Honest Family Review of MSC World America: What We Loved and What Fell Short

I had my heart set on trying out MSC’s newest ship, World America. So I popped my family on a flight from NYC to Miami and spent Fourth of July week making the new ship our new home, enjoying stops in Costa Maya, Isla de Rotan, Cozumel, and Ocean Cay. Here’s our honest take on the ship, excursions, and overall experience aboard MSC World America.

Background: Why We Chose MSC World America

This was our second MSC cruise this year. We took MSC Meraviglia over Thanksgiving last year (which leaves out of NYC), so we’ve been to their private island Ocean Cay before.
My kids are ages 6 and 2 so our activities are semi limited, meaning the excursion options for us are few, we do the 5pm dinner and 7:30/8pm shows, and are often nap trapped.
I was 16 weeks pregnant this trip so we didn’t drink. I sure missed the 10-15 drinks per day like a good sailor enjoys.
I get the MSC cruises for semi-free for having status at a local casino, Ocean Casino in Atlantic City, which I got through the merry-go-round for being a Founders Club member. I comes out to basically half price after you factor in the cost for adding my kids, upgrading to a balcony room, and the upcharge for World America. Not complaining… except for the fact that MSC and Ocean Casino discontinued their partnership this year, booo!

The Pros: What We Loved About MSC World America

Brand New Ship Vibes: The ship is a few months old, so it felt pristine. I especially liked the outdoor spaces to hang out, like The Harbour on floor 20 and the Lanai on floor 8
More complimentary dining options than ever: 2 buffets (floor 18 and 19), pizza and burgers on floor 6, snacks at The Harbour on floor 20, and a sit down breakfast in Hexagon on floor 6.
Ideal room location: I asked for a high floor so I would have a nice view and was put on 15, and to be close to the buffets and pools but quiet. I could just walk the two floors up to the pools and buffet which was awesome, and the dining rooms on floor 5 and 6 were right by the elevators so I didn’t have to walk from end to end often.
Not overcrowded: I’m sure the ship was full being 4th of July week, but it didn’t feel too crowded. Maybe I was just used to there never being seats at the pool or I got better about booking shows or dinner reservations when I arrived, but I didn’t feel like I was waiting in long lines the whole time which was nice and unexpected.
Friendly crew: The staff, per usual, was exceptional. We always enjoy getting to know our waiters and housekeeping team, and they were all very hard working, fast, and accommodating.

The Cons: What Didn’t Work So Well

Surprise Charges: I felt slightly nickel-and-dimed, with bumper cars costing an extra $7, ice cream for $4.50 by the pool, extra cost for the Cliffhanger swing, and over $100 of service fees per person once I’m on the ship (read ~$500 for my family of 4. Can’t you just build that into the cost of what I initially paid?!)
Complicated Kids Club Hours: Kids clubs hours were hard to figure out and my husband and I to had to get really creative and speedy with pulling off a specialty dinner for us two. The baby club has different hours than the other kids clubs, and on days at sea it ends at 7 or 8pm. We had booked a 8:15 dinner reservation but were able to move it to the following night at 6:30 when kids club would close at 8pm.
Cancelled Excursions: We had originally booked an excursion to a lagoon in Costa Maya, but it was cancelled once we were on the ship due to a minimum age restriction of 5. It seems odd that we would even be able to book it for our 2-year-old if it wasn’t available to him. This threw off everything I had planned since I didn’t want to do multiple days of Mayan ruins, and most of the other interesting excursions were full by the time we found out ours was cancelled.

Port Reviews from Our MSC World America Itinerary

Costa Maya, Mexico: Beach Club Day

Because our excursion for this day was cancelled, we decided to do a beach day on our own.

