Here's what it's like on a cruise ship stuck at sea during a hurricane

Table Of Content

• A deadly storm swept through the Gulf Coast causing flooding and destruction
• Bill Maher Compares Nickelodeon To Neverland Ranch After Watching ‘Quiet on Set’
• WATCH: Cruise Passengers Share Terrifying Videos from 'Nightmare' Storm at Sea
• How Cruises Navigate the Rough Seas of Hurricane Season
• NY Home Depot hires guards, dogs to keep parking lot safe from thieves, aggressive migrants
• Dramatic video captures chopper pulling pregnant woman from Disney cruise ship
• Patti Smith thanks Taylor Swift for shout-out on ‘TTPD’ alongside Dylan Thomas: ‘I was moved’

But most of them are very brave and find it very interesting,” he wrote on Facebook. The footage has been viewed more than 4 million times on TikTok and has amassed over 142,000 likes on Instagram. “What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget,” Seifer-Alicea said. "People were screaming for their lives, things were banging and crashing around us and they thought they were going to die," he told the outlet. They packed up their belongings when their floor started to flood and took shelter in a main lobby area. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo.

A deadly storm swept through the Gulf Coast causing flooding and destruction

The ship sailed into the remnants of Hurricane Hermine seven months later, causing additional problems. "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. She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing "14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves." The ship reportedly arrived safely at Coco Cay, an island used by Royal Caribbean about 55 miles north of Nassau.

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The spokesperson added that the Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise and will return to Charleston on Thursday. Water damage and broken glass were left in the hallways and rooms following the storm. Throughout the storm, several passengers also complained they were starting to feel sick due to the boat’s rough movements. Videos shared online by vacationers show flooded hallways littered with glass and other debris, doors ripped off their hinges and downed pipes laying soaked on the floor. 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.

WATCH: Cruise Passengers Share Terrifying Videos from 'Nightmare' Storm at Sea

The storm’s intensity created onboard flooding, furniture damage, glass breakage, and other impacts, but fortunately, no severe injuries were reported and the ship returned to Galveston as scheduled. "Our cruise ship last night was literally sideways and slung everything in our room breaking, people in the hallways throwing up and sleeping on the stairs," Whited wrote in the post. That day, Taylor said the captain made an announcement that the ship may arrive in Charleston later than scheduled due to adverse weather conditions. The captain said crew members "would do everything they could to minimize discomfort," Taylor said. If ports are missed, the cruise line may compensate passengers with onboard spending credit to use for drinks and Wi-Fi and other purchases, but that’s totally at its discretion.

How Cruises Navigate the Rough Seas of Hurricane Season

WATCH: Cruise Ship Passengers Share Terrifying Videos from 'Nightmare' 15-Hour Storm at Sea - PEOPLE

WATCH: Cruise Ship Passengers Share Terrifying Videos from 'Nightmare' 15-Hour Storm at Sea.

Posted: Wed, 31 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

These late summer and fall periods are also when you are likely to find some of the best cruise deals of the year. The MS Maud, which is run by the cruise company HX, a unit of Norway’s Hurtigruten Group, left Floroe in Norway on Thursday and was scheduled to arrive in Tilbury in Great Britain on Friday. "Just a fun evening leaving Port Canaveral this past Friday. No announcement from the captain before or after, also no mention of what happened. Just pretend like it didn't happen I guess," wrote TikTok user Lucassparrow1110. The incident took place on the Independence of the Sea Royal Caribbean Cruises ship on Friday, June 16 at around 4 p.m. Local time, according to one of the posters on TikTok, who claimed to be a passenger. The ship’s crew members were forced to evacuate their flooded quarters, according to a video shared on Twitter that shows the area in disarray.

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If the cruise is canceled due to a hurricane you can expect a full refund, and some lines will also provide a discount on a future sailing in addition to the refund, the cruise line’s effort to sweeten the pot so you will rebook. "It hit so fast and was gone in a matter of minutes! No ship announcements were made before or after, so people on the lower pool deck were hit completely without warning." A video of passengers fleeing for their lives on a cruise ship engulfed in a storm while docked at a port in Florida has gone viral on social media. In it, passengers can be seen desperately clinging onto railings as they battle fierce winds.

