Rhapsody of the Seas: Photos show storm hitting cruise ship

“IT WAS really dark and there were relentless downpours.” These images show what it was like on board the cruise ship that neared a cyclone in Queensland.

THE first pictures of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas nearing Cyclone Marcia have emerged.

Concerns were first raised for the passengers on Friday when the ship was spotted in the danger zone of the storm that battered Queensland. Luckily the cruise goers escaped the brunt of it, but reported it was “rocky” and that there were sick bags everywhere.

Now, passenger Jenny Johnson has shared with news.com.au photos she took as the storm hit, captioning them #cruisingintoterror. They show the choppy sea conditions, the top level of the ship in darkness and chairs strewn across the deck.

It was a bit rocky. Picture: Jenny Johnson

Where are the sick bags? Picture: Jenny Johnson

Another passenger claiming to be on the ship wrote of the experience on the cruise website CruiseCritic.com, saying it was a white-knuckled ride.

“The Rhapsody was most certainly in the storm,” the user Trekker054 wrote. “While I’m sure some cruisers have endured worse storms this was rough sailing for a couple of days.

“It was also pitch black and (there were) relentless downpours.”

On Friday, cruise goer Scott Braun revealed to news.com.au that seasickness bags were placed at strategic places around the ship such as all stairwells, all outdoor activities were cancelled and passengers in veranda cabins were instructed to keep their doors to the verandas closed and locked.

The clean-up begins. Picture: Jenny Johnson

Trekker054 praised the crew for how they handled the situation: “At least everyone is safe. Our American captain did a good job.”

Sun loungers strewn across the top level. Picture: Jenny Johnson

He said life on the ship has returned to normal now.

Out at sea. Picture: Jenny Johnson

“All is very calm now with blue skies. The pool deck has reopened and life for those of us with balconies have resumed to normal.”

This picture backs that up:

Soaking up the sun after the storm. Picture: Jenny Johnson

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told news.com.au the ship avoided the worst of the storm by reducing speed and altering its course to travel to the east of it.

“Captain Robert Hempstead reported that on Friday 20 February 2015, seas were rougher than usual for around four hours, between 0600 and 1000 hours. Conditions reported were similar to a typical Tasman Sea crossing,” the spokesperson said.

“No serious injury to guests or crew or damage to the ship was reported on-board. Outer decks were closed for those few hours in the morning as per normal safety practice when experiencing windy conditions.

“The ship arrived safely at her scheduled port of call at Cairns on Saturday 21 February 2015, a little over an hour later than scheduled.

“Royal Caribbean International and the Captain of Rhapsody of the Seas thank everyone for their concern. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew members is always our foremost concern. All of our vessels are equipped with the latest in navigational equipment and stabilising technology to ensure the absolute safety and comfort of our guests.”

Rhapsody is currently in the Whitsundays.

The ship departed Sydney on 17 February on an 11 night cruise to Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, with 2094 guests and 781 crew members on-board.

The ship was near the danger zone.

The video below shows another incident where passengers and furniture were thrown around the inside of P & O’s Pacific Sun. The cruise liner was hit with huge waves about 650 kilometres off the coast of New Zealand in 2008.

The Australian ship violently rolled during the incident, injuring 42 of the 2403 passengers and crew on-board.