cruise ship sails into storm

Carnival passengers recount ‘nightmare’ cruise as storm floods ship

Videos showed the carnival sunshine cabins and hallways flooding and ceilings leaking.

Matthew Branham and his fiancée, Madison Davis, were lying by a Carnival Sunshine pool on Friday aboard a cruise returning to Charleston, S.C., from the Bahamas when an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The captain was expecting rougher weather that evening, but there was nothing to worry about. So Branham and Davis didn’t worry.

As the day went on, “We noticed it started getting cooler in the afternoon — much, much cooler,” said Branham, 25, of Castlewood, Va. “And then it was like a switch was flipped, and it literally turned into a nightmare.”

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.

#CarnivalSunshine : Due to return to Charleston, South Carolina this Saturday, May 27, 2023, has been delayed due to severe weather. The ship is currently off the South Carolina coast and holding position, unable to return to the port because of high winds & rough seas. #cruise 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/2B6HlAn2yD — ∼Marietta (@MariettaDaviz) May 28, 2023

Carnival said in a statement that the weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecast, but that its fleet operations center team, which relies on outside meteorology resources for itinerary planning, “coordinated to keep the ship in its safest location.”

“Attempting to sail out of the large front could have been dangerous,” the statement continued. “The ship proceeded to the port as soon as the weather began to clear.”

Strong Southeast storm slams Carolinas

Carnival said the captain made “several announcements about the weather and the delay it caused in returning to Charleston, asking guests to use extra precaution while walking around the ship.” Additionally, “some of the worst weather occurred in the overnight hours when announcements are not typically made, but guests and crew were safe.”

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.

From their sea-view room, Branham and Davis watched as waves surged over their window and braced themselves as the 892-foot-long ship lurched in the storm.

“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.

They were told to stay in their cabins. Meanwhile, Branham said, TVs were falling off walls, and glassware was sliding off shelves and shattering on the floor. “You could not stand up in your room,” he said. “You could be thrown from the bed.”

They packed up their belongings when their floor started to flood and took shelter in a main lobby area.

“All of the employees were sprinting downstairs with life vests,” Branham said. “There were little kids besides us screaming and crying and throwing fits.”

Throughout the storm, Branham wondered why there weren’t more announcements from Carnival staff. Besides the warning of rougher seas earlier Friday and one Saturday morning after they’d weathered the storm, Branham said they weren’t given any official updates on their situation. When he asked workers what was going on, they told him not to worry.

⁦⁦ @CarnivalCruise ⁩ #carnivalsunshine still 75mph winds at 9:25am. Sitting and spinning in the Atlantic. pic.twitter.com/NITCO2l9Ss — FlyersCaptain™®© (@flyerscaptain) May 29, 2023

“But you see rooms flooded, and you can pick up a handful of sand and you’re kind of like, ‘What in the world? Why is nobody telling us anything?’” Branham said.

Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer and cruise industry legal expert, says his firm has been contacted by some Carnival Sunshine passengers who were injured during the storm, including a man who says he was struck by a door and broke his foot. Others have asked him about the potential for a class-action lawsuit.

While Walker said passengers should make their complaints known to Carnival, he doesn’t believe filing a lawsuit would be an efficient next step. 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.

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.

“Cruise lines monitor the weather all the time. They’re not going to put their passengers in harm’s way,” said Peterson, who has been a cruise adviser for more than 20 years and has sailed on nearly 60 cruises. “Obviously, some cruise lines are better at doing this than others.”

In 2016, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas returned to port after cruising into a “bomb cyclone,” which damaged the ship amid winds gusting to 100 mph. The ship sailed into the remnants of Hurricane Hermine seven months later, causing additional problems.

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.

“You don’t experience the up and down,” Peterson said. “It’s not as rough a ride.”

Both approaches can add to a cruise line’s expenditures, Peterson said. Stabilizers slow the vessel, thereby consuming more fuel. Sailing around the storm can take longer than the original route and disrupt the company’s cruise schedule, leading to delays or cancellations. The cruise line may have to reimburse passengers or provide them with future credits because of the inconvenience.

“When they do something like that, it’s going to cost them money,” Peterson said.

Craig Setzer , a meteorologist and hurricane preparedness specialist, said that even with the hurricane-like conditions and flooding, “I would never be in doubt of the vessel’s integrity,” he said. “Cruise ships are structurally very, very sound and can survive a lot. They’re really rugged.”

Matthew Cappucci contributed to this report.

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

Water flowed into rooms and sunbeds were strewn across the deck as the vessel was battered by the fierce weather conditions.

Friday 2 February 2024 12:39, UK

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Footage has emerged of a cruise ship being flooded during a storm in the Gulf of Mexico - causing water to flow into people's cabins.

Travis Hair, a passenger on the Royal Caribbean vessel, filmed as the balcony of his room on the Voyager Of The Seas was swamped.

Mr Hair said he captured the video while the vessel was "sailing through a thunderstorm" on 26 January.

He added there were "high winds on the deck… platters of food crashing to the floor in the buffet, liquor and other glass breaking, water coming in through the balconies and flooding."

The footage also shows sunbeds piled up on the deck after being tossed around in the powerful storm.

The vessel was on its way back to Galveston, Texas, as part of a five-night trip to Cozumel, Mexico, according to USA Today.

Passenger Chelsea Ireland told the newspaper she felt the vessel tilt as it was battered by heavy winds.

She said: "When we tried to walk across our room, it felt like we were walking up a very steep hill."

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Fellow passenger Elaina Escobedo, 21, went to her grandparent's cabin to check on them during the storm. "There were just things flying all over the place," she said.

