A ‘cruise to nowhere’ for thousands riding out Hurricane Irma
Thousands opted to stay aboard the ship to avoid the exodus of Floridians trying to flee the state
When they first boarded the Norwegian Escape a week ago, passengers knew exactly where they were going. Now they have no idea.
The cruise ship, with about 4,000 guests on board, departed from Miami on Saturday, September 2, and was scheduled to return a week later, after making stops in Honduras, Belize and Mexico.
The boat made it to the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday and Belize the following day. But on Tuesday, passengers were told that their ports of call at Mexico’s Cozumel island and the Costa Maya had been cancelled.
The dangerous and powerful Hurricane Irma, which had carved a path of death and destruction across a string of Caribbean islands, was headed straight for Florida, home to a fair number of passengers on the ship. Many of those passengers had already switched from relaxation to disaster-preparation mode, and were eager to get home to secure their belongings and ensure the safety of their pets.
Michael Davis, who lives near the water in St Augustine, Florida, was one of them.
“Once they said, ‘We’re heading back,’ then the mood shifted from vacation time to, ‘All right, let’s get home and get it taken care of,’” said Davis, 42.