cruise in florida storm

Chaotic videos show Florida cruise passengers hit with chairs, debris during severe weather while in port

Videos show people running for shelter as the chaotic scene unfolded aboard royal caribbean's independence of the seas..

Wild weather causes chaos on cruise ship

FOX 35 in Orlando spoke with cruise ship passengers who were onboard Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas in Port Canaveral, Florida, when wild weather moved in.

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Passengers say they were caught off guard by severe weather as they were boarding their cruise ship at Port Canaveral in Florida last week.  

According to a report from FOX 35 in Orlando , cruisers weren’t even out of the port on Friday when the thunderstorm moved in quickly. People were running to seek shelter as the chaotic scene unfolded aboard Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. 

Jenn Stancil captured video of the storm moving in – completely covering another cruise ship in the water as people ran to safety . The passengers can be seen scrambling to get out of the pouring rain as deck chairs were flying through the air, even hitting some people.

CRUISE SHIP CARNIVAL SUNSHINE POUNDED BY LARGE WAVES DURING COASTAL STORM NEAR CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Watch: Intense storm sends deck chairs flying, knocks down cruise ship passengers

Video recorded on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas shows deck chairs flying through the air and passengers being knocked to the ground when a severe thunderstorm blew through Port Canaveral, Florida.

Those who witnessed the mayhem told FOX 35 News that they had never seen anything like that on the water or even on land.

"It just turned crazy. It looked like a scene from the movie ‘Twister’ is exactly what I thought because you see these chairs flying up in the air," she said.

Lucas Sparrow was on board with his family when the chaos unfolded.

"People were getting blown, losing their hats, towels," said Sparrow.

The entire video one passenger shared with us was only four minutes long, showing how fast weather can move in and the need for warnings to make sure passengers are safe.

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Watch: Florida cruise ship passengers scramble for safety during severe thunderstorm

Video shows cruise passengers scrambling for safety as heavy rain and gusty winds battered Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas ship as it prepared to leave Port Canaveral, Florida. 

FOX 35 News reached out to Royal Caribbean about the rough weather, and they asked about their protocol in such as situation. 

FOX 35 received the following response Wednesday morning: 

"On Friday, June 16, while departing from Port Canaveral, Independence of the Seas encountered a sudden gust of high winds. This lasted for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew. Independence of the Seas continued its regularly scheduled 3-night itinerary, arriving to Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, on Saturday morning, as scheduled."

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Dramatic video shows royal caribbean cruise ship passengers panic during freak storm.

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Dramatic video captured the moment panicked passengers ran for their lives aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship hit by a freak storm — which sent deck furniture flying as the vessel prepared to leave a Florida port.

The Independence of the Seas was about to embark on a voyage from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas about 4 p.m. June 16 when heavy rain and violent winds slammed the 15-deck, 1,112-foot-long vessel.

“Just a fun evening leaving Port Canaveral this past Friday. No announcement from the captain before or after, also no mention of what happened. Just pretend like it didn’t happen I guess,” TikTok user Lucassparrow1110 posted .

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.

“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.

At one point, a lounge chair narrowly misses a woman carrying a child.

Jenn Stancil, who captured footage of the storm moving in, told Fox 35 Orlando : “It just turned crazy. It looked like a scene from the movie ‘Twister’ is exactly what I thought, because you see these chairs flying up in the air.”

Jerry Pike, a local photographer who was sitting in his vehicle in Jetty Park during the outburst, also posted video of the 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 .

“You can see the rain line pushing towards us, and the Indy was completely gone from view due to the rain shortly after this,” he added.

A meteorologist for Fox 35 reported that winds reached from 55 to 60 mph at the height of the storm.

“The Independence was just getting battered by winds as it was trying to push off the dock,” Pike told Insider . “Then [it] was covered by the gray cloud of rain and we couldn’t see more than 20 yards out the window.”  

Kyleigh Cole, an agent with Boardwalk Travel Agency, expressed concerns about how Royal Caribbean handled the incident.

“There’s always something you can do, other than just letting the guests and the travelers getting poured on, rained down on and being in the middle of a storm,” Cole told Fox 35 .

“This could have ruined somebody’s cruise experience where they’ll never take another cruise again,” the travel agent added.

