All-in-one online travel platform, branded “BusinessToGo,” to meet corporate travel demand from small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) businesses in the UK and France.
09.11.2023 - 02:11 / insider.com
Passengers on board a recent cruise to the Canary Islands who were worried about a bad weather forecast begged the ship's captain to head to port, according to a report.
But the ship sailed on and got caught up in a terrifying storm that led to 100 people being injured on board.
The anxious travelers called on the captain to dock Saga Cruises' Spirit of Discovery ship after the vessel started to hit choppy waters as the cruise was returning to the United Kingdom and nearing the end of its 14-day "Canary Island Quintet" sail last week, the UK's Telegraph reported.
One guest, a 72-year-old only identified as Jayne, told the Telegraph that the ship was in rough seas as it traveled up the Portuguese coast and that passengers were concerned about storms forecast along the ship's course back to the UK.
"We said to the captain, this storm's coming, and we're going to hit it somewhere in the Bay of Biscay," Jayne said in an interview with the news outlet.
Jayne said passengers suggested the cruise ship dock in Lisbon, Portugal, "but we were told that we can't go there because the maritime pilots are on strike," the Telegraph reported.
WATCH: BBC reports "tables were flying" as waves threw people "all up and down the place", say passengers on UK cruise ship 'Spirit of discovery' caught in storm. 100 people got injured as 30ft waves battered the ship windows. pic.twitter.com/NWZh2tL2ff
When Insider asked Saga Cruises for comment on Wednesday, its CEO, Nigel Blanks, said in a statement: "We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision – particularly with regard to routes and potential ports of call — was made based on advice from the ship's Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists."
Blanks added, "We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured."
As weather conditions worsened last week, the cruise, which was carrying 1,000 guests on board, decided to head back to the UK earlier than originally planned.
On Saturday, the vessel ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, an area off the coast of Spain and France known for its rough seas.
During the ordeal, the ship's propulsion safety system was activated, causing it to suddenly veer and come to a halt, resulting in the passenger injuries.
"A lot of people I spoke to thought they were going to die," one 80-year-old passenger told The Telegraph. "You had people ringing families and saying, 'this could be it,' due to the violent rolling of the waves."
The cruise is now back in the UK and all guests disembarked the ship on Tuesday.
All-in-one online travel platform, branded “BusinessToGo,” to meet corporate travel demand from small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) businesses in the UK and France.
Looking ahead, the dates for ICS 2024 have been announced, with the event scheduled for 12-13 November at the Hotel Meliá Castilla in Madrid. The summit promises to be a continued platform for industry leaders to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the dynamic world of cruising.
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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsey Frampton, a 21-year-old business student from Fresno, California, who's studying in Barcelona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
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