Carnival Cruise Ship Collides With a Piece of Ice in ‘Titanic’ Moment

In a moment straight out of the motion picture “Titanic,” a Carnival Cruise ship collided with a piece of ice. The Carnival Spirit was sailing in Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, a waterway south of Juneau, when the incident occurred.

The area is known for its floating pieces of ice. However, passengers likely didn’t expect the ship to strike one. “An assessment determined no damage to the ship’s hull and the vessel continued on its cruise and there has been no impact to operations,” a Carnival spokesperson told CNN Travel.

“Today’s cruise ships are specifically built to sail a number of different waters,” Gray Faust, executive editor of Cruise Critic, told CNN Travel. “Those that sail in Alaska are not only able to withstand icy waters, they have experienced captains who are familiar with the landscape, which is why the incident being reported caused no issue to the ship or the sailing.”

@cass_goskie

9/5/24 Carnival Spirit hit an iceberg. It didnt do any damage that caused us to use any emergency procedures. The crew did an amazing job at accessing the damage and keep all of its crew and passengers safe and informed! #greenscreenvideo #alaskacruise #carnivalcruise #iceberg #fyp #icebergincident #cruiseaccident #titanic #carnivalspirit

♬ original sound – Cassandra Goskie

Cruise ships have encountered ice in Alaskan waters before. In 2022, the starboard bow of a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Sun, sustained damage in an iceberg collision. Due to ice, strong currents, and winds, large boats find Alaska’s waterways challenging to navigate.

Cassandra Goskie, a passenger on the ship, posted a video to TikTok of the Sept. 5 accident. “If we die, it was damn well worth it … it’s a Titanic moment,” Goskie said as the ship drove through the floating chunk of ice. “Oh, we are hitting it!” she exclaimed.

The Carnival Spirit finished the trip without interruption and safely returned to a port in Seattle, Washington. The same ship then embarked on a 14-day trip to Alaska.

In comparison, the Titanic was unable to sustain its hull scraping against an iceberg. Four days into the crossing, at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank at 2:20 a.m. the following morning, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people on board. Only 706 people survived.