In a statement sent to the news outlet, the company said the “Independence of the seas encountered a sudden gust of high winds. This lasted for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew…”

The ship reportedly arrived safely at Coco Cay, an island used by Royal Caribbean about 55 miles north of Nassau.

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Passengers hit by a storm on a Royal Caribbean cruise line cling to railings as intense gusts rock the ship and send debris flying, videos show

• A Royal Caribbean cruise was battered by gusts of rain and wind before its departure Friday.
• Passengers shared videos of patrons sliding along the deck during the storm.
• The cruise line says no serious injuries or damage occurred as a result of the storm.

Passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship ran for cover as umbrellas, chairs, and other furniture flew around them during a sudden, spectacular storm that struck Florida's Port Canaveral on Friday.

As the Independence of the Seas prepared to depart, strong winds and rain battered the 15-deck ship. In multiple videos posted to YouTube and Twitter , passengers are shown slipping and sliding across the decks while attempting to get safely inside.

The ship departed for the Bahamas despite the storm and arrived at CocoCay on time, according to a Royal Caribbean statement to Insider. The company called the storm "brief" and said there were no serious injuries to crewmembers or passengers.  

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Passengers took to the internet to describe their personal experiences. 

"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 .

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. Though the storm lasted only minutes, he said it was "exceptionally strong." 

—Jerry Pike (@JerryPikePhoto) June 16, 2023

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 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."  

The storm is just one of many expected to hit the Florida coast as hurricane season begins in the Atlantic Ocean, which runs from the beginning of June to November 30.

Watch: The rise and fall of the cruise industry

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Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers scramble as freak storm tosses furniture: video

Independence of the seas cruise ship was embarking on voyage from port canaveral, florida, to the bahamas when storm hit.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers scramble during freak storm

Royal Caribbean passengers speak with Fox 35 Orlando and recount the scary scene as a storm hit the Independence of the Seas cruise ship. 

Royal Caribbean cruise passengers scrambled for shelter as a freak storm sent furniture flying across the deck, social media videos show. 

"It just turned crazy, like a scene from the movie Twister is exactly what I thought because you see these chairs flying up in the air," passenger Jenn Stancil told Fox 35 Orlando of the scene. 

The Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas was ready to embark on its voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida , to the Bahamas on June 16 when a storm hit the port. One video shows passengers crawling on the deck to safety as heavy winds and rain slam the ship's deck, with chairs flying overhead. 

"Oh my God, that guy fell!" a woman is heard yelling in the back. 

CELEBRITY CRUISES NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK LEAVES MORE THAN 175 SICK

Stancil took a video from inside the ship as heavy winds slammed the deck, showing crowds of people running for shelter and grabbing onto the railing. 

Passenger Jenn Stancil took a video from inside the ship as the heavy winds slammed the deck, showing crowds of people running for shelter and grabbing onto the railing. (Jenn Stancil  / Fox News)

Passenger Lucas Sparrow told Fox 35 he was onboard with his family when the storm hit, claiming there was no storm warning by the cruise line beforehand. 

"People were getting blown… losing their hats, towels," Sparrow told Fox 35. 

CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP ROCKED BY ROUGH SEAS, SEVERE WEATHER, SHAKING SOME PASSENGERS

He told the outlet he saw staff tying down lounge chairs later that day as well as posting "Closed due to weather" signage. He noted the cruise line did notify passengers of incoming dangerous weather later in the trip.

"A day or two later, we had another storm and, you know, they were more prepared," Sparrow told Fox 35 of the cruise staff. "They made an announcement over the speaker that there's a storm coming, they're prepared for this, stay inside, don't go outside."

Stancil caught video of the aftermath of the storm, showing umbrellas and lawn chairs strewn across the deck. 

Royal Caribbean passengers rush to shelter as heavy winds, rain slam ship

Passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were slammed with a freak storm ahead of their departure, forcing them to rush for cover as deck furniture was blown into the air. (Jenn Stancil)

"I've never seen anything like that on a cruise ship or really anywhere," Stancil told Fox 35. 

Royal Caribbean noted the Independence of the Seas did experience a "sudden gust of high winds" while departing the port in a statement to FOX Business, saying it "lasted for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew." 

