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SEATTLE—A massive cruise ship was stranded in Elliot Bay for hours on Monday, June 3, after its captain determined that extremely high winds in the area made for unsafe porting conditions. 

According to a report by the National Weather Service (NWS) winds around Elliot Bay reached up to 40 miles per hour Monday.

The Royal Caribbean ship The Quantum of the Seas was originally intended to port in Seattle around 7 a.m. Monday morning but remained anchored off the coast of downtown Seattle until approximately 1 p.m., when a fleet of tugboats arrived from Tacoma to safely pull the ship to Pier 66—near Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. 

There were nearly 2,000 passengers stranded onboard, and over 1,000 crew members. The 1,100 foot wide and nearly 150-foot-wide cruise ship has the capacity to carry nearly 5,000 passengers when fully booked.

“Due to high winds, Quantum of the Seas is delayed in returning to port,” a spokesperson with Royal Caribbean issued in a statement. “We’re closely monitoring the weather and are communicating updates directly to our guests.”

The ship’s captain announced the delay on the intercom system around 7 a.m., Monday morning, adding that an update will be issued by noon.

By noon the captain announced that the weather was not dying down and a fleet of tugboats had been called up from Tacoma to assist the ship ashore.

The ship was returning to Seattle after a 7-day trip to Alaska, porting at Ketchikan and Sitka, and Victoria, British Columbia. It was originally scheduled to receive its next set of passengers for a return voyage to Alaska Monday afternoon. 

During the, nearly, five-hour anchoring period Quantum of the Seas reopened its bars and restaurants, and even scheduled last minute activities for its guests to entertain themselves while they awaited safe passage to shore. Guests were also freely able to access their rooms despite the 9 a.m. checkout time. 

When the ship was successfully pulled to shore by tugboats it was met with applause and cheers from hundreds of Royal Caribbean and pier employees. Though it was successfully docked around 1 p.m. the ship wasn’t fully de-boarded until after 5 p.m. leaving many passengers having to reschedule flights back home. 

Royal Caribbean offered its passengers free wi-fi service to allow them to reschedule travel arrangements and those who booked directly with the cruise line were issued refunds for cancelled flights.

The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship has 14 different restaurants, 9 different bars and lounges, a live music hall, theaters, full top deck pool, rock climbing wall, arcade, casino, bumper cars, tennis and badminton courts, basketball courts, an indoor shopping mall, surfing, spa and fitness center, and offers a variety of performances, live music, activities, and amenities at no curfew. It is currently on its next voyage to Alaska.

Author: Kienan Briscoe