Cruise passengers were left in Shock after they had received a message in which they were informed that they would be kept at sea for longer and are preparing for ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The Quantum of the Seas of Royal Caribbean left Brisbane on 28 February and was planned to return on Friday after a week of traveling through the Pacific South Sea.
But the Cycloon meant that plans had to be changed hastily in Monday and the passengers and the crew sailed back to Noumea in New Caledonia instead.
“On Tuesday, the captain made an announcement stating that we would try to be about Noumea to prevent what we could do from the cyclone, but told everyone to prepare for really rough,” an Australian passenger told Nieuwswire.
She said that the seas and heaven had been clear and calm in the first days of their cruise.
She added that all sun loungers were tied on the ship and the swimming pools were closed.
“On Wednesday around lunch, the captain made another announcement and said they had decided to expand the cruise while the port of Brisbane was closed and … there was no way to get through the seas, let alone (docking) in Brisbane,” the woman said.
In a message, the company inquired that their main meteorologist had closely followed the progress of ex-tropical cycloon Alfred over the ocean.
Passengers on board the quantum of the seas spent three extra days on the seas when their arrival in Brisbane was delayed by ex-tropical Cycloon Alfred
Because of the closure of the port of Brisbane, the captain said to keep the ship at sea and to visit Noumea again.
“We are sorry terribly for the last-minute change caused by weather safety is our top priority,” the memorandum said.
It informed passengers that the ship would return to Brisbane on Monday 10 March instead of Friday.
“Together with our main meteorologist, we closely monitored the progression of Cyclone Alfred,” a spokesperson for the Royal Caribbean told Travel Market Report.
'Guests currently on board will spend three extra days sailing the South Pacific before they return to Brisbane.
“Guests were immediately informed of the changes.”
The cruise line offered to cover US $ 200 USD for domestic flight changes and $ 400 for international changes for affected customers.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was initially expected to maintain a category 2 intensity when it approached the coast, with some predictions that suggest that it could further strengthen during the week.
Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred Lande on mainland Australia as a tropical low on Saturday evening
However, when it approached the mainland on Saturday morning, it was falling instead to a category 1 and finally to a tropical low point.
On the mainland, ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred hammered in southeastern Queensland with winds of cyclonic strength at night even though they were relegated around 9 p.m. on Saturday before they finally became around 9 p.m.
While the system was moving over the country, it threw a huge amount of rain in the southeast and parts of the southern Interior Queensland in the coming days.
More than 320,000 houses are the worst hit with 128,000 houses in the dark without electricity in Southeast -Queensland and Noord -NSW with the Gold Coast.