MAN ARRESTED AFTER HIDDEN CAMERA FOUND IN ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE SHIP BATHROOM: FBI

"Independence of the Seas continued its regularly scheduled 3-night itinerary, arriving to Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, on Saturday morning, as scheduled," the statement continued. 

Passenger Lucas Sparrow told Fox 35 he saw staff tying down lounge chairs later that day as well as posting "Closed due to weather" signage. He noted the cruise line did notify passengers of incoming dangerous weather later in the trip. | Fox News

A Carnival Cruise Line ship saw a similar scene in early May, with the passengers experiencing a rough return to port in South Carolina amid stormy weather brought on by heavy seas.

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Social media videos posted after the fact pictured high waves and large white caps rocking the ship to and fro as it made its way into the port in Charleston, South Carolina. Others shared photos and videos of broken glass, doors knocked out of their frames, and water damage in certain corridors of the ship.

FOX Business' Eric Revell and Peter Petroff contributed to this report. 

Watch CBS News

Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: May 29, 2023 / 4:16 PM EDT / 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.

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. "Guests on board the ship were safe," the spokesman added. 

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. The ship's next voyage, on which it has since embarked, was also delayed.

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.

Passenger Sharon Tutrone, a professor at Coastal Carolina University, tweeted Friday that the ship was rocking. 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. 

"They said it will get worse as we get closer to the storm," she tweeted. "@CarnivalCruise  is doing an EXCELLENT job!"

She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing " 14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves ." 

"We were surrounded by lightning and the ship took a huge hit by a wave and sounded like it split in two," Tutrone tweeted.

Several passengers, including Brenda Goodwin Sherbert, posted on social media about broken glass on the ship . They also wrote about water coming in through balcony doors.

"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.

Passenger Reid Overcash, who was on the cruise with his wife, said televisions on the ship displayed a message during the storm: "Public address announcement please standby." 

He said it was when winds had reached between 70-90 mph and the ship was tilting left that he truly feared for his life.

"Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots," Overcash said.

The trip marked Overcash's seventh cruise. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. 

"It's just one of them unlucky experiences that occurs once in a while," he said.

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Aliza Chasan is a Digital Content Producer for "60 Minutes" and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Bonkers video footage shows chaos on cruise ship during intense storm, share this article.

An intense storm surprised passengers as they boarded a cruise ship in Florida and sent them scrambling for shelter as hurricane-like winds sent deck chairs and loungers, among other things, flying into the air in a chaotic scene some likened to the movie “Twister.”

The Independence of the Seas from Royal Caribbean was at the dock in Port Canaveral when the storm suddenly erupted with heavy rain and wind, sending many of the passengers into a panic as they sought safety. Some were hit by the flying debris.

Jenn Stancil captured video of the storm moving in and the passengers scrambling for safety as rain drenched the deck.

“It just turned crazy,” Stancil told FOX 35 Orlando . “It looked like a scene from the movie “Twister” is exactly what I thought, because you see these chairs flying up in the air.”

Lucas Sparrow, another eyewitness, told FOX 35 Orlando, “People were getting blown, losing their hats [and] towels.”

One lounger crashed down on an empty baby stroller as the woman pulled it. Fortunately the woman was carrying the baby and was not hit, as shown in footage posted on the Instagram account called Sunshine State of Mind 305 . (To view on some servers, you might have to click the link.)

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Sunshine State of Mind 305 (@305ssom)

Stancil’s video lasted only a bit over four minutes, showing how quickly a storm can move in. And how quickly, in this case, it can move on.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Video from fishing boat in high seas causes viewers to become ‘seasick’

Royal Caribbean responded to FOX 35’s request for comments, saying, “On Friday, June 16, while departing from Port Canaveral,  Independence of the Seas  encountered a sudden gust of high winds. This lasted for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew.  Independence of the Seas  continued its regularly scheduled 3-night itinerary, arriving to Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, on Saturday morning, as scheduled.”

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Nightly news, passengers speak out after storm causes chaos on cruise ship in florida.

