MSC breaks ground on Sandy Cay for a 2028 opening

MSC broke ground on Sandy Cay on 28 Sep 2026. The island is scheduled to open in 2028. Construction is already underway. MSC says it is only for guests of MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, and that it sits next to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

The date follows MSC’s press-area release, datelined Geneva, 28 Sep 2026, which says the company celebrated the groundbreaking that day. Cruise Fever reported the ceremony on 28 Sep 2026. PR Newswire carried the same release on 29 Sep 2026 at 9:17am ET. The wire copy uses a 29 Sep Geneva dateline and the word today. Use 28 Sep as the ceremony date.

Who stood there

MSC names Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the cruise division, and The Hon. Philip Davis, prime minister of The Bahamas. Cruise Fever names the same two men, and gives the prime minister’s name as Philip Edward Davis. The release says government officials and project stakeholders were there as well. It does not list the rest.

The press-area release says Sandy Cay was first announced in April 2026. Cruise Fever says the same. The island is the one beside Ocean Cay, for a quieter stay than the marine reserve next door. MSC’s words for it are a distinct, intimate, elevated experience, with wellness, relaxation, beaches, dining, spaces to unwind, and private retreats. Those are plans in the release. The opening year is 2028. You cannot book a Sandy Cay day from this announcement.

Who can go

MSC says Sandy Cay is being developed exclusively for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests. The release does not split that group by cabin category. It does not say the visit is included in your fare. It does not say it is a paid excursion. It does not publish a price.

Cruise Fever writes that Explora guests will have access, and that MSC Cruises access is more likely to be higher-tier cabins such as Yacht Club. That Yacht Club limit is Cruise Fever’s read. MSC’s release does not say it. Cruise Fever also says the line has not spelled out whether the island is included, sold as an excursion, or held for Yacht Club and Explora. That part matches the release: the booking rules are not in it.

If you are in a standard MSC cabin, do not count yourself out from a sentence Cruise Fever wrote. If you are in Yacht Club, do not count yourself in, either. Wait for MSC to publish who can go, and what it costs.

Ocean Cay at the same time

The same release lists work at Ocean Cay, the island you can already visit. MSC says you can expect additional dining venues, new beach concepts for families and for adults, more room to relax, and new ways to spend time on marine conservation. PR Newswire carries that same list. Cruise Fever’s 28 Sep report describes new dining, refreshed beaches including an adults-only area, more relaxation spots, and more marine-conservation experiences.

None of those three sources dates the Ocean Cay work. “Soon” and “can look forward to” are as specific as the release gets. If your Ocean Cay call is this year, check the shore-excursion list in your booking. Do not assume the new dining or the new beach areas are open on your date.

Sandy Cay does not replace Ocean Cay in this announcement. MSC says the two islands will sit side by side, with different characters, for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests.

What you should do

If you are booked to Ocean Cay before 2028, that call is still Ocean Cay. Sandy Cay is a 2028 opening, and the release does not move your current port.

If you want Sandy Cay, wait for a booking notice. The ceremony does not open inventory. It does not set a fare rule. The Yacht Club theory is Cruise Fever’s, dated 28 Sep 2026, and it is not an MSC rule.

If you sail MSC or Explora and Ocean Cay matters to you, watch for the extra dining and the family and adults-only beach areas. Ask on board, or in the app, whether they are open on your sailing. The 28 Sep release does not give you that date. Facts above follow MSC’s press-area release datelined 28 Sep 2026, the PR Newswire copy on 29 Sep 2026, and Cruise Fever on 28 Sep 2026 for the ceremony report and for the Yacht Club guess, which stays labeled as a guess.