The cruise ship swayed violently in the rough seas and, as Hugh and Helen Gillis tried to keep their balance, they were horrified – the view from their cabin’s porthole was an underwater scene.
The Canadian couple were in their cabin when big waves and heavy winds caused the Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas to list several times on Sunday at 2.30 a.m. Their cabin was towards the bottom of the ship and, as it rocked, the sides of the vessel became momentarily submerged.
“When you know you are practically underwater in a huge ship it’s terrifying. We did fear for our lives... It only lasted about a minute but I realised what the people inside the Titanic must have felt,” Ms Gillis admitted.
The couple recounted how all the items in the cabin, including the telephone and bedside tables, were thrown around the room.
They agreed that, despite the “absolutely terrifying” experience, the ship’s crew handled the situation beautifully and met everyone’s needs.
Various other passengers who spoke to The Times also praised the crew. This spirit of gratitude and appreciation for the work of the crew and the captain was clear during a visit onboard the luxury liner yesterday.
As Captain Erik Tengelsen walked through the public areas, a group of people applauded and some stood up to thank him.
“It was a horrifying experience for us crew members as much as it was for the passengers,” the Norwegian captain said.
The Brilliance of the Seas was on a 12-day cruise from Spain to Italy, Greece and Egypt, with Malta meant to be the last port of call, when it hit the storm.
The ship was said to have encountered 30-foot waves and hurricane force winds as it approached the port of Alexandria, Egypt. This caused the ship to change course and headed for Malta ahead of schedule yesterday morning. It is expected to leave this afternoon.
In 35 years at sea, Capt. Tengelsen said, this was one of the worst experiences.
So what went wrong? Given today’s sophisticated weather forecast equipment, how could something like this happen?
Confident he followed the correct procedure when encountering bad weather, the captain said winds of 45 knots had been forecast but instead the ship ended up facing winds of between 50 and 68 knots. The freak storm destroyed 28 buildings in Alexandria.
His superior, Captain Bill Wright, assured passengers the ship was built to withstand such weather and was “very far” from disaster point on Sunday. The vessel sustained damaged in the interior as items – including a grand piano and a large Christmas tree – were thrown about.
About 30 people had minor injuries and two suffered fractures and were given medical attention on board.
Honeymooners Suzana and Ricardo Uribe recounted how they held onto the bed not to be rocked out of it while items around them were thrown to the ground. The ordeal only lasted a minute or so but the after effects lasted longer as Mr Uribe struggled with nausea for two days.
Susane Plumpton and her daughter-in-law, Judy, from Canada, were in their cabin at the time. “It was a very scary experience. But it’s over now and the crew were great... We laughed throughout the whole experience. We didn’t know what else to do.”