It’s hard to not compare MSC Cruises’ World Class ships and its largest-ever offering, the MSC World America, to similarly massive ships sailed by Royal Caribbean. But while World America may look like its competitor’s ships, it has touches that set it apart.

The 22-deck, 6,764-passenger, 216,638-gross-ton ship arrived in April in PortMiami and has settled into year-round, seven-night Caribbean itineraries.

Just like Royal’s Icon and Oasis-class ships, World America is so big, that the line carves its space up into neighborhoods, although MSC calls them districts. They’re filled with nearly 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, so it feels like a little city at sea.

In fact, from behind, people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between an Oasis-class ship from World America with both featuring a multi-deck, twisting dry slide as a centerpiece of an open-air deck.

One thing the brand does successfully, though, is lean into its European identity, especially the Italian flair of its founders.

“We’re not trying to be an American cruise line only for Americans,” said new MSC Cruises USA president Lynn Torrent. “We do have this European DNA and that’s real, and we need to own it and lean into it. But we need to have our American guests feel comfortable. So it really is a balance.”

So in the hallways, for instance, are historical black-and-white photos of space shuttle launches, but they were labeled as “Kennedy Space Centre.” Pool depths are in both meters and feet. Elevators are called lifts. A family area on the top decks is called “The Harbour.” But at least restrooms are no longer labeled “WC” for “water closet,” something one would find on earlier MSC ships.

Perhaps the most European thing is the bumper cars with the steering wheel on the right.

And while the ship may have many similarities, the interior leans into a modern design that has been a hallmark of the MSC ships before it. Mirrors are everywhere. And a lot of the ships sparkle. At the same time, a digital ceiling that stretches down the entire World Galleria entertainment district occasionally quite often displays a massive American flag.

Taking a closer look, travelers will find World America isn’t a clone. It has its own identity.

Here are some of the best features on board:

The Cliffhanger is a swing ride that juts out over the side of the ship 160 feet above the water on board the MSC World America. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel)

The Cliffhanger: Who knew a simple little swing could be such a thrill? A pair of two-seater swings juts out over the edge of the ship 160 feet above the water with just a simple T-bar keeping riders safe from sliding out.

“That’s it?” exclaimed Lindsay Bonfanti before holding on for the less-than-minute-long ride that drew a few more exclamations questioning her decision-making.

For those who love heights and a hit of adrenaline without putting in any work, this ride fits the bill.

More thrills to be found: The Family Aventura district has other fast-paced options including a ropes course with two small zip lines built in. One swings riders out over the chasm of the open-air aft section of the ship more than 11 decks below.

The small water park has five slides including a speedy drop slide that shoots riders down as if being dropped out bomb-bay doors. There’s also a pair of timed, side-by-side slides that allow for healthy competition and a tube ride with an option virtual reality headset that makes for a trippy, wet trip through the jungle. Just remember to not be laughing out loud with your mouth open when you hit the bottom.

Over in the sports court, the line breaks out bumper cars for some healthy head-on collisions.

But for those who don’t mind climbing into an open shark mouth, the Jaw Drop twisting slide is a welcome, free offering, the tube of which is transparent for much of the ride offering great views on the way down.

“Dirty Dancing in Concert” is the main theatrical production on board MSC World America. Performers put on a sneak peek at the ship’s naming ceremony at PortMiami on April 9. (Courtesy Ivan Sarfatti for MSC Cruises)

Dirty Dancing: It’s music and dancing that most people know. Baby gets put in a corner momentarily. The choreography is spot on. The dancers nail the lift. They had the time of their lives, and fans of the film will likely walk away from the short production in the main theater with a hit of nostalgia. The line also doubles down on the partnership by airing the film and putting on its own dance party themed to the 1980s hit film that itself used music from the summer of 1963.

Dialing into other nostalgic, but popular music, the line has a show playing the hits of Queen, marrying a live rock band with orchestral and aerialist accompaniment in the Panorama Lounge. Another main stage show “Hall of Fame” pulls from a variety of pop legends such as Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Café has a large selection of gelato flavors on board the MSC World America. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel)

So many flavors: MSC goes beyond simple vanilla, chocolate and swirl. Think gelato. Think multiple venues around the ship. Think massive selection. One of the best tempts travelers walking down the main World Galleria section of the ship within the Jean-Philippe Chocolat & Café venue, which also features hand-crafted chocolates, 14 flavors of macarons and a tidy little coffee bar tucked in the back. But 16 gelato and sorbet flavors from pistachio to hazelnut to mango to stracciatella. There’s some pretty rich vanilla and chocolate too.

