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Albemarle man on cruise ship that hit bad weather: ‘Sounded like a wrecking ball’

CHARLESTON, S.C. — An Albemarle man was on a cruise ship out of Charleston that hit wild weather this weekend.

Twitter video captured some of its lower floors flooding.

Channel 9′s Evan Donovan spoke with Daniel Taylor on Tuesday. He said he has been on cruises before, so he knows the water can get choppy. But this time, it happened in the middle of the night, and he said it sounded like the ship was being destroyed.

As the Carnival Sunshine hit rough seas this weekend on its return from a six-day voyage to the Bahamas, the captain warned passengers things might get rough.

“We are expecting adverse weather conditions as we sail back to Charleston, and may be arriving later than scheduled,” the captain said.

Taylor said as he tried to sleep in his cabin on the second deck, the waves hit.

“That’s what I heard constantly. Every 10 to 20 seconds, that’s what you heard,” he said. “It sounded like a wrecking ball was hitting that ship.”

Taylor said the crew’s floors below him were flooding and there was water on his floor.

“And I’m guessing that’s why crew started wearing their life vests -- but didn’t tell us to put them on,” he said.

“My level, it was flooding a little out in the hall, puddling on the carpet. You’d walk down the hall and squish every step you take,” Taylor described.

Then, he said communication with the outside world disappeared.

“At that point, we had also lost internet. You couldn’t chat with anyone on the ship, you couldn’t contact anyone at home, let them know you’re in some crazy storm,” he said.

The ship eventually pulled into the Port of Charleston on Sunday afternoon. Taylor said they were more than 6 hours late.

He said during the worst of that storm, he swore off any more cruises. However, he’s got two more already booked and he said he’s going on them.

Carnival said the ship’s crew followed protocol for rough weather, and added “some of the worst weather occurred in the overnight hours when announcements are not typically made, but guests and crew were safe... We have heard from many guests who were very complimentary of the crew and how they managed the situation.”

Their full statement is below:

“The ship’s crew followed our protocols for rough weather and the captain made several announcements about the conditions and the delay in returning to Charleston, asking guests to use extra precaution while walking around the ship. Some of the worst weather occurred in the overnight hours when announcements are not typically made, but guests and crew were safe. The ship’s officers worked through the night to minimize discomfort as much as possible from the added movement caused by the rough ocean. And we have heard from many guests who were very complimentary of the crew and how they managed the situation.

“The weather was unexpectedly strong, causing conditions that were rougher than forecasted. Given the circumstances as they were, the ship’s officers and our Fleet Operations Center team using real time meteorology data coordinated to keep the ship in its safest location. Attempting to sail out of the large front could have been dangerous. The ship proceeded to the port as soon as the weather began to clear.”

(WATCH BELOW: Cruise ships to no longer depart from Charleston after 2024)

Evan Donovan

Evan Donovan, wsoctv.com

Evan is an anchor and reporter for Channel 9.