Port change?

[DKNE]

Our documents say Montego Bay, but the MSC website and cruise mapper both say Ocho Rios. Seems these ports get switched alot, how do we know for certain, when booking excursions. It's not like they are 10 minutes apart. Tks. 

[Tierun]

There was a ship that damaged the pier in Ocho Rios, so its a fluid situation until repairs are completed. 

[jcollin]

We were notified by MSC that our 4/21 Seashore has been switched to Montego Bay

[JamieLogical]

When do you sail? As others have mentioned, the Carnival Magic crashed into one of the piers Ocho Rios, which has forced a lot of last-minute changes to the Jamaican port schedules for all cruise lines. The accident happened at the beginning of February and I had heard it might take a few months to make the repairs to re-open the pier, so I would expect that if you are sailing in April or even May, there might still be some confusion.

[Lupush]

Ocho Rios will be closed until May 18th at the earliest.  I received the following notification for my 3/23 Seascape sailing.

 

March 8, 2024
 
Dear Valued Guest,
 
Thank you for choosing MSC Cruises for your upcoming cruise vacation. We look forward to welcoming you aboard beautiful MSC Seascape for what will undoubtedly be a memorable cruise in the Caribbean Sea.

We're contacting you with an update concerning your cruise which is scheduled to sail from Miami, Florida on 3/23/2024.

Due to extensive pier damage caused by a recent incident involving another cruise ship at the port in Ocho Rios, Jamaica’s Port Authority has advised us that Berth 2 will remain closed for repairs until at least May. As a result, we are unable to call Ocho Rios, Jamaica as previously planned. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We're pleased to inform you that we have made alternative arrangements to visit the charming town of Falmouth, Jamaica on the same day we planned to call in Ocho Rios.

Located on Jamaica’s northern coast, Falmouth is a colorful and historical town that is best known for its Georgian architecture. As one of the country’s most popular cruise ship ports, it offers visitors a range of activities including horseback riding on the beach, snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters, and exploring the nearby Martha Brae River on a bamboo raft.

Your booking will be updated in our reservation system on 3/12/2024, and can be viewed by visiting MSC Cruises - Manage Your Booking . To view, enter your booking number and name.

For your convenience, please find your amended cruise itinerary below.

MSC Seascape - Revised Itinerary - Weeks: 3/23/2024 and 5/18/2024.
If you are on 14-night cruise, this change only affects the week we visit the Western Caribbean.  

DATE	PORT	ARRIVAL	DEPARTURE
Day 1	Miami, Florida		5:00PM
Day 2	At Sea
Day 3	Falmouth, Jamaica	9:00AM	5:30PM
Day 4	George Town, Cayman Islands	8:00AM	4:00PM
Day 5	Cozumel, Mexico	10:00AM	6:00PM
Day 6	At Sea
Day 7	Ocean Cay, MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas	8:00AM	8:00PM
Day 8	Miami, Florida	7:00AM

SHORE EXCURSIONS
Our Shore Excursions program will be updated to reflect this change. We offer an incredible selection of excursions and tours for you to discover the amazing destinations on your itinerary. If you would like to purchase shore excursions for your cruise, please visit MSC Shore Excursions to book your tours, or you may contact your Travel Advisor.

 

We thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard MSC Cruises for an amazing cruise vacation!
 
Sincerely,
MSC Cruises USA

[Cathy in Boston]

Wow.  We’re starting a cruise on the Divina in less than three weeks.  We have an excursion booked (through MSC, thankfully) for Ocho Rios on April 9.  Not one word from MSC yet!?!

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, Cathy in Boston said:

Wow.  We’re starting a cruise on the Divina in less than three weeks.  We have an excursion booked (through MSC, thankfully) for Ocho Rios on April 9.  Not one word from MSC yet!?!

