Disney Florida cruise line passengers rocked by hurricane Sandy
Guests on two Walt Disney Co. (DIS) cruises reported being rocked as Hurricane Sandy traveled north along the coast of Florida Oct. 26 and 27, Reuters reports.
A video at CNN.com showed broken glass, gift shop merchandise on the floor and a ship official warning passengers to stay in their cabins as the Disney Fantasy was returning to Port Canaveral, Florida, from a seven-day Caribbean cruise.
On the Disney Dream, passengers who booked a three-day Bahamas trip instead spent their time coping with rough seas, according to postings on Disneycruiselineblog.com, which isn’t affiliated with the company.
“The cruise on the Dream was horrible,” a passenger who identified herself as Laurie Eshelman said on the blog. “Rather than stay in the Gulf of Mexico where it would have been calm and sunny we followed Hurricane Sandy in very rough, rainy seas with winds up to 83 m.p.h. Passengers were vomiting in the shops, stairways and theater. Disney you blew this one!”
Angela Bliss, a spokeswoman for the Burbank, California- based Disney, said in an e-mailed there were no reports of injuries. Minor damage didn’t prevent the ships from embarking again on their current itineraries, she said. Both ships are in the Bahamas, according to Bloomberg data.
The passengers who were in the storm were offered 25 percent discounts on future bookings, according to Bliss. The company and crews were monitoring weather conditions and in touch with U.S. Coast Guard officials at the time, she said.
“Safety is our top priority,” Bliss said. “At Disney Cruise Line, our captains and crew members are highly trained and experienced in navigating through inclement weather.”
Disney closed at $50.08 on Oct. 26, down 0.4 percent. Markets were closed today because of the storm.
