Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Footage shows moment Royal Caribbean cruise ship was flooded during storm in the Gulf of Mexico

cruise boat storm

While crossing the bay, the ship's propulsion safety system activated and caused it to jerk suddenly to one direction, which essentially brought the vessel to a halt. Cruise lines will alter itineraries as needed to protect their guests, crew, and vessels. 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.

Passengers’ Tales: First-Hand Accounts of the Storm’s Impact

Reynolds said his mom was injured after being thrown to the floor when the boat rocked. The Spirit of Discovery, a vessel run by Saga Cruises, was carrying about 1,000 people on what was supposed to be a two-week cruise around the Canary Islands, the outlet reported. 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.

Encountering the Storm’s Wrath: The Carnival Sunshine’s Ordeal

cruise boat storm

By investing in advanced technology and collaborating with meteorological agencies, cruise lines can better anticipate and navigate through adverse weather conditions. Additionally, developing onboard systems that provide real-time weather updates to both crew and passengers can greatly enhance situational awareness. Carnival Venezia is another Carnival cruise ship that has been forced to make an itinerary change due to the bad weather.

Mariner of the Seas – December 14 Sailing

Cruise ships should be built with reinforced structures and improved stability to withstand rough seas and high winds. In the case of the Carnival Sunshine Storm Incident, it is important to note that storms can be unpredictable and can escalate rapidly. While cruise ships are equipped with advanced weather monitoring systems, unexpected changes in weather patterns can still pose a significant risk. The Carnival Sunshine’s crew swiftly activated emergency protocols to ensure the safety of passengers.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise – December 15 Sailing

cruise boat storm

Because of this, the cruise has now been shortened by two days and will not depart until Monday, December 18. Guests are receiving generous compensation for the dramatic adjustment, which includes cancelling most planned ports of call due to the shortened sailing time. Carnival Cruise Line’s 133,596-gross-ton Carnival Vista, which was just involved with an at-sea rescue of stranded crew members from a capsized cargo vessel, was forced to skip the scheduled stop in Grand Turk on Thursday, December 14. Allure of the Seas arrived back at Port Canaveral on schedule on Friday morning, though it is likely her next itinerary – a 3-night weekend getaway to Nassau and CocoCay, will also be impacted by the poor weather. Guests were refunded the port fees and any pre-paid shore excursions for missing the popular destination. MSC Meraviglia’s December 16 sailing out of New York City was originally scheduled to visit Port Canaveral in Florida, Nassau in the Bahamas, and its private island of Ocean Cay, also in the Bahamas.

100 Passengers Injured Aboard Cruise Ship Due to Storm - Cruise Hive

100 Passengers Injured Aboard Cruise Ship Due to Storm.

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

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. The investigation led to recommendations for industry-wide changes, including stricter guidelines for ship stability in adverse weather conditions and enhanced training for crew members on emergency response procedures. 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 safety and security of our guests and crew is always our number one priority," the spokesperson said, adding that passengers with shore excursions booked through Norwegian at impacted ports would be refunded via their onboard accounts.

Carnival Cruise Line, in particular, undertook a comprehensive review of their emergency response procedures and made several improvements based on lessons learned from the incident. The Carnival Sunshine Storm Incident serves as a reminder of the importance of continuously evaluating and improving ship design to enhance safety measures. "Instead of telling people to come up to the top deck when we have a severe thunderstorm warning, maybe you should be more worried about your guests and employees and tell them to get inside," tweeted one passenger who filmed the storm. One passenger, Alan Grisedale, filmed the enormous waves that rocked Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay and shared the footage with BBC News. Grisedale said the force against the ship was so great that his wife was knocked over, and furniture was pushed around inside their cabin, the BBC reported. Another passenger on the ship recalled in comments to the BBC that "tables were flying" and waves were "throwing people around all up and down the place."

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The ship reportedly arrived safely at Coco Cay, an island used by Royal Caribbean about 55 miles north of Nassau. “Instead of telling people to come up to the top deck when we have a severe thunderstorm warning, maybe you should be more worried about your guests and employees and tell them to get inside,” he wrote. 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.

Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico

Following the Carnival Sunshine storm incident of 2023, it has become imperative for the cruise industry to reevaluate and strengthen its approach to safety. Embracing a safety culture and continuous improvement is crucial in ensuring the well-being of passengers and crew members. The installation of advanced propulsion systems and stabilizers can help maintain ship stability during adverse weather conditions. The incident shed light on the importance of ship design and safety features in mitigating the impact of extreme weather events.

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. Videos emerged on social media showing cabins and hallways flooding, shop floors littered with destroyed merchandise and leaking ceilings. Passenger Brad Morrell snapped a photo of an automated instrument map reporting a 69 knot, or 79 mph, wind.

The vessel was on its way back to Galveston, Texas, as part of a five-night trip to Cozumel, Mexico, according to USA Today. The footage also shows sunbeds piled up on the deck after being tossed around in the powerful storm. “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. 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.

“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. The center also said hurricane-force winds "are expected along the coasts of South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina within the Hurricane Warning area soon," among other impacts. ► Disney Cruise Line canceled a Friday sailing on its Disney Wish ship, according to its website. Passengers booked on the cruise, which was scheduled to leave from Port Canaveral, "will automatically receive a full refund back to their original form of payment," a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said in an email. Carnival Liberty did not stop at Princess Cays Wednesday during a sailing from Port Canaveral, and Carnival Horizon did not stop at Grand Cayman on its sailing from Miami, opting for a sea day instead. The ship is expected to get back to Port Canaveral Saturday, one day later than scheduled.

The Norwegian cruise ship MS Maud temporarily lost power on Thursday after encountering the rogue wave. Its operator, Hurtigruten Expedition, said in a statement that the 266 guests and 131 crew were uninjured and that the vessel, initially headed for the English port of Tilbury, would be diverted to Bremerhaven, Germany, for disembarkation. 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." 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.

The storm also brought down trees and prompting warnings of flooding on the North Sea coast. A woman in Belgium was fatally injured by a falling Christmas tree, while another tree killed a person in the Netherlands. Christa Seifert-Alicea, another passenger, told ABC News 4 that passengers did not receive communication for over 12 hours. At that point, the captain "turned the ship from sailing northwest toward Charleston to head north/northeast heading directly into the eye of the storm system," Taylor said. "The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest... the crew bar destroyed." 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."

The stop in CocoCay was to have been on Wednesday, December 13, but was not possible due to high winds. Reuters reported that the ship was being towed to Bremerhafen in Germany after the power outage. A spokesperson for the Danish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre told the news agency that a ship from civil rescue firm Esvagt had managed to connect a tow line to the MS Maud. Close to midnight, he says passengers in the hallway reported water leaking from the ceiling into their room. "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.

During the Carnival Sunshine Storm Incident, the response of both passengers and crew members played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of everyone on board. It is essential to assess how human factors and safety procedures come into play during such incidents. Meteorological data and expert analysis can provide valuable insights into the strength of the storm, including wind speeds, wave heights, and rainfall amounts. By studying these factors, cruise lines can better determine whether it is safe to set sail or make necessary adjustments to their routes to avoid potentially dangerous weather conditions. It is important to note that despite the challenging circumstances, the majority of passengers and crew members were able to safely disembark the Carnival Sunshine once the storm had passed. The incident served as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of weather and the importance of preparedness and quick action in such situations.

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