Storm-Tossed Cruise Ship Returns To NJ Port: ‘All Hell Broke Loose’

The MS Anthem of the Seas was forced to return to its New Jersey port, bringing with it 4,500 rattled guests and 1,600 crew.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement that the ship experienced “extreme wind and sea conditions, with wind speeds higher than what was forecasted”.

Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the panel that oversees the National Transportation Safety Board, asked that the agency include Sunday’s event in its investigation into last year’s sinking of El Faro, a cargo ship that ran into a hurricane.

Baumgartner told The Jersey Journal today that when the Anthem of the Seas encountered the storm, the ship’s captain “executed normal tactics for a storm like that” to minimize discomfort for guests.

“Did Royal Caribbean know about the forecast for a potentially risky storm in the days prior to the ship’s departure?” “Holidaying on firmer ground seems very attractive as I write”, he said. She said the ship’s decks tilted sometimes more than 45 degrees and that she was unable to stand during much of Sunday night.

But federal forecasters from NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center had warned of a strong storm in the Atlantic for four days before Sunday. While just four passengers were injured, according the line, passengers reported being terrified. “So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?”

Anthem Captain Claus Andersen filmed a discussion of the storm, widely available on video as of yesterday.

Passenger Scott Tomback said the ship’s master made it clear from the start that he was going to try to outrun the storm.

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy off the Carolina coast recorded a gust of 76 miles per hour, above hurricane-force winds, and waves of 30 feet high, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

Writing on his Rhino Car Hire blog, Partridge said the captain had described the time as his “worst day at sea”. “I think a lot of people on the ship share this sentiment that this was a lapse in judgment on either Royal Caribbean’s part or the captain’s part”, he said.

Anthem of the Seas is based in the Bahamas, and investigators from the island, along with the Coast Guard, will look into the recent incident that left the ship with damage to public gathering areas for guests.

One passenger on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was rocked by hurricane-force winds said she was afraid for her life as the boat tipped side to side and she lay in bed shaking.

AAA of Western New York confirms it booked two local passengers on one of the largest and newest cruise ships and the Anthem of the Seas was set to return home this weekend. Nelson said from the Senate floor Monday.

Local travel agent Scott Lara says he was in 40-foot waves when he was in the U.S. Navy and could only imagine what passengers were feeling.

Royal Caribbean International will provide each guest with full refund and each guest will get a certificate for 50% off their next cruise.