- Passengers on the Pacific Encounter have filmed wild weather on the ship.
- Pacific Encounter made her way safely into Brisbane yesterday.
- While the seas might be rough, some passengers are still enjoying their cruise.
- Carnival Luminosa‘s three-day cruise departing on March 6 has been cancelled.
Passengers on a P&O Cruise ship have captured footage of the ship getting battered by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which is currently off the Queensland coast.
The Pacific Encounter safely returned to Brisbane on Tuesday, while some of the other cruise ships like Norwegian Sun and Queen Anne were diverted.
Leisa Hassell, one of the passengers onboard said on social media that she wasn’t worried about the ship’s movements as the Pacific Encounter made its way into Brisbane.
“It wasn’t that bad for us, but some people had a difficult time coping with the wave,” Hassall said in a video on social media.
“The captain did an excellent job to steer us away from it and to go into the waves rather than be rolled by waves.”
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that there were “abnormally high” ocean tides of up to nine metres, as well as high and destructive winds were forecast as Alfred nears the coast.
“Destructive wind gusts of up to 155 kilometres per hour may develop about the exposed coastal and island locations near and to the south of the track as Alfred’s destructive core approaches and crosses the coast late Thursday or early Friday,” the BoM’s update yesterday said.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall by Thursday or Friday morning at the latest.
Cunard cruiser, Janet Simpson said while she was disappointed not to visit Brisbane, the city where she grew up, she praised the staff and crew for outrunning the cyclone.
“So glad we did the extra leg as Sydney did not disappoint. I was prepared for a repeat performance in Brisbane where I grew up but sadly after leaving Sydney, we went at great speed to outrun Cyclone Alfred.
“Queen Anne had no desire to greet an old relative and she succeeded as we are now in the calm waters of the Whitsundays. With our awful night of very rough weather behind us the Queen is very happy not to have had a family reunion with Cyclone Alfred.”
Carnival has been forced to cancel a three-day cruise onboard the Carnival Luminosa.
“We are continuing to closely monitor Tropical Cyclone Alfred. Given its current track, the storm is expected to directly impact the Brisbane area in the coming days and the port is now closed,” said the line in a statement.
“Regrettably, we have no option but to cancel Carnival Luminosa’s 3-day cruise departing tomorrow, 6 March. Guests will receive a full refund for their cruise fare and all pre-purchased items.
“As the safety of our guests and crew is the priority, Carnival Luminosa’s current voyage will be delayed coming back from the South Pacific until it is safe to return to Brisbane, the earliest being Saturday morning. The Captain is sailing a safe distance from the storm to minimise discomfort for our guests.
“We know this is disappointing and we thank guests for their understanding.
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We wish we had the opportunity to cancel our trip on Tuesday 4th March out of Brisbane. Absolutely no communication or help given. We have lost our fares with no offer of a refund. We were told the port of Brisbae was closed. This was tobeour 1st cruising experience. We wonder how many other passengers wr put into the same situation. No more cases for us.