Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers flee during violent storm

Table Of Content

• More from CBS News
• Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico
• Carnival Freedom – December 14 Sailing
• Another Sailing for Carnival Pride Has Its Homeport Adjusted
• For just $89 per day, you can live on a cruise ship and sail the world
• 'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather

We made our decision to cruise based on the best information we had at the time we were to depart, and would trust in the cruise line to provide information and changes as needed. We were booked on a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, and the storm would be blocking our way in one way or another. Once forecasters saw a hurricane was going to form, they produced an early track that seemed to put the storm in the way of our cruise. Due to the size and strength of the weather system over the Bahamas and Florida, the Sky Princess’s December 16 sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been altered. HX reported that the ship is not expected to return to service until February after repairs. The ship limped to Bremerhaven, Germany, where many passengers had to stay aboard due to limited flights out of the area.

More from CBS News

The vessel is sailing a cruise nowhere until arriving back home to Port Canaveral on December 18. In the interest of guests’ safety and comfort, cruise lines are cancelling ports of call and shifting routes to find the smoothest sailing to take advantage of. Faust said that cruise lines typically have a "contract of carriage" clause that doesn't guarantee the ports the ship will travel to and allows the cruise operator to change the itinerary for various issues, including weather. Amid slamming waves and howling winds, the ship's automatic safety system kicked in which caused the boat to veer and stop, the BBC reported.

Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico

Pike estimated winds reached between 40 and 50 miles per hour at the height of the storm, which he added was "terrifying" to watch. A meteorologist for Fox 35 reported winds reached from 55 to 60 miles an hour at their peak strength. Jerry Pike, a photographer and Florida local, told Insider he watched the storm hit the Independence of the Seas while sitting in a car in Jetty Park facing the port.

Carnival Freedom – December 14 Sailing

Even in the midst of bad weather, however, cruise ships can change their orientation, adjust speed, deploy stabilizers, and take other steps to ensure guests’ safety and comfort as much as possible until the severe weather passes. The storm impacted travel, including cruise ships as the worst of it happened over the weekend, which is the traditional time of the week for ships turnaround to start a new sailing. The Meraviglia-class cruise ship has a significant itinerary change, which guests were notified about on December 15. With the bad weather conditions impacting Florida and the Bahamas, the cruise line has decided to send the ship up north rather than heading south. The system has a high probability – 70-80% – of development into a tropical storm in the next few days, right in an area where many cruise ships visit the popular ports of Cozumel, Costa Maya, Progreso, Belize, and more. Carnival Venezia is another Carnival cruise ship that has been forced to make an itinerary change due to the bad weather.

The scheduled port of call to the cruise line’s private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas on December 15 was cancelled. Passengers currently onboard also report that the ship had a brief power failure shortly after departing Nassau on December 14. "The weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted," the statement continues.

In the case of the Disney Wish, that ship went out to sea further east in The Bahamas to avoid even the furthest aspects of the storm. For Ms. Grundig, safety was the most important thing, "It wasn't unexpected so I was just glad to be safe after the initial panic of moving my flight, which was fairly easy." That isn't to say they've never done it, but time and time again, we see ships getting re-routed and extended instead. First time cruisers will often post on Facebook to ask if their cruise will be cancelled, and it's clear that it's very unlikely a cruise will be totally cancelled.

Carnival Freedom has a major impact on its itinerary due to the severe weather across the region. The ship was unable to safely call at Nassau on December 15 and Princess Cays on December 16. Each of the following ships has itinerary updates related to this weekend’s expected rough weather. Matthew Branham, who was also on board, told The Washington Post, that "waves were hitting the boat so hard that it was like an earthquake experience, jarring you like a really rough roller coaster — even in the middle floor." Reynolds said passengers were confined to their cabins and wore life vests for two straight days as they rode out the storm, afraid the ship might capsize. Throughout the storm, Branham wondered why there weren’t more announcements from Carnival staff.

Carnival Pride – December 17 Sailing

First and foremost, you can expect more questions than answers in the days before a cruise when there's a hurricane. The vessel has cancelled its scheduled call to Princess Cays in the Bahamas on December 17. The call to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on December 19 is still expected to go ahead, a letter said to passengers. Five people were taken to the hospital when the ship was finally able to dock in Portsmouth on Monday, according to the BBC. In 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas returned to port after cruising into a “bomb cyclone,” which damaged the ship amid winds gusting to 100 mph. The ship sailed into the remnants of Hurricane Hermine seven months later, causing additional problems.

Everyone on board was marked safe, and the ship is being towed to Bremerhaven in Germany, officials with the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said. Another clip shared on X showed the view of the terrifying swells from the glamorous windows of an on-board suit, which tilted precariously toward the water between each wave. But most of them are very brave and find it very interesting,” he wrote on Facebook. "The Independence was just getting battered by winds as it was trying to push off the dock," Pike said.

We rarely felt much motion, and the sea conditions ended up being extremely calm. As you might imagine, having a cruise extended means logistical changes to get home. If your cruise is extended or shortened, expect extra onboard credit and any unlimited packages purchased to be honored for the extra days. The most common scenario when there is a hurricane is for the cruise line to change your itinerary to avoid the storm. Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for further updates and itinerary changes as they are confirmed through the weekend. Guests have been provided $50 of onboard credit as compensation for the missed port.

Onboard activities are often adjusted as well to be sure crew members and entertainment performers are safe, and outer decks may be closed when winds are high. The vessel was listed noticeably, and furniture on the open decks was tossed about, while indoor lounges had broken glassware and other damage. Displays tipped over in retail stores, and in the ship’s casino, slot machines tipped and fell. A meteorologist for Fox 35 reported that winds reached from 55 to 60 mph at the height of the storm.

To ensure the safety and comfort of its passengers, a cruise ship can alter its course and circumvent the rough weather system. In stormy conditions, the crew can deploy the stabilizers, which will prevent the ship from rolling and bucking. While cruise ships do attempt to steer clear of bad weather, it is not always possible to completely avoid lengthy squall lines or large storm systems. This is particularly true in the case of Voyager of the Seas and Carnival Dream, both of which were heading back to Galveston at the time of the severe weather.

The cruise ship can accommodate up to 5,624 passengers and 1,608 crew members, the cruise line says on its website. Crew Center, a cruise ship information site, posted a video on Twitter showing a flooded hallway, torn-off doors and other debris and destruction on board. Richard Reynolds, 60, told The Daily Mail he and his wife were passengers onboard along with his elderly parents. Reynolds said his mom was injured after being thrown to the floor when the boat rocked. Jan Bendall, 75, a passenger onboard the cruise, told the BBC that the vessel didn't move for 15 hours as the storm raged on around them.

Allure ended up safely behind Hurricane Ian, slowly moving west as the storm cleared out of the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. In our case, Allure of the Seas dropped a visit to Roatan so we could instead sail the long way around Cuba and circumnavigate the island as a way of avoiding Hurricane Ian, while still making out way south. Essentially, you can't expect every question you might have to be answered and you may have a sense of "que sera sera" as it pertains to going on the cruise.

Carnival Magic cruise ship damaged during storm; cruisers left in Jamaica for hours - FOX 35 Orlando

Carnival Magic cruise ship damaged during storm; cruisers left in Jamaica for hours.

Posted: Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

He also talks about various ships, and demonstrates where the ship is located, what to expect, and most importantly, how they are keeping safely away from the hurricane. There were definitely some guests upset we would not be able to visit Roatan, and that's to be expected because no one wants to be disappointed. In speaking with crew members, a few shared anecdotally some guests actually question why the ship doesn't simply sail into the storm to make the scheduled port on time.