Ms Escobedo added that her grandmother was safe on the sofa, but her wheelchair had rolled across the room and cups of lemonade had been knocked over.

The footage emerged after another Royal Caribbean ship, Serenade of the Seas, reportedly flooded last month.

Sky News has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

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Breaking news, video shows carnival cruise ship in disarray after ‘horrific’ south carolina storm.

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Terrified passengers on a Carnival cruise were left vomiting after a torrential storm pounded the ship in South Carolina — flooding the vessel and ripping doors off their hinges.

The Carnival Sunshine was returning to Charleston following a week-long trip in the Bahamas when it got caught in wild weather and rough seas over the Memorial Day weekend.

Videos shared online by vacationers show flooded hallways littered with glass and other debris, doors ripped off their hinges and downed pipes laying soaked on the floor.

The ship’s crew members were forced to evacuate their flooded quarters, according to a video shared on Twitter that shows the area in disarray.

Throughout the storm, several passengers also complained they were starting to feel sick due to the boat’s rough movements.

One traveler described being able to “smell people being sick walking down the halls,” the Daily Mail Reported .

Cruise-goer RJ Whited, who was celebrating his engagement to fiancé Tracy on the Carnival Sunshine, told WCIV that the ship was shaking “so violently.”

Passengers also complained that they didn’t hear from the ship’s captain or any crew members for hours during the chaos.

“They left us blind,” passenger Daniel Taylor told the outlet. “Not reassuring us about what was going on, where we were headed to, what the plan was. They could have updated us and let us know something.”

Another passenger, Christa Seifert-Alicea, said they didn’t receive word from the captain or crew for more than 12 hours.

“What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget,” Seifer-Alicea said.

Water damage and broken glass were left in the hallways and rooms following the storm.

A Carnival spokesperson said only a “small number” of passengers and crew members required “minor assistance.”

“Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. Guests on board the ship were safe. Our medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance,” the cruise liner said in a statement to WCIV.

“The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests.”

The spokesperson added that the Carnival Sunshine is now sailing on a five-day Bahamas cruise and will return to Charleston on Thursday.

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WATCH: Cruise Passengers Share Terrifying Videos from 'Nightmare' Storm at Sea

The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port safely on Saturday after being stuck in a storm between the Bahamas and Charleston, S.C. for 15 hours

The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port nine hours later than planned after sailing through a terrifying storm on Friday night.

The ship was on its way to Charleston, S.C. 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."

Crew Center, a cruise ship information site, posted a video on Twitter showing a flooded hallway, torn-off doors and other debris and destruction on board.

"The aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm," the post read. "The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest… the crew bar destroyed."

brad morrell/storyful

Passenger Daniel Taylor told Newsweek that the captain made an announcement around 4:45 p.m. saying that they would be experiencing a delay due to "adverse weather conditions," expressing that they "would do everything they could to minimize discomfort.

By dinner time, public decks had been closed off, and plates and cups were flying off the buffet areas, he recalled.

By the early hours of Saturday morning, he said, "We were no longer able to see where we were going, how fast we were going, what the wind speed was, or anything. We were blind to what was going on." Swells were hitting the ship "over and over," said Taylor, who also recalled seeing crew members wearing life vests.

At that point, the internet was also out, so those on board couldn't get any additional information or reach loved ones.

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."

TVs were falling off walls and glasses shattering. “You could not stand up in your room,” he said. “You could be thrown from the bed."

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."

Added Whited, "We also found out that they knew about the storm and instead of us staying back to ride it out a few hours they hit it head-on so we could make it back for the other cruise to be on time."

Finally, the ship made it back to Charleston around 7:30 a.m., though it couldn't immediately dock due to continuing rough weather.

At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, the ship was able to dock.

Summing up the "nightmare" experience, passenger Christa Seifert-Alicea told NBC News 4 : "What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget."

In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, Carnival said: "Carnival Sunshine's return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. The weather's prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship's arrival and as a result, the next voyage's embarkation was also delayed. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all our guests." The statement claims that "the ship's crew followed our protocols for rough weather" noting, "thankfully, no one was seriously injured."

"The weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted," the statement continues. "Given the circumstances as they were, the ship's officers and our Fleet Operations Center team using real time meteorology data coordinated to keep the ship in its safest location. Attempting to sail out of the large front could have been dangerous. The ship proceeded to the port as soon as the weather began to clear." The cruise line's statement also said that the captain "made several announcements about the weather and the delay" but noted "some of the worst weather occurred in the overnight hours when announcements are not typically made."

The Carnival Sunshine is already on its next voyage, the cruise line confirmed.

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40-foot waves batter cruise ship, shattering glass, causing flooding, terrifying passengers: ‘Things were crashing all around us’

• Published: May. 30, 2023, 11:11 a.m.

A storm with 40-foot waves battered the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship on Friday, delaying its arrival in Charleston, South Carolina. Terrified passengers described glass shattering and water pouring into the ship. Here the ship is seen docked in Charleston in 2020 (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File) AP

• Robert Higgs, cleveland.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A storm with 40-foot waves battered the cruise ship Carnival Sunshine late Friday night, breaking glass, causing water to pour into the ship and terrifying passengers.

The ship, en route from the Bahamas to Charleston, encountered the storm off the South Carolina coast.

“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 (because) water came in thru our balcony door,” passenger Goodwin Sherbert wrote on Facebook .

Passenger William B. Blackburn, aboard for his first cruise with his wife and other family members, told CNN they stayed in their cabin and prayed they would be OK.