We accepted a taxi and beach club from the first guy that approached us as we walked out of the port. We paid him $40 ($20 each for me and my husband, kids were free) for access to the club, a table in the sand where we could eat lunch, and 4 lounge chairs on the beach. He also said the taxi to the beach would be $5 each way, which we learned after the taxi ride was actually $5 per person, so $20 each way.
The beach had a lot of seaweed, and the water was a weird yellow color. I think they have carpet or something under the sand which is where the color comes from.
The guy who sold us the beach club said there would be kayaks and stuff included, so it was a little confusing but I think there were two communal stand up paddle boards and my daughter insisted and getting paddled around for a bit so it wasn’t an issue. I did hear who I think was an aggressive kayak vendor screaming at a family over the confusion that the man thought he already paid for kayaks. The guy was telling him to shut up over and over again and how he accommodated the guys family. It was one of the most inappropriate, outrageous ways I have ever seen a vendor behave, but I was at a distance so who knows the full story. Not a good look for people trying to enjoy their beach day though.
The beach club area was very crowded. Everyone was packed into a very small area elbow to elbow doing the same thing with a few shops and restaurants.
I didn’t realize the main excursion in Costa Maya is the Aztec ruins, Chacchoben, which is one of the seven wonders of the world. I had my heart set on doing Tulum and I didn’t want to overdo the Mayan ruins vibe, so I’m not sure if I would have done anything differently had I have known my original excursion would be cancelled.

It wasn’t the best beach day, but I wasn’t sure what else to do since our excursion options were limited by age restrictions and last minute availability.

Isla de Roatán, Honduras: Stunning But Rushed

Roatán was my favorite stop. The beach was so pretty, and I wish I had more time to enjoy it.

We took a 3.5 hour excursion that went to the Cameo factory, which is a local artist who drew on shells, then the West End village where we went to a restaurant, a chocolate making factory, and had ~20 minutes to walk around the town, which is when we saw the beach.
The main event of the excursion was a submarine tour where we saw the reef and fish, which was very cool to learn about and kid-friendly.

I would have preferred a submarine and beach tour and skipped the Cameo stop, restaurant, and chocolate factory so we had more time at the beach, but it seems like they want to support local businesses. We were bummed we didn’t get to spend more time at the beach because it seemed really beautiful with clear, warm water.

Cozumel & Tulum: Long Day, Big Payoff

For our stop in Cozumel, we took the full day visiting a bucket list item: the Tulum ruins.

We left the ship at 9am to take a ferry to Playa del Carmen, then an hour bus ride to Tulum.
We got an hour tour from our guide of the ruins, then had ~3 hours to explore on our own and eat lunch.
Then we drove the hour back to the port, and walked around 5th Avenue for an hour, before getting back on the ferry for an hour to the island of Cozumel and getting back on the ship around 6:30pm.

If you’re considering going to Tulum from Cozumel, know it’s a long but rewarding day trip. It was very pretty right on the coast, and I loved learning about the ancient Mayan culture and how prevalent it still is to the Riviera Maya.

Ocean Cay, Bahamas: A Relaxing Finale

We had been to Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island, about 7 months prior, so it was nice to be back.

If feels somewhat like Disneyland meets the Caribbean, with everything just as you would expect and want, meaning crystal clear water, several beach options, a free buffet and tram system, lounge chairs, and plenty to things rent like rafts, umbrellas, snorkel gear, kayaks, and jet skis.

A perfect final day.

Final Thoughts: Is MSC World America Good for Families?

Yes – with caveats. If you’re looking for a modern, clean, family-friendly ship with great food variety, good entertainment, and unique ports of call, MSC World America delivers. All in all, we had a memorable week. We only had two sea days, so we weren’t too bored. My kids had fun on the kids waterslide, but we didn’t make it down the grown up waterslides. The jaw drop slide and cliffhanger swing were fun and unique as well! I liked the adult pool in the back of the boat, but the two pools there are a little small and crowded. Our room was comfortable, and our kids enjoyed the bunk beds, as well as a balcony to enjoy the weather and views. It definitely felt like we got the full vacation experience!