When in doubt: Pizza. The ship has plenty of dining options including the first Eataly-branded Italian specialty restaurant and a Greek venue with fresh seafood called Paxos.

But perhaps the most satisfying dish on board is free. Freshly made pizza made in authentic stone ovens is a must-have from Luna Park Pizza & Burger, plus it’s open beyond normal dining hours, so a great place to wander into after a few drinks.

Or before dinner. Or between lunch and dinner.

The Gin Project makes custom gin drinks on board the MSC World America. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel)

Pour another one: Champagne bar: Check. Mixed drinks: Check: Hand-crafted beer. Check.

The line has 18 bars and lounges, but one of the most interesting is The Gin Project venue, taking up the upper level of a space shared with the Masters of the Sea pub, both of which share a view of a live music stage. The level of detail on the history of gin with old photos and antiques filling the walls amid the nooks and alcoves of the bar is similar to the feeling you get the first time you walk into a TGI Fridays and marvel at all the crazy stuff on the wall.

Plus coming up with your own libation from among 70 types of gins is a fun game of choose your own adventure. Start with an “earthy” or “fruity” or “grassy” gin for instance. Then choose a tonic style from among several options, and then finally the décor and flavor enhancements.

And it’s worth mentioning that coffee fans won’t find a Starbucks, but can get that caffeine high in a new, one would dare say, more adventurous way at the Coffee Emporium, pulling from Mediterranean beans and styles including French, Italian, Turkish and Moroccan.

Cheers to that.

By JAMEY KEATEN

GENEVA (AP) — Stripped of U.S. funding, the World Health Organization chief on Monday appealed to member countries to support its “extremely modest” request for a $2.1 billion annual budget by putting that sum into perspective next to outlays for ad campaigns for tobacco or the cost of war.

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After nearly 80 years of striving to improve human lives and health –- which critics say it has done poorly or not enough — the U.N. health agency is fighting for its own after U.S. President Donald Trump in January halted funding from the United States, which has traditionally been WHO’s largest donor.

“Two-point-one billion dollars is the equivalent of global military expenditure every eight hours,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Two-point-one billion dollars is the price of one stealth bomber, to kill people.”

“And $2.1 billion is one-quarter of what the tobacco industry spends on advertising and promotion every single year. Again, a product that kills people.” he told the WHO’s annual assembly. “It seems somebody switched the price tags on what is truly valuable in our world.”

Tedros made no specific reference to the U.S. cuts but has said previously the U.S. pullout was a “mistake” and urged Washington to reconsider.

WHO has presented a budget for the next two years that is 22% less than originally planned, largely in response to U.S. and other Western funding cuts, and says it has landed commitments for about 60% of that. But it still faces a budget gap of $1.7 billion.

“We know that in the current landscape, mobilizing that sum will be a challenge. We are not naive to that challenge,” Tedros said.

“But for an organization working on the ground in 150 countries with a vast mission and mandate that member states have given us, $4.2 billion for two years — or $2.1 billion a year — is not ambitious. It’s extremely modest,” he said.

Cuts that could cost lives

As a result of the cuts, the U.N. health agency this year has seen a plunge in its ability to carry out its sweeping mandate to do everything from recommend reductions in sugar levels in soft drinks to head the global response to pandemics like COVID-19 or outbreaks like polio or Ebola.

Tedros and his team have been grappling with a response to the U.S. cuts as well as reduced outlays from wealthy European countries that are worried about an expansionist Russia and are putting more money toward defense, and less toward humanitarian and development aid.

Matthew Kavanagh, the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, said other countries have used the U.S. cut in aid “as cover to do their maneuvering, with many countries in Europe reducing aid.”

“The WHO faces an existential crisis that goes well beyond a budget gap to the question of whether this sort of multilateralism can succeed in addressing global health in this new era of nationalism and misinformation,” he said, alluding to discord between many countries that could cost lives.

