Answering queries from people with tickets for later cruises on the Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean said on Twitter that it wasn’t clear how long the ship would be out of service for repairs.
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Tonback was angry about the decision to attempt to outrun a storm that produced hurricane force winds and 30 foot waves.
“The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days”.
The ship, which launched last April and can hold 4,905 passengers, had an indoor surf-simulator, a climbing wall and a skydiving tunnel. The first official warning from the Ocean Prediction Center was included in the offshore waters forecast at 3:34 p.m. Saturday, Buchanan said.
Royal Caribbean said the storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, that forced Anthem of the Seas to turn around was more severe than expected.
In a statement, a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman said four passengers were injured during the storm, none seriously.
The Anthem of the Seas spent hours of the late afternoon into the evening yesterday rocking in huge storm swells.
“The captain is holding the ship in place against the wind possibly by sheer will. My cabin is making weird noises”.
Some shared videos of massive waves lashing the ship outside their cabin windows, while staff tried to prevent damage on the inside.
“I was shaking all over”, passenger Shara Strand of New York City told The Associated Press. “After that we had to keep the doors to the balconies sealed”.
The cruise line announced Monday morning it was canceling the remainder of the voyage and the ship will return to port in New Jersey. We know it was tough day on Sunday apologise for their discomfort, ‘ a Royal Caribbean spokesperson tweeted. Passengers will receive full refunds plus an additional 50 percent fare credit.
Amid the chaos, passengers are praising the calm attitude and hospitality that crew members and the captain displayed during and after the storm. “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.
Fellow passenger Jacob Ibrag agreed. “He said, “We are OK”.
He says he stayed in his cabin until noon Monday, at one point filling his backpack with essentials in case of an evacuation.
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“That certainly improved my mood.” said Robert Huschka, executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, who was on board the ship with his family. He told USA Today that the experience was “truly terrifying”. He described the cruise director nervously giving updates, and he later posted photos of shattered glass panels on a pool deck. A lot of passengers are “angry and on edge” following their ordeal according to Jonathan, who said he and his fiance have stockpiled food in the cabin. Nelson said on the Senate floor on Monday, according to a news release from his office. ‘They never lost the Super Bowl signal. It was “perfect picture during the height of the storm”, Huschka said.
