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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. Cruise ships are made of heavy steel that’s even heavier with a full load of passengers and crew onboard. 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.
Your itinerary might be adjusted
Footage shows moment Royal Caribbean cruise ship was flooded during storm in the Gulf of Mexico - Sky News
Footage shows moment Royal Caribbean cruise ship was flooded during storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
Posted: Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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. 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. Forecasters said there would be gusty winds, dangerous surf and rip current conditions along portions of the U.S.'s southeastern coast through Sunday. Another passenger, RJ Whited, wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post cited by Newsweek, "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." Local media reported that about 200 people disembarked in Norway due to the bad weather before the accident.
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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. Security was stationed around the ship to reassure guests and offer guidance as needed. Videos and photos shared to different social media sites also show flooding in both public areas and guest staterooms, as well as passengers milling about in general confusion as the situation evolved. Cruises to Australia, New Zealand and parts of East and Southeast Asia deal with cyclones -- and the southern hemisphere's seasonal equivalent is just the opposite of waters found farther north (their season peaks in March and April).
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That meant passengers would remain on board one or two days longer than expected. That's currently the situation for Carnival Paradise, Carnival Elation, Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Getaway, MSC Cruise's MSC Divina and Disney Wish. With several Florida ports closed due to the storm, the ships cannot return to disembark passengers on schedule. A day at port became a day at sea, but Disney conjured a bit of its famous "Disney magic" and added more activities throughout the day, according to Roseboom. "They made an announcement and told us to close out of the Disney Cruise app and reopen it to see the new schedule of activities," he said.
You might also receive a discount or free onboard credit on a future cruise. 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. In the video, guests can be seen running in all directions as chairs on the deck begin blowing into the air .
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Although they’re the most expensive options, penthouses and suites, often located on the higher decks, can be challenging when the motion of the ocean goes up a gear. Old salts listen to announcements from the captain, but they know “lively” is a well-worn euphemism for “raging” when it comes to the state of the sea. One man who’s been at the helm when nature throws a tantrum is Captain Dag Dvergastein. With five decades of experience sailing the globe with Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn and now, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Dvergastein has valuable insight. “Each ship is constructed to a class standard such as Lloyds or Bureau Veritas to certify safety,” he says. “Ships of all sizes will experience movement in heavy weather, but the larger the ship, the less the movement.
Voyager of the Seas Encounters Storm
"Then [it] was covered by the gray cloud of rain and we couldn't see more than 20 yards out the window." Another passenger, Christa Seifert-Alicea, said they didn’t receive word from the captain or crew for more than 12 hours. One traveler described being able to “smell people being sick walking down the halls,” the Daily Mail Reported. “This could have ruined somebody’s cruise experience where they’ll never take another cruise again,” the travel agent added.
Days after the collision, media reported that the crew of the ship—consisting of 20 Indian nationals and one member from Sri Lanka—remained aboard the ship and were all safe. The Singapore company Synergy, which owns the vessel, only reported one minor injury to one crew member, who was treated at a local hospital and then returned to the ship. An additional update on April 2nd commented on the overall state of the crew. 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.
"The weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted," the statement continues. Those decisions are made collaboratively with captains, with guest comfort in mind, Van Fleet says. For instance, to avoid heavy rain, he might suggest a ship stay at sea and arrive at a port a few hours later than planned. When seas get rough, modern cruise ships have onboard technology that helps stabilize them. But if it looks like a more serious storm is in their path, cruise ships generally try to outrun or avoid them.
The East Pacific hurricane season is oft-overlooked because there are simply more people cruising in Caribbean hurricanes than on the Mexican Riviera. However, if you are planning a cruise to Hawaii and the western coast of Mexico are also hit by hurricanes and are monitored in just the same manner by weather experts and cruise lines. Cruise lines follow the weather and changes in the weather very closely to track danger.
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. The storm was likely the same squall line that Carnival Dream also passed through when guests and crew members were advised to stay in their cabins. Voyager of the Seas had to sail through a severe sudden storm over the weekend, causing flooding and interior damage on the ship. Start monitoring tropical storm and hurricane conditions a week before you leave. Be proactive if your cruise is in the likely path of a storm by contacting your travel agent or the cruise line directly in case contingency plans are necessary. Since Caribbean hurricanes are part of the Atlantic hurricane season, the Caribbean hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
"They offered phones for people who needed to make calls and they provided free internet for people to make changes to flights/arrangements." Sailings can be extended or shortened, but Royal Caribbean very rarely cancels an entire sailing. 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. 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, when we drove down to Fort Lauderdale from Orlando, the storm was only predicted to be a category 2 and headed for the Florida Panhandle. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo.
Canceled cruises are rare and cruise lines generally opt to change their itineraries instead. Exceptions are generally limited to anticipated direct strikes on major ports of embarkation, like Fort Lauderdale and Miami. In theory, a hurricane could capsize a cruise ship, but a quick change in the itinerary or outrunning a hurricane is the solution to avoiding trouble while cruising.
A ship whose Eastern Caribbean itinerary appears to be in flux will be moved to the Western Caribbean (and vice versa). And if new port calls can't be assured, the schedule may end up including a couple of extra sea days in calmer waters. This means that most cruisers won’t have to miss out on any fun even if they do travel during hurricane season in the Caribbean.
Mickey and his friends still wore their island outfits to greet guests, even if everyone had to stay on board. When Disney Wish set sail on Sept. 26, the captain made an announcement that the ship might return to Port Canaveral later in the day than originally planned based on the projected forecast at that time. Matt Roseboom, editor and publisher at Attractions Magazine, is on board the sailing and captured video footage of the initial announcement.
