Southampton cruise ship hit by ‘extreme wind and waves’

This image made available by Flavio Cadegiani shows damage to Royal Caribbean’s ship Anthem of the Seas, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016.

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship that was rocked by hurricane-force winds overnight is sailing back to port in Bayonne, New Jersey.

No serious injuries were reported.

#AnthemoftheSeas will turn around & sail back to Cape Liberty.

150mph winds messed up our Royal Caribbean Cruise on Anthem of the Seas. Nelson said Monday on the Senate floor, according to a news release from his office.

Questions are being raised about whether the ship failed to heed storm warnings which had been forecast for days.

Royal Caribbean apologised and said the ship’s seaworthiness was not affected. “Panic attack, things like that – I’ve been on over 20 cruises, I’ve been through a hurricane, it was never like this”.

I’m not being over dramatic by saying it was the scariest moments of my life- having no control in hurricane like winds for hours on end with baby on board, not being able to leave our cabins.

The weather conditions did improve and Anthem of the Seas continued on course for its first port of call at Port Canaveral, Florida but with a delay.

Jonathan said passengers were allowed to leave their cabins late Sunday night and that all seemed to be back to normal on Monday under partly sunny skies and a temperature of 60 degrees. Sixteen-year-old Lairson and her father – – of Ocean City, New Jersey – heard glasses in their bathroom shatter, and they put belongings in drawers and closets to prevent them from flying across the room.

The ship – with more than 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members – sailed from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. The ship was originally scheduled to dock in Port Canaveral, Florida, around noon Monday.

Royal Caribbean gave guests free Internet access and a complimentary cocktail hour, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in an email. This decision was made for guests’ comfort due to weather forecasts.

Royal Caribbean said passengers will receive full refunds of the fare they paid for the cruise and a credit for a future cruise equal to 50% of the fare. Passengers onboard buzzed happily about that news, Strand said. “The ship has sustained some damage to the public areas and guest staterooms, which in no way affect the sea-worthiness of the ship”, the statement said. “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.

She praised the captain and crew and says the ship held up well, with damage in only a few places.

Fellow passenger Jacob Ibrag agreed.

Robert Huschka, the executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, was on the cruise and told USA Today that passengers were told to remain in their cabins at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

“I’m not going to lie”, Huschka added. 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. “Perfect TV picture throughout storm!”