Cruise Ship Damaged in Atlantic Storm to Return to New Jersey Port
February 08 2016 - 2:20PM
Dow Jones News
A Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. cruise ship headed to Florida
that ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean on
Sunday will turn around and return to Cape Liberty, N.J., the
company said Monday.
The storm forced frightened passengers into their cabins
overnight as their belongings flew about and winds howled outside.
People on board the Anthem of the Seas described waves as high as
30 feet, but the cruise line says no one was injured and the ship
suffered minor damage and was safe to remain at sea.
"I was shaking all over," 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."
The ship, with more than 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members,
was sailing from Cape Liberty and had been scheduled to arrive in
Port Canaveral, Fla., at noon Monday. 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, according to the Twitter
account.
Gabriella Lairson says that by early Monday morning, people were
out and about on the ship, checking out the minor damage in some
public areas. Some staterooms also were damaged, according to a
Royal Caribbean statement.
Ms. Lairson praised the crew and captain. "They did everything
they could to make us feel comfortable even though they were not
allowed to be out around the ship that often," she wrote to the AP
on Facebook. "The Captain regularly gave us updates."
Martinez confirmed that passengers were asked to stay in their
rooms and said they were given complimentary access to their
minibars.
Robert Huschka, the executive editor of the Detroit Free Press,
was aboard 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.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 08, 2016 14:05 ET (19:05 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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