Carnival Sunshine passengers recount nightmare cruise as ship floods

Table Of Content

• Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston
• Man drives girlfriend's dead body to Florida City police station after killing her: Officials
• Things To Do in Galveston
• What are cruise ships doing to protect themselves?
• Carnival Ship Rescues 27 People Adrift at Sea in the Caribbean
• Royal Caribbean's X Factor: James Van Fleet

"The Independence was just getting battered by winds as it was trying to push off the dock," Pike said. "Then [it] was covered by the gray cloud of rain and we couldn't see more than 20 yards out the window." “This could have ruined somebody’s cruise experience where they’ll never take another cruise again,” the travel agent added. “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. The Independence of the Seas was about to embark on a voyage from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas about 4 p.m.

Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston

Mr. Van Fleet has over 20 years of experience as a meteorologist in television, covering an array of locations from Texas to Florida. 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.

Man drives girlfriend's dead body to Florida City police station after killing her: Officials

A cruise passenger on that ferry died in the accident, which happened in rough weather. The Level 2 travel advisory also cautions visitors about certain water activities, including tours, watercraft, swimming, and shark encounters. It warns that boats might be poorly maintained and that some tour operators might lack safety certifications, for example. In both cases, the issue was Port Canaveral closed and that prevented the ship from getting back into port.

Things To Do in Galveston

Pike estimated winds reached between 40 and 50 miles per hour at the height of the storm, which he added was "terrifying" to watch. A meteorologist for Fox 35 reported winds reached from 55 to 60 miles an hour at their peak strength. The ship reportedly arrived safely at Coco Cay, an island used by Royal Caribbean about 55 miles north of Nassau.

In speaking with crew members, a few shared anecdotally some guests actually question why the ship doesn't simply sail into the storm to make the scheduled port on time. While skipping Roatan is not ideal, it's something you have to assume could happen with any cruise on any sailing. Itinerary changes are not uncommon, regardless of if it's hurricane season or not.

What are cruise ships doing to protect themselves?

The cruise ship can accommodate up to 5,624 passengers and 1,608 crew members, the cruise line says on its website. 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. Sparrow also posted harrowing footage on Twitter of chairs and umbrellas flying on the ship as screaming passengers seek cover from the storm — and several people are seen sliding across a windswept walkway. 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.

All your questions answered on what to expect if your cruise holiday is affected by stormy weather and rough seas

We made our decision to cruise based on the best information we had at the time we were to depart, and would trust in the cruise line to provide information and changes as needed. We were booked on a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, and the storm would be blocking our way in one way or another. Once forecasters saw a hurricane was going to form, they produced an early track that seemed to put the storm in the way of our cruise. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. 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.

Carnival Ship Rescues 27 People Adrift at Sea in the Caribbean

Cruise ships have thick steel hulls that can withstand the ravages of a storm. The vessel might list to one side, then the other, in a motion known as rolling. Alternatively, a forward movement might pitch down into the swells before rearing up again.

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]

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. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean said the storm did not last long and there were no serious injuries reported. The footage emerged after another Royal Caribbean ship, Serenade of the Seas, reportedly flooded last month.

Faust said that cruise lines typically have a "contract of carriage" clause that doesn't guarantee the ports the ship will travel to and allows the cruise operator to change the itinerary for various issues, including weather. 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. The ship’s medical staff did help a “small number” of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance following the storm. Despite the significant damage and a delay in schedule, Carnival Sunshine embarked on its next five-day Bahama sailing on Saturday.

Last September, more than 200 people got stuck in a remote part of Greenland after their cruise ship ran aground. Though cruise ships need to stay punctual, ruined-vacation stories like this are a reputational risk and might put people off. The payment change affects all Galapagos cruises onboard Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Xpedition, and Celebrity Xploration, with departures in July 2024 and later. It also impacts 17 cruises of 15 days or longer, departing on various ships from April 2024 to April 2026.

Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. Carnival Cruise Line has already opened many itineraries that will include port calls at Celebration Key. A dozen ships from eight homeports will spend a day at the destination on 3- to 14-night cruises. Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship. 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.

At first, they were flip-flopping her schedule to bypass Mexico and go to Grand Cayman. When Grand Cayman closed, they switched it up again and moved her to 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. As for the cruise, Montgomery said it's getting "a little depressing because you can imagine as we’re making the most of it, but most people are walking around in coats, gloves and hats."

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." The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port nine hours later than planned after sailing through a terrifying storm on Friday night. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.

They were refused entry to the ship upon their return, according to WPDE, even though they could still see the ship from the shore. The couple says the tour overran, and its operator informed the captain that eight passengers were running late. Jay and Jill Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, described their ordeal with a Norwegian Cruise Line ship in an interview with WPDE, their local ABC affiliate. Disney Cruises bring every child’s imagination to life and provide an opportunity for the entire family to reconnect and unplug from the chaos of everyday life.

The Bahamas, a major destination for cruising, was in the news this week, and not in a good way. A recent increase in crime in the popular cruise ports of Nassau and Freeport prompted the US Department of State to update its Level 2 Travel Advisory. A Welcome Portal will provide an information area about the destination, and wow guests with a huge sand castle and live music.