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivers his statement, during the opening of the 78th World Health Assembly at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, May 19, 2025. (Magali Girardin/Keystone via AP)

“Literally millions will likely die needlessly on the current trajectory and the world’s health ministers do not seem capable of a coherent response,” Kavanagh added.

Pandemic preparedness on the agenda

On tap for the nine-day World Health Assembly are two major advances that are aimed to buttress WHO’s financial strength and bolster the world’s ability to cope with future pandemics.

Member countries are expected to agree to raise annual dues, known as “assessed contributions,” by 20% to support WHO finances and reduce dependency on governments’ voluntary contributions — which change each year and make up over half of the budget.

They are also expected to agree to a hard-wrought “ pandemic treaty ” that was born of a desire to avoid any replay of the patchy, unequal response to COVID-19 when the next — and inevitable, most experts say — pandemic hits.

Among other things, the treaty would guarantee that countries that share critical samples of viruses will receive any resulting tests, medicines and vaccines and give WHO up to 20% of such products to make sure poorer countries can have access to them.

“Every World Health Assembly is significant, but this year’s is especially so,” Tedros said. “This is truly a historic moment.”

The treaty’s effectiveness will face doubts when the U.S. — which poured billions into speedy work by pharmaceutical companies to develop COVID-19 vaccines — is sitting out, and because countries face no penalties if they ignore it, a common issue in international law.

Kavanagh said passage of the treaty “could be a significant victory — evidence that the U.S. government may no longer be indispensable in global health” and could offer an opportunity for developing nations in the “global South” over the longer term.

Management shake-up as critics blast WHO

Trump has long derided WHO, including back in his first term when he pulled the United States out over its alleged kowtowing to China and other alleged missteps in the Covid pandemic. President Joe Biden put the U.S. back in.

On his first day back in office in January, Trump signed an executive order to pause future transfers of U.S. government funds to the WHO, recall U.S. government staff working with it, and announce a formal pullout by next January — under a one-year timetable required under U.S. law.

Other opponents continue to lash out at WHO. CitizenGo, an activist group that supports right-to-life and religious liberty issues, protested Monday against the pandemic treaty outside the U.N. compound in Geneva where WHO’s meeting was taking place.

The rally included a balloon sculpture in the shape of the world and a banner inveighing against “globalist elites” and showing an image of Tedros and billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, a major WHO supporter, shaking hands while surrounded by dollars.

“In the aftermath of Covid, the WHO got together and thought was a good idea to centralize even more power,” said CitizenGo campaigner Sebastian Lukomski, accusing WHO of an effort to “remove more fundamental freedoms and not learn from the mistakes that were taking place during COVID.”

In the run-up to the assembly, WHO has been cleaning house and cutting costs.

At a meeting on its budget last week, Tedros — a former Ethiopian health and foreign minister – announced a shake-up of top management that included the exit of key adviser Dr. Michael Ryan from the job as emergencies chief.

Tedros said last week that the loss of U.S. funds and other assistance have left the WHO with a salary gap of more than $500 million.

As the Jenkins Creek, Camp House and Munger Shaw fires blazed through the weekend, firefighters reported success on all three fronts.

In particular, the Minnesota Interagency Command Team A noted Saturday evening that the Munger Shaw fire is 75% contained. According to a news release from Eastern Area Incident Management Team issued on Sunday, the Camp House Fire was listed as 31% contained.

Nathan Thom, assistant wildlife manager with the Brainerd office of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources rides in the passenger seat while Evan Duchow, wildlife technician with the Aitkin office of the Minnesota DNR droves a Marsh Master amphibious track vehicle onto Munger Shaw Road in Cotton while helping with the Munger Shaw fire on Friday, May 16, 2025. (Dan Williamson / Duluth Media Group)

The Jenkins Creek Fire was still zero percent contained at last report. Firefighting efforts and rainy weather have combined to prevent all the fires from spreading over the weekend. However, crews are preparing for the return of drier and gustier conditions in the coming week.

A community meeting has been scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. at the auditorium at Mesabi East High School in Aurora. Representatives for the Eastern Area Incident Management Team, the U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department will give status updates on the fires and related closures and evacuations. A link will also be provided for online viewing.

