Is the mega cruise ship Anthem of the Seas cursed or what? A second trip within a month was cut short, this time because of a possible storm and an outbreak of the norovirus, reported
WNBC-TV.
On Saturday, Royal Caribbean tweeted that the giant ship was returning to Bayonne in New Jersey. The ship already was damaged on Feb. 6 when it was slammed by hurricane-forced winds and 30-foot waves, said WNBC.
The Royal Caribbean said a storm forecast off the coast of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina could have threatened the voyage.
"The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is always our first priority," Royal Caribbean said on its blog Sunday. "On a recent sailing, Anthem of the Seas experienced bad weather that was much worse than forecast; therefore, we want to be extra cautious about our guests' safety and comfort when it comes to weather in the area. That is why we have decided to head back to Cape Liberty immediately so that we can stay a safe distance from the storm."
The company said some passengers started to feel ill, but that didn't affect the decision to return to shore.
The Associated Press reported that one of its executives, John Turell, was aboard the ship with his wife and he said the ship's captain and its cruise director made announcements about some passengers suffering from norovirus.
"Sanitation levels on the ship have been boosted," Turell told the AP. "(Ship) workers are scurrying around like ants, scrubbing down handrails, tables and any other surfaces that can be washed."
The ship was expected to reach its home port in New Jersey by Wednesday morning, said the AP.
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