“(We) discussed the fact that it would be very unlikely to survive in the water even with life jackets and doubted that lifeboats could even be launched in those conditions,” he said. “It was terrifying.”

Video posted to Twitter under the handle @CrewCenter showed water running up and down a hallway and said the crew on one deck had to be evacuated to another part of the ship.

At one point the ship was listing to the left, CBS News reported .

“The ship took a hit from a wave that sounded like the ship split in two,” passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, said in a Twitter post .

Some passengers complained to CNN and CBS News about a lack of communication from cruise staff as the ship was pitching about.

Tutrone said the only time passengers heard from the captain was on Friday when he told them he had an experienced crew and would do everything he could to minimize discomfort as the ship encountered the storm.

Some passengers and crew members needed “minor assistance” from medical staff, a Carnival cruise spokesperson told CBS News. “Guests on board the ship were safe,” the spokesperson added.

The ship’s docking in Charleston was delayed by the weather. Some repairs to crew quarters also delayed its departure over the weekend to return to the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center warned on Friday that a non-tropical area of low pressure off Florida 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 parts of the southeastern coast of the United States through Sunday.

Passenger Bill Hassler, who told CNN he was “surprised I’m still alive” after enduring the storm, criticized the cruise line for allowing the ship to sail into such extreme weather.

“Why would you sail into this storm with 80 mph-plus winds, I mean who does that?” Hassler said. “What were they thinking?”

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• Nation & World

Carnival Cruise ship sailed into Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Ida barreled down. Why?

Sunbathing in the middle of the ocean during a hurricane? Probably not what passengers expected when booking their Carnival Cruise trip.

A Carnival Breeze cruise ship set sail Thursday from Galveston, Texas, headed across the Gulf of Mexico for Cozumel, Mexico, even as forecasters warned that Hurricane Ida could make landfall as a powerful storm.

“At the time Carnival Breeze departed Galveston, it was determined that it was safe to do so,” Chris Chiames, Carnival’s chief communications officer, said Saturday in an email.

“We safely operate ships every year during hurricane season,” Chiames wrote. “Our Fleet Operations Center works with National Hurricane Center data to monitor storm activity and operate our itineraries.”

Cruise ships can easily maneuver to avoid a storm, Chiames said.

“Given our commitment to the health and safety of our guests and crew, we will continue to closely follow the path of the storm and take any necessary actions to keep the ship out of harm’s way.”

Ida made landfall south of New Orleans as a Category 4 storm Sunday.

The ship is scheduled to return to Galveston on Monday, when Ida is expected to be moving up the coast in Louisiana and Mississippi.

One passenger told the SunHerald that the trip to Cozumel was pleasant, but that wind and rain picked up at one point on the ship’s route back to Texas.

Chiames said in a follow-up email Sunday that “as of this morning Carnival Breeze has safely navigated past Ida’s path.”

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Watch: Storm floods cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico

Royal caribbean's voyager of the seas first encountered hail as the ship was heading back to its home port of galveston, texas..

Storm floods cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico

Video shot on Friday shows floodwater flowing through a cabin on a Royal Caribbean cruise line. (Courtesy: Jessica Helms via Storyful)

GALVESTON, Texas – A ferocious storm that struck a cruise ship while in the Gulf of Mexico Friday left at least one cabin flooded as torrential rains poured down.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas first encountered hail as the ship was heading back to its home port of Galveston, Texas .

Water flows into the cabin.

(Jessica Helms via Storyful / FOX Weather)

Video from a passenger inside their cabin shows hail that can be heard striking the glass door and seen bouncing on a black chair outside and then falling onto a pool of water on the floor.

CARNIVAL CRUISE'S JUBILEE VESSEL RESCUE TWO MEN OFF MEXICO

As heavy rains fall, water on the balcony can then floods into the cabin itself, soaking a path through the carpet, under a bed and leading to the door.

The dark portion of the carpet shows where the floodwater flowed into the cabin from the balcony.

"Hope there’s nothing electrical that we’re gonna get electrocuted on," said Jessica Helms, who filmed the flooding in her cabin.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

She referred to the flooding as a "complete river" that extended across the hall to her neighbor’s room.

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Cruise ship encounters massive storm off coast of carolinas.

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Over the weekend, the cruise ship, Carnival Sunshine, sailed right into a massive storm off the coast of the Carolinas.

The ship experienced wind gusts up to hurricane force.

"I mean, why would you sail into this storm with 80 miles an hour plus winds? I mean, who does that?" passenger Bill Hassler said.

Hassler, a passenger onboard the Carnival Sunshine, a cruise that left the warm gentle breeze of the Bahamas right into a powerful storm on their journey home.

Winds were gusting to hurricane force, though it wasn't a hurricane or a tropical storm.

Call it a weather technicality. Because it was attached to a front, it was non-tropical in nature, but the impacts are just the same.

A forecast for Saturday for the offshore waters of the Carolinas, right where the ship was, was calling for winds gusting to 55 knots and seas running 10-15 feet.

The ship ran into higher winds and waves, but still, it was forecast to be a rough ride.

This kind of thing happened before to the Royal Caribbean ship, Anthem of the Seas.

Back in 2016, battered by a coastal low, the ship encountered nearly identical conditions.

Four people were injured.

Quickly after, the Royal Caribbean hired an on-staff meteorologist assuring their guests that something like that would never happen again, and it hasn't.

But for passengers on the Carnival Sunshine this weekend, not only were they upset, they were left confused.

"I was a crane operator and every way it worked around me, around a crane or any equipment I was on, their lives were in my hands. So when the winds were bad or the weather was bad, we'd shut the job down and not work for safety. What were they thinking?" Hassler said.

