Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Anthem of the Seas, is back home in Bayonne, NJ, after a rough start to a Caribbean cruise. The ship encountered a strong winter storm Sunday night and into Monday morning off the coast of the Carolina’s that caused damage to the inside of the vessel. Winds were reported around 120+ mph. The company said the integrity of the ship was never compromised and four people sustained minor injuries.
Meeting the ship were a line of local and national news stations waiting to talk to guests as they were disembarking. Guests have the choice of disembarking tonight or Thursday morning.
Lots of cheers. These guys are glad to be home. #anthemoftheseas pic.twitter.com/mDtRWSomnX
— New York Media Boat (@NYmediaBoat) February 11, 2016
Royal Caribbean said in a statement today that they’re going to monitor storms more carefully. “As of today, we are strengthening our storm avoidance policy, and have added resources at our Miami headquarters to provide additional guidance to our ships’ captains,” the company said.
Guests impacted on the sailing received a full refund and 50 percent off a future voyage. The next voyage is scheduled to depart this weekend.
Featured photo: Twitter/NY Media Boat