Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers flee during violent storm

Table Of Content

• Build wiggle room into your hurricane season travel schedule
• You won't get a refund if you cancel a cruise to avoid a storm
• Carnival Venezia – December 10 Sailing
• Carnival Freedom – December 14 Sailing
• About Sky News
• Carnival Pride – December 17 Sailing
• Bad Weather Causing Multiple Itinerary Changes
• Eastern Caribbean Cruise Ports

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. Every time we move we nearly go flying,” one passenger commented under Hansen’s post.

Build wiggle room into your hurricane season travel schedule

He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. "We had a 40 foot wave hit our side of the ship,.. we almost fell out the bed.. things were crashing all around us and the carpet on my side of the bed was soaked bc water came in thru our balcony door," Goodwin Sherbert wrote. 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. Crew members reacted quickly to clean up, including putting towels down to soak up water in flooded areas and to ensure flooring was safe for guests.

You won't get a refund if you cancel a cruise to avoid a storm

The largest storms tend to hit the eastern Caribbean in August through October and the western Caribbean from September through November. These late summer and fall periods are also when you are likely to find some of the best cruise deals of the year. When it comes to monitoring weather and hurricane season, this is not the cruise industry’s first rodeo. The cruise line initially reported no serious injuries, but German media reported that three passengers were taken to a hospital upon disembarking.

Carnival Venezia – December 10 Sailing

Carnival Sunshine, which was headed from the Bahamas to South Carolina, arrived in Charleston behind schedule, according to the spokesman. Some crew cabins needed to be temporarily taken out of service because of water damage. Because the ships were heading back to their homeport, they were not able to adjust their route as significantly as if the incidents happened mid-cruise, when a port of call could be rescheduled or cancelled.

Carnival Freedom – December 14 Sailing

Every day, listen to the captain’s report from the bridge, which includes a description of sea conditions, to decide what preparations you may need to make for the day. If you get seasick, be prepared with over-the-counter motion sickness medications, homeopathic remedies, or a prescription patch from your doctor. “We’ve steered our ships around typhoons, hurricanes, fog, massive storms with rapid intensification—which gets the term ‘bomb cyclones,’” Van Fleet says. I can get you to better weather,” he adds, noting that land-based hotels and resorts don’t have that option. Carnival Cruise Line, meanwhile, monitors weather from a multi-million-dollar command center that it opened last year. Similarly, guests may be advised to stay off their private balconies or verandahs during bad weather, especially as these areas can be prone to flooding when waves are high or rainfall is intense.

About Sky News

Terrified Cruise Ship Passengers Stuck in Storm in Bay of Biscay - Business Insider

Terrified Cruise Ship Passengers Stuck in Storm in Bay of Biscay.

Posted: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

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. Any rough seas you may experience due to a nearby storm are likely to be temporary. Many cruise ships operating in the Caribbean can sail at speeds of up to 22 knots, or about 25 mph.

More often, departure is delayed by a day or so, and passengers are generally compensated accordingly. If the weather prevents you from getting to your cruise, there are multiple strategies that can help you resolve the issue. Cruises that take place in the Caribbean and the Bahamas during the height of hurricane season can be an incredible deal, and many are completed with nary a problem. However, before booking one, you want to be sure you're OK with the idea that your itinerary could change on short notice or be disrupted in some other way. One thing to keep in mind is that the Caribbean is enormous in comparison to the size of a typical hurricane. The distance between Belize, on the western end of the Caribbean Sea, and the easternmost Leeward Islands is nearly 2,000 miles.

Bad Weather Causing Multiple Itinerary Changes

Here's what you need to know before committing to cruising during hurricane season in these regions. 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. While skipping Roatan is not ideal, it's something you have to assume could happen with any cruise on any sailing. Itinerary changes are not uncommon, regardless of if it's hurricane season or not.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise Ports

The ship is over 450 feet long, 70 feet wide, almost 16,000 tons, and has eight decks, and still, the freak wave dwarfed the ship. From the Bahamas when it got caught in severe weather, including nearly 80 mph winds. 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." Because of this, the cruise has now been shortened by two days and will not depart until Monday, December 18.

Displays tipped over in retail stores, and in the ship’s casino, slot machines tipped and fell. Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas recently encountered a severe squall in the Gulf of Mexico while finishing her most recent sailing. If you're having trouble getting into your port of embarkation, make sure you contact the cruise line (carry their toll-free emergency number in your wallet or save it in your cell phone). Most will do everything possible, even if they are not obligated, to help you get to the ship, but there's no guarantee. Hurricane season in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean officially runs from June 1 through November 30. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear.

She said that the only time passengers heard from the captain was in the afternoon, when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm. Getting to your ship on time can feel stressful, especially when dealing with the unknowns of inclement weather. Having a plan in place and understanding when hurricane season is in your desired destination(s) means you can enjoy your cruise stress-free. With their long history in the Caribbean, all lines have effective hurricane and tropical storm emergency response plans in place. These plans are well-rehearsed by crew and cruise line personnel, not that you’d ever know as you’re tucking into a prime steak or sipping on a cocktail.

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 Meraviglia-class cruise ship has a significant itinerary change, which guests were notified about on December 15.

The vessel carrying 266 passengers and 131 crew suffered shattered windows on its bridge when it encountered a powerful storm in the North Sea late Thursday, Danish authorities said. Tour operator Thorsten Hansen shared a video of the foamy waves battering the hull of the MS Maud, which made headlines Thursday when its electricity failed mid-voyage. 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."

It is unknown whether guests onboard Voyager of the Seas were similarly asked to return to their staterooms during the roughest weather. The fine print in your cruise contract gives lines the right to substitute and/or eliminate ports if and when necessary. However, you may be entitled to refunds on prepaid port taxes or fees when ports are missed. Since Caribbean hurricanes are part of the Atlantic hurricane season, the Caribbean hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Carnival Cruise Line has informed guests arriving for their Carnival Pride December 17 departure from Port Tampa Bay that embarkation is delayed by two hours. The Spirit-class ship is still scheduled to visit Cozumel, Belize, and Costa Maya during its six-night voyage. Each of the following ships has itinerary updates related to this weekend’s expected rough weather.