GENEVA — Cruisers will have to wait a little longer to dock at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, following news that MSC Cruises has pushed back its opening date to October 2018.

Formerly scheduled to welcome guests starting in December 2017, the cay will now open close to a year later than planned “to ensure the level of quality and attention to details in both infrastructure and services that our guests have rightfully come to expect from MSC Cruises,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. “In fact, while working on the final project, it was hard not to further enrich this unique beach destination with new and additional services for our guests. This naturally called for more time than originally planned.”

The official groundbreaking ceremony for Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve will take place on Oct. 6, 2016 in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Perry G. Christie.

MSC Seaside and MSC Divina calls to the cay will be substituted with calls to Nassau until its new opening date.

MSC Cruises is developing the cay from an industrial site, transforming it into a flourishing marine reserve where guests can enjoy an authentic Bahamian experience.