Passengers are sharing videos and speaking out after a cruise ship was hit by a storm while departing from a port in Florida. High winds caused by the storm sent items on the deck flying. The company said a sudden gust of winds hit the ship during its departure but no one was seriously injured. NBC News’ Guad Venegas reports. June 25, 2023

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Port of Miami Cruises Delayed Due to Weather (Possibly 60,000 Passengers Impacted)

The Miami area has been hit by wild weather over this weekend with strong wind gusts and heavy rain. Official data counted about 1.2″ in the Miami area officially on Saturday, but wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour also hit the region. As well, tide levels reached moderate flood stage, causing havoc:

We’ve seen wind gusts as high as 56mph along parts of the South Florida coastline. The constant onshore wind is pushing us into moderate flood stage during times of high tide, about 2.2 feet higher than normal. #Miami #FLwx pic.twitter.com/oQZVVGjPTP — Brandon Orr (@BrandonOrrWPLG) December 17, 2023

As of Sunday morning, the port announced on its website and Twitter that due to the weather, “all PortMiami cruise ship boardings and departures will be delayed.”

The notice says cruise passengers should contact their cruise line for more details.

There will be a delay on Sunday, December 17th embarkation due to recent weather conditions. Please contact your cruise line for instructions and more information. pic.twitter.com/3POAPbDODc — PortMiami (@PortMiami) December 17, 2023

Given this delay is occurring on a weekend when more ships end their trips and begin new ones (known as “turnaround day), it has a significant impact on a large number of passengers. A check of ship-tracking site CruiseMapper.com shows Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in port with MSC Divina, with Oceania Insignia and Norwegian Encore in the process of docking. Meanwhile, several other ships sit offshore, waiting their turn to come into port.

Typically ships arrive in port early in the morning, between 6-7 a.m. local time. As of 11 a.m. local time today, many ships had yet to dock.

All told, nine cruise ships are scheduled to be in port today before heading back out this evening:

• Scarlet Lady (carries 2,770 passengers at double occupancy)
• Oasis of the Seas (5,602 pax)
• Grandeur of the Seas (1,992 pax)
• Norwegian Encore (3,998 pax)
• MSC Divina (3,078 pax)
• Oceania Insignia (698 pax)
• Carnival Horizon (3,960 pax)
• Carnival Celebration (5,374 pax)
• Vision of the Seas (2,050 pax)

Combined, these ships have a passenger capacity of roughly 30,000 at double occupancy . Considering that the passengers both debarking and embarking are impacted by the delay, that could mean roughly 60,000 passengers in total will be affected if the ships are sailing full.

This no doubt includes a number of passengers with flights home scheduled for later today that will likely have to be rescheduled.

If you have a cruise arriving or departing Miami today, then your cruise line should be in touch with instructions . No matter what, it’s important to pack some patience as an already busy day in port is set to be even busier.

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When will Florida cruise ship ports reopen in the wake of Hurricane Ian?

A day after Hurricane Ian slammed into the Florida coast as a Category 4 storm, three home ports for cruise ships in the state — Port Tampa Bay, Jacksonville's JAXPort and Port Canaveral — remain closed to marine traffic.

The closures have forced five cruise lines to cancel voyages out of the three ports scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

At the same time, two of Florida's three largest ports — PortMiami and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades — are back open with cruise departures scheduled to take place as normal over the next few days.

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The three ports that are closed were the closest cruise ports to the track of Hurricane Ian, which swept across Florida from west to east on Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm made landfall Wednesday more than 100 miles south of Port Tampa Bay, which was the cruise port closest to where the storm came ashore with winds of around 150 mph. The storm weakened considerably as it moved across the state to the vicinity of Port Canaveral.

Now much diminished, it's currently moving northward over the Atlantic on a course that will take it to the east of Jacksonville.

None of the three ports that are closed were directly in the path of Hurricane Ian, which has caused devastating destruction and loss of life in parts of Southwest Florida.

When will the three closed ports reopen — and how did they fare during the storm? Below, is a port-by-port look at what we know right now and what you can expect if you're scheduled to sail from one of the ports in the coming days.

Port Canaveral

The world's second-biggest cruise port has been shut down since 12 a.m. Wednesday and may not reopen for cruise ship arrivals until Saturday.

Port Canaveral did not immediately respond to questions from TPG about its status. However, in a tweet on Thursday, Royal Caribbean chief meteorologist James Van Fleet said the port had told the company it planned to survey the Port Canaveral ship channel for obstructions on Friday.

