Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico

Table Of Content

• What Makes Sharkbanz Your Ultimate Fearless Travel Protection?
• Dramatic video captures chopper pulling pregnant woman from Disney cruise ship
• Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico
• Porthole Party 2022: Unforgettable Highlights and Industry Networking
• Hurricane Season Predictions
• Opting for more casual dining options on formal nights
• Bad Weather Causing Multiple Itinerary Changes

The stop in CocoCay was to have been on Wednesday, December 13, but was not possible due to high winds. Allure of the Seas arrived back at Port Canaveral on schedule on Friday morning, though it is likely her next itinerary – a 3-night weekend getaway to Nassau and CocoCay, will also be impacted by the poor weather. Carnival Cruise Line has informed guests arriving for their Carnival Pride December 17 departure from Port Tampa Bay that embarkation is delayed by two hours.

What Makes Sharkbanz Your Ultimate Fearless Travel Protection?

This includes implementing state-of-the-art navigation systems, improved lifeboat capacity, and enhanced emergency response protocols. Transitioning into the subsequent section about ‘lessons learned from sunk cruise ships,’ it is crucial to analyze the experiences of survivors and the effectiveness of rescue operations to prevent future tragedies. These include the use of advanced navigation systems, such as radar and GPS, to detect and avoid potential collisions. Additionally, crew members are trained to follow strict protocols when navigating in crowded waters and are required to maintain constant communication with other ships. Regular maintenance and inspections of the ship’s hull and equipment are also conducted to ensure their integrity and prevent any potential malfunctions that could lead to a sinking. One of the main causes of sinking cruise ships is a collision with another vessel.

Dramatic video captures chopper pulling pregnant woman from Disney cruise ship

We made our decision to cruise based on the best information we had at the time we were to depart, and would trust in the cruise line to provide information and changes as needed. First and foremost, you can expect more questions than answers in the days before a cruise when there's a hurricane. She tweeted again on Saturday afternoon, describing "14 hours of high winds, rain and massive waves." 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.

Royal Caribbean Ship Impacted by Sudden Storm in Gulf of Mexico

Multiple cruise ships have itinerary changes and delays due to a bad weather system over the Bahamas and Florida. While I think most people understand cruise ships don't sail into hurricanes, the most common question I've received during my cruise is something along the lines of, "how bad are the waves?". The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship made it back to port nine hours later than planned after sailing through a terrifying storm on Friday night. According to the National Hurricane Center, the word "hurricane" comes from the name "Hurican," the Caribbean god of evil.

Porthole Party 2022: Unforgettable Highlights and Industry Networking

First time cruisers will often post on Facebook to ask if their cruise will be cancelled, and it's clear that it's very unlikely a cruise will be totally cancelled. At first, they were flip-flopping her schedule to bypass Mexico and go to Grand Cayman. Allure ended up safely behind Hurricane Ian, slowly moving west as the storm cleared out of the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. "Myself being in emergency services and retired, I knew nobody was going to come and rescue us with winds over 40 knots," Overcash said. 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. As for the cruise, Montgomery said it's getting "a little depressing because you can imagine as we’re making the most of it, but most people are walking around in coats, gloves and hats."

Fascinated endlessly by the workings of the cruise industry, I delved into this topic to provide a thorough and insightful examination of the situation. “Spirit of Discovery was sadly caught in the challenging weather conditions this weekend, as she started her return to the UK. The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries. Carnival Venezia is another Carnival cruise ship that has been forced to make an itinerary change due to the bad weather. The scheduled port of call to the cruise line’s private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas on December 15 was cancelled.

There were definitely some guests upset we would not be able to visit Roatan, and that's to be expected because no one wants to be disappointed. In speaking with crew members, a few shared anecdotally some guests actually question why the ship doesn't simply sail into the storm to make the scheduled port on time. 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. 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.

The vessel was listed noticeably, and furniture on the open decks was tossed about, while indoor lounges had broken glassware and other damage. Displays tipped over in retail stores, and in the ship’s casino, slot machines tipped and fell. There are five categories in this rating system determined by the sustained wind speed found within the storm. This directly relates to the effects the storm will have when it makes landfall including the depth of the storm surge and the extent of the flooding and structural damage it causes.

Bad Weather Causing Multiple Itinerary Changes

This is particularly true in the case of Voyager of the Seas and Carnival Dream, both of which were heading back to Galveston at the time of the severe weather. During this period, tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes form in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Many of these storms stay out at sea, but some threaten the Caribbean, the eastern and gulf coasts of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

We were booked on a 6-night Western Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, and the storm would be blocking our way in one way or another. Once forecasters saw a hurricane was going to form, they produced an early track that seemed to put the storm in the way of our cruise. He said he's not going to let the frightening experience stop him from going on more cruises in the future. Carnival Sunshine, which was headed from the Bahamas to South Carolina, arrived in Charleston behind schedule, according to the spokesman. Some crew cabins needed to be temporarily taken out of service because of water damage. "The complexities involved in obtaining last-minute berths for unplanned stops and provisioning the ship along its new route left sailing to Canada and New England as the only viable option," the cruise line added.

The largest storms tend to hit the eastern Caribbean in August through October and the western Caribbean from September through November. These late summer and fall periods are also when you are likely to find some of the best cruise deals of the year. Stay tuned to Cruise Hive for further updates and itinerary changes as they are confirmed through the weekend. Guests have been provided $50 of onboard credit as compensation for the missed port. The ship is sailing an eight-night Bahamas itinerary, which did have a delayed departure out of New York City and ended up remaining overnight. Instead of her original schedule, the ship is instead heading to Costa Maya, Mexico.

To mitigate the impact of storms, cruise ships rely on advanced storm tracking technology. This technology allows them to monitor weather patterns in real-time and make informed decisions about altering their course or delaying departure. Unfortunately, La Coruna was closed to marine traffic before the ship could arrive, and the cruise ship needed to remain at sea instead. Not only do cruise ships avoid the path of a hurricane, they will chart a course with the optimal sea conditions to avoid the worst of any rough seas. When it comes to ship size, Disney cruise ships are known for their impressive dimensions. The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, for example, are approximately 1,115 feet long and 125 feet wide.

Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston - CBS News

Carnival cruise ship battered by waves in storm off Charleston.

Posted: Mon, 29 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Now let’s explore the alternatives to formal nights without missing out on the fun. On formal nights aboard Norwegian Cruise Line, there are a variety of special events that you won’t want to miss. From themed parties to live music performances, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

But note that having your cruise impacted by a hurricane is rare, even at the height of the season. In the interest of guests’ safety and comfort, cruise lines are cancelling ports of call and shifting routes to find the smoothest sailing to take advantage of. While my cruise only had a change in itinerary, other cruise ships had to remain out at sea longer because of the closure in Port Canaveral. 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.

While skipping Roatan is not ideal, it's something you have to assume could happen with any cruise on any sailing. Itinerary changes are not uncommon, regardless of if it's hurricane season or not. As anyone that deals with hurricanes a lot will tell you, the forecasts for tropical storms are quite variable and prone to changes that greatly benefit or penalize your situation. One day it might look like your ship will be clear of any issues, and the next, it looks like you're stuck. That day, Taylor said the captain made an announcement that the ship may arrive in Charleston later than scheduled due to adverse weather conditions. The captain said crew members "would do everything they could to minimize discomfort," Taylor said.