MSC Sets 2026 Opening for Catalina Sugar Beach in Dominican Republic
MSC Opera is due to call weekly from La Romana as MSC Cruises begins what it said will be its first year-round Southern Caribbean program.
Updated August 8, 2026
MSC Group’s upgraded beach destination on Catalina Island, off La Romana in the Dominican Republic, will be called Catalina Sugar Beach. The site is scheduled to open in November 2026 and welcome MSC Opera for its first ship call on November 17 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be operated with CTL Maritime and Casa de Campo Resort & Villas and will be available to MSC Group cruise passengers and guests staying at the resort.
La Romana deployment makes the island a weekly call
The beach call is being built into MSC Cruises’ new La Romana homeport program. The 2,150-guest MSC Opera will begin operating seven-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries from the port in November, and every sailing is scheduled to visit Catalina Sugar Beach.
The first call will be the opening stop on the ship’s November 16 departure. The itinerary also includes Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe and the British Virgin Islands. The La Romana program includes seven-night cruises and a 14-night back-to-back option.
The port’s Sugar Breeze Cruise Terminal has an eastern cruise berth on the La Romana River. After a 2023 expansion, the port can handle Oasis-class ships.
Beach facilities and excursions
Planned guest facilities center on an open-air beach pavilion buffet serving local and international dishes, with shaded seating and panoramic sea views. Two nearby open-air bars with palapa roofs are planned, along with daybeds and rental cabanas.
A water-sports center will rent equipment for guests using the surrounding waters. The upgrade also includes changing rooms, showers, toilets and a walking path through the island’s vegetation, with signs identifying tree species and viewpoints over the beach and island landscape.
Shore excursions listed for the destination include catamaran trips, snorkeling, boat rides to Isla Saona, and visits to the Cave of Wonders and Altos de Chavón.
A protected island setting
Catalina Island is an uninhabited protected natural area known for snorkeling, diving, coral reefs and marine biodiversity. The island is managed with environmental restrictions, including limits on development and visitor flow.
Catalina Sugar Beach will be MSC Group’s second private cruise destination in the Caribbean, following Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas. MSC Group did not disclose an investment amount for the destination upgrades.
Explora III will make the first Explora Journeys call at Catalina Sugar Beach on November 19, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other Explora Journeys ships are scheduled to visit on select Caribbean Journeys.
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