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Watch: King Tide, rough waves rock ocean cruises
Strong waves and rough surf conditions across the east coast of Florida to the Bahamas are costing cruise passengers a smooth trip. Some cruise lines have had to make last minute changes to their pre-planned travel times. Matthew Gillespie, a recent cruise passenger for Utopia of the Seas shares his experience on the ship.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - Violent ocean swells battered Florida-based cruise ships sailing between Port Canaveral and the Bahamas this week, sending pool water cascading across open decks and forcing some cruise lines to alter itineraries.
Florida cruise ships rock
What they're saying:
Cruisers navigating Atlantic waters faced intense turbulence as heavy swells tossed vessels along the Space Coast sailing corridor.
Royal Caribbean passenger Matthew Gillespie documented the chaotic voyage aboard Utopia of the Seas as surging water poured over pool ledges.
"That’s when I saw the tidal waves occurring inside the pool and the water being drained without anybody draining it," Gillespie said. "We started swaying back and forth."
Water from the rocking swells reached private guest quarters high above the waterline.
"I’m on the 14th floor and I was getting wet out on my balcony," Gillespie said. "Definitely an experience that I hope to not experience again anytime soon."
Crew members staged sickness bags throughout passenger stairwells to help travelers fight nausea during the rocky transit.
"Be precautionary because these seas can hit you pretty rough," he said.
Itinerary shifts and safety
The backstory:
Rough waters disrupted schedules across multiple vacation cruise lines operating in the region.
MSC Seashore adjusted a scheduled port visit, while a Margaritaville at Sea vessel couldn't dock due to rough surf and returned to port a full day late.
Gillespie, an experienced cruiser whose ship returns Friday, urged prospective travelers to pack motion sickness medicine and move cautiously while on board.
Storm impacts on cruisers
What we don't know:
Cruise operators have not detailed whether additional weekend departures from Florida ports will face any route changes.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from passenger Matthew Gillespie, who recorded and shared video from Utopia of the Seas while he was on board. FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower also emailed MSC, Carnival and Royal Caribbean for ship information. She did not hear back from Carnival or Royal Caribbean by deadline. She reviewed Margaritaville At Sea's Facebook for travel information.