New Bahamas hideaway promises a quieter private-island escape for cruise passengers

Sandy Cay is due to open in 2028 next to Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, with MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests set to gain access to a more secluded retreat shaped by bright aragonite sands and the natural setting of the Bahamas

A new private island in the Bahamas is due to open to cruise passengers in 2028.

Sandy Cay will be used by guests travelling with MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys and will sit alongside Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in Bahamian waters.

The island is being presented as a quieter, more secluded retreat than Ocean Cay, with the company describing it as an “intimate complement” to its existing private island destination.

Located next to Ocean Cay, Sandy Cay is intended to offer a more immersive connection with the natural setting of the Bahamas, with an emphasis on serenity and escape.

MSC said the island takes its name and character from its aragonite sands, which it described as among the purest and brightest in the world. 

It added that Sandy Cay had been designed to remain true to the ethos behind Ocean Cay by connecting guests to nature and the natural beauty of the ocean.

The company said the island would open a “new dimension of discovery, serenity and escape” within the same clear Bahamian waters that surround Ocean Cay.

Guests travelling with MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys will have their first opportunity to experience Sandy Cay in 2028.

The announcement comes as MSC also presses ahead with upgrades to Ocean Cay itself. Those changes will include additional dining venues, new beach concepts for families and adults, expanded relaxation areas and new marine conservation experiences intended to give guests more to do ashore.

Taken together, Sandy Cay and the Ocean Cay upgrades amount to a broader expansion of the group’s private-destination offering in the Bahamas.

MSC said the two islands were intended to create closer links between life on board and experiences ashore, combining relaxation, discovery and deep respect for the natural world.

READ MORE: ‘World’s largest cruise ship revealed with nine pools, 28 places to eat and giant waterpark‘. With a three-storey treehouse suite, a sprawling waterpark and dozens of places to eat, the new vessel is aimed squarely at the booming family cruise market.

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_{Main image: An artist’s impression of Sandy Cay, the new private island retreat in the Bahamas due to open to MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests in 2028. Credt: MSC Group’s Cruise Division}