Cruise Ship Stuck at Sea Because of Heavy Fog That Closed Tampa’s Port
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@lanneslife/Instagram(TAMPA, Fla.) — A cruise ship filled with Ohio State football fans was stuck in the waters off Florida after heavy fog closed the port and prevented the ship from returning as scheduled.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship that left on Thursday was scheduled to arrive back to Tampa, Florida, on Monday, but it is only now making a slow trip back to port.
Roughly 2,500 football fans and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer were on board the Brilliance of the Seas as part of an annual cancer charity fundraiser, and they appeared to be making the best out of the situation.
Passenger Lanne Bennett told ABC News that the trip has “been absolutely amazing.”
There was a two-and-a-half-hour evening karaoke session on board the ship Monday, the day the trip originally was to end, a passenger said.
Food and water supplies were never an issue, the passenger added. However, the ship’s captain reportedly told passengers that if it became one, the ship could just take a day trip to Miami. To make the situation more comfortable, the captain was able to pull the ship closer to shore for better cell phone service.
“We’re all Buckeyes, we’re all from Ohio,” Bennett told ABC News. “We’ve weathered worse things.”
The football fans weren’t the only cruise passengers affected. Royal Caribbean had to cancel a subsequent trip involving the ship that was scheduled to begin on Monday.
Passengers whose trip got cancelled were refunded and will receive a discount on their next booking, according to Royal Caribbean.
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