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MSC Cruises delays private island opening
MSC Cruises has compensated passengers on ships that were due to call at new Bahamas private island Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.
The island was due to open at the weekend but the launch has been pushed back to an as yet undisclosed date.
The last-minute decision left many cruisers on the November 9 sailing of the MSC Seaside unaware of the change until almost embarkation day.
The November 10 sailing of the MSC Meraviglia and November 11 sailing of MSC Armonia were also impacted.
MSC said guests would get a $100 per stateroom shipboard credit and a 20% discount on a future cruise.
"As you may be aware, the development of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve has been a multiyear project in which we took on the challenge of transforming what was once an industrial sand excavation site into a stunning tropical destination, including designating the surrounding waters as a flourishing marine reserve," MSC said in a letter to travel agents.
It cited ‘last minute operational issues’ as the reason for suspending the opening.
"This has been an extremely complex project as we’ve been fully committed to developing the destination in the most eco-friendly and sustainable way," the line added.
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