After the last 11-night sailing was canceled, MSC Poesia is back at sea on a 10-night cruise out of PortMiami.
The ship had been docked for 11 days (from November 1 to November 12) after the U.S. Coast Guard determined that unnamed “deficiencies with systems on board” would not allow the MSC Cruises vessel to sail.
Now that the 2,550-capacity ship has finally left Miami and headed to its first port stop in St. Thomas, questions still linger as to what was actually wrong with the 18-year-old vessel.
Cruisers booked on the current voyage wondered if their cruise would be canceled as well, but it looks like the U.S. Coast Guard has been satisfied with the fixes to the deficiencies that were not able to be resolved in time for the last sailing.
Both MSC Cruises and federal officials are still staying tight-lipped about what went wrong on board, however.
Cruise Fever has been checking the Port State Information Exchange with the USCG on a regular basis for any updates to this matter, but so far, nothing has been disclosed.
What Happened in Miami?
The trouble started back on Sunday, November 1, when MSC Poesia was scheduled to leave PortMiami for an 11-night Western Caribbean and Central America cruise. After a routine Port State Control inspection, Coast Guard officials would not let the ship leave port.
More than 2,000 passengers waited on board at the terminal for two days while crews tried to fix the problem. By Tuesday, November 3, MSC Cruises had no choice but to pull the plug on the sailing, issuing full refunds, providing free Wi-Fi, and helping guests make travel arrangements back home.
Compensation for Affected Guests
Besides a full refund for the cruise that never set sail, MSC Cruises also gave impacted guests 100% future cruise credit, basically giving them a free cruise on top of getting their money back for the current one that never went anywhere.
Coast Guard Statement
The U.S. Coast Guard issued an official press release confirming the detention of the ship. In the November 3 statement, Capt. Frank Florio, commander of USCG Sector Miami, explained why the ship was being held:
“The Coast Guard cannot currently comment on the specifics of an ongoing port state control examination, but we have identified deficiencies with systems on board the vessel that we are addressing with MSC.”
The press release also noted that “when substantial noncompliance is identified, the Coast Guard may detain a vessel until the deficiencies that prevent its departure are corrected.”
MSC Cruises has referred to the situation strictly as a “regulatory matter” and has declined to share details about what repairs or adjustments were made while the ship sat in Miami.
The official investigation is likely still ongoing, which is probably the reason officials are keeping the inspection report under wraps for now.
Back on Schedule
With the detention order officially lifted, MSC Poesia departed PortMiami on schedule Thursday with a reported number of 2,333 passengers on board for its 10-night Caribbean itinerary.
The ship had a prior U.S. Coast Guard inspection in April 2026 that noted issues with the operational readiness of lifesaving appliances (no detention then). It underwent a major refurbishment earlier in 2026 (adding suites, restaurants, spa/gym updates, etc.). No confirmed link between the refit and the detention has been established.
Cruise Fever will continue monitoring official channels for any further details on this story.
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