Thursday, April 18, 2024

Safe at sea: what its like on a cruise ship when theres a hurricane

cruise liner in storm

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. 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. Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship. The National Hurricane Center on Friday warned of a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida that was set to move northward and inland over the Carolinas during the weekend.

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'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather - ABC News

'Devastated': Passengers speak out after Bahamas-bound cruise diverted to New England, Canada over weather.

Posted: Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Passengers on board shared details and footage of the chaos and destruction caused by the storm on social media. Thankfully, Carnival told PEOPLE in a statement provided below that "no one was seriously injured." 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. ► Royal Caribbean International has adjusted plans and its ships have skipped several ports as a result of the storm.

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Spanish outlet El Confidencial reported that the coastal areas of Valencia and Catalonia were at particular risk, with waves expected to reach up to a height of six metres. Mariner of the Seas also skipped a visit to Labadee, Haiti, Monday on a sailing from Florida's Port Canaveral, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson said in an email. The spokesperson said Allure of the Seas would skip its scheduled visit to Roatán Tuesday during its sailing from Fort Lauderdale, and Liberty of the Seas would not stop in Cozumel as planned Tuesday. The cruise line also canceled a 10-day Caribbean sailing on Norwegian Getaway scheduled to leave on Thursday from Orlando, Florida, according to a statement on its website. The ship departed for the Bahamas despite the storm and arrived at CocoCay on time, according to a Royal Caribbean statement to Insider. The company called the storm "brief" and said there were no serious injuries to crewmembers or passengers.

Safe at sea: what it’s like on a cruise ship when there’s a hurricane

P&O said that a small number of people are being cared for on board after sustaining minor injuries. Passengers on Britannia, a P&O Cruises ship based in Southampton, told the BBC that the ship broke loose and “floated away like a paper boat”. Those who sail will be compensated in on board credits, while passengers who decide to cancel can get a full refund. Additionally, Labadee in Haiti will host Independence Of The Seas on November 17, potentially intersecting with the storm’s movement. "People were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized," an unnamed passenger told BBC News of the chaotic voyage.

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cruise liner in storm

The treacherous conditions, which have seen outbreaks of rain and gusts of up to 120km (75 miles) per hour, have led to the cancellation of more than 20 flights, Spain’s airport operator said. They said that at some points conditions were especially bad, shaking and rocking the ship. The coasts of North and South Carolina could see "life-threatening storm-surge" Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A dream vacation became a maritime nightmare for those onboard a cruise ship caught in a fierce storm in the Bay of Biscay that left 100 people injured over the weekend, according to media reports. Dramatic video captured the moment panicked passengers ran for their lives aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship hit by a freak storm — which sent deck furniture flying as the vessel prepared to leave a Florida port. The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port nine hours later than planned after sailing through a terrifying storm on Friday night. Not only do cruise ships avoid the path of a hurricane, they will chart a course with the optimal sea conditions to avoid the worst of any rough seas. While I think most people understand cruise ships don't sail into hurricanes, the most common question I've received during my cruise is something along the lines of, "how bad are the waves?". Carnival Paradise, which is on a sailing from Tampa, extended its Tuesday stop in Cozumel through Wednesday.

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Norwegian cruise ship towed to Germany after power outage in North Sea storm - Reuters

Norwegian cruise ship towed to Germany after power outage in North Sea storm.

Posted: Fri, 22 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The ship reportedly arrived safely at Coco Cay, an island used by Royal Caribbean about 55 miles north of Nassau. “There’s always something you can do, other than just letting the guests and the travelers getting poured on, rained down on and being in the middle of a storm,” Cole told Fox 35. “This is my view of Independence of the Seas as she started to get battered by the heavy winds whilst mid-spin attempting to turn around to leave the port,” Pike said in a tweet. "The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest… the crew bar destroyed."

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Mallorca was hit with hurricane-force winds and torrential rain this weekend, forcing locals and holidaymakers to flee the area and take cover. Lupoli said Carnival Ecstasy, which left from Mobile, Alabama, Monday, would reorder its visits to Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico, stopping in Progreso first. According to the NOAA, the current trajectory and intensity of Potential Tropical Cyclone Twenty-Two pose significant risks of flash flooding and mudslides, especially in regions with higher terrain.

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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. A spokesperson for Saga told the outlet that most of the injuries among passengers occurred at this moment and described most of them as "minor." But when the weather turned, the ship decided to return to the UK earlier than expected amid a coming storm. As it was making its return voyage, the vessel ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, an area off the coast of Spain and France known for its rough seas. A storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, battered a Carnival cruise ship for hours late Friday night before it docked, leaving passengers terrified. From the Bahamas when it got caught in severe weather, including nearly 80 mph winds.

The storm, poised to bring tropical storm conditions, has put the region’s cruise ports on alert. A tropical storm could bring stormy weather to the Caribbean, impacting several cruise itineraries and ports. Meenan said the crew announced that they were heading into some rough weather on Friday afternoon, advising them to hold onto handrails and warning of a potential delay, but did not communicate further until the following morning.

Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis. 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." Sailings can be extended or shortened, but Royal Caribbean very rarely cancels an entire sailing. 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. People aboard the ship recorded videos and images of the incident, showing an emergency response and debris floating in the sea.

“It was shaking us so violently,” RJ Whited, another guest, told Charleston’s WCIV. "Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots," Overcash said. "We were surrounded by lightning and the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two," Tutrone tweeted. “This could have ruined somebody’s cruise experience where they’ll never take another cruise again,” the travel agent added. By dinner time, public decks had been closed off, and plates and cups were flying off the buffet areas, he recalled.

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. While he may not know more than anyone else as to what the storm will do, his many years of experience as a meteorologist in Florida gives him insight into the nuances of tropical storms that can put many minds at ease. 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. That isn't to say they've never done it, but time and time again, we see ships getting re-routed and extended instead. 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.

cruise liner in storm

The storm is likely to be one of the severe thunderstorms, affecting the Balearic Islands. His wife, Tracey Hopkin, described it all as "a bit of drama" and said the ship came close to the breakwater rocks in the harbour. Mr Hopkin, from Blackpool, said the rain was so heavy he could not see out of the ship's windows. Passenger Gavin McCoy said the "unexpected drama" happened while "the local fire service and crew were carrying out an emergency drill".

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 weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted," the statement continues.

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. First and foremost, you can expect more questions than answers in the days before a cruise when there's a hurricane. The captain informed passengers that "there's no structural compromise, but deck five has sustained a small amount of damage" on the PA system.

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