Carnival sent an updated statement to WESH 2.

Carnival said in the statement, "The weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted. Given the circumstances as they were, the ship's officers and our Fleet Operations Center team using real time meteorology data coordinated to keep the ship in its safest location. Attempting to sail out of the large front could have been dangerous. The ship proceeded to the port as soon as the weather began to clear."

It's for sure a cruise to be remembered for the passengers, sadly, for all the wrong reasons.

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Cruise ship sails straight into a monster storm, for second time this year.

Passengers on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas ship endured a choppy, stomach-churning ride this weekend as the Bermuda-bound cruise liner steered into Post-Tropical Cyclone Hermine.

The 16-deck Anthem is the same ship that suffered damage in February after sailing into hurricane-force winds and 30-foot waves off the coast of North Carolina.

SEE ALSO: Live blog: Post-Tropical Cyclone Hermine moves up East Coast

The cruise liner's latest battle with stormy seas began Sunday afternoon, shortly after the Anthem departed from Bayonne, New Jersey. 

As the ship got caught in whipping winds and thrashing waves, passengers took to Twitter to complain of seasickness, constant swaying and flying dishes in the ship's restaurants.

Anthem of the seas recording gusts of 90 knot winds. Good times on #croastascruising2wed . pic.twitter.com/3PCKBNVhDl — Robert McHugh (@Robert_J_McHugh) September 4, 2016

Just surviving #Hermine on the #anthemoftheseas ... #seasick pic.twitter.com/7ZHyfwZwvH — Carrie Bauske (@cbowsk) September 4, 2016

Wow! @kc2kzz says " @RyanMaue I can confirm. I am on #anthemoftheseas and we are all sick from the swells" #WTSP pic.twitter.com/Yzfv6QqVjR — Jim Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) September 4, 2016

Omar Torres, a spokesman for Royal Caribbean, said the Anthem's crew changed its course days before departure in an effort to avoid Post-Tropical Cyclone Hermine, figuring the storm would be west of where it wound up tracking. 

Anthem of the Seas typically takes a southeast route to Bermuda. But with Hermine spinning up the Atlantic Coast, the crew opted to take a northeast route and then turn south toward Bermuda, Torres told Mashable.

" Our plan was to stay 240 nautical miles away from the storm," he said by phone.

However, over time the forecast was revised, and the ship wound up in the worst possible place: the right front quadrant of the storm, where winds are strongest.

#AnthemOfTheSeas was in a tough spot. #Hermine tracked farther east than expected. Still though, steered into it. pic.twitter.com/CRp070NQ2j — Tim Buckley (@TimBuckleyWX) September 5, 2016

10:30z position of Anthem of Seas was basically in worst quadrant of post-tropical Hurricane #Hermine / Nor'easter pic.twitter.com/exb3F6z9Af — Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) September 4, 2016

Torres said the Anthem crew tried to prepare passengers for the turbulent waters, adopting strategies that it didn't have in place during the February storm.

Royal Caribbean sent each passenger a letter before departure that warned about the storm and described the crew's plan to avoid it. The captain also updated guests in a pre-departure announcement and throughout the journey to Bermuda.

The spokesman told Mashable that Anthem did not incur any damages from Hermine. He said the cruise ship docked in Bermuda less than two hours after its scheduled arrival time.

Mashable science editor Andrew Freedman contributed to this story.

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Cruise Ship Law Blog

Norwegian Breakaway Sails Into Storm Grayson, Places Passengers At Risk

Written by LM&W Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. is made up of attorneys who are nationally recognized industry leaders in the field of maritime and admiralty law. Our team of cruise lawyers has well over two centuries of combined experience, has successfully handled over 3,000 cases, and has recovered over 300 million dollars in damages for our clients. Several of our attorneys have even been selected to “Best Lawyers” ® by US News & World Report every year as far back as 2016.

According to reports , the cruise spent two days, beginning on Tuesday January 2, traveling through the winds and swells caused by the storm. Many passengers who endured the experience are now calling it a “nightmare.” With ocean swells of up to 30 feet, water accumulating multiple inches in the rooms, leaking ceilings and the entire boat tilted at a severe angle, many passengers worried that they would not make it through.

To make matters worse, passengers explain that the captain did not clearly communicate the situation, leaving many fearing for their lives during those two harrowing days. Initially, when the cruise line was asked about its decision to sail directly into what was projected to be a powerful coastal storm, Norwegian Cruise Line apologized for delaying the next departure, but made no mention of or apology to the individuals who weathered the storm. The company later issued a statement of apology to those who were sent through the traumatizing sea conditions. However, many feel that this is not quite enough.

In the wake of this incident, we are glad to know that no one was seriously injured. However, the choice to take 4,000 passengers into a rough storm certainly opens up ample opportunity for something to go awry. Truthfully, the outcome could have been much worse than it was and the cruise line is lucky that everyone did return home as planned. However, taking passengers and crewmembers through dangerous waters never should have been part of the story.

There Is No Excuse for Putting Individuals In Harm’s Way

These days, weather reports are released early enough and tend to be accurate enough for a cruise line to see a projected storm and plan accordingly. Although leaving the destination a day early may not have been the most popular choice amongst guests, it would have been preferable to spending two days wondering if the ship was going to make it back to shore.

The unfortunate truth is that this is not the first time a cruise line has made the decision to jeopardize the safety of the individuals on board by sailing directly into a dangerous weather situation. In most cases, the cruise line is more concerned about its bottom line than protecting passenger and crewmember well being.  This was exactly the situation with the Anthem of the Seas disaster of 2016 where the cruise company recklessly ignored weather reports and sailed into the path of a hurricane. Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. successfully filed a class action on behalf of the passengers who were needlessly put in harms way.

