- A Royal Caribbean cruise experienced intense rain and wind before its departure on Friday.
- Passengers captured videos of people sliding along the deck during the storm.
- No serious injuries or damage occurred as a result of the storm, according to the cruise line.
Passengers aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship took cover as umbrellas, chairs, and other furniture were swept away by a sudden, mesmerizing storm at Port Canaveral in Florida on Friday.
As the Independence of the Seas prepared to embark, the powerful winds and rain impacted the 15-story ship. In several videos posted on YouTube and Twitter, passengers can be seen struggling to safely reach the interior while slipping and sliding across the decks.
The ship continued its journey to the Bahamas despite the storm and arrived at CocoCay on schedule, according to a statement from Royal Caribbean provided to Insider. The company described the storm as “brief” and confirmed that neither crewmembers nor passengers sustained serious injuries.
Passengers turned to the internet to share their personal experiences.
“Instead of instructing people to go to the upper deck during a severe thunderstorm warning, the focus should be on ensuring the safety of guests and employees by advising them to seek shelter,” tweeted one passenger who filmed the storm.
Jerry Pike, a photographer and local resident in Florida, observed the Independence of the Seas being struck by the storm while sitting in a car at Jetty Park facing the port. Despite its short duration, he described the storm as exceptionally powerful.
—Jerry Pike (@JerryPikePhoto) June 16, 2023
Pike estimated that the winds reached speeds of 40 to 50 miles per hour during the peak of the storm, which he found terrifying to witness. A meteorologist from Fox 35 reported that the winds reached speeds of 55 to 60 miles per hour at their strongest.
“The Independence was relentlessly pounded by the winds as it tried to depart from the dock,” Pike recalled. “Then it was completely enveloped by the gray cloud of rain, and we couldn’t see more than 20 yards out the window.”
This storm is just one of many expected to hit the Florida coast as hurricane season begins in the Atlantic Ocean, running from June 1 to November 30.
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