An intense storm surprised passengers as they boarded a cruise ship in Florida and sent them scrambling for shelter as hurricane-like winds sent deck chairs and loungers, among other things, flying into the air in a chaotic scene some likened to the movie “Twister.”
The Independence of the Seas from Royal Caribbean was at the dock in Port Canaveral when the storm suddenly erupted with heavy rain and wind, sending many of the passengers into a panic as they sought safety. Some were hit by the flying debris.
Jenn Stancil captured video of the storm moving in and the passengers scrambling for safety as rain drenched the deck.
“It just turned crazy,” Stancil told FOX 35 Orlando. “It looked like a scene from the movie “Twister” is exactly what I thought, because you see these chairs flying up in the air.”
Lucas Sparrow, another eyewitness, told FOX 35 Orlando, “People were getting blown, losing their hats [and] towels.”
One lounger crashed down on an empty baby stroller as the woman pulled it. Fortunately the woman was carrying the baby and was not hit, as shown in footage posted on the Instagram account called Sunshine State of Mind 305. (To view on some servers, you might have to click the link.)
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Stancil’s video lasted only a bit over four minutes, showing how quickly a storm can move in. And how quickly, in this case, it can move on.
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Royal Caribbean responded to FOX 35’s request for comments, saying, “On Friday, June 16, while departing from Port Canaveral, Independence of the Seas encountered a sudden gust of high winds. This lasted for a brief period and there were no serious injuries to our guests or crew. Independence of the Seas continued its regularly scheduled 3-night itinerary, arriving to Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, on Saturday morning, as scheduled.”