LM&W, PA Knows How to Help

When a cruise line chooses to not put the best interest of its customers and employees at heart and an accident or injury does occur, you should know that you do not have to carry the weight of your legal burden on your own. An experienced maritime lawyer can make your life easier. At Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., we fight for our clients at every opportunity, so that they can get the justice they deserve.

Do you have questions about your unique situation? We are ready to take your case. Do not hesitate to contact us today.

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Published on January 8, 2018

Categories: Cruise Ship Injuries

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Watch CBS News

Passengers describe terror of cruise ship in bad storm

Updated on: February 9, 2016 / 7:27 PM EST / CBS/AP

MIAMI -- Federal transportation officials might soon be looking into a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.

Sen. Bill Nelson has called for the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the voyage that forced frightened passengers into their cabins overnight Sunday as their belongings flew about, waves rose as high as 30 feet, and winds howled outside.

"The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days. So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?" Nelson said Monday on the Senate floor, according to a news release from his office.

The National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center had issued an alert for a strong storm four days in advance, Susan Buchanan with the weather service said. The first warning was issued Saturday for possible hurricane-force winds in the area the ship was scheduled to sail through.

Passenger George Sycip told CBS News the more than 4,500 passengers on board were ordered to ride out the storm in their staterooms Sunday.

"You could hear the waves crashing against the hull, metal twisting and banging all night long. It was scary," Sycip said.

The nearly 200,000-ton liner, which launched last year, is one of the largest vessels of its kind.

Royal Caribbean announced Monday that the ship was turning around and sailing back to its home port in New Jersey. A spokesperson tells CBS News it is expected to arrive around 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported, and the ship suffered only minor damage.

"I was shaking all over," passenger Shara Strand of New York City wrote to The Associated Press via Facebook on Monday. "Panic attack, things like that. ... I've been on over 20 cruises, I've been through a hurricane, it was never like this. Never."

Sixteen-year-old Gabriella Lairson says she and her father, Sam, could feel the ship, Anthem of the Seas, begin to sway by 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The captain directed passengers to their cabins. There, the Lairsons heard glasses shatter in the bathroom, and they put their belongings in drawers and closets to prevent them from flying across the room. They ventured to the balcony, where Sam Lairson shot video of wave after wave rising below.

"The winds were so strong that I thought the phone would blow from my hands," Sam Lairson, of Ocean City, New Jersey, said in an email. "After that we had to keep the doors to the balconies sealed."

crazy day on board #anthemoftheseas. been stuck in our cabins since 3pm, winds reaching 150 mph. apparently the storm is dying down but the ship is certainly still rocking. couldn't keep a single item on a dresser or counter, everything went flying. can't wait for this to be over, just want to get to the warm weather and calm seas. @nyr230 #theonepackageofcandyisntcuttingit #bored #hungry #wassupposedtohavesteaktonight #rocktheboat A video posted by @leanna_nicole_ on Feb 7, 2016 at 6:57pm PST

The ship - with more than 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members - sailed Saturday from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. It was scheduled to arrive for a stop at Port Canaveral, Florida, at noon Monday, then move on to other stops in the Caribbean. But Royal Caribbean said on its corporate Twitter account that the ship would turn around and sail back to Cape Liberty.

"This decision was made for guests' comfort due to weather forecasts" that would continue to affect the ship's itinerary," Royal Caribbean tweeted.

Guests will get a full refund and a certificate toward a future cruise. Passengers onboard buzzed happily about that news, Strand said.

Gabriella Lairson said that by early Monday morning, people were out and about on the ship, checking out the minor damage in some public areas.

Lairson praised the crew and captain. "They did everything they could to make us feel comfortable," she wrote to the AP on Facebook. She said she and her father were a little disappointed the ship was turning around, but she called it "the best thing for the safety of everyone."

Fellow passenger Jacob Ibrag agreed. "I can't wait to get home and kiss the ground," said Ibrag, who saw water flowing down stairs and helped some people who were stuck in an elevator Sunday as he made his way to his cabin per the captain's orders. The 25-year-old from Queens, New York, then stayed in his cabin until noon Monday, at one point filling his backpack with essentials in case of an evacuation.

3:10 PM Eastern time, the calm before the Hurricane. #anthemoftheseas #royalcarribean pic.twitter.com/YI7qXxTv4k — Jacob Ibrag (@jaybrag) February 8, 2016

Robert Huschka, the executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, was onboard and started tweeting when the inclement weather hit. He told USA Today that the ordeal was "truly terrifying." He described the cruise director nervously giving updates, and he later posted photos of shattered glass panels on a pool deck.

But Huschka was among passengers who found a silver lining in the storm. On Monday, he posted: "The good news? They never lost the Super Bowl signal. Perfect TV picture throughout storm!"

Royal Caribbean gave guests free Internet access and a complimentary cocktail hour, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in an email. "Feeling better after the happy hour they just put on for the guests," Sam Lairson joked.

And despite her own worries, Strand said her daughter, 8-month-old Alexa, slept through the entire episode.

More from CBS News

An ultra-luxury cruise line wants to attract wealthy Americans with its all-inclusive 'yachts' — see what the new 128-guest ship will be like

• Ultra-luxury cruise line  Emerald Cruises says its third ocean ship will debut in 2026.
• The all-inclusive vessel, which Emerald calls a "yacht," would accommodate up to 128 people.
• Emerald, known for river cruises, has been investing more in its ocean-based business.

