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Furious passengers left screaming for their lives when 30 foot waves tore into the side of their cruise ship are preparing to sue Saga for millions of pounds if they aren't offered adequate compensation. The passenger crawled back to her cabin, but moments after shutting the door she was thrown across the room. Saga confirmed that at one point during the crossing, the ship’s propulsion safety system was activated, causing the ship to veer suddenly to the left and effectively bringing it to a halt. But while en route to the Spanish seaside town on the edge of the Bay of Biscay, the captain received word that the port at La Coruña would be closed because of bad weather. Hoping to stay ahead of the storm, the captain decided to start routing Spirit of Discovery back to the U.K.
Saga cruise passengers injured during storm after captain refused pleas to dock
'What they are trying to do is split the passengers so they can fob 50% off with their offer then 20% might take it a bit further then they have boiled down 30% who they might have to do something with. 'All we have had is a letter from the CEO Nigel Blanks apologising which was normal corporate drivel saying they will be in contact this week regarding compensation. 'My wife has not been able to sleep the last two nights, my mum was in tears when she was getting off the boat.
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Responding to questions over the decision to return to the UK via the Bay of Biscay, Saga contended that continuing on the original tour or choosing an alternate route would have meant confronting the storm head-on. Passenger Richard Reynolds told MailOnline that people on board were screaming for their lives as 30ft waves battered the windows. He described the crossing as one of the most traumatic things he has ever experienced. The Spirit of Discovery cut short its two-week voyage and was headed back to Portsmouth on Saturday to avoid the oncoming tempest when punishing winds and choppy waters caught up with it. The incident comes after a Carnival Cruise Line ship was similarly rocked by rough weather on its way back to the U.S. during a Bahamas cruise in May. Selected destination images are available here, and cruise ship images here.
Terrified Cruise Ship Passengers Stuck in Storm in Bay of Biscay - Business Insider
Terrified Cruise Ship Passengers Stuck in Storm in Bay of Biscay.
Posted: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Video shows horrifying moments cruise ship passengers 'feared for their lives': 'Tables were flying'
The Saga Cruises ship, Spirit of Discovery, was hit by the storm on Sunday. The “vast majority” of injuries suffered were minor, although five people needed more serious attention in the ship’s medical facilities. Although the ships are very distinctive from one another in décor and style, they both feature five restaurants, bars and a living room. Outdoors there is an observation deck, full wraparound promenade and terrace, pool, sports court and deck games.
Elsewhere on the BBC
'We were confined to our cabins for two days, we were laying in bed fully clothed with life jackets on. 55 chartered river cruises will also be available from Saga, while Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure will undertake 46 cruises, collectively. Prices represent the lowest available price for a given sailing date, area, and/or month.
The Saga Cruises ship, Spirit of Discovery, was hit by a storm in the Bay of Biscay on Sunday
About 100 passengers on board a cruise ship bound for the Canary Islands have been injured after it got caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. A spokesperson for Saga Cruises told the outlet that the ship docked on Monday in Portsmouth, adding that nearly 100 people suffered minor injuries during the ship's maneuver. The spokesperson said that five people were transported to area hospitals once on land. The ship's automatic safety system was activated, causing the vessel's engines to fire and jerk the ship into a tight turn, which allegedly caused injuries, but Mr Reynolds says many passengers had been injured before this happened. Spirit of Adventure departs Southampton on July 22 for Spitzbergen, sailing across the Arctic Circle to discover the landscapes of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago under the light of the Midnight Sun.
‘I told my friend where to find my will’: passenger recounts horror of Saga cruise storm
But when the weather turned, the ship decided to return to the UK earlier than expected amid a coming storm. As it was making its return voyage, the vessel ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, an area off the coast of Spain and France known for its rough seas. As weather conditions worsened last week, the cruise, which was carrying 1,000 guests on board, decided to head back to the UK earlier than originally planned. Holidaymakers on the Canary Island Quintet Cruise said they called on the captain to dock in Lisbon after hitting choppy waters but were told it was not possible by the ship’s lead. Mrs Bendall said part of the dining room was converted into "a makeshift medical area" and passengers were told to stay in their cabins for the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday. Another passenger told the BBC "tables were flying" and the waves were "throwing people around all up and down the place".
Saga Cruises
Waves were coming up to the fifth storey windows, people were screaming and furniture and plates and glass were flying in every direction. Five people were taken to the hospital when the ship was finally able to dock in Portsmouth on Monday, according to the BBC. "People were writing texts to their loved ones in case we capsized," an unnamed passenger told BBC News of the chaotic voyage. Now back on the safety of dry land, the passenger says that she plans to book an appointment with her GP.
Prices start at £1,899 per person for cruise departing from various UK airports on June 18. Saga’s Baltic cruises will be uncovering some wonderful ports including smaller destinations such as Kotka in Finland and Wismar on Germany’s coast with its historic UNESCO listed town centre, plus the ever-popular ports of Tallin, Stockholm and Copenhagen. As an example, Baltic Capitals is a 14-night cruise that departs on June 5, 2023 on Spirit of Adventure from Dover, with prices starting from £2,866 per person. Poor weather can impact any cruise sailing in any part of the world at any time of year. As the cruise ship was relentlessly pummeled for 18 hours some desperate passengers wrote notes to loved ones in case they did not make it home - while other traumatised travellers wore lifejackets for two days straight.
Pictured: Inside battered Saga cruise ship where passengers screamed for their lives and wrote final messages - Daily Mail
Pictured: Inside battered Saga cruise ship where passengers screamed for their lives and wrote final messages.
Posted: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The epic South American Explorer cruise will travel around the vast coastline calling at destinations such as Devil’s Island in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Colombia, the Chilean Fjords, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and the Panama Canal transit. One passenger, Alan Grisedale, filmed the enormous waves that rocked Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay and shared the footage with BBC News. Grisedale said the force against the ship was so great that his wife was knocked over, and furniture was pushed around inside their cabin, the BBC reported. Another passenger on the ship recalled in comments to the BBC that "tables were flying" and waves were "throwing people around all up and down the place." “The ship remained safe at all times, but due to the impact of the storm some guests sustained injuries. She described how the staff were “absolutely fantastic” and set up “a makeshift medical area” in the dining room to treat the injured while passengers were told to stay in their cabins for the rest of Saturday and Sunday.
According to local media reports, approximately 100 people were injured, with five passengers seeking treatment in the ship’s onboard medical center with eventual transport to local hospitals once the ship returned to Portsmouth. Amid slamming waves and howling winds, the ship's automatic safety system kicked in which caused the boat to veer and stop, the BBC reported. A spokesperson for Saga told the outlet that most of the injuries among passengers occurred at this moment and described most of them as "minor." Spirit of Discovery was carrying roughly 1,000 passengers on a two-week journey from Portsmouth, in southern England, through the Canary Islands off the western coast of Spain. The 14-night "Canary Island Quintet" cruise, operated by Saga Cruises, left from Portsmouth on Oct. 24 and completed the first nine days of its prepared itinerary before beginning to confront a bout of bad weather.
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