A vehicle and building destroyed by the Camp House Fire along County Hwy 44, as seen Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Wyatt Buckner / Duluth Media Group)

St. Louis County has rescinded the evacuation order for the Munger Shaw Fire only.

On Friday, during a Facebook video update, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said he spent some time at the checkpoint where homeowners returned to check on their homes and properties.

“It was very sad to meet and talk with those who had lost their houses,” Ramsay said.

Several elected officials visited the area Friday to survey the damage caused by the fires so far, including Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, state Sen. Grant Hauschild and state Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar.

“The fires across northern Minnesota have forced families to evacuate and caused severe damage,” Walz said. “My thoughts are with those who have had to leave everything behind, and I extend my deepest gratitude to the wildland firefighters, first responders, volunteers, and emergency management officials who are working around the clock to contain these fires. The state is ready and committed to do everything in our power to respond to and suppress these fires and others across the state, and help impacted communities rebuild.”

Laura Kimmes, of Cotton, stops to offer thanks to Dave Snetsinger, of Naytahwaush, Minnesota, and all of the crew members battling the Munger Shaw Fire on Friday, May 16, 2025. Kimes was returning to her home nearby for the first time since being evacuated. (Dan Williamson / Duluth Media Group)

Weather forecast

A low-pressure system will pass by to the south with high pressure in Canada, leading to a prolonged period of east to northeast winds, the National Weather Service in Duluth reported Sunday. “Near-critical fire weather conditions will be possible,” the weather service said, with minimum relative humidity values from between 15% and 25%. Winds on Monday are expected to be 5-15 mph, gusting to up to 32 mph in places.

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For residents impacted in St. Louis County, United Way of Northeastern Minnesota is working to establish a wildfire recovery fund. Immediate assistance is offered through its Comforts of Home program, which replaces lost items with referrals from agencies like the Red Cross and St. Louis County. All proceeds go to impacted community members.

Donate online at unitedwaynemn.org/firehelp.

For residents impacted in Lake County, Head of the Lakes United Way is sending donations to impacted community members.

Donate online at hlunitedway.harnessgiving.org/campaigns/18236.

NEW YORK (AP) — Many crew members on the Mexican navy tall ship that suffered a deadly collision with the Brooklyn Bridge have flown home from New York, officials said Monday.

Seven officers and 172 cadets who were aboard the Cuauhtemoc training vessel arrived early Monday at the port of Veracruz, where Mexico’s naval school is, the Mexican navy said in a post on X. Two cadets remained in New York getting medical treatment. They were in stable condition, the navy said.

Two members of the Cuauhtemoc’s crew suffered fatal injuries Saturday when the ship’s tall masts struck the Brooklyn Bridge’s main span after the ship departed a Manhattan dock where it had been open to visitors for several days.

Footage of the collision shot by horrified onlookers show the ship moving swiftly backwards and then grinding beneath the 142-year-old bridge as its topmasts snapped off. Multiple cadets in the ship’s crew were aloft, standing on the ship’s yards when the collision happened. Several were left dangling by safety harnesses as the masts partially collapsed.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the crash, which police said was possibly related to a mechanical problem. The ship was moving quickly under motor power in the opposite of its intended direction when the collision happened. A tugboat that had helped the ship get out of its berth could be seen on video trying to get ahead of the vessel as it headed toward the bridge but couldn’t overtake it in time.

The safety board planned to hold its first media briefing later Monday. The investigation is likely to take months. The crippled Cuauhtemoc remained at a dock in Manhattan.

The Brooklyn Bridge escaped major damage but at least 19 of the ship’s 277 sailors needed medical treatment, according to officials. Among those killed was América Yamilet Sánchez, a 20-year-old sailor who had been studying engineering at the Mexican naval academy. Her family has said she died after falling from one of the Cuauhtemoc’s masts.

The Cuauhtemoc arrived in New York on May 13 as part of a global goodwill tour. The vessel, which sailed for the first time in 1982, had been docked and welcoming visitors in recent days at the tourist-heavy South Street Seaport. It was next bound for Iceland.

The ship’s main mast has a height of 160 feet (50 meters), far too high for the span of the Brooklyn Bridge at any tide.

Associated Press reporter Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City contributed to this story.