Videos are surfacing online of on Explorer of the Seas, capturing the ship's sudden tilt during a recent squall.
The incident took place on Thursday evening this week while Explorer of the Seas was crossing the Atlantic Ocean. After visiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Explorer of the Seas began her transatlantic journey to Miami, Florida.
While off the coast of Africa, the ship was hit by a squall - or a sudden, sharp gust of sustained wind. This caused the ship to tilt on its side, wreaking havoc onboard.
A video of the incident is currently going viral on TikTok with more than 4 million views. The video was filmed on the Royal Promenade when Explorer of the Seas was struck by the squall. Over 4k viewers have commented on the TikTok, which has amassed over 143k likes. The video was shared by user @digitalnomodo, also known as Digital Nomad Around The World.
The footage shows Explorer of the Seas tilting significantly during the squall incident, with merchandise spewing across the floor and guests attempting to navigate the tilting promenade. Two guests appear caught off guard as they walk sideways, nearly getting hit by a screen sliding across the floor. Another male guest is seen in the footage clinging to a table for support.
The viral TikTok continues to show the Royal Promenade turning into chaos with items falling all over the floor. The two guests eventually reach out to hold onto one of the employees to keep their balance. The three people hold hands while the ship rocks. People are also shown walking sideways as the ship tilts during the squall.
The aftermath of the squall is shown at the end of the video, with one woman having a heated discussion with two crew members. It’s unclear what exactly is happening during this encounter, although the woman is seen pointing into one of the stores. Merchandise is scattered across the floor with one of the screens lying atop a table.
Because the squall struck later in the evening, the Royal Promenade was filled with items for guests to shop, as is common on cruise ships. This likely caused more of a mess, as much of the merchandise was out for display.
Explorer of the Seas had already adjusted her transatlantic crossing due to historic flooding in Valencia, Spain. The itinerary was changed once again due to Tropical Storm Patty in the Atlantic Ocean, causing the ship to visit the Canary Islands instead. When the ship was around 750 miles off the coast of Africa, a squall struck with extreme winds and rough conditions. By definition, squalls involve sudden and sustained gusts of wind, often accompanied by rough seas and dangerous storm conditions.
The ship steered out of the squall safely thanks to the captain’s quick actions. Guests and crew members were directed to return to their staterooms for accountability counts to ensure everyone was safe. Luckily, all guests and crew were accounted for. Some minor injuries were reported due to the incident, according to guests currently onboard. According to passengers on the ship, some crew members were also injured during the squall.
A map of the ship’s route on CruiseMapper shows the ship veering quickly before continuing on its transatlantic journey. However, Explorer of the Seas reverted its course shortly after and returned to the Canary Islands for a medical disembarkation.
In an official statement, Royal Caribbean said the ship experienced “sudden movement” when it was hit by an “unexpected wind gust”. Because of the incident, Royal Caribbean confirmed one guest required additional medical attention in Las Palmas, which is the capital city of the Canary Islands and the largest city in Gran Canaria. The cruise line did not specify the severity of the guest’s injuries.
The captain’s decision to return to the Canary Islands is not surprising, as Explorer of the Seas will be spending the next week crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The 12-night itinerary will be delayed returning to Miami, Florida by three days due to the incident.
The sailing departed from Barcelona, Spain on November 2, 2024 for the transatlantic itinerary. The original sailing included stops in Valencia (Spain), Malaga (Spain) and the Azores before six days of sailing to Miami, Florida. The stop in Valencia, Spain was replaced with Cartagena, Spain due to the catastrophic flooding that occurred a few weeks ago.
The ship’s port of call in the Azores was also cancelled due to weather, as Tropical Storm Patty would bring rough seas to the region. The captain instead rerouted the ship to Tenerife in the Canary Islands before beginning the transatlantic crossing.
When the ship encountered the squall, guests onboard described the situation as “terrifying” with many passengers panicking. Because the squall was unexpected, guests were going about their evening onboard the ship. Many passengers were in the theatre for the evening show when the ship started to rock violently.
One guest wrote on Facebook, “We were hit by a surprise squall and the ship listed port side really far and stayed tilted for about somewhere between 5-10 minutes.”
“I am not alone in saying I thought the ship was going over,” commented another passenger online. Another responded, “We were on deck 12, and thought it was going to tip. It was terrifying.”
The captain apparently told guests that wind speeds “basically doubled in intensity within six minutes” during the squall. Because it was an unexpected weather event, the ship could not have prepared for the wind intensity.
Images of the incident were quickly shared online, with many passengers capturing the chaos and damage onboard. The bars onboard Explorer of the Seas were particularly impacted with broken glassware, shattered liquor bottles and spilled liquids.
Passengers on the transatlantic sailing also reported damage to their cabins with one guest describing a scene of broken glassware and shattered wine bottles in their stateroom. However, once all guests and crew members were accounted for, the ship was given an “all clear” and passengers were free to leave their staterooms.
Photos from the incident show the ship’s crew members working hard to clean up the mess and ensure the guests were taken care of. Many praised the hard working crew, along with the ship’s captain for his handling of the incident in keeping everyone safe.
“[The captain] took us out of harm’s way. And I thank him from the bottom of my heart for doing so. Yes, I was scared, probably not as much as others because we were in our cabin when the ship listed, but Captain Frank immediately came on over the intercom to tell us that we were changing course for about 30 minutes to avoid the unexpected squall, and that we were safe,” shared one passenger onboard.
Guests were later told that the ship needed to return to the Canary Islands for the medical emergency, in which the ship would also refuel and get provisions. Because of this, Explorer of the Seas will arrive back in Miami, Florida on November 17, 2024 - three days later than her originally scheduled date of November 14, 2024.
Explorer of the Seas was scheduled to sail on a 10-night Southern Caribbean itinerary on November 14, 2024 after the completion of her transatlantic crossing. That itinerary has now been shortened to a 7-night Southern Caribbean itinerary with the loss of three port stops because of the delay. Guests on the impacted itinerary will receive a prorated refund, along with onboard credit to use during the cruise because of the shortened sailing.
At the time of publication, Explorer of the Seas is sailing on the southern side of Gran Canaria after departing from Las Palmas. The ship will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean before arriving in Miami, Florida for her winter season, sailing itineraries around the Caribbean. Explorer of the Seas is a Voyager class ship that was originally built in 2000. The vessel, measuring 137,000 gross registered tons, has 14 decks. At maximum capacity, the ship can hold 4,290 passengers.