Over the last few years, the mass-market cruise industry's larger-than-life mega-ships — outfitted with loud waterparks and more dining options than you could eat in a week — have dominated the spotlight.

But in the ultra-luxury cruise market, it's been the opposite. The smaller and more exclusive the vessel, the better. So much so that Emerald Cruises' next ocean-based ship, launching in 2026, plans to accommodate no more than 128 travelers.

It's a far cry from Royal Caribbean's new 7,600-guest cruise liner . And the price difference is just as steep: almost $250 per night on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas versus more than $720 per night on the upcoming ultra-luxury Emerald Kaia.

"When people think of cruising now, they automatically think of these large ships ," Robert Castro, the vice president of marketing for Scenic Group, Emerald's parent company, told Business Insider. "There's a market for that, but we're in a unique position."

If you’re familiar with river cruises, Emerald might ring a bell.

The cruise line, owned by Scenic Group, only offered river cruises for its first nine years.

But lately, its biggest growth and investments have been in oceans, not rivers.

In 2022 and 2023, the Switzerland-based company launched its first two ocean cruise ships, which it calls "yachts." Each accommodates a maximum of 100 guests . And so far, they've been hits, with the cruise line experiencing record-high bookings in 2023.

Yes, the ships look like yachts. And yes, they're marketed as such.

But because Emerald's vessels operate group itineraries, they still technically count as cruise ships, albeit really nice ones.

So instead of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a week to charter a yacht, as is traditional with these high-end vessels , travelers can spend less than $800 a day for a traditional cruise on said yacht-like ship.

While it's not nearly as exclusive, it sure is a hell of a lot cheaper, "bringing the charter yacht experience to reach for people who would never even imagine," Castro said.

Emerald’s upcoming 393-foot-long, 128-guest Kaia would be perfect for fans of small, high-end ships.

The 64-cabin Emerald Kaia would have a larger guest capacity than its two predecessors but would still be tiny compared to most cruise ships, including some of the most luxurious ones.

Regent Seven Seas' new Grandeur can accommodate 746 guests, while Ritz-Carlton says its next ship will sail up to 448 travelers.

Even Four Season's upcoming vessel — with fares up to $350,000 a week — would have a larger guest capacity of up to 222 people. However, it would be almost 290 feet longer than Emerald Kaia.

Like traditional cruise ships, Kaia would have amenities like a spa, two lounges, and three dining options.

The top deck would also have a cabana and bar-lined pool, one of three swimming holes on the ship.

But unlike its mass-market competitors, Kaia would have an open-air marina that would give travelers direct access to the water.

Water platforms are typically only common on yacht-marketed ships, such as Emerald's, Ritz-Carlton's, and, someday, Four Seasons'.

This means guests on the upcoming Kaia could dip in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean seas — as is included in its 2026 and 2027 itineraries — without disembarking the ship.

According to the cruise line, Emerald Kaia's future itineraries include an 11-day sailing from Cyprus to Greece and a 20-day one from Seychelles to Kenya.

Its cheapest itinerary is currently an eight-day roundtrip Seychelles vacation in 2027, starting at $5,055 per person.

As an all-inclusive cruise line, amenities like alcohol, WiFi, and excursions would be included in the base fare. However, unlike all-inclusive competitor Regent Seven Seas , guests must pay for their flights to and from the ship.

To compare, itineraries of the same length on Regent's Seven Seas Grandeur and Ritz-Carlton's Ilma would be $36 cheaper and $120 more expensive, respectively, per day.

But the fares aren't stopping travelers from gravitating toward Emerald. Before it unveiled Kaia, its parent company announced a record number of bookings in January — up 67% compared to its previous record in January 2020.

Castro said about 20% to 35% of its guests are American, typically well-acquainted with luxury travel.

The company's goal has been to increase its number of American customers. So far, it's working and is now "on track to be Emerald's No. 1 market," Castro told BI.

The new vessel is being built at a great time for the cruise line.

Strong demand, compounded by a small fleet of small ships, has led to fewer available cabins for its upcoming summer Mediterranean cruises.

Several of these sailings are now fully reserved. The cheapest remaining fares start at $4,570 per person for an eight-day November sailing from Athens, Greece, to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

It's great news for Emerald as it considers a future with more ocean "yachts." "The sooner we fill the ships, the sooner we start building new ones," Castro said.

• Main content

Great Barrier Reef’s worst bleaching leaves giant coral graveyard: ‘It looks as if it has been carpet bombed’

Scientists stunned by scale of destruction after summer of storm surges, cyclones and floods

Beneath the turquoise waters off Heron Island lies a huge, brain-shaped Porites coral that, in health, would be a rude shade of purplish-brown. Today that coral outcrop, or bommie, shines snow white.

Prof Terry Hughes, a coral bleaching expert at James Cook University, estimates this living boulder is at least 300 years old.

“If that thing had eyes it could have looked up and watched Captain Cook sail past,” he says, back on the pristine beach of this speck of an island 80km offshore at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef .

It is not just Heron’s grand old bommie that is freshly bleached. The surrounding tangle of staghorn corals, or Acropora , are splashed in swathes of white, or painted a dappled mosaic of greens and browns that betray the algae and seaweeds growing over the freshly killed coral. Hughes estimates 90% of those branching corals are dead or dying.

Snorkelling above these blighted coral thickets evokes the imagery of forests annihilated by bushfires, or cities obliterated by missiles.

“It looks as if it has been carpet bombed,” says the Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who has accompanied Hughes to Heron. “Like limbs strewn everywhere.”

Even Hughes, a man who has witnessed as much mass mortality of coral as any, looks shellshocked.

