Conservation, night stays set MSC’s private island apart

Posted on 11 February, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

A view of the MSC Divina from atop the 115-foot lighthouse on Ocean Cay.

OCEAN CAY MSC MARINE RESERVE — As guests return to MSC Cruises ships from the line’s recently opened private island here in the Bahamas, they’re likely to retain images of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters, moonlight paddleboarding and sunset cocktails.

But what they did not see is perhaps what makes Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve most special: a four-year effort to transform this former sand-excavation site into a tropical paradise and a continuing commitment to making the island a hub for coral restoration and marine conservation.

Ocean Cay opened Dec. 5, adding MSC to the ranks of cruise lines with private destinations in the Bahamas.

A beach cabana on Ocean Cay. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill

While other private islands have made headlines recently with bells and whistles usually found on the ships themselves, MSC designed Ocean Cay to offer a “natural Bahamian island” experience.

The herculean effort to create what is essentially a model of marine restoration out of a treeless island with 1,500 tons of industrial waste on and around it guided that approach.

“We spent four years cleaning it up,” MSC COO Ken Muskat said. “They’d killed the marine life. We spent four years regenerating marine life and bringing it back. We have watersports and volleyball and so much to do. But we want to keep the natural beauty of the island as the focus. That’s the point.”

To underscore that point, MSC is working to designate 64 square miles of the sea around the island a marine reserve and is investing in a major coral restoration project. It is also building a lab on the island for marine biologists and students to lead restoration efforts. Guests will be able to participate in projects such as planting coral back in the ocean.

“We’re not trying to build an amusement park on the water,” Muskat said.

A shop on Ocean Ca, that sells only products made in the Bahamas.

A shop on Ocean Ca, that sells only products made in the Bahamas. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill

The 95-acre island, still a work in progress — MSC planted 77,000 trees and shrubs here, and it will soon be much lusher than it is now — has eight beaches: some wavy, ocean-facing ones, others surrounding a calm lagoon. Guests can kayak, stand-up paddleboard, snorkel, play in beach volleyball tournaments, walk 165 steps to the top of the lighthouse or get a massage in a beach cabana.

There are plenty of bars (I counted 10) and several shops serving coffee, ice cream and goods, including one featuring only products made in the Bahamas.

There is one main buffet area serving Caribbean-style salads in addition to standard cruise ship fare, and complimentary food trucks have been spread out on the island serving a very limited burger and hot dog-focused menu.

MSC plans to put more specialized menus on the trucks once a second buffet area opens later this year. As the waters around the island regenerate and start growing local catch like conch again, look for a Bahamian seafood truck serving conch fritters, lobster rolls and fish tacos using locally caught seafood.

Just as on the ships, MSC Yacht Club guests have their own part of the island with a private beach and restaurant.

Ocean Cay also stands out for being the only private island currently offering nighttime activities on every call, possibly because the island is only 65 miles from Miami, so ships can still arrive there the next morning.

I enjoyed sunset cocktails at the Lighthouse Bar while others had their feet in the sand along Sunset Beach. A Bahamian Junkanoo “street parade” wound along the island’s paths to Lighthouse Bay, where the beach was set up with chairs around fire pits. Twice a night, the 115-foot lighthouse puts on a light show. A DJ kicked off a dance party on the beach, while guests still on the ship watched from their balconies and the open decks.

Staying late also means unique excursions such as stargazing on the beach and nighttime stand-up paddleboarding on boards fitted with LEDs.

Muskat said the Ocean Cay experience fills what was a gap in the line’s offerings.

“This has helped fill that hole,” Muskat said. “Our aim is … for people debating MSC or another vacation, they use Ocean Cay as a reason to book MSC Cruises.”

Ocean Cay has proven so popular, he said, that future cruise itineraries could visit twice.

“There’s a lot of demand from guests,” he said. “They say they just can’t do everything in one day.”

And with so many beaches and private cabanas throughout, unlike on the pool deck of most cruise ships on a sunny day, there was plenty of space.

“One of the greatest comments we get is nobody feels crowded because there are so many places to spread out,” Muskat said. “The other is they wish we were here longer because there’s so much they didn’t get to see.”

MSC’s Ocean Cay lights up when the sun goes down

Posted on 4 February, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

A Bahamian Junkanoo “street” parade winds its way to the beach as throngs of guests follow and dance along. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill

OCEAN CAY MARINE RESERVE — MSC Cruises’ recently opened private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, is unique in several ways, but for passengers, its nocturnal activities particularly set it apart.

Ocean Cay is the only cruise line offering nighttime activities — for now. Royal Caribbean plans to have evening activities on CocoCay and hosted a few late-night test calls in 2019, but has no more on the books. Virgin Voyages’ beach club-style destination in Bimini, opening in March, will have Fire and Sunset Soirees and dance parties with celebrity DJs.

But right now, MSC is the only line that keeps every ship visiting its island docked there until the wee hours. And as I learned on a short MSC Divina trip to Ocean Cay, it makes for a great party.

At 6 p.m., when most cruise ship passengers are waving goodbye, I was one of many MSC passengers that made their way to the island’s Lighthouse Bar for sunset. A guitar player performed while guests sipped cocktails and snapped selfies during the golden hour. The aptly named and nearby Sunset Beach was equally as popular for people to sit in the sand and watch the sun go down.

Ocean Cay provides several lunch options — food trucks, a buffet and a restaurant for MSC Yacht Club guests — but there is no dinner service on the island. A lone food truck stays open and serves a small menu of hot dogs, burgers and pasta salad. Although the Lighthouse Bar has a menu that in theory serves light bites at night, patrons were told the kitchen had closed.

MSC encourages people to take time before the real festivities begin to go back to the ship and have dinner onboard, which my press group did before returning to the island around 8:30 when the party begins. Because the ship is docked right at the island, getting on and off is relatively easy. There was one slight security backup one of the three times I went back on board, but it only added about five minutes.

When the light show ends, a DJ starts the dance party on the beach. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill

A Bahamian Junkanoo “street” parade starts at Springer’s Bar and winds its way to the beach as throngs of guests follow and dance along. The high-energy parade, with horn players and dancers in costumes, ends at Lighthouse Bay at 9 p.m., where the beach bar was packed, people sat around fire pits in the sand, and the 115-foot tall lighthouse began one of two nightly light shows. Guests still onboard lined the balconies and open decks on the lit-up Divina to watch from above. When the light show ends, the DJ starts the beach dance party.

As we followed the Junkanoo parade, MSC Cruises COO Ken Muskat said “the whole vibe changes at night” on the island. He was right.

Muskat said the island’s proximity to Miami, only 61 miles away, allows the ships to stay as late as they do and still be in Miami by morning.

Also unique to Ocean Cay are several evening tours, including beachside stargazing with a state-of-the-art telescope, a sunset champagne cruise or sunset beach picnic, and nighttime stand-up paddleboarding atop a paddleboard fitted with LED lights that attract fish. I wanted to do this, but the tour was sold out.