It was a vacationers’ worst nightmare come true after a Carnival Cruise ship battled a massive storm off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina over the holiday weekend.
“Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday,” Carnival explained in a statement per CNN. ”The weather’s prolonged impact on the Charleston area delayed the ship’s arrival on Sunday and as a result, the next voyage’s embarkation was also delayed.”
Passengers onboard the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship took to social media to share their harrowing experiences aboard the ship as they made their way back from The Bahamas.
In one vivid clip, passengers struggle to keep their door shut as the “90 mph wind” kept throwing it open, leaving the crew and frightened guests to use a bathrobe to try to pull the door shut.
@line_line2108 #carnivalcruise #carnivalsunshine #cruisetok #cruiselife? #carnivalcruiseline #charlestonsc ♬ original sound – line_line2108
In another video that’s been viewed over 7.6 million times, a passenger named Aeryn shows how rough the seas were, with water coming over the deck and flooding the ship.
@aerynvictoriah Carnival Sunshine Storm 2023 :; This was so scary for all of us on board. Never thought I would experience such a thing #CARNIVAL #carnivalcruise #carnivalsunshine #storm #FYP #CapCut ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator
“Are you traumatized, cause I would be,” one commenter said. “That’s one of my biggest fears unlocked.”
“It’s giving Titanic,” another said, trying to make light of the situation.
One passenger claimed via TikTok that cruise-goers were left “high and dry” and were not given updates about the storm and its strength until 7:40 a.m. Saturday morning.
“We were left blind for almost 15 hours,” he said.
The Carnival Sunshine can fit just over 3,000 guests with 1,040 crew members.
Five-day cruises from Charleston to the Bahamas start at an average of $349 per person.