A cruise ship captain, and the ship’s parent company, are coming under fire from passengers who sailed directly through last week’s mega winter storm.
Passengers on the Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Breakaway, are angry, saying they sailed through the storm that was described as a bomb cyclone due to a business decision made by the company, CBS reported.
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris
The trip left the Bahamas last week before the storm to make its way to New York.
The 4,000-passenger ship was rocking from the rough seas and storm.
The New York Daily News reported that the ship encountered 30-foot swells, sending water into rooms and elevators.
One passenger, Christina Mendez, told WCBS, "Water started leaking and then it became so cold we had Popsicles inside our room ... Flooding in the bathroom because we were at tilt. The water just gushed out."
The Winston-Salem Journal reported that some passengers claimed there were burst pipes, and balcony doors on a couple of suites were ripped from their hinges.
Passengers also told the paper that they knew there could be rough seas when an acrobat fell 10 feet to the stage during a show.
Mendez also said that the captain did not provide updates in a timely manner with enough information as they sailed through the storm’s path.
As the Breakaway sailed north, another ship owned by Norwegian Cruise Line, The Gem, sailed south from New York, crossing paths with the first ship.
Photos apparently from the Gem show waves hitting the Breakaway’s sides.
The cruise line told CBS in a statement that the Breakaway experienced weather that was stronger than forecasted,
Norwegian is working with guests on an individual basis on compensation and have apologized to those on board for any discomfort.
The Breakaway arrived late, delaying the embarkation for those who were leaving New York on a 14-day trip.
"We were at the tail end of the cruise," Mendez alleged. "We already passed New Year's Eve, all the heavy spenders were probably broke by now. But They wanted to get all those new customers with new money with a 14-day cruise."
The United States Coast Guard said that ports can have restrictions when it comes to weather, but sailing through bad weather is up to the ship's captain, CBS News reported.
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