The Dublin-born, Townsville-based marine biologist already knew the coral ringing Heron had just experienced its worst recorded bleaching – and that this was no isolated event .

Last month the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority released a report warning that the reef was experiencing “the highest levels of thermal stress on record”. The authority’s chief scientist, Dr Roger Beeden, spoke of extensive and uniform bleaching across the southern reefs, which had dodged the worst of much of the previous four mass bleaching events to blight the Great Barrier Reef since 2016.

Hughes saw in the institute’s aerial surveys results the most “widespread event and severe” bleaching event to date, not just in the south, but across much of the entire system – which stretches 2,300km up the Queensland coast.

But none of these metrics, it seems, could truly prepare him for the act of bearing witness to the unfolding calamity he has dedicated his life to preventing.

“It’s fucking awful,” the softly spoken scientist says, emerging from the ocean. “They said the bleaching was extensive and uniform. They didn’t say it was extensive, uniform and fucking awful.

“It’s a graveyard out there.”

Lethal hot water

The academic director of the University of Queensland research station on Heron, Dr Selina Ward, doesn’t mince words either. She describes this as “the year from hell”.

Storm surges washed away some of her favourite stands of corals, there have been outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, cyclones and floods. But these “multiple assaults” pale compared with this most “horrendous bleaching”.

The bleaching peaked in February and March. At the end of March, Ward visited 16 sites around Heron and nearby reefs, including around One Tree Island – a scientific reserve with “the maximum level of protection you can get”.

“It was terrible, the worst bleaching event I’ve ever seen,” she says. “In those 16 sites, every single one was severely bleached – and some of the corals were starting to die already.”

Her big question, though, is what is happening under the water right now.

Corals bleach when sustained exposure to warmer than average water causes them to expel the photosynthetic algae that give them colour – and from which the corals polyps obtain much of their nutrients.

A coral can die or recover from bleaching. The weeks that follow a bleaching event are a brief window in which scientists like Ward and Hughes can assess how many corals have starved without their symbiotic algae. In a few months, those newly dead corals will be covered in weed and beginning to be broken down into barren rubble piles – the time and cause of their demise will become more and more obscured.

The reef is now in that window, Ward says, where scientists can get into the water and observe the amount of bleached corals that – though left more vulnerable to disease and less fertile – might just regain colour and pull through. As well as those that will not.

But bleaching is only one coral reaction to what Hughes says is perhaps better described as a hot water event. Some corals will simply “cook”. Others turn a vivid blue or neon yellow – a garish shade our research vessel’s skipper says has been widespread on the corals around Heron.

These, though dazzling, are also disconcerting – this fluorescence is a protein corals produce as a kind of sunscreen. It is not a very effective defence though. According to Hughes, most of these neon corals won’t survive.

“The irony is that it looks beautiful in death,” Whish-Wilson says of a fluorescent coral while he and Hughes wade through knee-deep water as the tide recedes around Heron and coral tips emerge from the water like bones.

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The unseen national emergency

After the summer of 2023-24, the Great Barrier Reef is awash in cruel irony and dissonance. The first strikes the traveller to Heron as its Islander catamaran departs its berth and rounds a canal into Gladstone’s harbour.

A hulking and rusty bow is slowly revealed as a bulk carrier connected, by crane-like loaders, to great mounds of crushed black earth. Behind it, another ship is being loaded with coal. And another behind that.

Then, as the catamaran rounds Curtis Island, it ducks and weaves its way through bulk carrier after bulk carrier, lurking outside the harbour like a school of sharks at the edge of a reef. On his phone’s shipping app, Hughes lists 43 of the steel leviathans.

Whish-Wilson says the flotilla speaks to a government having “a bet each way”.

“But you can’t have a future for fossil fuels and a future for a healthy reef,” he says. “You just can’t.”

Later, reflecting on a trip he already feels will haunt the rest of his life, the Greens healthy oceans spokesperson says this devastating bleaching should trigger Unesco to declare the Great Barrier Reef’s world heritage values as “in danger” and demand a visit from the federal environment minister, as well as a declaration of national emergency.

If this were a bushfire raging across thousands of kilometres, he says, that declaration would already have been made.

“But because it is in the ocean, it is out of mind, out of sight.”

Slim hope of recovery

Another of Heron’s incongruities is that, even amid such underwater devastation, it still harbours breathtaking beauty. Green sea turtles cruise above stands of broken coral, giant coral trout open their mouths and gills for electric blue cleaner wrasse, manta rays glide gracefully through the shallows.

Hughes first came here as a postdoctoral researcher in 1985 and has often returned. Now, as he prepares to leave Heron once more, he ponders the future of a natural wonder of the world to which he has given so much of his life.

The 67-year-old has seen the coral ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef degrade and knows that they are on the inexorable path of further decline. Yet, if global heating can be limited to well below 2C on pre-industrial levels , Hughes still believes it is possible to stabilise sea temperatures and allow those corals that survive to mount a slow recovery.

It is not a question of hope or resignation, he says, but “immediate action”.

Unless fossil fuel emissions are cut “ASAP”, he says, the corals of the world’s reefs will be replaced by something else, perhaps seaweed or sponges.

“There would still be a tropical ecosystem here,” Hughes says with a sweep of his hand. “But at some point we would have to say it is no longer a coral reef. We’d have to call it something else.”

So when will Hughes return to Heron to see what, if anything, recovers? Will he check on that grand old bommie, now snow white?

“I’m not sure I will come back,” he says.

