Stormy Weather In the Caribbean Could Impact Several Cruises

Table Of Content

• What happened to the cruise ship in the storms?
• Mallorca: A cruise ship and freight ship collided amid a storm
• You could have a different itinerary
• Michael Douglas, 79, says his kids’ college thought he was a grandfather on Parents’ Day: ‘That was a rough one’
• Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
• More from CBS News
• I Spent 7 Days on My First Adults-Only Virgin Voyages Cruise

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. Despite the difficult seas, the ship was able to return to Galveston as planned, and departed on her next sailing – another 5-night Western Caribbean sailing – without problems. While my cruise only had a change in itinerary, other cruise ships had to remain out at sea longer because of the closure in Port Canaveral. A cruise ship broke free from moorings and collided with a freight vessel during a storm in Mallorca, Spain.

Watch: Massive rogue wave batters cruise ship in North Sea - Fox Weather

Watch: Massive rogue wave batters cruise ship in North Sea.

Posted: Sun, 24 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

What happened to the cruise ship in the storms?

Passengers will have access to onboard entertainment and activities while technical teams make an assessment of the ship, P&O said. Mr McCoy said that everyone was safe and there was "no problem on the ship apart from a few scrapes and bumps to one or more lifeboats that project from the ship". P&O Cruises spokesperson said they were "aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning" and were "working to assess the situation".

Mallorca: A cruise ship and freight ship collided amid a storm

Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise were scheduled to leave Thursday, with Carnival Liberty departing on Friday, and all passengers will get full refunds and 25% future cruise credits. Moreover, several private islands frequented by cruise ships are on the storm’s trajectory. Perfect Day at CocoCay, Princess Cays, Great Stirrup Cay, Castaway Cay, and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, all popular destinations, are scheduled to be visited by various cruise ships during this period.

You could have a different itinerary

A P&O Cruises spokesperson said they were “aware of an incident involving Britannia on Sunday morning” and were “working to assess the situation”. Holidaymakers praised the staff on board and said the captain and crew kept them updated.

June 16 when heavy rain and violent winds slammed the 15-deck, 1,112-foot-long vessel. 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." 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.

Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.

Unlike every other cruise line, Royal Caribbean has its own Chief Meteorologist who not only provides each ship and the cruise line important guidance on the weather, but he also shares insight with guests. Cruise ships can sail faster than hurricanes can move, which gives them the ability to out run the changing path of any storm. During my cruise, our ship went around Cuba, and by the time we made our way westward again, the ship stayed far enough away from Hurricane Ian to keep everything quite calm. We rarely felt much motion, and the sea conditions ended up being extremely calm.

"Then [it] was covered by the gray cloud of rain and we couldn't see more than 20 yards out the window." 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. “I’ll be honest, there was about 20 minutes yesterday where I thought the ship might capsize, it was rolling so heavily and we didn’t have any idea what had happened,” she said. Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas recently encountered a severe squall in the Gulf of Mexico while finishing her most recent sailing. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.

Puerto Plata and Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic anticipate the arrival of Carnival Glory and Seven Seas Mariner on November 17. The port is also set to receive Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Sky on November 19. On November 17, the port will welcome Celebrity Apex, Carnival Freedom, MSC Seashore, and Symphony of the Seas. This is followed by Allure Of The Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Liberty Of The Seas, and Mariner Of The Seas on November 18.

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. Guests on these cruises should stay informed about any potential itinerary changes due to the evolving weather conditions. In response to the evolving storm, cruise lines may consider rerouting their ships to avoid the worst of the weather.

The forecast for the Eastern Caribbean ports indicates a less severe impact on November 17, with the brunt of the storm expected on November 18 and 19. 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. She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing "14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves." Jerry Pike, a photographer and Florida local, told Insider he watched the storm hit the Independence of the Seas while sitting in a car in Jetty Park facing the port. A meteorologist for Fox 35 reported that winds reached from 55 to 60 mph at the height of the storm. The Independence of the Seas was about to embark on a voyage from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas about 4 p.m.

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. "The Independence was just getting battered by winds as it was trying to push off the dock," Pike said.

Hurricane or not, there can be "motion in the ocean", so no cruise is immune from waves. However, the reality is the cruise has been quite smooth sailing in terms of wave height. As you might imagine, having a cruise extended means logistical changes to get home. "There were cheers onboard, so most people seemed to be pretty excited for two extra day," she said of the reaction after the cruise was to be extended.