MSC Cruises to build new Bahamas beach club amid major growth
MSC Cruises is taking another page from the Royal Caribbean playbook as it invests heavily in The Bahamas to support its growth in the region.
The global cruise line with a growing presence in North America just finalized a deal with the Government of The Bahamas to expand its investment in Grand Bahama with a new beach club, much like Royal Caribbean did with its in-demand new Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau.
Earlier this year, The Bahamas' Prime Minister Philip Davis announced that MSC Cruises would invest $450 million to reimagine the Freeport, Grand Bahama cruise port to expand cruise capacity and enhance the visitor experience. Now, additional details released about Grand Bahama cruise tourism developments reveal that MSC is moving forward with plans to build MSC Beach Club at a key resort site.
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MSC Beach Club to be developed at Grand Lucayan Resort site
MSC Cruises reached an agreement with the Government of The Bahamas to transform a 20-acre portion of Grand Bahama's Grand Lucayan Resort into an MSC Beach Club destination for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys cruise passengers, according to a press release.
MSC is set to acquire a site currently occupied by The Reef Village area of the resort property. The entire 56-acre beachfront resort and 160-acre Reef Golf Course is currently undergoing a massive $827 million redevelopment by Concord Wilshire Capital, which purchased the resort from the Bahamian government last year.
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Original plans for the resort development included a resort destination for cruise passengers alongside a beach hotel and casino resort, a new Greg Norman Championship Signature Golf Course, and a mega-yacht marina. An updated master plan for the resort development shared by The Nassau Guardian shows that the resort destination will now include two resorts for cruise passengers: MSC Beach Club and Ancient Waters Cruise Resort, which will be operated by a local Bahamian company and open to cruise passengers from other cruise lines.
"Together, the MSC Beach Club and the Ancient Waters Cruise Resort are projected to welcome more than one million guests annually," Concord Wilshire President Nate Sirang said. "Combined with the activation of the Mega Marina and Casino Resort, this development will generate substantial economic activity, create meaningful employment opportunities, both for Lucayan Resort and Port Lucaya Marketplace and its retail tenants, and will serve as the cornerstone for the long-anticipated revitalization of the Lucayan property."
MSC Cruises also investing in upgrades to its private island
As MSC Cruises invests in The Bahamas to support its expansion in the region, the cruise line is also upgrading its private island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, and developing a second private island destination adjacent to Ocean Cay, known internally as Little Cay.
At Ocean Cay, MSC is extending the cruise ship pier to allow two ships to dock simultaneously. The cruise line plans to open new dining venues, enhanced family experiences, an adults-only beach retreat, and more amenities alongside the pier extension in late 2027.
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The opening of Ocean Cay's enhancements will coincide with the launch of MSC's new U.S. flagship, MSC World Atlantic, which will sail cruises to The Bahamas and Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida beginning in November 2027.
Between the upgrades to Ocean Cay and the development of the Freeport cruise port and MSC Beach Club, MSC is investing nearly $1.5 billion in The Bahamas. The developments are expected to generate more than 1,000 jobs and drive substantial economic activity.
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This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 7:18 PM.