I sailed on MSC's giant new ship and saw how the European cruise line is catering to Americans

Business Insider

03-05-2025

An Eataly. A hot pink bougainvillea-adorned Greek restaurant. An espresso bar. A row of freshly fired pizzas.
No, this isn't your friend's Instagram feed during their Euro summer vacation. This is a new Miami-based cruise ship, MSC World America.
MSC Cruises has long dominated the European cruise market with its large vessels and relatively affordable fares. But over the last few years, it's been westwardly expanding into the US's booming cruise business, culminating in April with the debut of its splashy and aptly named World America mega-ship.
It's the company's first vessel designed specifically for the stateside market. And to red, white, and blue-ify its brand, MSC's latest floating resort is now operating Caribbean voyages with new-to-brand amenities such as a Pizza and Burger restaurant, an All-Stars Sports Bar, and, in the spirit of its heritage, an onboard Eataly.
About 40% of World America's onboard venues were tweaked from its sister ship to better suit American sensibilities.
Surveys and guest feedback indicated that US travelers wanted more complimentary American food, Italian dishes, activities, and attractions, William Monts de Oca Rivera, MSC's head of guest experience innovation, told Business Insider.
"The European style is there, so now how do we lean into the American comfort?" he said.
After a three-year design process, this question led to one of the world's latest and largest cruise ships with a sports bar, a comedy club, an amusement park, and an Eataly.
A hub of open-air activities replaced World Europa's collection of outdoor chaises.
"Europeans want to spend a lot of time sunbathing," Monts De Oca Rivera said during a panel in April. "Americans want to spend a lot of time doing things and being active."
And do things they shall. The Harbour, an activity hub and the "crown jewel" of the ship, according to De Oca Rivera, is MSC's take on the trend of amusement park-like cruise ships.
The Harbour has activities for all age ranges.
The playground is perfect for the youngest cruisers, while the mechanical swing that dangles riders 164 feet above the ocean is a go-to for the daredevilish. That's not to mention the ropes course, dry slide, and waterslides, including one with a virtual reality headset.
Weary parents can instead sit out, snack on empanadas, and sip on mai tais at the adjacent grab-and-go snack and drinks bar, Harbour Bar and Bites.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of shade and shallow water.
Another priority for Monts De Oca Rivera's team was maximizing the surface area of World America's pools.
Americans, he said, want to be near or touching water, but don't need to be completely submerged. To accomplish this, the team developed shallow sections of the pools where guests can sit without being completely submerged.
The same ethos applies to the sun, or rather, avoiding it.
Shade was a "big, big, big, big, big, big" focus for the US-oriented ship, Monts De Oca Rivera said.
It's smartly designed on World America, from canvases shading the walkways beneath the Harbour's ropes course to slats partially covering its Bar and Bites dining tables.
The Harbour's grab-and-go snack stand also signifies a new push for the cruise line: fast casual.
According to Monts De Oca Rivera, Americans' daily eating habits follow a general trend: big breakfasts, lighter lunches, several mid-day snacks, and a big dinner. As such, World America has four fast-casual grab-and-go food concepts to appease afternoon snackers, quadruple that of World Europa's.
"Fast" is the name of MSC World America's dining game. While European guests often prefer two-hour dinners with spaced-out service, the American market favors shorter meals with chattier and more attentive servers. This has meant a push for quicker diner service aboard the new ship.
As for specific food options, think European.
MSC's tagline has become "European style, American comfort," distinguishing itself from its US competitors. And what better way to reflect its background than through food?
The ship aims to highlight American-beloved European classics, such as a mozzarella bar in the buffet and endless pizza slices at the pool grill.
World America also has two restaurant firsts for MSC: Paxos and Eataly.
Yes, that Eataly, which takes its seafaring form as World America's signature Italian restaurant. The new venue replaced World Europa's modern Nordic restaurant, Chef's Garden Kitchen.
Similarly, Greek restaurant Paxos superseded World Europa's seafood restaurant, which was nixed after surveys of the American market showed confusion by its lack of affiliation with a single country's cuisine, according to Monts De Oca Rivera.
The new Paxos couldn't be more obviously geared to the American interpretation of Greece, as indicated by its prototypical white and blue storefront embellished with iconic bougainvilleas.
And what's more American than a sports bar?
World Europa's spirits and cigar Malt Lounge became World America's All-Stars Sports Bar, finished with plenty of beers on tap, more TV screens than a single person ever needs, and dartboards.
Beer fans can also grab a pint at the onboard microbrewery, which has three new brews — an IPA, pilsner, and light beer — for the American palate.
Comedy, karaoke, and dueling pianos had historically operated as pop-ups around different lounges.
However, following guest interest in smaller, specialized entertainment venues, the three activities now have a shared space in The Loft — a venue that otherwise operates as an English tea room on World Europa.
After all, there's nothing more European (pre-Brexit) than a tea room — and nothing more American than a comedy club and sports bar.