Sun-Seeking Bahamas Cruise Passengers Unexpectedly Face Boston Chill

Cruise passengers seeking an escape from winter weather in the Bahamas unexpectedly faced the chill of Boston-area temperatures. Their luxury cruise ship was diverted after severe weather caused the boat to change routes.

The MSC Meraviglia had been scheduled to sail from New York City to the Bahamas. However, severe weather forced a last-minute change to the ship’s itinerary. Instead of heading south, passengers were notified one day before the cruise departed they’d be heading in the opposite direction to Boston, New England, and Canada.

This severe weather pattern affected the East Coast on Dec. 18. This storm system caused flooding and power outages across the Northeast. According to the Associated Press, more than 5 inches of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania. The National Weather Service also noted that parts of several other states got more than 4 inches. Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph.

*Cruise Ship Diversion This Thursday* 👏🏻🚢 Merry Saint Cruise! Here’s a December twist, Saint John!

We’re going to welcome a cruise ship on Thursday, December 21 from 9am to 7pm at our Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal. pic.twitter.com/A3VJnmcKOa

— Port Saint John (@PortSaintJohn) December 16, 2023

The MSC Meraviglia was forced to sail from Brooklyn, New York, to ports in New England and Canada on Saturday instead of the Bahamas “due to unseasonable and rapidly worsening weather that would have made it impossible to safely reach the southern Atlantic Ocean from New York City,” the MSC cruise line said in a statement to ABC News.

Due to the extreme weather, the only other alternative presented to passengers would have been canceling the cruise, leaving thousands of people without a vacation. Instead of the Bahamas, the cruise ship departed New York, docking for three days in Boston before leaving for Portland, Maine, where it is scheduled to dock Wednesday.

It then heads to St. John’s, Canada, on Thursday and returns to New York on Saturday. MSC reportedly offered passengers a choice of sailing to the new destinations or canceling their existing itineraries for future credit.

The cruise ship can accommodate up to 5,624 passengers and 1,608 crew members, the website says. How many passengers were aboard the rerouted Bahamas cruise was not clarified.