 

Could be that your sailing isn't impacted. There is still one functional pier in Ocho Rios. The challenge comes when there are/were two ships scheduled to be docked in Ocho Rios at the same time. If only one ship was going to be in port anyway, then no itinerary changes are necessary. If two ships were scheduled to be docked, that means one can't, but one still can, so if MSC "wins" between the two ships, then your itinerary would also be unaffected. I was on the Divina to Ocho Rios less than two weeks after the accident with the Carnival Magic and we were still able to dock because there were no other ships scheduled in port that day.

[Cathy in Boston]

Thank you, Jamie!  

[rugerdog]

According to Cruisemapper, both the Divina and Carnival Horizon are both scheduled to be in Ocho Rios on April 9.  Carnival at 0900, Divina at 10.  

[freeon]

1 hour ago, rugerdog said:

According to Cruisemapper, both the Divina and Carnival Horizon are both scheduled to be in Ocho Rios on April 9.  Carnival at 0900, Divina at 10.  

Cruisemapper shows the Seashore at Ocho Rios on April 10th but our itinerary has changed to Falmouth so Cruisemapper may not have been updated. 

[UWGRAD1]

[Best Cat Mom]

6 hours ago, Cathy in Boston said:

We’re starting a cruise on the Divina in less than three weeks.

We'll be on that sailing also. Looks like we're okay so far. 🙂

[DKNE]

Oh shoot, I totally forgot that the Magic crashed into the dock in Ocho! Thank you everyone! We sail one on of the changes to Montego Bay!! This helps with shore excursions now, and makes sense why on the app there are no tours for Montego Bay yet. 🙂

[DKNE]

16 hours ago, jcollin said:

We were notified by MSC that our 4/21 Seashore has been switched to Montego Bay

We are on the same sailing 😄

[jcollin]

9 hours ago, DKNE said:

We are on the same sailing 😄

Awesome, hopefully we see you on there.  We usually go to the meet and greet

[Tim Cruise]

On 3/19/2024 at 2:54 AM, jcollin said:

We were notified by MSC that our 4/21 Seashore has been switched to Montego Bay

My May 5th cruise also and I'm trilled about it. Much rather go to Montego Bay.

[rugerdog]

Has anyone recently had their Ocho Rios port changed to Montego Bay?  Divina is still showing on Cruisemapper that it will be in OR on April 9, although I understand CruiseMapper is not always updated.

[JamieLogical]

13 hours ago, rugerdog said:

Has anyone recently had their Ocho Rios port changed to Montego Bay?  Divina is still showing on Cruisemapper that it will be in OR on April 9, although I understand CruiseMapper is not always updated.

 

I believe if your port was going to be changed, you would have already been notified. The changes to the port schedules in Jamaica have all been pretty well established now that everything has been rearranged due to the one pier closure.

[rugerdog]

8 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I believe if your port was going to be changed, you would have already been notified.

 

I would hope so.  Someone that is currently on the Divina has relayed information that they did in fact go to Montego Bay instead of Ocho Rios, and they were not notified.  I'll be prepared for either or neither.

[JamieLogical]

13 minutes ago, rugerdog said:

 

I would hope so.  Someone that is currently on the Divina has relayed information that they did in fact go to Montego Bay instead of Ocho Rios, and they were not notified.  I'll be prepared for either or neither.

 

I would want to see that corroborated by other passengers. It could be that one passenger just didn't read their email!

[deliver42]

Ocho Rios is still closed due to the accident there.

[Essiesmom]

One ship can still dock in Ocho Rios, at the James Bond dock.  EM

[JamieLogical]

11 hours ago, deliver42 said:

Ocho Rios is still closed due to the accident there.

 

Only one of the piers at Ocho Rios is closed. That means that on days where two ships were scheduled to dock, one of the ships needs to be rerouted to another port, but one ship will get to dock there. On days when only one ship was scheduled anyway (like the day I was docked there the week after the accident) then it is a non-issue. But I would think that all of the ships/lines that need to reroute have known for some time about it by now and have shared that info with their passengers.