Mer · Marseille
9 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 9-night Joy of Alaska
Save 4%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
7 NIGHTS3-night New York & 7-night Boston & Halifax
10 NIGHTSIceland, Scotland & Norway from Reykjavik
Ports: Reykjavik · Isafjordur · Akureyri · Maloy · Leirvik · Invergordon
Save 10%7 NIGHTS3-night Miami & 4-night Great Stirrup Cay & Nassau
11 NIGHTSSpain & Portugal Explorer with Lisbon and Barcelona Stays
Ports: Lisbon · Portimao · Cadiz · Motril · Gibraltar · Ibiza Town, Ibiza
7 NIGHTS2-night Barcelona & 7-night Italy & France
Save 19%7 NIGHTSCanada New England
7 NIGHTSAlaska: Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka & Victoria
Ports: Seattle · Sitka · Juneau · Endicott Arm · Icy Strait Point · Ketchikan
Save 3%11 NIGHTSCanada & New England: Boston, Bar Harbor & Halifax
Ports: Philadelphia · Boston · Bar Harbor · Saint-John · Halifax · Sydney
7 NIGHTSCaribbean: Great Stirrup Cay, Dominican Republic & Tortola
Ports: Miami · Puerto Plata · Saint Thomas · Road Town · Great Stirrup Cay · Miami
Save 3%12 NIGHTSNiagara Falls, Canada & New England from New York with Stays
Ports: New York · Halifax · Saint John, Bay Of Fundy, Canada · Boston · Portland, Maine · Newport
10 NIGHTS2-night Seattle & 10-night Joy of Alaska & Glacier Bay
9 NIGHTSNew York Yankees Vs New York Mets Baseball Game with Bermuda from New York
Ports: New York · Royal Naval Dockyard (King's Wharf)
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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