People on the massive Royal Caribbean cruise ship named ‘Explorer of the Seas’ experienced a terrifying moment where the ship “tilted 45 degrees” while they were on board. Reports indicated the tilt happened due to extreme weather conditions off the coast of Africa.
Those on board had to cling to things bolted on the ship to keep their balance. One person was injured in the incident.
BEIHAI, CHINA – NOVEMBER 15: The Blue Dream Melody cruise ship docks at the Beibu Gulf International Cruise Home Port on November 15, 2024 in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. More than 1,000 tourists boarded the Blue Dream Melody cruise ship in Beihai on November 15 afternoon, embarking on a three-day, two-night cruise to Halong Bay in Vietnam, which marks the inaugural route following the opening of the Beibu Gulf International Cruise Homeport on the same day. (Photo by Zhai Liqiang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
A relaxing vacation at sea can be so good that once you take a cruise, you may want to keep doing it over and over again.
Unfortunately though, holidays don’t always end up the way we plan them — sometimes, things go wrong.
The ship was packed with amenities
LISBON, PORTUGAL – AUGUST 31: Celebrity Equinox, a 121,878 GT Solstice-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and operated by Celebrity Cruises, sails the Tagus River after leaving Lisbon cruise terminal on August 31, 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal. The Port of Lisbon reached a new record in July 2024, with the highest number of cruise passengers ever for this month. A total of 58,141 passengers, meant a 6% increase on the previous record of 2023, with 54,992 passengers, mainly due to the 35% growth in transit cruise passengers, equivalent to a rise from 39,245 to 52,797 tourists in this category between 2023 and 2024. According to an economic impact study promoted by the Port of Lisbon Administration, cruise activity had a direct economic impact on the city of more than 83 million euros, considering the 102,680 passengers who embarked and the 554,324 who were in transit, for an embarked passenger spends an average of 367 euros and a passenger in transit 82 euros. Tourism generated 25 billion euros in Portugal during 2023, the best year ever for the country. (Photo by Horacio Villalobos#Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The cruise ship Explorer of the Seas is run by Royal Caribbean cruise line and is one of the company’s more luxurious vessels.
The ship comes with a plethora of entertainment spots, such as waterslides, a mini-golf course, and a skating rink.
The ship rocked in the ocean
UNSPECIFIED, ANTARCTICA – DECEMBER 18: A ship is seen on December 18, 2019 in Antarctica. (Photo by Zheng Xianzhang/VCG via Getty Images)
Explorer of the Seas was holding more than 5000 crew members and passengers while sailing the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to Florida, USA. It hit rough seas near Tenerife, just off of the Canary Islands.
The ship rocked, leaving things to fall on the ground, breaking and trashing the floor of the vessel.
Things fell on the floor as the ship rocked
Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s “Ovation of the Seas” on Dec 29, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. The cruise ship is based in the southern summer season city of Sydney and cruises there before basing to Tianjin for the northern summer season.
Drinks fell off their tables and fragile items flew from their shelves and countertops. The shopping center in the middle of the ship was reportedly damaged.
The ship had been sailing from Barcelona to Miami before it got hit by an “unexpected” gust of wind.
A gust of wind broke things on the ship
PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES – JULY 19: Spectators wave as Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas, sails from Port Canaveral on its inaugural cruise with paying customers on July 19, 2024 in Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship can accommodate 5,668 passengers and is scheduled to make three and four night sailings from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The ship was rocked by the wind, which left many areas like the main shopping place at the center of the ship looking worse for wear.
Shops on board were destroyed
This picture taken on October 9, 2021 shows bottles of locally made honey and fruit syrups on shelves where gin was once displayed at the Teens of Thailand cocktail bar in Bangkok. – As gin bottles gather dust, a Bangkok bar owner is trying to keep his joint going through a covid booze ban with fruity mocktails seasoned with kratom, a recently decriminalised tropical herb.
– To go with ‘THAILAND-HEALTH-VIRUS-NIGHTLIFE,FOCUS’ by Lisa MARTIN (Photo by Jack TAYLOR / AFP) / To go with ‘THAILAND-HEALTH-VIRUS-NIGHTLIFE,FOCUS’ by Lisa MARTIN (Photo by JACK TAYLOR/AFP via Getty Images)
CBS News reported that a passenger said the winds went from 46 mph to 86 mph.
Stores at the cruise’s shopping center were full of piled up clothes that had fallen from their racks. Bottles behind the bars in the ship’s drinking areas were all broken on the floor.
People on the cruise had to hold on
Passengers on Explorer of the Seas holding on while the ship rocked (Kennedy News/bookeeping.ai)
Passengers as well as crew members were seen holding on for balance as the ship tilted. They also attempted to avoid the advertising boards which flew around because of the movement.
A passenger told CBS News that people were confused about the event at first.
People were wondering what was happening
Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s “Ovation of the Seas” on Dec 29, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. The cruise ship is based in the southern summer season city of Sydney and cruises there before basing to Tianjin for the northern summer season.
“I think there was about five minutes in there where everybody was wondering what was going on, but as soon as the captain came on and made the announcement of what had happened, (it) kind of gave you a sense of calmness,” a passenger said.
The ship took an intense turn
Cruise ship anchored off the shore of Grand Cayman Island, Royal Caribbean cruise liner Mariner of the Sea and Carnival Cruise Liner, turning to return to sea. (Photo by: MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The passenger also said that he felt the ship take a “hard right turn” followed by another, more intense one.
One passenger was injured in the incident, prompting the ship to redirect to Las Palmas in the Canary Island to provide medical help.
A cruise line spokesperson explained the incident
Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s “Ovation of the Seas” on Dec 29, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. The cruise ship is based in the southern summer season city of Sydney and cruises there before basing to Tianjin for the northern summer season.
A spokesperson from Royal Caribbean said, “During an unexpected wind gust near Tenerife, Spain, one of our sailings experienced sudden movement. One of our guests was injured and requires additional medical care, so the ship will make a call in Las Palmas, Spain for a medical disembarkation.
The ship is expected to arrive in Miami in about a week from now.
