Passengers on a recent Caribbean cruise were treated to an impromptu six-story waterfall after an unexpected sharp turn spilled water from an upper pool deck into a large open-air promenade several decks below.
Video footage posted to social media showed large amounts of water pouring down into the Central Park space onboard the Royal CaribbeanHarmony of the Seas. The unexpected deluge took place on January 3rd after the Oasis-class cruise ship made a hard turn to avoid hitting a raft suspected of carrying migrant refugees in the waters between Florida and Cuba.
“On Tuesday, January 3, Harmony of the Seas spotted a raft at sea and maneuvered to provide assistance,” a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean Cruises said in a statement. “This maneuver unexpectedly caused water from the pool deck to go over into a lower deck of the ship.”
No damages or injuries were reported, and the ship soon returned to normal operations and resumed its 7-night itinerary.
Royal Caribbean noted “the raft was empty” and that the crew had “provided details to the U.S. Coast Guard.”
The pool deck overlooking Central Park open-air promenade on an Oasis-class cruise shipSOLARISYS/SHUTTERSTOCK
The Harmony of the Seas had departed its home port of Port Everglades, Florida, on New Year's Eve en route to Fort Lauderdale, The Bahamas, and the cruise line’s private island, CocoCay, according to a report from the Cruise Hive blog, and had encountered the raft in the Straits of Florida.
The blog noted the maneuver, though dramatic in appearance, was safe, and speculated the water most likely overflowed from the Beach Pool and Splashaway Bay on the starboard side of the ship’s Deck 15. The water then cascaded six floors below into the open-air Central Park promenade on Deck 8. Harmony of the Seas does not have a Deck 13.
Central Park at nightCOURTESY ROYAL CARIBBEAN
On its blog, Royal Caribbean describes Central Park as “a tropical nature sanctuary” with “more than 10,000 plants and flowers” and “incredible places to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a cocktail.”
Just be sure to bring an umbrella.
