Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, currently on a nine-month world cruise, suffered a minor mishap just three weeks after departing Miami.
It encountered heavy wind, rain, and rough seas off the South American coast last week, leading to flooding.
The ship began to list, and some interiors were flooded. If affected, a set of elevators and six staterooms. After departing Rio de Janeiro, it happened en route to Montevideo, Uruguay.
“Our team on board is managing the minor cleanup and elevator repairs,” the cruise line said. The ship arrived safely in Montevideo on Thursday.
The ship is on the 274-night Ultimate World Cruise, which will visit 65 countries and 150 ports. While rough weather is nothing new on a cruise of this length, the flooding has added an extra element of drama to what is turning out to be a “nine-month-long reality show” at sea.
“Our first storm is finally over, 60 mph winds, flooding, and front lifts closed until further notice. We are really rocking it now,” Tiktoker Adita posted.
Several TikTikers have been filming their daily experiences aboard Serenade of the Seas, garnering millions of views.
World Cruise goes Viral
The hashtag #UltimateWorldCruise has already surpassed 150 million views. Cruising influencers are documenting their day-to-day life aboard, from cruise ship life hacks to adventures during shore excursions.
These stories are gaining significant traction across all social channels and mainstream media. For many users on land, it has become compulsive viewing and caught the imagination.
After South America, the Ultimate World Cruise sails across the Pacific Ocean to Australia, New Zealand, and continental Asia over three months. Although this is Royal Caribbean’s first world cruise, arguably no other voyage has gained so much attention organically, especially among a younger generation.