Assuming all is in order, two Royal Caribbean ships that have been stuck at sea due to the port closure — the 3,344-passenger Mariner of the Seas and the 3,858-passenger Independence of the Seas — would be able to return to Port Canaveral on Saturday morning to disemark passengers, Van Fleet suggested.

Mariner of the Seas had been scheduled to return to Port Canaveral to disembark passengers on Thursday and Independence of the Seas had been scheduled to return to the port on Friday.

Voyages on both of the ships scheduled to begin in Port Canaveral on Thursday and Friday, respectively, have been canceled.

Related: At least five ships stuck at sea as Hurricane Ian closes Florida ports

Departures out of Port Canaveral on Thursday and Friday scheduled for Disney Cruise Line 's Disney Wish; Carnival Cruise Line 's Carnival Liberty; MSC Cruises ' MSC Divina; and Norwegian Cruise Line 's Norwegian Getaway also have been canceled.

The next cruises out of Port Canaveral still on the schedule are set to depart the port late Saturday. They include sailings of Disney's Disney Fantasy; and Carnival's Carnival Freedom and Mardi Gras .

Ten major cruise vessels operate regularly out of Port Canaveral this time of year.

Jacksonville's cruise port has been closed to marine traffic since 12 p.m. EDT Wednesday and there is no date or time yet set for when it will reopen.

"Once the storm passes, the Coast Guard will determine when it is safe to reopen," a representative for the port told TPG on Thursday afternoon in response to questions sent over Twitter.

Related: Don't cruise during hurricane season without reading this

As is the case with the other closed ports in Florida, JAXPort can't start the process of reopening the port until the U.S. Coast Guard lifts its declaration of a Port Condition Zulu for the port.

Under Port Condition Zulu, a port must remain closed to all vessel traffic unless specifically authorized by the Coast Guard's Captain of the Port.

"We have port assessment teams on standby to assess any damage and reopen the port as quickly as possible once the Coast Guard lifts condition Zulu," the representative of JAXPort told TPG. "Once Zulu is lifted, safely reopening the cruise terminal is a top priority."

Carnival, the only line to operate sailings out JAXPort, canceled the Thursday departure of the one ship it has based at the port, the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation.

Carnival Elation sails out of JAXPort every Thursday and Sunday. As of now, the ship's Sunday departure is still scheduled to take place.

Port Tampa Bay

Port Tampa Bay — the main port for the Tampa area — has been closed to marine traffic since 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday and there is no date or time yet set for when it will reopen.

In a tweet Thursday afternoon, the port said the U.S. Coast Guard was working with a port heavy weather advisory group to do a detailed assessment of the port, waterways and channels.

In a subsequent tweet, the port said its current priorities were "safety of life, protection of the environment, & a full return to cargo and cruise operations."

Only one cruise vessel, Carnival's 2,052-passenger Carnival Paradise, sails regularly from the city at this time of year.

Carnival has canceled Thursday's departure of Carnival Paradise from Port Tampa Bay, which was at sea at the time Hurricane Ian hit Florida. The vessel is now on its way back to the Tampa area from Cozumel, Mexico, but Carnival has not said when it might arrive.

Carnival Paradise's next sailing out of Port Tampa Bay, scheduled for Sunday, still is scheduled to take place as of now.

Port Tampa Bay did not immediately respond to questions about its status from TPG.

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Cruisers stuck at sea as rough weather closes cruise ports: 'I'm bummed'

Cruisers stuck at sea as weather shuts ports.

Rough seas are impacting cruise ships trying to sail away from danger.  Some cruisers are stuck at sea because it isn’t safe to dock at certain ports. 

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - Rough seas are impacting cruise ships trying to sail away from danger. Some cruisers are stuck at sea because it isn’t safe to dock at certain ports.  

Longtime cruisers didn't think there would be any weather disruptions in December, so they were surprised by the weather system. They are making the most of their vacation, but sailing around in circles isn't what they were hoping for. 

"Instead of walking around on islands and enjoying the nice weather, you’re kind of stuck on a cruise ship out in the water," said Daniel Ruiz who’s on board the Carnival Vista. 

He’s cruised before, and this trip hasn’t been smooth sailing. 

