MSC Cruises debuted their latest cruise ship, MSC World America during an invite-only 3 night inaugural event April 9-12, 2025 from PortMiami. The second World class vessel and sister to MSC Word Europa launched in 2022, MSC World America is the largest MSC cruise ship to home port in North America. While many of her design elements are familiar, World Class being approximately 17% larger than the next largest Meraviglia Plus class ships, affords a lot more space to be creative with structural design, amenities and innovative spaces that make it a vastly different cruise experience than anything MSC has done before.
MSC Cruises Brand New PortMiami Terminal
The arrival of MSC World America was planned to coincide with the completion of MSC Cruises purpose built Terminal AA at PortMiami. The construction of this cruise terminal, officially the largest in the world, was no easy feat and required months of dredging along the port’s channel. This terminal has the space to accommodate up to 3 ships at one time and 36,000 guests and also provides parking for up to 2,400 vehicles with easy direct access from the PortMiami bridge or tunnel in and out of the building. The interior is absolutely massive with ample seating and clear signage and biometric capabilities for easy check-in and boarding. With the size of the terminal, the trek to the gangway can be a long walk and fortunately MSC Cruises has installed moving walkways to assist with this. Biometrics are also used for debarkation, as guests will pass though electronic turnstiles to clear U.S. customs.
New Public Spaces Designed to Connect to the Ocean
If there’s one thing I look forward to on a cruise ship it’s being reminded I’m at sea and not just in a very large hotel. Many venues within the World Galleria offer a connection to the ocean with large windows and in some instances outdoor seating areas. The new Eataly specialty restaurant on Deck 8 features al-fresco dining, and you can find outdoor seating at both the Elixir Mixology Bar and The Loft Comedy & Live Music venue. The Panorama Lounge located aft on decks 6 & 7 has a wonderful wake view and in the ship’s large Aurea Spa, you can even enjoy time in the sauna with a view. Probably one of the most impressive spots on the entire ship is World Promenade. While the concept is not new to cruising, the ambiance is inviting with places to eat, enjoy a premium early morning coffee or drinks while cheering on your favorite teams in the All Stars Sports Bar or just lounging and watching the world go by.
More Dining Choices
Having personally sailed on many MSC cruise ships over the years, I’ve appreciated the introduction of additional speciality dining venues. Most of these newer venues are also found onboard MSC World America, like Butcher’s Cut steakhouse, Hola! Tacos & Cantina, Kaito Sushi and Teppanyaki, along with brand new up-charge offerings like Eataly located in World Galleria and Paxos located along the World Promenade. There are of course main dining rooms, a total of five in fact to accommodate the over 6,500 guests, plus two buffets located on decks 18 and 19. On most other ships in their fleet, if you wanted more included dining options, the main dining rooms and buffet were your choices, but not on MSC World America.
Pizza, a mainstay on any cruise and especially good on MSC, now has its own home along with burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and more at Luna Park Pizza and Burger. This diner style eatery located on deck 6 in the World Galleria is a very popular spot with not only included food options, but also soft serve ice cream, available beer on tap and arcade games including 4 pinball machines (fee applies).
The new inclusions don’t end there. Promenade Bites aft on Deck 8 World Promenade is a great choice for quick grab and go hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy with a fantastic view. More casual options await amidst the ship’s thrill district of The Harbour on Deck 20. Featuring a selection of handhelds like wraps, empanadas, corn dogs and sandwiches, The Harbour Bar & Bites will fuel you up as you take on the exciting activities like Cliffhanger and Jaw Drop.
Families in Mind
MSC Cruise has always had a family focus when designing their cruise ships. What many families will really appreciate is that MSC World America has tons of activities that the entire family can do together. As mentioned previously, The Harbour is home to several incredible and thrilling experiences.
A first of its kind onboard a cruise ship, Cliffhanger takes guests on a swing ride over the edge of the ship, with amazing views from Deck 20 down to the ocean’s surface or port of call. With Jaw Drop you’ll enter the shark’s toothy mouth on Deck 20 and enjoy twists and turns on the spiral dry slide all the way down to the World Promenade on Deck 8. The Aquapark features a tube slide for single or double riders with an optional VR experience, a pair of racing slides with timed runs, and a drop slide. The Adventure Sky Trail features a multi-level rope course, with challenging elements including several exhilarating zip line sections. For the younger cruises that might not be ready for these attractions, there is also the Lighthouse Play area with slide and climbing structure and a separate kid’s aqua park & splashpad. Rounding out the lineup of activities within The Harbour, on the inside you’ll find the MSC SportPlex. This multi-use venue features basketball, a drone academy and everyone’s favorite bumper cars. Check daily schedule for operational times. On the upper level, is the Lego Family Zone with tons of bricks awaiting to be transformed into your own creations.
The fun doesn’t stop there, MSC Cruises has some awesome clubs just for kids as well. With supervised activities within the Baby Club, Mini & Juniors Club, an impressive Lego Room and the Young & Teens Club, guests traveling with kids will never need to hear “I’m bored”.
Accommodations For Everyone
MSC Cruise has introduced several new types of accommodations for their World class ships. For the single traveler, solo rooms are offered as Studio Interior and Ocean View and not only are they designed for one guest, they are also priced far less than the typical cruise industry single supplement of 200%. Infinite Ocean View rooms with or without the Aura inclusive package perks, offer a slide-down window with floor-to-ceiling views in lieu of a traditional balcony. There’s also Promenade View staterooms and suites with balconies that face inwards towards the World Promenade and or with ocean view. The new room types complement the standard offerings within the interior, ocean view and balcony stateroom categories.
For the most discerning guests, the popular MSC Yacht Club onboard MSC World America is the largest ever with spectacular suites, including some with two levels and whirlpools on their balconies. The Yacht Club amenities also include butler & concierge service, exclusive restaurant, lounge, perks around the ship and ashore and a sun deck with a pool, whirlpools and outdoor dining.
Technology and Environmental Stewardship
Like many of the most recent cruise ships, MSC World America features intelligent elevators. They may still just fulfill the purpose of moving guests up and down decks, however, guests use a touch screen to select the deck of choice from the elevator lobby, not inside the elevator car itself. The screen will then display a letter to corresponding with the most efficient elevator to use at that moment. The World Galleria features a massive LED screen on the uppermost level displaying underwater scenery, a waving U.S. flag or I guess any other imagery they want. The lighting throughout the ship is impressive especially along the World Promenade where nightly light shows are choreographed with music in a mesmerizing display.
MSC World America is the first MSC cruise ship home-ported in North America to be powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)-fueled ship. This next-generation fuel reduces emissions and marks a milestone on our journey to net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions for our marine operations. The vessel’s state-of-the-art design also includes the latest water treatment technology for purifying wastewater and propellers designed to reduce underwater noise for the protection of marine wildlife. MSC Cruises also opened a Marine Conservation Center on their private island of Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in the Bahamas. The center will teach guests about the importance of preservation and living in tandem with nature. MSC Cruises also completely transformed Ocean Cay itself from a once dumping ground to an ecological environment where wildlife thrives today.
Anchoring The Future
MSC Cruises has continued to anchor their presence in the United States and particularly their home base of operation in Miami. With MSC World America, her host of amazing experiences for every type of cruiser and New Terminal AA, the future looks very bright for MSC fans and those yet to discover everything they an MSC Cruise can offer.
For more information on MSC World America, visit MSC Cruises website
