MSC Cruises has announced a new opening date for their private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
While the island was originally scheduled to open this past week, the new date for the opening will be December 5, 2019.
The development of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve has been a multiyear project in which MSC Cruises worked with multiple contractors and partners to transform what was once an industrial sand excavation site into a stunning tropical destination, including designating the surrounding waters as a flourishing marine reserve.
This has been an extremely complex project as MSC Cruises has been fully committed to developing the destination in the most eco-friendly and sustainable way. At the same time, while the Company anticipated that the island would be ready to receive guests mid-November, as it reached the final stages of readying the island for its opening, some adverse weather conditions and unexpected last-minute operational challenges slowed down the completion of the island.
First, despite Hurricane Dorian and the demobilization of 600 workers, the Company took measures to remain on track and deliver the project on time. However, in the weeks that followed, further adverse weather conditions with strong winds and heavy swell caused several days of interruptions and created additional delays. This included heavy weather in early November which required part of one of the beaches to be further reinforced.
Secondly, last-minute issues with the leveling of the sand in certain areas of the island, the completion of the second breakwater and the landscaping aspects to be fully in line with the Company’s exceeding environmental criteria, have created further last-minute operational issues that could impact the guest experience.
The work on the island is an on-going process and the Company’s commitment to protect, restore and conserve this beautiful cay is part of a multi-phased effort. In the coming months, MSC Cruises will also introduce a Conservation Center and thriving coral nursery on the island, which will serve as an active base for coral education and research.
Providing guests with an outstanding experience in all destinations is a top priority for the Company and Ocean Cay is no exception. When guests start arriving at Ocean Cay they will be greeted by endless sweeping vistas of crystal blue waters and some of the most pristine white sand beaches. From early morning until late evening, they’ll have plenty of time to soak up the spirit of The Bahamas and enjoy the day as they wish, with no disruptions to shore excursions or beach and ocean discovery activities, as well as bars and complimentary dining options available.
The MSC Cruises ships that were scheduled to call the island before December 5, 2019 will be rerouted to alternative Caribbean destinations or will add a day at sea to their schedule. Guests will be compensated for the missed call at Ocean Cay.
Disappoint the island was not ready as we did not know until we got on board. However MSC did offer 100.00 OBC and a discount on a future cruise