"I’m bummed that we didn’t get to go to Grand Turks," he said. 

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It wasn’t safe for the ship to dock, so Ruiz missed out on his pre-planned ATV excursion. Instead, he’s making the most of what he can on board the ship. 

"Eating – you know. Eating. You can never get away from the eating. There’s always food," Ruiz said chuckling. 

He isn’t alone in that choice. 

"Eat your weight in whatever the heck you can get a hold of. Get the drink package," said Larry and Kristen Cantor, who are first-time cruisers. 

The Cantor family is a little bummed because they had been planning this Christmas cruise for a while. They’re sailing on Allure of the Seas and didn’t make it to Coco Cay because of bad weather.  

"It is kind of a letdown, but that’s life. You got to learn to deal with it," Larry added.  

The howling wind they can hear from their balcony is a constant reminder of how rough conditions are. Some pool decks even had to close on Thursday to make sure passengers stayed on board.  

"When we were up on the top deck where the pools and things are, you could see people looking like they were going to get blown away," Larry concluded. 

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

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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Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire for Second Time in 2 Years After Passengers Report Lightning Strike

The incident marks the second time in two years this particular ship has caught fire. It has caused the cancellation of two upcoming voyages

A Carnival cruise ship’s exhaust funnel caught fire on Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas, causing the company to cancel its next two voyages.

This is the second time in less than two years that the Carnival Freedom, based in Port Canaveral, Fla., has been impacted by a fire.

"Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought, and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations, told Florida Today in a statement. "The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs."

PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival, but did not immediately hear back.

While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Carnival noted in a post on X Saturday that eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike.

One of the cruise’s passengers, Heath Barnes, posted footage of the incident on Facebook Saturday afternoon.

In a statement to TMX, Barnes said it had been storming on and off and he was on one of the ship’s upper decks when he experienced “the loudest thunder and lightening [sic] I have ever heard.”

After he returned to his cabin for about 15 minutes, his nephew and two friends came to tell him the ship was on fire.

“I thought they were giving me a hard time but I got up and went out on the balcony and sure enough the flames and smoke was pouring out of the tail,” he continued, adding that he took the videos from his balcony before travelers were asked to stay indoors.

Related: Carnival Cruise Ship Catches Fire During Visit to Turks and Caicos Islands

Carnival's brand ambassador John Heald addressed the incident on Facebook, acknowledging that those impacted by the cancellations “will be feeling very disappointed.” 

“And I want to add my apologies and my assurances that when you rebook using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the Fun you deserve,” he added.

Related: 2 Holland America Line Crew Members Killed During Onboard 'Incident' in the Bahamas

In May 2022, the Carnival Freedom caught fire during a five-day cruise to Turks and Caicos.

At the time, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of the ship while it was in Grand Turk.

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The company said its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival added.

The 948-foot Carnival Freedom, built in 2007, can hold just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper .

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Read the original article on People .

Man dies after falling overboard from Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas cruise ship

The coast guard is investigating the cause of the man's fall., by gerardo pons • published may 30, 2024 • updated on may 30, 2024 at 6:08 pm.

The U.S. Coast Guard recovered the body of a man who fell overboard from a Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Sea cruise ship on Sunday, officials said.

Officials were alerted of the incident on Sunday, May 26, as the cruise ship was 300 miles off the Florida coast on its way to Mahogany Bay, Honduras, officials said.

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"The Coast Guard received notice that a man had fallen overboard from the Icon of the Seas," U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Eric Rodríguez told Telemundo Miami . "Coast Guard District Seven launched a C-27 aircraft while the cruiser deployed one of her own rescue boats."

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the man's fall. No more information was revealed.  

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At nearly 1,200 feet long and weighing 250,800 gross tons, the Icon of the Sea is the world's largest cruise ship . It departed on its maiden voyage on Jan. 27 from Miami.

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2 cruise ship workers arrested in Florida on child porn possession charges

Iputuagus karnawan and imadewisma dana, both 28, were arrested at the port on monday, records showed, by nbc6 • published june 4, 2024 • updated on june 4, 2024 at 7:27 pm.

Two cruise ship workers were arrested at PortMiami after authorities said they found child pornography videos on their phones.

