If we had to pick just one, we’d both choose the Norwegian Getaway, but it was closer than you’d think. The Getaway felt more relaxed: freestyle dining, comfy outdoor seating and fewer people on board. The MSC Grandiosa won on wow factor: a bigger, grander ship, great shows and a chocolate and coffee shop Lisa still talks about. We’d happily sail either one again.

Village Welcome! We’re Jimmy and Lisa from FindUsCamping. We’ve spent 18+ years RVing and 6+ years full-time on the road, so trading the rig for a cruise ship was a whole new adventure for us. After sailing on both of these ships, here’s our honest side-by-side.

How are the MSC Grandiosa and Norwegian Getaway different?

Size and style. The Grandiosa is the bigger ship, built for roughly 1,500 more guests at full capacity, and it feels grand the minute you walk on. The Getaway is smaller and more laid-back. On both ships the staff ratio felt about the same, around one crew member for every three guests.

One more thing to know: our sailing on the Grandiosa felt close to full, and the Getaway didn’t. That plays into how crowded each one felt, so keep it in mind.

Is an inside cabin on a cruise ship worth it?

For light sleepers, absolutely. We had a balcony on the Getaway and an inside cabin on the Grandiosa, so it’s not apples to apples. Lisa expected the inside room to feel claustrophobic, and she ended up liking it.

With no window, the only light comes in under the door. Roll up your bath mat, lay it across that gap, and it’s pitch dark. If the tiniest bit of light wakes you up, that’s your cabin.

The balcony has its perks, though. Jimmy is up early, so he got to watch the ship pull into port most mornings, and he loves sitting out there at night just listening to the waves. Whether the balcony is worth the extra money depends on the cruise and what you plan to do.

Which ship has better food?

For included meals, we liked the Getaway better. For specialty dining, the Grandiosa surprised us.

On the Getaway, you can eat wherever you want. There’s a pub, an Italian spot and other choices, and you can make a reservation or just show up. On the Grandiosa, your included dinner is at the same restaurant at the same time every night. The menu has steady favorites plus a theme that changes nightly, like Italian one night and Caribbean the next.

Where the Grandiosa shined was its specialty spots:

• Sushi: with a reservation, the chefs bring you a selection. Another night we slid in at the counter without one and ordered our favorite rolls.
• Hola Tacos: an all-you-can-eat Mexican option for about $25. We ate everything we could without being miserable, then went back for lunch and ordered our favorites off the menu.
• The steakhouse: Jimmy’s steak was cooked just right.

What’s the best thing on the MSC Grandiosa?

Ask Lisa and she’ll say the chocolate and coffee shop, no contest. They sell milk, dark and white chocolate, truffles, chocolate-covered pretzels and nuts. The hot cocoa is made with real chocolate nibs and steamed milk. Lisa’s caramel latte came layered in a tall clear cup, with house-made caramel sauce on the bottom. She says they should sell that caramel by the jar. How many did she drink? We’re not discussing that.

There were also chocolate sculptures two and three feet tall, including a headless horseman, crabs, fish and a set of turning gears. Other highlights:

• The shows. Jimmy is not a show guy, and he loved the Michael Jackson show. There was also an acrobatic show that felt like a smaller Cirque du Soleil, done while the ship was rocking.
• The steel drum player. Lisa fell for steel drums at an RV rally and in Key West, so this was a treat.
• The promenade. To Jimmy it felt like Fremont Street in Las Vegas, one of our favorite spots.
• A smooth ride. The waves got big enough to slosh water out of the pools and hot tubs, and that big ship still felt steady.

What does the Norwegian Getaway do best?

It makes it easy to relax and easy to find your way. Our favorite Getaway touches:

1. The fish on the carpet. Out in the cabin hallways, the little fish in the carpet all swim toward the front of the ship. Once someone pointed it out, we never got turned around again.
2. Comfy outdoor seating. There are cushioned patio chairs near the water, like outside the ice cream shop, so you can sit in the breeze without claiming a pool lounger.
3. Fun in the atrium. The two-level atrium hosted a newlywed game, trivia and even dollar-bill origami. We watched from the upper level by the pub with appetizers from the included food.
4. Quiet corners. With fewer people on board, the four of us could always find a spot to ourselves.

One Grandiosa feature worth knowing about is the smart elevators. You pick your floor at the elevator bay and it tells you which car to take, grouping people going the same way. It’s a great idea. On a full ship we sometimes waited a while, so for a floor or two we just took the stairs.

Our quick comparison checklist

• Want flexible, eat-anywhere dining? Norwegian Getaway.
• Want big shows and a grand, Vegas-style feel? MSC Grandiosa.
• Want a smaller crowd and easy outdoor lounging? Norwegian Getaway.
• Love chocolate and specialty coffee? MSC Grandiosa, hands down.
• Light sleeper on a budget? An inside cabin on either ship.

Quick answers

Which is bigger, the MSC Grandiosa or the Norwegian Getaway?
The MSC Grandiosa. It’s built for roughly 1,500 more guests at full capacity.

Does the MSC Grandiosa have assigned dining?
Yes, for the included dinner you go to the same restaurant at the same time each night. The Norwegian Getaway lets you eat wherever and whenever you like.

Is an inside cabin too dark or cramped?
We found it cozy, and it’s the darkest way to sleep on a ship, which is perfect for light sleepers.

Which ship would Jimmy and Lisa book again?
Either one, but if we could only pick one, we’d both lean toward the Norwegian Getaway.

Cruise with the village

Fair warning: a fellow RVer turned us into cruise people, and now we can’t stop. We have 20+ cabins booked with the village on the Norwegian Joy to Alaska in May 2027, and yes, there’s a go-kart track on board. If you’ve sailed the Joy, tell us what we can’t miss in the comments on the video.

Want to see what traveling as a group with us is like? Read what group RV travel is really like, check out the 2027 FindUsCamping Margaritaville RV Crawl, and grab our newsletter so you hear about the next adventure first. You can also join the FindUsCamping Villagers group on Facebook. We’ll see you at a campground or on a cruise ship!