Passengers have described their terrifying night on a cruise ship that was hit by hurricane-force winds.
Several of them shared videos on social media showing the damage to the Carnival Sunshine as it encountered severe weather on Saturday while returning to Charleston, South Carolina, from The Bahamas at the weekend.
One video shared on Twitter by the Crew Center account showed doors broken off their hinges, destroyed furniture, and water flooding hallways and rooms.
“The aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm,” the tweet said. “The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest… the crew bar destroyed.”
Craig Setzer, a broadcast meteorologist, noted on Twitter that the ship was hit by almost 80 mph winds on Saturday morning.
Passengers who were on the ship shared details of their ordeal, with some complaining about a lack of communication from the ship’s crew.
RJ Whited posted a video on Facebook showing damage on the ship and the large waves hitting the vessel.
The aftermath aboard Carnival Sunshine after a severe storm. The crew from Deck 0-4 evacuated to the theater, and anywhere they could rest… the crew bar destroyed. pic.twitter.com/MqsDJYvrSG
— Crew Center (@CrewCenter) May 28, 2023
Wow!!! “Apparent wind 69 knots”!!!!!! So that’s nearly 80 mph wind minus the ships forward speed of 5 mph. Headline should read “Carnival ship sails through hurricane force winds.” https://t.co/93esbgeIQK
— Craig Setzer (@CraigSetzer) May 29, 2023
“Our cruise ship last night was literally sideways and slung everything in our room breaking, people in the hallways throwing up and sleeping on the stairs,” Whited wrote in the post.
In another post, he accused the cruise ship’s management of putting passengers’ lives in danger and said some crew members had been injured.
“We also found out that they knew about the storm and instead of us staying back to ride it out a few hours they hit it head-on so we could make it back for the other cruise to be on time,” he wrote.
“Winds were 80 to 90 miles with some waves 60 or more feet high and the waves were hitting so high that people on the 7th and 8th-floor balcony doors were opened by the waves. Tiles were falling, and water coming through rooms and all in the halls. Carnival doesn’t care about your life, only to get back so they can make more money with more cruises.”
Reid Overcash said the crew did not communicate with passengers as the ship was stopped in the ocean during the storm.
“No communications from Captain or staff. Tv is out with the message ‘Public announcement please standby: The winds are hurricane Gail force and ship is leaning to the left,’ I believe the Captain was trying to out run the storm. Bad decision,” Overcash wrote on Facebook.
Christa Seifert-Alicea, another passenger, told ABC News 4 that passengers did not receive communication for over 12 hours.
“What we endured is indescribable, not only to feel it yourself but to hear and see it set in on every single person around you from adult, child and the elderly is something I will never forget,” she said.
A Carnival spokesperson told the station: “Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. Guests on board the ship were safe. Our medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance.”
Newsweek has contacted Carnival for further comment via email.
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