Iputuagus Karnawan and Imadewisma Dana, both 28, were arrested at the port on Monday, records showed.

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Dana faces five counts of possession of images showing sexual performance by a child while Karnawan faces four similar counts.

According to arrest reports, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was conducting routine cabin searches and came across videos of suspected child abuse material on their cellphones.

Miami-Dade Police responded to take over the investigation and arrested the two men.

The reports didn't say which cruise line the men worked for or which ship they were on.

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Both men were booked into jail and later appeared in court, where Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer set their bond at $2,500 on each count.

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But Dana and Karnawan, who the reports said are from Indonesia, were being kept behind bars on an immigration hold, records showed.

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• Grand Rapids/Muskegon
• Saginaw/Bay City
• All Michigan

Mackinac Island’s Sip n’ Sail Cruises sold to private equity firm with dinner boat fleet

• Updated: Jun. 03, 2024, 9:15 a.m. |
• Published: Jun. 03, 2024, 8:57 a.m.

• Tanda Gmiter | [email protected]

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - After a decade of plying the waters around Mackinac Island as a day trip and sunset-themed cruise boat company, Sip n’ Sail Cruises has been sold to the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a Florida-based private equity firm that also is majority owner of the nearby Shepler’s ferry service.

The Hoffmann Family executives believe this acquisition, announced over the weekend , is an especially good fit given their expanding presence in Northern Michigan and because it brings their fleet of U.S.-based dinner cruise operations to 22 vessels, now spread across seven states.

“The Hoffmann Family’s reputation in the marine industry is well-known and the opportunity to take Sip n’ Sail Cruises to the next level with such a nationally-recognized company is a logical fit for us,” said Veronica Dobrowolski, the CEO and co-owner of Arnold Freight, which ferries much of the island’s cargo and supplies over from the mainland. She had owned Sip n’ Sail Cruises with business partner Andrew Doud, whose family owns the island’s longtime general store. Now that the sale is complete, Dobrowolski will remain with the cruise company as general manager. “We are excited and looking forward to growing their brand and providing greater opportunities for our guests.”

Sip n’ Sail boat tours have been offering private charters and daytime and sunset cruises to Mackinac Island visitors since 2015, and it’s unlikely customers would see any changes this season, which is already underway. Sip n’ Sail is back on the water with two boats and a schedule packed full of extras.

Live music, sunset cruises, history-themed trips all rub shoulders on the summer events calendar with Michigan craft beer cruises, Bloody Mary and Mimosa sails, and the ever-popular Easy Like Sunday Morning trips that just seem to put an exclamation point on an island weekend.

The cruise operation has two boats: The 55-foot Robin E, which has a glass-bottom section for some cool underwater views. And it has the majestic Isle Royale Queen III, which is 81 feet long and features heated cabins, a full-service cash bar and live entertainment topside on most cruises.

The Robin E, a former Pictured Rocks cruise boat, had been owned by Dan Musser, former owner of the island’s Grand Hotel, and leased to Sip n’ Sail. The Hoffmann Family of Companies has purchased the Robin E from Musser as part of the deal, Dobrowolski said.

The Isle Royale Queen III set offs from Mackinac Island during a Sip n' Sail Sunset Cruise on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. The cruise goes under the Mackinac Bridge before returning to the island. Neil Blake | MLive.com

The Hoffmann Family executives said the island’s cruise business caught their eye right away.

“As soon as Shepler’s Ferry brought me to Mackinac Island, I went straight to see the Sip n’ Sail fleet,” said Jenny Gezella, president of Hoffmann Marine. “Veronica Dobrowolski, Andrew Doud and their team have done an outstanding job delivering first-class cruise experiences, offering guests an intimate view of the island’s beauty. Their operation is a perfect addition to our dinner cruise business, and we are thrilled to welcome Veronica and her team into our family.”

No terms of the deal or a sale price has been disclosed, according to Florida’s Business Observer , one of the first to report the sale.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies’ owners have backgrounds in real estate and private equity investments. According to the company, it has 9,000 employees spread across its business interests in 30 countries. This includes a wide array of holdings like Hertz Arena and the Florida Everblades hockey team, and vacation-based transit companies like The Naples Princess & Miss Naples boats and Naples Transportation & Tours.

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