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After its Miami naming, MSC Seaside will inaugurate Ocean Cay and its bigggg beach

After its Miami naming, MSC Seaside will inaugurate Ocean Cay and its bigggg beach
After MSC Seaside's naming at PortMiami on Dec. 21, 2017, the ship will sail the same day for Ocean Cay in the Bahamas and overnight there, MSC Cruises ceo Gianni Onorato said today. The following day, with MSC Seaside alongside, MSC Cruises will inaugurate its $200m private island development.

MSC Cruises is touting Ocean Cay as an extension of its ships, with a huge range of dining, entertainment and food and beverage outlets, plus a whopping long beach. Both the Miami-based MSC Seaside and MSC Divina are to call there, along with MSC's vessels visiting Cuba.

MSC said the 38-hectare Ocean Cay is even larger than Disney Cruise Line's Castaway Cay, 34 hectares, and Royal Caribbean's CocoCay, 32 hectares.

At a Tuesday news briefing in Milan, MSC claimed Ocean Cay's beach will be far vaster than that of any other cruise line private islands. It will sprawl across 3,600 meters. That's almost as long as Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana, at 3,780 meters.

According to MSC, the largest of the other cruise line private islands beaches is Half Moon Cay, at 1,981 meters, while Castaway Cay's stretches 1,585 meters and Labadee's, 1,493 meters.

The ample beach is part of the many Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve facilities, which include a dock, a 2,000-seat amphitheater, restaurants, a children's club and water sports and reef-diving opportunities. Plus, a spa and wellness sanctuary will offer private bungalows and massage huts exclusive to MSC Yacht Club passengers. There will be a venue for weddings and vow renewals, too.

MSC earlier announced Sophia Loren as MSC Seaside's godmother, to preside at the PortMiami festivities in the first time the line names one of its ships stateside.