Last-Minute Operational Issues Forces MSC Cruises to Delay Opening of Ocean Cay
byDaniel McCarthy/
MSC Cruises said Wednesday the opening of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, its new private island destination in the Bahamas, has been pushed back to Dec. 5 after some “last-minute operational issues.”
The MSC Cruises ships that were scheduled to call on the island before Dec. 5 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.
MSC Cruises在一份声明中说:“这是一个非常复杂的项目,因为MSC Cruises已完全致力于以最环保和可持续的方式发展目的地。”“尽管我们完全期望该岛准备在本周接待客人,但在与我们的现场团队进行进一步评估并了解可能影响客人体验的最后一刻的运营问题,但我们决定取消在海洋礁的预定电话MSC海洋保护区。”
The cruise line said Hurricane Dorian followed by 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.
Additionally, last-minute issues with the leveling of the sand in certain areas of the island, the completion of the second breakwater and other landscaping aspects have created further last-minute operational issues.
The island, near Bimini, has been a multi-year project that MSC Cruises first embarked on in 2015 when it signed a 100-year lease with the Bahamas Prime Minister to occupy and develop the land, just 65 miles off of Miami, the largest development of any cruise line in the Caribbean. Since then, MSC has worked to “protect, restore and conserve” the land, but has suffered some delays.
该线路目前正在岛上推出一个保护中心和珊瑚苗圃,根据MSC的说法,“将成为珊瑚教育和研究的积极基础。”
“Providing our guests with an outstanding experience in all destinations that we visit is a top priority and Ocean Cay is no exception,” MSC said.
当它打开时Ocean Cay will have seven distinct beaches, each one different from the next with its own character and offerings for guests. It will also be surrounded by 64 square miles of protected water, designed to highlight the natural beauty of the Caribbean and give guests a 360-degree view of the island’s beaches.