‘We felt a bump’: Myrtle Beach resident recounts moment Carnival cruise ships crashed
Myrtle Beach resident Alexis Nowell was enjoying a vacation with her husband and friends aboard the Carnival Legend cruise ship last week when she felt a sudden bump.
Nowell was docked in Cozumel, Mexico with her husband, Robert, and another Myrtle Beach couple around 9 a.m. last Friday when the stern of the Carnival Glory made contact with the Legend as it was attempting to pull into port. The crash resulted in significant damage to the Glory and injured six of its passengers, according to Carnival Cruise Line.
“We were having breakfast when we felt a bump,” Nowell said. “It felt like something pushed the boat.”
After feeling that initial bump, Nowell, an avid cruiser, said the captain announced crews were in the process of removing the planks that lead passengers off the ship into Cozumel, but didn’t mention the boats made contact. About 20 minutes later, the port had re-opened allowing cruisers to leave the ship, she said.
“We thought (the bump occurred) when they were removing the planks; we thought it felt like that,” Nowell said. “We didn’t know it was something else.”
The captain later announced an accident happened but explained the Legend suffered only slight cosmetic damage that wouldn’t impact their travel, while the Glory’s was more severe. Nowell said she was surprised to see just how bad the damage was.
“There was significant damage done to the Glory,” Nowell said. “I don’t think the other captain was at fault, though, because the wind was very forceful that morning.”
Nowell added that the Glory’s captain couldn’t turn the way he wanted due to the wind.
Carnival released an apology to passengers on both ships, stating that spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents contributed to the crash but that the accident was under investigation. The cruise line has since referred to the incident, which took place 8:50 a.m., as an allision opposed to a collision seeing as one of the ships wasn’t moving, according to Fox News.
Repairs have since been made to both ships, and those aboard the Glory will receive refunds and gratuities in exchange for their cooperation and understanding after the accident, according to a statement released by the cruise line. The six passengers who reported minor injuries have also been treated and released.
“We are looking forward to providing our guests with a great vacation and we appreciate their patience and understanding,” that statement read. “Their cooperation has been nothing short of outstanding as we worked through the issues from Friday’s event.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 3:43 PM with the headline "‘We felt a bump’: Myrtle Beach resident recounts moment Carnival cruise ships crashed."
