MSC Cruises brace for 13 foot waves as guests told to stay inside ships

MSC Cruises has warned passengers sailing on its MSC Fantasia ship that they may have to stay indoors while sailing through extreme weather, as crew brace for waves of up to 13 feet high.

The cruise line delivered letters to all of its passengers ahead of its sail across the East Mediterranean Sea, where gusts of wind exceeding 45 knots were forecast and up to four-metre swells.

Passengers were warned of extreme weather conditions while travelling between Trieste in northeast Italy, to Katakolon in Greece.

While navigating tricky conditions, the captain announced that all pools on board the ship may need to be emptied, while warning guests to stay indoors.

"For your safety, all pools on board may be emptied and we strongly advise guests to avoid the outer decks," Captain Corrado Iaconis wrote in the letter, dated 2 October.

The cruise put out a warning to passengers (Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

He added: "Please exercise caution when moving around the ship and always use handrails. Our crew will be on hand to assist and ensure that everyone stays safe throughout the journey."

The captain went on to reassure passengers that the crew's priority is always passenger 'comfort, safety and wellbeing', while adding that the 'situation is due to reasons that are beyond our control'.

He concluded the letter by telling guests: "We appreciate your understanding an cooperation. As always, we are committed to making the remainder of your time with us as comfortable and enjoyable as possible."

One guest onboard the MSC Fantasia took to Reddit to share the letter, revealing they were feeling 'very scared'.

"My first cruise and I got this in the door," they wrote. "How horrible is this going to be?"

These precautions are fairly standard protocol for any ship that is going to be sailing though tough weather conditions in order to keep passengers as safe as possible.

It comes after videos emerged on social media, showing the moment a Royal Caribbean cruise ship crashed into a rogue wave.

The Vision of the Seas was sailing near Bermuda on 20 September when the ship suddenly rocked, causing dishware and glasses to fall and smash across restaurants and bars.

One passenger, who shared a video of the incident on TikTok, said 'a few elderly people fell from the rocking and some kids were scared, but nobody was injured'.

Evan shared a video of dozens of plates smashed and trays of food having fallen from the buffet, alongside the viral Jet2 Holidays backing track.