Video Shows Cruise Ship Passengers Running for Their Lives During Storm

Christa Seifert-Alicea, another passenger, told ABC News 4 that passengers did not receive communication for over 12 hours. "The aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm," the tweet said. "The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest... the crew bar destroyed." It’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance that covers trip disruption for weather-related changes, so that you are covered for any flight changes or hotel stays should your cruise be changed or delayed. The captain and officers on each ship have access to weather maps and satellite images and storm models from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The clip, which has been shared on Instagram and TikTok, shows metal chairs being flung over balconies and across the deck, seemingly sparking panic among the passengers.

The 138,194-gross-ton Voyager of the Seas can welcome 3,602 guests onboard at double occupancy, or as many as 4,000 passengers when fully booked with all berths filled. Voyager of the Seas had to sail through a severe sudden storm over the weekend, causing flooding and interior damage on the ship. The projected higher activity is a result of ongoing La Nina conditions, warmer than typical Atlantic and Caribbean surface water temperatures, weaker tropical trade winds that could otherwise disrupt storms, and other factors. “Although itinerary modifications happen from time to time, any decision to change an itinerary is always done with the interest of guest and crew safety,” Heald said. He noted that the cruise line gathers information from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and other government authorities, and the Carnival Cruise Line Fleet Operations Center is staffed 24 hours a day to monitor conditions.

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Thankfully, when storms and hurricanes do develop, cruise lines often have time to plan. And when it comes to cruise ships and storms, cruise lines leave nothing to chance. “Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. Our medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance,” the cruise liner said in a statement to WCIV. There's always a possibility of bad weather and rough seas when you go on a cruise, but cruise lines are well prepared to change course if an approaching storm could be too dangerous to navigate. There are also contingencies if they are unable to return to port as scheduled.

Storm leads to 100 people injured on Saga cruise after Bay of Biscay storm - The Independent

Storm leads to 100 people injured on Saga cruise after Bay of Biscay storm.

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

This may mean delaying or canceling a port of call, reversing the order of an itinerary, or substituting an alternate port of call visit away from the path of a dangerous storm. Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald discussed hurricane season and how the cruise line stays aware of developments in a post to his Facebook page. The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins today, and already two potential systems are being monitored by cruise lines, coastal communities, and weather authorities for possible development. Several of them shared videos on social media showing the damage to the Carnival Sunshine as it encountered severe weather on Saturday while returning to Charleston, South Carolina, from The Bahamas at the weekend.

"Stage lights mounted on the ceiling began to shake, the disco ball started swinging and the LED wall on the stage… began rolling side by side on its own." One video shared on Twitter by the Crew Center account showed doors broken off their hinges, destroyed furniture, and water flooding hallways and rooms. He provides public reports on forecasts and conditions on his Instagram account.

The cruise line may have to reimburse passengers or provide them with future credits because of the inconvenience. Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer and cruise industry legal expert, says his firm has been contacted by some Carnival Sunshine passengers who were injured during the storm, including a man who says he was struck by a door and broke his foot. En route back to Charleston Friday night into Saturday, the Carnival Sunshine navigated into a strong storm system that battered the southeast over the holiday weekend.

Reid Overcash said the crew did not communicate with passengers as the ship was stopped in the ocean during the storm. Other passengers on the ship shared details of their ordeal on social media, with some complaining about a lack of communication from the ship's crew. "The sound of us crashing into the swells could be heard over the music playing" at the show he was at, he said.

"For cruisers who live outside of Florida, they seem to be mostly happy, but they do have to figure out how to change their flights," he shared. The vessel was on its way back to Galveston, Texas, as part of a five-night trip to Cozumel, Mexico, according to USA Today. "What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget," she said.

Weather forecasters are projecting higher than normal activity for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, with the possibility of named storms, of which 6-10 may become hurricanes. Of those hurricanes, 3-6 may become major hurricanes rated at Category 3 or above. On this very first day of the season, remnants of what was Hurricane Agatha in the Pacific Ocean have crossed over central America and are now interacting with more moisture and tropical temperatures near Mexico and Belize.

Five people were taken to the hospital when the ship was finally able to dock in Portsmouth on Monday, according to the BBC. "People were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized," an unnamed passenger told BBC News of the chaotic voyage. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. “This could have ruined somebody’s cruise experience where they’ll never take another cruise again,” the travel agent added.