Cruise passengers were left in shock after receiving a notice informing them they would be kept at sea for longer and to prepare for ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas left Brisbane on February 28 and was slated to return on Friday after a week of travelling through the South Pacific.
But the cyclone meant plans had to hastily be changed to Monday and the passengers and crew instead sailed back to Noumea in New Caledonia.
‘On Tuesday, the captain made an announcement saying we were going to try and go over Noumea to avoid what we could of the cyclone, but told everyone to prepare for it to be really rough,’ an n passenger told NewsWire.
She said the seas and skies had been clear and calm in the first days of their cruise.
She added that all the deckchairs on the ship were tied down and the pools were closed.
‘On Wednesday around lunchtime, the captain made another announcement saying they had decided to extend the cruise as the Port of Brisbane was closed and … there was no way of getting through the seas, let alone (docking) at Brisbane,’ the woman said.
In a notice, the company informed passengers their chief meteorologist had been closely following Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s progress over the ocean.
Due to the closure of the Port of Brisbane, it said, the captain decided to keep the vessel at sea and revisit Noumea.
‘We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather – your safety is our top priority,’ the note read.
It informed passengers the ship would return to Brisbane on Monday, March 10 instead of Friday.
‘Along with our Chief Meteorologist, we have been closely monitoring the progression of Cyclone Alfred,’ a Royal Caribbean spokesman told Travel Market Report.
‘Guests currently onboard will spend three extra days cruising the South Pacific before returning to Brisbane.
‘Guests have been notified of the changes directly.’
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 anticipated to maintain a category 2 intensity as it approached the coast, with some predictions suggesting it might strengthen even further during the week.
However, as it neared the mainland on Saturday morning, it instead downgraded to a category 1 and eventually to a tropical low.
On the mainland, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hammered south-east Queensland with cyclonic-strength winds overnight despite being downgraded before finally making landfall about 9pm on Saturday.
As the system moved over land it dumped a huge amount of rain across the southeast and parts of southern inland Queensland in the next few days.
More than 320,000 houses are without power in southeast Queensland and northern NSW with the Gold Coast the worst affected with 128,000 homes in the dark.