MSC Seashore Cancels Ocean Cay Stay Amid Gale Warning
Ocean Cay shore excursions will be canceled automatically with full refunds to onboard accounts, while swells near the island could reach 12 to 16 feet.
MSC Seashore has canceled its overnight visit to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2026, because of rough seas and strong winds in the northern Bahamas. The ship will instead head directly to Nassau for a full-day call on Tuesday, one day earlier than originally planned.
The ship had been due at Ocean Cay from 7 a.m. Monday until 4 p.m. the following day. It will now spend Wednesday at sea, and its return to Port Canaveral for disembarkation on Thursday, October 29, is unchanged.
MSC Cruises informed passengers of the change within hours of the ship’s departure from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 25. In a guest notice shared with Cruise Hive, the line cited safety concerns arising from the forecast sea conditions and wind gusts.
Passengers with Ocean Cay shore excursions will have those bookings canceled automatically, with full refunds credited to their onboard accounts. The original Nassau call had been scheduled for Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The revised notice gave no arrival or departure times for Tuesday’s visit.
The 170,412-gross-ton MSC Seashore entered service in 2021 and accommodates approximately 4,540 passengers at double occupancy. It is operating a four-night Bahamas cruise and was the only ship scheduled to visit MSC’s private island during the canceled overnight stay.
Gale warning extends into Wednesday
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology’s marine forecast for Monday places the northern Bahamas under a gale warning through early Wednesday. Northeasterly winds are forecast at 20–30 knots, with gusts reaching 40 knots, or about 46 miles per hour.
The department expects strong winds to continue through Tuesday before easing around midweek as high pressure weakens and moves east into the Atlantic. Its forecast cautions that hazardous conditions at sea could continue after the winds diminish because waves may take longer to subside.
Forecast swells range from 2–4 feet in sheltered nearshore waters to 5–8 feet in sheltered offshore areas. In the Gulf Stream, including waters near Ocean Cay, swells could reach 12–16 feet. The island lies about 20 miles south of Bimini.
Royal Caribbean has also adjusted a Bahamas itinerary because of the weather. Utopia of the Seas switched its October 26 departure to a Cozumel sailing to avoid the adverse conditions.
Further Ocean Cay visits remain scheduled
MSC Seaside is scheduled for an overnight stay at Ocean Cay from Wednesday, October 28, through Thursday. No change to that visit has been confirmed.
MSC Seashore’s next sailing includes a daytime visit to the island on Saturday, October 31.
See current MSC Seashore fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
