Royal Caribbean passengers are home after nightmare cruise through storm
- 8 years ago
BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY — Passengers on cruiseliner Anthem of the Seas are back on dry land and thankful to be rid of their sea legs after spending nearly a week on the Royal Caribbean ship, most of which was spent enduring a storm.
The ship returned to port at Bayonne's Cape Liberty in New Jersey, late Wednesday, Feb. 10, escorted by two tugboats and a Coast Guard vessel.
As passengers debarked, one man was heard yelling, "free at last."
The ship was carrying 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members when it departed Saturday, Feb. 6, for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. But the 1,141-foot vessel sailed into a major winter storm on Sunday off the coast of the Carolinas. Around 3:30 p.m. that day, passengers were confined to their rooms as the vessel was pounded by waves as high as 30 feet, extreme conditions that shattered glass and damaged roof panels on the ship.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Royal Caribbean apologized "for exposing [their] guests and crew to the weather they faced, and for what they went through."
According to the cruise line, Anthem of the Seas "sustained 120-mph winds," which "far exceeded forecasts."
But, as reported by The Weather Channel, the National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center has released a forecast the previous Thursday, Feb. 4 – before the ship even set sail – warning of wave heights between 23 and 31 feet in the precise area where Anthem of the Seas travelled.
An investigation into the incident will be conducted with the Coast Guard.
"The Coast Guard will participate in an investigation that will help determine if there are any contributing causal factors or lessons learned from this event that could help prevent injuries or damage in the future, as occurs with any commercial vessel operating in U.S. waters under similar circumstances," the Coast Guard said in a statement released Thursday.
Royal Caribbean will be refunding passenger ticket costs and give a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.
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The ship returned to port at Bayonne's Cape Liberty in New Jersey, late Wednesday, Feb. 10, escorted by two tugboats and a Coast Guard vessel.
As passengers debarked, one man was heard yelling, "free at last."
The ship was carrying 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members when it departed Saturday, Feb. 6, for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. But the 1,141-foot vessel sailed into a major winter storm on Sunday off the coast of the Carolinas. Around 3:30 p.m. that day, passengers were confined to their rooms as the vessel was pounded by waves as high as 30 feet, extreme conditions that shattered glass and damaged roof panels on the ship.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Royal Caribbean apologized "for exposing [their] guests and crew to the weather they faced, and for what they went through."
According to the cruise line, Anthem of the Seas "sustained 120-mph winds," which "far exceeded forecasts."
But, as reported by The Weather Channel, the National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center has released a forecast the previous Thursday, Feb. 4 – before the ship even set sail – warning of wave heights between 23 and 31 feet in the precise area where Anthem of the Seas travelled.
An investigation into the incident will be conducted with the Coast Guard.
"The Coast Guard will participate in an investigation that will help determine if there are any contributing causal factors or lessons learned from this event that could help prevent injuries or damage in the future, as occurs with any commercial vessel operating in U.S. waters under similar circumstances," the Coast Guard said in a statement released Thursday.
Royal Caribbean will be refunding passenger ticket costs and give a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
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Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus