Cruise Ship Damaged in Atlantic Storm to Return to New Jersey Port

A Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. cruise ship headed to Florida that ran into high winds and rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday will turn around and return to Cape Liberty, N.J., the company said Monday.

The storm forced frightened passengers into their cabins overnight as their belongings flew about and winds howled outside. People on board the Anthem of the Seas described waves as high as 30 feet, but the cruise line says no one was injured and the ship suffered minor damage and was safe to remain at sea.

"I was shaking all over," Shara Strand of New York City wrote to the Associated Press via Facebook on Monday. "Panic attack, things like that…I've been on over 20 cruises, I've been through a hurricane, it was never like this. Never."

The ship, with more than 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members, was sailing from Cape Liberty and had been scheduled to arrive in Port Canaveral, Fla., at noon Monday. But Royal Caribbean said on its corporate Twitter account that the ship would turn around and sail back to Cape Liberty.

"This decision was made for guests' comfort due to weather forecasts" that would continue to affect the ship's itinerary, Royal Caribbean tweeted. Guests will get a full refund and a certificate toward a future cruise, according to the Twitter account.

Gabriella Lairson says that by early Monday morning, people were out and about on the ship, checking out the minor damage in some public areas. Some staterooms also were damaged, according to a Royal Caribbean statement.

Ms. Lairson praised the crew and captain. "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. "The Captain regularly gave us updates."

Martinez confirmed that passengers were asked to stay in their rooms and said they were given complimentary access to their minibars.

Robert Huschka, the executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, was aboard and started tweeting when the inclement weather hit. He told USA Today that the ordeal was "truly terrifying." He described the cruise director nervously giving updates, and he later posted photos of shattered glass panels on a pool deck.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 08, 2016 14:05 ET (19:05 GMT)

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