A sudden, powerful squall struck Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas during its transatlantic crossing, causing disarray on the ship and injuring several guests onboard.
According to guests on the sailing, Explorer of the Seas encountered a squall while sailing off the coast of Africa towards Miami, Florida. A squall is defined as a sharp, sudden increase in wind speed that lasts for minutes. Squalls can form quickly - in a matter of minutes - and cultivate rough seas, heavy rain, and changes in atmospheric pressure.
On the Crown and Anchor Society Facebook page, David Wong posted, “We were suddenly hit by a 55mph squall to the starboard side and the ship was tilted to the port side at a scary angle. We were all instructed to stay in our cabin for head counts and to check if anyone was hurt. I don’t think anyone was seriously injured.”
(Image shared by Jonathan Parrish)
Explorer of the Seas is currently sailing on a 12-night itinerary from Barcelona, Spain to Miami, Florida. After spending her summer sailing in Europe, Explorer of the Seas is on her repositioning voyage for a winter season in the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, the ill-fated voyage has already experienced unexpected changes before the squall incident. Explorer of the Seas was scheduled to visit Valencia (Spain), Malaga (Spain) and the Azores (Portugal) on her original itinerary before crossing the Atlantic. Due to catastrophic flooding that devastated Valencia last week, the ship was diverted to Cartagena, Spain instead.
(Images shared by Jonathan Parrish)
However, that wasn’t the only weather-related diversion for the ship. Because of Tropical Storm Patty in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Explorer of the Seas had to skip its scheduled port stop in the Azores as well. The cruise ship instead visited Tenerife in the Canary Islands prior to beginning her ocean crossing.
While only about 750 miles off the coast of Morocco, Explorer of the Seas was unexpectedly struck by damaging winds from a squall. The captain allegedly acted quickly to redirect the ship and safely handle the incident. According to Ron Warren online, the ship listed severely for “somewhere between 5 to 10 minutes” during the incident.
The squall left Explorer of the Seas in shambles, as photos of the aftermath are now being shared online. The damage and apparent chaos can be seen around the vessel in many of the photos. Impacted areas including the Promenade, casino, bars, Windjammer and retail shops.
(Images shared by Jonathan Parrish)
The shocking images show extensive damage across the ship, particularly in the bar areas. Photos show spilled liquor, broken glassware and shattered bottles scattered across the floor. The retail shops onboard show more damage with clothing, perfume, watches and more merchandise spewed around the ship.
More pictures from guests onboard show furniture and decor overturned in the ship’s hallways and common areas. Tables in the ship’s casino are also flipped due to the ship’s steep listing. Even still, many photos show the crew members working tirelessly and swiftly to clean up the damage around the ship.
(Images shared by Jonathan Parrish)
Following the incident, the captain apparently ordered all guests to remain in their cabins so they could properly account for all passengers onboard. Crew members were also ordered to their cabins for accountability purposes. Online, some passengers have shared that medical announcements were made to assist guests who are injured from the incident.
Impacted guests onboard Explorer of the Seas are understandably shaken by the scary incident. “It was horrible. Terrifying. I’ve ever been scared on a cruise ship before, and I’ve done multiple transatlantic. I am not alone in saying I thought the ship was going over,” shared Patty Laushman.
(Explorer of the Seas' location as of November 7, 2024, 20:25 CST)
“This is our first transatlantic, and yes, it was scary, maybe not so much for us because we were in our cabin. But, I thank Captain Frank from the bottom of my heart that he immediately, and literally, steered us out of harm’s way. Broken dishes and knocked- over-tables can be replaced and fixed, but as far as we know, we are all safe,” said Annette Hodges.
Another guest, Madge McLennan, shared how she was in the theatre waiting for a show to begin when the squall hit. She describes people starting to “panic and race for the exit” during the unnerving situation. She also explained how a bottle of wine in their cabin hit the floor and smashed following the heavy winds.
(Image shared by Jonathan Parrish)
Moreover, Jonathan Parrish shared an image of Explorer’s current navigational path, showing an obvious course diversion due to the squall. “This is the drastic right turn we made due to the winds. Amazing job to the Captain for a quick reaction: turning and slowing" he shared on Facebook.
According to guests currently onboard, Explorer of the Seas is now diverting back to the Canary Islands. "Captain Frank just announced they turned back due to a medical emergency and they will refuel and get provisions in the Canary Islands He also says that we wont arrive in Miami until [November] 17th, NOT the 14th as scheduled," wrote Kimberly Melton.
Explorer of the Seas is currently sailing east towards towards Africa based on CruiseMapper's location. This will apparently delay the ship's scheduled return to Miami by three days, based on passenger's reporting. Explorer of the Seas is scheduled to sail on a 10-night Southern Caribbean on November 14, 2024 from Miami, Florida following the ship's transatlantic journey.
Royal Caribbean has not provided a comment on the incident as of the time of publication.
