Featured Image Credit: Debbie Ann Powell/Getty Images
Topics: Royal Caribbean, Cruise ship, Mexico, Travel, US News
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Royal Caribbean, Cruise ship, Mexico, Travel, US News
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship going off-course to dodge two storms ended up rescuing 12 people stranded on a makeshift raft.
At least 12 cruise ships were forced to alter their schedules as Category 4 Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda loomed this weekend.
Carnival, Disney and MSC were among the cruise liners made to skip certain ports, or forced to add an extra day or two at sea.
So too was Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, embarking on its seven-night cruise from Tampa, Florida to Costa Maya, Mexico.
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The threat of the storms meant it had to divert its route, so ended up in the Caribbean Sea on the evening of Sunday, September 28.
Remarkably, its diversion meant it crossed paths with a struggling raft holding 12 people.
Cruise News Today reported that the raft was 'starting to fall apart' in the middle of the ocean.
Footage reportedly filmed by a passenger aboard the Royal Caribbean ship shows a rescue boat being deployed and heading for the raft.
Once safely brought onto the ship, the raft passengers were provided with drinking water, the publication reports.
Cruise lines typically hand off the rescued to the appropriate authorities once they're closer to the shore.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told UNILAD: "Our crew identified individuals in distress in international waters, provided medical care to those who were rescued and worked closely with the Mexican Coast Guard."
The Enchantment of the Seas has been sailing as part of the Royal Caribbean fleet for more than 20 years, first taking to the seas in 1997.
Stretching 989 feet in length across 12 decks, the ship can accommodate more than 2,200 passengers.
Onboard, guests can enjoy a wide range of amenities, from an outdoor movie screen and rock-climbing wall to the elegant Royal Theater.
Other highlights include a casino, a jogging track, and a tranquil solarium.
Enchantment of the Seas' rescue on Sunday isn't the only time when a Royal Caribbean ship has come to the aid of others.
In February, its Brilliance of the Seas ship saved 11 people floating on a small boat between Cuba and Mexico.
The ship had departed New Orleans for a seven-night cruise when the discovery was made in the Gulf of Mexico.
A pilot boat staffed with Brilliance of the Seas crew members was out to the stranded vessel.
It was holding 'at least 10' refugees who were 'clearly in distress,' Randle Roper, a passenger onboard said.
They were successfully rescued, as Roper described the stranded people as 'pretty malnourished and exhausted' but 'in great spirits' after making it onto the ship.