And why not? To this, a long pause, as Hughes looks away and out at the ocean, the only sound a choked sob and the haunting wail of the black noddies that brood and swarm on this troubled coral cay.

“’Cause it’s so upsetting,” he says, eventually.

Not that Hughes plans on staying silent.

“I think scientists like me need to be as vocal as possible,” he says. “To show people what’s happening.”

• Great Barrier Reef
• Climate crisis
• Marine life
• Australian politics

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Royal Caribbean Forced to Cancel Alaska Sailing With Guests Already Onboard

Here’s something that isn’t a surprise and still is, all rolled into one.

Royal Caribbean International had to cancel a cruise. Not a shock.

What is surprising is that passengers were already on board the Radiance of the Seas. That’s right, instead of going on an Alaskan cruise passengers had to disembark and go home.

The ship was supposed to depart Vancouver on Friday, April 26. There was a maintenance issue on the ship and a revised itinerary was set and it was supposed to depart on Sunday, April 28. But officials couldn’t get it fixed, and now the entire cruise has been canceled.

“Despite our best efforts, circumstances beyond our control have delayed our sailing further,” a letter delivered to guests’ staterooms said. “Your patience throughout this time [has] not gone unnoticed, and we are immensely grateful for your understanding.”

All passengers will not only receive a full refund but will receive a full future cruise credit to sail on Royal Caribbean. The cruise line also made its Wi-Fi free of charge to help passengers better navigate the disembarkation. Other complementary features include an open bar until the ship officially disembarked as well as reimbursement for airline change fees.

The maintenance problem was apparently a propulsion issue.

“While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on our previous sailing are still underway, we discovered that we’re going to need some extra time to get the ship in tip-top shape for you,” Royal Caribbean wrote in its letter to passengers.

This is the second time the propulsion problem has plagued the Radiance of the Seas.

Are you planning a cruise for summer or fall? Brace yourself for a shock

Are you looking to take a cruise between now and the end of the year? We have some bad news: You might have a tough time finding a cabin — at least if you want a specific type of room on a specific ship.

Bookings for cruises have been on fire for months , pacing at record levels. As a result, nearly nine of every 10 cabins available for 2024 sailings are already booked, the top executive of one of the world's biggest cruise companies revealed Thursday.

"We only have about 12% load factors left to build for the year," Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group CEO, noted in a conference call with Wall Street analysts, using a term that refers to the percentage of cabin space that is available on ships.

For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Liberty said bookings for cruises accelerated in April beyond an already blistering pace set in the first three months of the year. The surge occurred despite a rapidly dwindling amount of open cabin space for 2024 sailings.

"Bookings have consistently outpaced last year throughout the entire first quarter and through April, even though we have significantly fewer staterooms left to sell," Liberty said.

Royal Caribbean Group is the parent company of Royal Caribbean , the world's biggest cruise line, as well as Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises . It also owns a partial interest in Germany-based cruise brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Liberty was only referring to Royal Caribbean Group brands when making the comments about bookings. But other cruise companies, including Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, have reported similar strength in bookings in recent months.

As one of the biggest cruise brands in the world, Royal Caribbean Group also serves as a bellwether of sorts for the industry when it comes to booking strength.

The result: soaring cruise fares

With demand for cruises at record levels and cabin supply quickly disappearing, cruise lines have been able to raise prices significantly in recent months on top of sharp price increases throughout 2023.

During Thursday's conference call with Wall Street analysts, Liberty said the bookings that customers at its brands made during the first three months of the year were "at much higher prices than 2023" fares.

Liberty also noted that yields at Royal Caribbean Group brands for cruises that customers took during the first three months of the year were up 19.3% as compared to the same months in 2023. That was nearly four percentage points higher than the company was predicting just a few months ago.

Related: 6 ways to get a deal on a cruise

Yield is a measure of how much money cruise lines make per passenger.

"The first quarter was tremendous, sending us well on our path to a year that is significantly better than we expected just a few months back," Liberty said.

Liberty attributed the strong growth in bookings and pricing in part to the line's rollout of the record-size Icon of the Seas in January, which has been a huge hit . He also noted strong bookings and pricing across the entire fleets of its brands for all key itineraries.

Both new ships and older ships are in hot demand, Liberty suggested, with demand particularly strong from North American travelers. Roughly 80% of all Royal Caribbean Group bookings this year have come from North Americans — an unusually large percentage.

The company is also seeing a surge in first-time cruisers, a category known in the industry as the "new to cruise" market.

"Our addressable market is expanding, and 'new to cruise' continues to grow, increasing 16% year over year," Liberty said. "These guests are discovering our differentiated vacation experiences and are increasingly returning to us as we see repeat rates over 30% higher compared to 2019."

Liberty also noted the company was drawing more younger customers, including a growing number of millennials.

"Millennials and younger generations have gained 11 percentage points share compared to 2019, and today almost one in two guests are millennials or younger," he said.

Cruise bookings are surging in part because vacationers are seeing the value in cruising as compared to other types of vacations that involve land travel, Liberty suggested. Liberty and other cruise executives believe cruises are priced significantly below the level of land resorts on a like-for-like basis, even after the sharp increases in cruise fares over the past year.

"Despite our ability to narrow the gap [in pricing] to land-based vacations in the last 12 months, cruising still remains an exceptional value proposition," Liberty said.

Also driving cruise bookings is the fact that a strong economy has consumers feeling flush and willing to spend on vacations, Liberty suggested. He noted that consumer sentiment is high, "bolstered by resilient labor markets, wage growth, stabilizing inflation and record-high household net worth."

In addition, "consumer preferences continue to shift toward spend on experiences, particularly priority for travel," he said.

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