An 11-night Southern Caribbean cruise out of Miami was scrapped on Sunday, November 1, 2026, after MSC Cruises said a regulatory matter could not be resolved in time for the MSC Poesia to sail as scheduled.
The ship was due to leave PortMiami on a roundtrip itinerary touching six countries: Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Belize (Belize City), Colombia (Cartagena de Indias), Panama (Colón), Costa Rica (Puerto Limón) and Honduras (Roatán). Instead, passengers spent two nights aboard before MSC confirmed the cancellation in a letter dated November 3, 2026 — the problem, the company said, had already surfaced on Sunday evening before departure, but the resources needed to fix it weren't available to meet the sailing schedule.
MSC was quick to stress that guest and crew safety was never at risk, and apologised for the disruption, acknowledging that many travellers had already burned time waiting for their holiday to start before being told it was off.
The compensation package is generous by cancellation standards. Guests receive a full refund of the cruise fare plus eligible prepaid extras — drink, internet and dining packages included. On top of that, MSC is offering a Future Cruise Credit worth 100% of the original fare, usable on any MSC sailing currently open for sale, provided a new booking is confirmed by November 2, 2027. In effect, affected passengers get their money back and a free replacement cruise if they want one.
Because the cancellation scrambled more than just the cruise itself, MSC is also covering the practical fallout: free onboard Wi-Fi to help people rebook travel home, plus reimbursement of eligible change fees and extra transport costs for anyone who had to rework return flights or other arrangements.
Why it matters: this is a rare case of a line cancelling a departure for a regulatory — rather than technical or weather — reason, and the handling sets a useful benchmark. If your cruise ever gets pulled before or during sailing, it's worth checking what you're automatically entitled to. A full cash refund should always be on the table, and top-tier credits like MSC's 100% FCC are only worth taking if you genuinely plan to rebook — otherwise the refund is the better call. It's also a reminder to keep receipts for any rebooking costs, since carriers that cancel will often reimburse change fees and rerouting expenses if you ask.
