Key Aspects:
- MSC Seaside broke away from the pier at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve on Thursday, February 5.
- Strong and unexpected wind gusts caused the incident, but there were no injuries or damage reported.
- All the private islands in the Bahamas have had weather-related challenges over the past few weeks.
Cruise line private islands are designed to be relaxing, peaceful escapes, but it was anything but peaceful at MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve in the Bahamas for a few minutes on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
During a burst of high winds, MSC Seaside broke free from her mooring lines and drifted sharply away from the pier while guests were still on the island and waiting to reboard the ship.
A video posted on social media shows the ship loose at the bow with broken lines dangling into the water. The ship remained attached at the aft and did not drift completely from the pier.
Nevertheless, the sudden and unpredictable motion made it unsafe for the gangways to be used, and guests were temporarily barred from returning to the ship.
The 153,516-gross-ton ship was visiting Ocean Cay from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on what was to have been a lovely day. In fact, when MSC Seaside docked in the morning, winds were negligible and while the day was cool, it was looking fine for a winter beach day.
According to Weather Underground, the winds began to pick up shortly after 9 a.m. Steady wind speeds were 10-15 miles per hour throughout much of the rest of the ship’s visit.
Two different gusty periods were recorded, however. The first was at about noon, when wind gusts rose as high as 29 mph. Gusts continued even higher until about 4 p.m., with the highest speed recorded at 3:43 p.m. at 37 mph.
These severe and unexpected gusts can put too much strain on any cruise ship’s mooring lines, which snap under the pressure. Fortunately, MSC Seaside did not drift far before her thrusters were able to bring her back to the pier and the vessel could be secured again, and guests were able to resume using the gangways.
No damage or injuries were reported in the incident. MSC Seaside was able to depart as planned and return to Miami with no delays.
The ship is homeported year-round from the Sunshine State at least through April 2028, offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas cruises, with up to 4,132 guests onboard at double occupancy or up to 5,119 travelers when fully booked.
Challenging Winter for Private Islands
It’s been a lot of difficult weather for all the private islands in the Bahamas over the last few weeks, with high winds and rough swells causing multiple itinerary changes and port cancellations across different cruise lines.
Because of departure delays due to winter storms, MSC Meraviglia had to skip visiting Ocean Cay on the ship’s February 1 departure, while Disney Wish had to skip a planned visit to Castaway Cay the same weekend due to high winds.
Multiple ships have had to cancel visits to Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay either due to poor weather or recent pier damage because of storms. When possible, ships have been rerouted to alternative ports, though some have had days at sea instead.
Even when guests can visit the private islands, the rough weather has made those visits less enjoyable than expected. At Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay, for example, the pier and main pool have been temporarily closed, requiring ships to use tenders to ferry guests to shore.
Both the pool and pier are recent additions to Great Stirrup Cay, and this is a rough way for them to debut.
While all cruise guests understand that safety is the first priority and itinerary changes do happen, hopefully, the winter weather will ease up soon and the private islands will once again offer warm, peaceful welcomes to all guests.
