GREENSBORO, N.C. — Passengers aboard a Carnival cruise ship are still recovering after the vessel was caught in a severe storm at sea over the weekend.
The Carnival Sunshine returning to Charleston, South Carolina, from the Bahamas was rocked by massive waves and powerful winds.
A number of passengers posted photos and videos online showing flooded decks and damage to the ship itself.
Sandra Harrison lives in Greensboro and was on the cruise ship with family, celebrating her 61st birthday.
She describes that she and her family were at dinner when the ship started to rock.
"We were on the ninth floor. The boat was rocking a little bit because the storm had gotten so bad at that point. I think the storm started around 7 p.m. We were there and we saw the rain and the wind out the window and the restaurant. It got to rocking. Everybody was still eating, but it hadn't gotten bad yet. At that point, everyone started leaving the restaurant. When we went back to our cabin, we saw where it had gotten really bad. The wind and storm were really bad. I say about an hour later, that's when the ship had leaned all the way over to the left, and a lot of stuff had broken. You can hear people screaming down my hall," Harrison explained.
Harrison said most of her family members along with a lot of people onboard got sick because of the rocking of the ship.
Jillian Clark, from Trinity, was also on board the cruise ship.
"There were people throwing up left and right. I had my husband, mom, and elderly grandmother who was in a wheelchair trying to get back to the room. Mind you none of us had looked outside the window yet. It started to get so much worse as the night progressed," Clark said.
Clark said when she looked outside, she was riddled with fear.
"When I tell you I thought this was [going to] be Titanic 2.0, I mean it. It was terrifying. It never really calmed down until around 8 am when we should have been docked. While hours went by no real news or updates from anyone in charge until later in the morning. We received no reassurance or confirmation that everything was fine while the ship was in the storm. I know some decks were flooded a little and the glass was definitely shattered and broken. I just feel like Carnival should have stepped up some more and given us word or news sooner than the next day before porting," Clark recalls.
A representative from Carnival told our sister station, News 4: "Carnival Sunshine’s return to Charleston was impacted by the weather and rough seas on Saturday. Guests on board the ship were safe. Our medical staff helped a small number of guests and crew members who needed minor assistance."