Sneak peek: Inside the giant new MSC Cruises ship that’s about to take on Icon of the Seas

Icon of the Seas is about to get some serious competition.

Fast-growing MSC Cruises on Friday gave TPG a sneak peek at the giant ship it’s building to take on the much-ballyhooed Royal Caribbean vessel in the Caribbean, and it was a sight to behold.

Enormous water slides, giant pool zones and an impressive indoor promenade full of restaurants and bars were among the features TPG saw taking shape on the massive vessel, which is under construction at a shipyard in France.

To be called MSC World America, the biggest-ever MSC Cruises ship is scheduled to debut in April 2025. It’ll sail weeklong Caribbean voyages out of Miami every Saturday, setting up an epic matchup between three of the world’s biggest cruise vessels.

In addition to Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which is the world’s biggest cruise ship, Miami is home to Carnival Cruise Line‘s biggest ship, the two-year-old Carnival Celebration.

Icon of the Seas also sails weeklong Caribbean voyages out of Miami every Saturday. Carnival Celebration sails weeklong Caribbean voyages out of Miami every Sunday.

As TPG saw during the sneak peek at MSC World America, which took place at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, the ship is being built on a scale rarely seen in the cruise world.

Rising an astounding 20 decks high, MSC World America is just as tall as Icon of the Seas. The latter vessel also rises just 20 decks high.

That said, it’s a tad less long than Icon of the Seas, resulting in a slightly smaller overall size when measured by gross tons — a measurement of interior space used by shipbuilders.

Measuring nearly 216,000 gross tons, MSC World America will be the world’s eighth largest cruise ship when it debuts in April.

Related: The ultimate guide to MSC Cruises

At 248,863 gross tons, Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship. At 183,521 gross tons, Carnival Celebration is the world’s 16th largest cruise ship.

Like both of the other ships, MSC World America will have a sprawling family fun zone on its top deck that includes everything from a giant water park to a ropes course.

Dubbed The Harbour, the complex will target families in a way MSC Cruises never has before, with a mix of watery and non-watery attractions, grab-and-go food options and a lounging area.

Related: Epic fun! New MSC Cruises ship will have massive play zone

Among the most impressive elements of the area that TPG saw under construction on Friday were three massive waterslides that cascaded down from the ship’s highest deck to a landing area below. There also will be a fourth, smaller waterslide for young children not far from the three bigger slides.

Also on display during the sneak peek, seemingly near completion, was a two-level ropes course that spanned 6,210 square feet and included two “sky rails” that are similar to a zip line.

Touring the area with MSC Cruises executives and representatives from several other media outlets, TPG also saw the still-under-construction site for a first-of-its-kind-on-a-ship overwater swing ride to be called Cliffhanger.

A themed playground for kids modeled after the lighthouse at MSC Cruises’ private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, also was in the works for the area.

In addition, The Harbour area was home to the shark-themed entrance to a 10-deck-high dry slide called Jaw Drop. Still mostly incomplete, the attraction will spiral down from Deck 20 to Deck 8. While that would seemingly be a 12-deck drop, it’ll only amount to a 10-deck drop because MSC World America will not have a Deck 13 or Deck 17. The two numbers are considered unlucky in some cultures.

The Harbour will be one of three family-friendly areas in close proximity on the ship that together will be known as the Family Aventura district. The two other areas are the Doremiland kids program zone, which will have seven different kids rooms, and the Sportsplex, a multiuse pavilion for bumper cars, rollerblading and other family-friendly activities.

MSC World America will also have six pools and 14 hot tubs — all of which were in the midst of construction on Friday.

The pools include an unusually long main pool that sits at the center of what will be one of the largest pool areas at sea.

Like Icon of the Seas, MSC World America also will have a massive indoor restaurant, bar and shopping area and a back-of-the-ship outdoor restaurant and bar zone.

The interior area on MSC World America will be called the Galleria, while the outdoor area will be known as the Promenade.

MSC World America is the second vessel in MSC Cruises’ new World Class series of ships. The first vessel in the series, MSC World Europa, debuted in late 2022 and was designed specifically to sail in Europe.

While MSC World America will have similarities to MSC World Europa, executives at Friday’s sneak peek said about 30% of MSC World America’s public areas would be different than what is currently found on MSC World Europa.

Related: The 6 types of MSC Cruises ships, explained

The changes, which include the addition of a sports bar along the Promenade and an Eataly-branded Italian restaurant, were made to appeal to the specific tastes of the North American market.

The World Class vessels are nearly 20% bigger than any MSC Cruises ship that has come before and on a similar scale to Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class vessels, which have dominated the list of the world’s biggest, most venue-packed ships for years.

Other than the six ships in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class series and Icon of the Seas, which is a class of its own (the Icon Class), the World Class vessels are the only cruise ships in the world to exceed 200,000 gross tons.

The two World Class ships are bigger and more venue-packed than any vessel operated by Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises or any other major cruise brand other than Royal Caribbean.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories: