Family left screaming and clinging on to furniture after cruise ship 'tilted 45 degrees' in Atlantic Ocean
A family were left in hysterics after a Royal Caribbean cruise ship 'tilted 45 degrees' in extreme weather on its journey to the United States of America.
The major incident struck Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas while it was sailing from the western coast of Africa near the Canary Islands, to Miami, Florida.
It was when sailing near the island of Tenerife that the huge gust smashed into the side of Explorer, with passengers reporting it being tilted by 45 degrees.
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On the main shopping precinct, shops were left looking ransacked while bottles and glasses in the bars were smashed.
Guests held onto fixed furniture and tried to keep their balance during the incident.
According to CBS News, the winds smashed into the ship at 86 miles per hour, with people thrown to the floor if they weren't able to steady their sea legs.
On board the Explorer of the Seas were Jo Belle and Alex Gunthorpes from Long Island, New York, along with their young children.
The family are experienced cruise-goers, embarking on around five such holidays every year.
But even with their experience, the kids were left in tears as their parents frantically looked for life jackets.
Reports from onboard the ship said the vessel experienced a 'hard right turn' followed by a 'more intense' turn.
Video from the central lobby area showed the aftermath of the incident, as passengers in their cabins were hit more intensely given the less central location - including Jo and Alex.
Jo revealed they had been in their Royal Caribbean suite getting ready for dinner when the ship tilted and remained so for six whole minutes.
"Our room service orders for the kids start dropping and sliding to the floor," the New Yorker told LADbible.
She said: "The floor was slanted like a slope so we had to hold on to a pole and table. My daughter was terrified, crying."
Jo said that her gut instinct told her to start looking for a life jacket before 'realising that the ship is not that easy to sink', regaining her composure and not undressing from her formal dress into more appropriate evacuation clothing.
She also revealed that with the ship being redirected to Las Palmas due to one person needing hospital treatment, some people decided to get off of the cruise ship and fly home after the incident.
"A lot of people were scared," she explained. "There were 22 minor injuries and one was sent to the hospital.
"If it’s your first time cruising, I would definitely have felt more scared and left."
Jo revealed that they stayed due to having trust for Royal Caribbean's ability to properly handle such incidents, with the medical diversion leading to three extra days of holiday for the family.
The cruise line also extended the family's drinks and dining package and were given free Wi-Fi, as well as having their flights from Miami to New York refunded.
"We trust the ship a lot and Royal has always been very communicative about what happened and what to expect," she said.
"Because we have to go back to Spain to drop off one passenger who got badly injured, we will now get an extra three days to travel back to Miami. We gained another stop on our itinerary, our drinks and dining package extended, we received five hours of free WiFi, and refunded our flights. Local flights received $200 and international flights are getting $400."
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: "During an unexpected wind gust near Tenerife, Spain, one of our sailings experienced sudden movement.
"One of our guests was injured and requires additional medical care, so the ship will make a call in Las Palmas, Spain for a medical disembarkation. We are communicating these changes directly with our guests."
Topics: Cruise Ship, Holiday, US News, Originals
Tom Earnshaw