by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:47 AM ET, Tue November 12, 2019
MSC Cruises announced in a letter to travel agents it is canceling its first four scheduled calls at the Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in the Bahamas.
According to Travel Weekly, MSC Cruises revealed the impacted cruises include a November 9 stop on the MSC Meraviglia, a November 15 call on the MSC Seaside, a November 16 sailing on the Meraviglia and a November 17 voyage on the MSC Armonia.
The cruise line said the decision was made after officials deemed the private island destination not ready for guests. As a result, MSC Cruises will offer impacted passengers stops at other ports, a $100 onboard spending credit and a 20 percent future cruise credit.
"While we fully anticipated that the island would be ready to receive guests this week, upon further evaluation with our onsite team and learning about last-minute operational issues that could impact the guest experience, we made the decision to cancel scheduled calls," an MSC Cruises spokesperson told Travel Weekly.
MSC Cruises originally signed a 100-year lease four years ago to develop the 95-acre Ocean Cay Marine Reserve into a private destination.
It's been a busy week for MSC Cruises, as the company recently announced its newest ship, the MSC Grandiosa, was officially christened Saturday in Hamburg, Germany. It was also revealed the company had committed to becoming the world's first fully carbon neutral major cruise line.
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