Editor recounts 'terrifying night' on cruise ship
It wasn’t my idea to go on a cruise.
One of our best friends is nearing her 25th wedding anniversary — and my wife and I will celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary Saturday. So they hatched a plan to go on this adventure. Get some sun. Stop in Florida. See the Bahamas.
We had even arranged to bring along my wife’s mother and grandmother to help babysit our young son, so we could have several nights out on the ship. In total, 16 of us were setting out on the high seas.
Well, none of us really expected an adventure like this — or how high the seas would get.
The first hint that we might not be in for a smooth ride came just as we left port.
Giant Royal Caribbean ship damaged in 'extreme' storm will return to port
Royal Caribbean’s giant Anthem of the Seas — by some measures, the third-largest cruise ship in the world — left Port Liberty, N.J., on Saturday headed toward stops in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and the Bahamas.
During our pre-cruise safety drill, the captain warned us that a storm system was developing near the Carolinas, and he said the Anthem would attempt to speed by it before the brunt of it arrived. I barely thought anything of it. Maybe some bumps, but nothing to worry about, I figured.
When we awoke Sunday, the seas were already a little rough and a light rain misted over the ship. I grabbed a Dramamine. But we settled into cruise life and made plans for Super Bowl 50 that night. We had scoped out a spot at one of the nightclubs that would be showing the game.
About 3 p.m., my wife returned to our cabin. I’d been watching our son as she and her family had headed off to watch a live show, “We Will Rock You.” But 15 minutes in, the cruise director canceled. It was too dangerous for the performers, he said.
Not much later, the captain came over the speakers to tell us that we should plan to stay in our cabins. The storm system, he said, was far worse than had been anticipated. He said they would turn into the wind and wait it out. He expected it would pass in two to three hours.
Over the next several hours, we could feel the wind become more severe. Off our cabin balcony, we looked up — UP! — at huge waves. “It’s like The Perfect Storm,” my wife said, referring to the George Clooney movie.
The captain’s last announcement before the Super Bowl began indicated the crew was struggling to turn the Anthem into the path of the storm. He said the winds were in excess of 100 mph and the waves were 20 to 30 feet. How much more time in the storm? Two or three more hours, he said.
I’m no sailor. I know nothing about the seas. It’s possible we were never in any real danger.
But the announcements did little to ease our sense of dread. Just after kickoff, the very nervous-sounding cruise director came over the loudspeaker. He used words like “severe” and “some damage.” He said we are keeping the U.S. Coast Guard informed of our “situation.”
He never said “don’t worry” or “we’re safe.” His most hopeful statement: “We’re doing OK.” Sigh.
I’m not going to lie: I was terrified — although I did my best to hide it from my wife. The ship rocked side-to-side — sometimes hanging at an incline longer than seemed safe. Large noises came from within the ship. We heard crew members run through the hallway.
My wife and I tried not to look out toward the balcony of our cabin. Our small son was with us. We each held one of his hands. His was blissfully unaware of our fears.
We tried to focus on the Super Bowl. Despite the raging storm outside, we never lost the TV signal. But we kept switching back to the channel that showed us the ship’s position and current wind speed. Did that really just say more than 100 knots? That doesn’t seem good.
And it just kept getting worse.
My wife and I said little. Mostly small talk. We talked about the game. At one point, I told her I was scared and that I loved her as the ship seemed to tip a bit too far to the left.
One mistake I made was looking on Twitter during the first quarter. There were pictures of flooded hallways and damaged ceilings. Several panicked passengers had tweeted rumors that the ship was sinking. I didn’t really believe that. But it certainly added to my anxiety. I didn’t tell my wife what I had seen. I wanted to be calm for her.
And I stayed off social media the rest of the night.
About 10 p.m., the captain’s voice returned. He sounded much more confident. They had turned the ship into the storm and were holding position. The seas had improved, the captain assured us, and the winds were dropping.
Still, you could feel the ship shake regularly as the Anthem’s engines fought to maintain position against the wind.
Throughout the night, as far as I could tell, there was no panic. Most guests stayed in their rooms. Stewards calmly checked on us. At sea, the unexpected can happen — and I have nothing but respect for the crew of the Anthem.
As we neared midnight, the rocking was starting to subside. My wife and I relaxed enough to begin to drift off to sleep. Still, we left the TV on so we could check on the ship’s position and wind. Finally, about 1 a.m., the ship turned and resumed course to Florida.
When we awoke, the sun was out. The seas were calm. As we walked around looking for food, most of the passengers were all smiles. Yesterday, we were all strangers. But we’d all survived a shared experience. Everyone was just happy to see another day.
So, when the captain made the decision Monday afternoon to turn back to Newark, N.J., and refund our cruise, the decision was met with cheers around the ship. Another storm was brewing near Florida, the captain said, and no one expected us to go through that again.
Monday has become a party day on the Anthem of the Seas. Free booze around the ship. Big refunds in our pockets. And another day ahead of us after a terrifying night.
Follow Robert Huschka, executive editor of the Detroit Free Press, on Twitter: @MakingNews
About the ship
USA TODAY Cruise was among a handful of U.S. media outlets to get early access to Anthem before its christening in Southampton, England. For our deck-by-deck tour of the vessel's interior areas and cabins, scroll through the carousels below.
