It’s every passenger’s nightmare – hunkered down in your cabin, clinging to your bunk as your ship is being battered by cyclonic winds and monstrousl waves.
Earlier this week, passengers onboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas were confined to their cabins after the captain made the decision to sail through a hurricane.
One passenger, Maureen Peters, told CNN she thought she would never see her family again. She clung to her mattress to avoid falling off her bed as waves up to 30 feet high battered one of the world’s biggest ships like a paper boat.
Many passengers are furious about the captain’s decision to sail through the storm, despite storm warnings.
“The boat should have never gone out,” said Ms Peters.
So is she right? Should Anthem of the Seas have set sail with 1,500 crew and 6,000 passengers, four of which returned home with minor injuries?
So who is responsible?
According to the RCCL’s senior vice president of Global Marine Operations Bill Baumgartner, it’s up to the captain, and the captain only, as to whether the ship leaves port.
According to Mr Baumgartner, the captain will weigh the options of a “fleet of captains ashore” who review the situation and make recommendations on the safest route to take
What did the captain know before he sailed?
Mr Baumgartner said that all of Royal Caribbean’s captains receive and review multiple weather forecasts, some being sophisticated enough to even predict the development of storms.
But in this case, the captain who has been at Royal Caribbean for more than 15 years spotted the storm with winds forecast at 63 to 74 mph.
The National Weather Service’s ocean predicted that winds were forecast to be 46 to 57 mph and 23 to 31 foot seas on Sunday night.
No one anticipated the ferocity. “We simply didn’t anticipate that it could be 125 mile per hour winds,” said Mr Baumgartner.
For 12 hours, passengers confined to their cabins.
Do passengers stand a chance of getting their money back?
The line has issued an apology to passengers, but has not mentioned anything about financial compensation.
Maritime attorney Jim Walker told CNN that it’s highly unlike passengers will get reimbursed for their trip unless they have travel insurance.
Mr Walker said passengers have contacted him to represent them but without serious injury, they don’t have a legal claim.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said, “Royal Caribbean International announced right away that it will provide each guest with full refund of the fare paid for their cruise as well as providing each guest with a future cruise certificate for 50% of the cruise fare paid.”
But in Australia, remember, a number of passengers have filed a class action against Carnival Cruise Line for rerouting a trip, bound for Vanuatu, to Melbourne and Hobart while Cyclone Pam battered much of the South Pacific.
So what would you rather? A rerouted cruise or for your ship to battle Mother Nature? Speaking to an industry expert who just simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “It seems like the cruise lines will never win.”
Tell us what you think?
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About passenger Maureen Peters line ” the boat should never have gone out”
When oh when are people on SHIPS particularly from the USA and Australia going to get it through their skulls that when they are on a cruise they are on a SHIP and not a BOAT !!!!
Hi MH,
Thank you for your generous comment on the story, that has generated a lot of buzz amongst our readers. Its always great to read the opinion of an avid cruiser.
Cruise Passenger team
Hi Jude,
Thanks for your comment and sharing your views on the story
Cruise Passenger team
Hi Dale,
Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise experience and your views on the story.
Cruise Passenger team
The Captain always makes the right choice, I have cruised now 18+ times out of Australia, on a number occasions we either missed ports or had to leave port due to cyclones.. ( as i cruise in our cyclone period) on one occasion we had had seas with 9 meter waves that were breaking over & on to the 12th deck, we were also listing badly as the winds increased, seas like the weather are unpredictable & move quicker than any vessel.
If the Captain had of remained in port then the damage & passenger discomfort would have been far worse.. Not once have i even thought of seeking reimbursement or part there of as it was my decision to cruise during the Cyclone Period.. Yes it was Scary & yes i did suffer minor injuries & discomfort.. Did i blame the Captain or staff in general, NO. You will find (as i discovered by observing passengers) that most of the problems that arise like mild food poisoning, diarrhea etc is mostly caused from poor hygiene, more than once whilst using the public toilets i have observed male passengers failing to follow protocol & wash their hands as well as observed people using their hands to select items of food (picking thru the items until they select the one they want) So in ending the Captain did what he thought was the right thing (which i have no doubt he did with the passengers well being foremost..) If people see it for what it is (unpredictable) then the should think about changing their cruising criteria & stick to the safety of the rivers, lakes etc… The Captain & Crew have my vote & support.. Thank You..
Passenger safety AND comfort should come before anything else. I would rather return to port than risk our lives. How often does this happen to such a degree? Some compensation, eg cruise vouchers, should be offered in severe cases. After all, you have paid hard earned and sometimes a whole year or more of savings for a cruise.
The size and ‘top-heaviness’ of these huge new ships concern me. Don’t think I’ll be sailing in them. Will rather stick to smaller vessels with a good track record.
“A rerouted cruise or for your ship to battle Mother Nature? Speaking to an industry expert who just simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “It seems like the cruise lines will never win.””
Easily a re-routed cruise.
At least you can have an enjoyable holiday, just different from what was expected. And without any injuries as per the 4 passengers injured here! Further even for those not injured, they wound up with a cruise shorter than expected, without any ports, and locked in their rooms, or at least inside almost the whole trip. Not sure who would suggest going ahead was the better option.
As for the lament that the cruise lines never win, they are the ones setting the itineraries and base ports, and choosing when. Many cruisers would not sail in the north-east US during Winter due to the ferocious storms and snow that can arise. It’s not uncommon for NY airports to be shut down for days and even weeks due to snow. It’s like those taking a land holiday to Fiji in February – a high risk of cyclones. But Fiji doesn’t have the benefit of being able to move, unlike ships.
Not mentioned here or in many places, those on the previous cruise – while it went ahead – lost one day due to snow, and wound up with a generally less appealing and almost completely different itinerary due to that. So many cruisers at this time on Anthem have been dissatisfied. This placement of the ship is purely up to the cruise line, and hence the cruise line can win – by not locating cruises in high risk areas during storm seasons.