While cruise cancellations are rare, they do happen from time to time. The reasons for cancelling can range from mechanical issues to weather. What’s more uncommon, however, is for there to be any mystery about why the trip was scratched.
But a recently cancelled cruise aboard an MSC ship still has questions swirling about exactly why the trip was scrapped before it left port and when the ship will welcome passengers again.
11-Day Cruise Cancelled at the Last Minute
MSC Poesia is a Musica-class ship that was scheduled to sail from Miami on November 1. The 11-day sailing was set to visit Jamaica, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica and more before returning back to Florida.
However, that cruise — in which passengers were already onboard — was cancelled following a U.S. Coast Guard inspection while in Miami.
A press release from the Coast Guard stated that it detained the ship after “identifying deficiencies” during an inspection.
“The Coast Guard cannot currently comment on the specifics of an ongoing Port State Control Examination, but we have identified deficiencies with systems on board the vessel that we are addressing with MSC,” said Capt. Frank Florio, the Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami.
The statement continued, saying that the ship will be held at the port “until the deficiencies are corrected and it is cleared for departure.”
In a statement to Cruzely, an MSC Cruises spokesperson said:
“We have made the difficult decision to cancel the current sailing. We recognize how disappointing and frustrating this news is for our guests, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption to their holiday.
Prior to departure, a regulatory matter arose that required resolution. Despite our efforts to address the matter, we were unable to resolve it in time for the sailing to proceed.”
According to a post on Reddit from someone saying they were a passenger aboard the ship, those onboard were able to stay on the ship until Thursday. The cruise line provided a full refund for the cruise, an additional 100% future cruise credit for the amount of the original cruise fare, and reimbursement for any extra costs for transportation to return home.
No Clear Answer For the Cancellation
Despite the cruise cancellation happening days ago, there still hasn’t been a specific issue identified for the hold. As mentioned above, the U.S. Coast Guard simply pointed to “deficiencies with systems onboard,” for the detention, without identifying what those deficiencies might be or what systems they might impact.
It added that inspections “verify compliance with applicable safety, security, and environmental requirements. When substantial noncompliance is identified, the Coast Guard may detain a vessel until the deficiencies that prevent its departure are corrected.”
Meanwhile, MSC Cruises has simply called it a “regulatory matter,” without further detail.
In the absence of a specific reason given, online rumors have swirled about the cause for the cancelled cruise. However, at least right now no one seems to know exactly what the issue is except for the cruise line and the authorities.
As well, the status of the next cruise isn’t clear either. MSC Poesia’s next sailing is scheduled to depart Miami on November 12. We asked the cruise line about the status of the next trip, but our question was unanswered. If you are scheduled for this cruise, then expect the cruise line to be in touch directly. We would hope that with almost a week to go any issue can be cleared up.
For now, the ship is still docked in Miami according to CruiseMapper.com.
