MSC Cruises will be temporarily closing its private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, in 2024, to help prepare the island for the company’s growth plans.
“Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve will be temporarily closed to MSC Cruises guests from April 7 to May 22, 2024, in order to make necessary guest experience enhancements and support the island’s future growth plans,” the company said in a statement.
“We are in contact with impacted guests and travel advisors to share updated itineraries and travel options,” MSC added.
Of note, the new World America debuts from PortMiami in early 2025 and will be the largest MSC ship to visit Ocean Cay.
MSC Cruises has revealed that its latest flagship, the MSC Seashore, will be officially named at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in The Bahamas on Nov. 18, making this the first naming ceremony for a cruise ship to be held at a private island.
According to a press release, the event will be attended by travel advisors and media as well as other key company stakeholders.
Departing Miami on Nov. 17, invitees will be able to get a first look at the new ship before she starts her inaugural seven-night cruise and U.S. season on Nov. 20 and make the most of the onboard entertainment, different activities as well as various bars and restaurants.
As with every new MSC Cruises ship, Hollywood royalty Sophia Loren will perform the role of Godmother as she officially names her 16th MSC Cruises ship. The festivities will take place both onboard and on the island as the ship will remain docked throughout the night, with a gala dinner, live entertainment and more.
The naming of the MSC Seashore will see the formal inauguration of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, which opened in late 2019 and closed shortly after due to the pandemic.
MSC said that the island has since gone through further work and significant improvements and this is “an opportunity for MSC Cruises to showcase the island to the invitees on this occasion.”
The MSC Seashore will become the third MSC Cruises ship based in the U.S and the company is offering a range of different length cruises from mini cruises, regular seven-night sailings to longer cruises of eight nights and 11 nights.
New for this season is Port Canaveral where the MSC Divina began operating in September. This new homeport is convenient and easily accessible and is close to popular attractions and major cities like Orlando, Tampa and South Florida for those wishing to make the most out of their holiday either before or after the cruise, MSC said.
When the MSC Seashore arrives, the MSC Meraviglia will move to Port Canaveral for the rest of the season and the MSC Divina will move to PortMiami.
The MSC Seashore will remain for summer 2022 in Miami offering cruises with the MSC Divina out of Port Canaveral.
MSC Cruises today welcomed the very first guests to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, its new private island destination in The Bahamas, according to a press release.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, said: “Ocean Cay is founded on a deep commitment to ecological principles – beliefs that shape everything from how venues are built, to how the island is run, to the kinds of activities featured on the island. Having the first guests arrive on the island is a moment of great pride for all of us at MSC Cruises. We wanted to create for our guests something sustainable, with a higher purpose. Ocean Cay is not just a vacation island, it is a unique marine reserve where people and nature thrive in harmony.”
The island’s opening is a major milestone for MSC as it builds its North American operation, which has four ships sailing from Miami this winter.
MSC has turned the island from what was once an industrial sand excavation site into a stunning tropical destination, while working with environmental engineers and other experts to revitalize the surrounding ocean beds, marine life and endangered coral, according to a company press release.
The project took nearly three years to complete. 7,500 tons of scrap metal was removed and, throughout the clean-up process, a team of expert divers and marine biologists carefully removed individual hard coral colonies from debris on the ocean bed and relocated them to an approved location outside the construction area. More than 75,000 plants and shrubs planted across the island to create a biodiverse and sustainable environment.
In the coming months, MSC Cruises will also introduce a Conservation Center on the island, which will serve as an active base for coral education and research.
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