Cruise ship in storm: Passengers left rocked after boat battered by bad weather

Footage reveals the chaos aboard a cruise ship, after a violent storm left passengers rocked. Photo / Unsplash

Footage has emerged of the damage done aboard the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship when a storm wreaked havoc on it.

The harsh weather, which left passengers shaken, forced the boat to delay a return to port in Charleston, South Carolina, last weekend.

Videos of the ship’s condition during and after the storm have surfaced on social media. The clips capture hallways and common areas flooded with water, ceilings leaking and debris thrown across rooms. Audio from the footage catches the howling winds of the storm and the loud booms of crashing waves.

Passengers have also come forward detailing their experiences aboard the storm-struck ship.

Speaking to CNN, first-time cruise passenger William B Blackburn, who had been travelling with his wife and family, called the ordeal “terrifying”.

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

He said that they had stayed in their cabin and “prayed” that they’d be okay. He continued by saying the group had “discussed the fact that it would be very unlikely to survive in the water even with life jackets and doubted that lifeboats could even be launched in those conditions”.

WCIV-TV reported a statement from another passenger, Daniel Taylor, who said the crew “left us blind, not reassuring us what was going on, where we were heading to, what the plan was ... They could have updated us and let us know something.”

A photo uploaded to Twitter showcased a map aboard the ship cataloguing a 69-knot wind (more than 125km/h).

⁦⁦@CarnivalCruise⁩ #carnivalsunshine still 75mph winds at 9:25am. Sitting and spinning in the Atlantic. pic.twitter.com/NITCO2l9Ss

— FlyersCaptain™®© (@flyerscaptain) May 29, 2023

Carnival Cruise Line released a statement to WCIV, stating that the Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was “impacted by the weather and rough seas”. The cruise company said that passengers onboard the ship were safe, and that “medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance”.

The cruise ship had departed from the Bahamas and docked in Charleston late on Saturday, allowing the shaken passengers to disembark.