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Security was stationed around the ship to reassure guests and offer guidance as needed. Guests onboard reported that some individuals were injured by slot machines falling, but no severe injuries have been reported. The vessel was listed noticeably, and furniture on the open decks was tossed about, while indoor lounges had broken glassware and other damage.
Nieuw Amsterdam – December 16 Sailing
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 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. 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.
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WATCH: Pool waves crash as Carnival cruise ship heads back to port on rough seas - FOX 8 Local First
WATCH: Pool waves crash as Carnival cruise ship heads back to port on rough seas.
Posted: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Instead, the ship is spending an overnight in Boston, along with calls at Portland and St. John in Canada, before returning to the Big Apple on December 23. 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. One man who’s been at the helm when nature throws a tantrum is Captain Dag Dvergastein.
The Brewing Storm: Weather Forecasts and Initial Warnings
Passengers aboard the Carnival Sunshine described shattered glass, water pouring into rooms and hallways, the ship pitching about and a lack of communication from cruise staff. Some passengers and crew members needed "minor assistance" from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesman told CBS News. 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.
Time your voyage to minimise the chance of bad weather; a transatlantic crossing in spring, for example, might be a better bet than a crossing in November. If the captain announces rough weather ahead, put loose items in your cabin away where they can’t fly around. The North Atlantic can pack a punch from September until February, when the barometric pressure plunges, giving even the sturdiest ships a rollercoaster ride through squally seas. Another seaway where storms lurk during autumn and winter months is the Bay of Biscay.
If you have your heart set on your cruise visiting a particular island, you may be better off avoiding hurricane season sailings—no matter how good the deals are. Millions of cruisers are in the Caribbean on dozens of ships during the hurricane season, which roughly runs from the start of June until the end of November. In addition to the Caribbean, storms can impact the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada and along the Mexican Riviera on cruises out of California that sail to such ports as Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The Meraviglia-class cruise ship has a significant itinerary change, which guests were notified about on December 15. With the bad weather conditions impacting Florida and the Bahamas, the cruise line has decided to send the ship up north rather than heading south. In November 2023, Storm Ciarán triggered a tempest in the Bay of Biscay, where around 100 people were injured on board Saga’s Spirit of Discovery.
Saga Cruises Passengers Begged Captain to Dock Ship Before It Hit Bad Storm: Report - Business Insider
Saga Cruises Passengers Begged Captain to Dock Ship Before It Hit Bad Storm: Report.
Posted: Wed, 08 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
This portion of the Atlantic, located off the west coast of France and the northern coast of Spain, is renowned for restless seas that can test the mettle of even the most seasoned sea dog. Hurricane season in the Caribbean officially lasts from June 1 to November 30 and frequently impacts cruise schedules. 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."
Instead, impacted passengers can ask Carnival for a refund or a credit for another cruise, although there’s no guarantee the cruise line will grant such requests. “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,” Branham said. "The complexities involved in obtaining last-minute berths for unplanned stops and provisioning the ship along its new route left sailing to Canada and New England as the only viable option," the cruise line added. 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.
Hurricanes can have an impact on a wide range of itineraries across numerous destinations. During Hurricane Fiona in September, for instance, some ships were rerouted away from Puerto Rico, others away from Bermuda, and still others away from Canada. “It really hit home when they started handing out orange survival suits to everyone,” Lawrence explained. 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. Every time we move we nearly go flying,” one passenger commented under Hansen’s post.
Jodi Grundig is a writer for our sister site Cruise.Blog (and she has her own blog at Family Travel Magazine) was on the Disney Wish when the sailing had to be extended by a couple days. It was supposed to be a 4-night cruise, but at the time of writing will end up being 6-nights. Hurricanes may cause ships to miss ports as they seek calmer seas, and in some cases, itineraries are changed more drastically. You may find your eastern Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten is changed to a western Caribbean cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, or the opposite.
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. 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. 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.
The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale on schedule on Friday, December 15, but it is possible the next sailing – a 3-night cruise that is planned to visit Nassau and CocoCay over the weekend – will be severely adjusted. Another Royal Caribbean ship, the 139,863-gross-ton, Voyager-class Mariner of the Seas has shifted her entire weekend itinerary to avoid the stormy seas. The ship departed Port Canaveral on Thursday, December 14, on what was to have been a 4-night “Perfect Day & Bahamas” cruise to CocoCay and Nassau. Instead, guests were notified at embarkation that the original itinerary was no longer possible. In the interest of guests’ safety and comfort, cruise lines are cancelling ports of call and shifting routes to find the smoothest sailing to take advantage of. Alternatively, a forward movement might pitch down into the swells before rearing up again.
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. The findings from these audits should be used as a basis for implementing corrective actions and enhancing safety protocols.
The incident highlighted the need for comprehensive safety drills and training programs for passengers, enabling them to respond effectively to emergencies. The industry’s response to the Carnival Sunshine Storm Incident demonstrates its dedication to learning from past mistakes and prioritizing passenger safety. Cruise lines are continually striving to ensure that incidents like this are minimized, if not completely avoided, in the future. Adequate training for crew members in emergency response protocols, as well as clear communication with passengers, are key factors in ensuring a safe and orderly evacuation, if necessary. 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.
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. Pete Peterson, owner of Storybook Cruises, which is affiliated with Cruise Planners, said cruise ships keep a close eye on weather developments and will adjust their itinerary depending on the severity of the storm. In those cases, the ship may dock at an alternative port, possibly one you didn’t expect to visit; change the order of the ports that are on the itinerary; or seek a sunny spot at sea. Cruise lines are adept at handling these situations and outline this possibility for guests, along with their policies for how they handle them.
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