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Passengers on a Brisbane-bound cruise ship have been forced to spend days longer at sea as ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred throws holiday plans into chaos.
Those aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas were slated to reach Australian shores on Friday, after a week of cruising through the balmy South Pacific.
They instead found themselves back at Noumea in New Caledonia, hundreds of kilometres from their destination.
One Australian passenger traveling with her family told NewsWire they had enjoyed days of calm seas and blue skies through the first days of their holiday, though rumors that the looming then-Cyclone Alfred would extend their journey swirled throughout the trip.
The first sign it may not all be smooth sailing came days before they were due to return to Brisbane.
“On Tuesday, the captain made an announcement saying we were going to try and go over Noumea to avoid what we could of the cyclone, but told everyone to prepare for it to be really rough,” she said.
“Workers were tying all the deckchairs down and closing the pools.
“On Wednesday around lunchtime, the captain made another announcement saying they had decided to extend the cruise as the Port of Brisbane was closed and — just frankly — there was no way of getting through the seas, let alone (docking) at Brisbane.”
In a notice to passengers from Royal Caribbean, the cruise line said they and their chief meteorologist had been monitoring then-Tropical Cyclone Alfred’s progress as it slowly moved towards the coast.
“Due to the development of the storm and the closure of the Port of Brisbane, we have decided to remain at sea and safely away from the storm until it moves ashore by week’s end,” the notice read.
“We will return to Brisbane on Monday, March 10, instead of Friday. Additionally, we will now revisit Noumea on Friday before making our return to our home port.
“We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change caused by the weather — your safety is our top priority.
“Please know, being on-board is one of the safest places because our ship can quickly move out of the way of any inclement weather.”
A schedule given to guests showed the ship was scheduled to cruise all of Saturday and Sunday before reaching Brisbane at about 6.30am on Monday.
Passengers were advised the cruise company would cover $200 USD for domestic flight changes and $400 USD for international flight changes.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was previously expected to maintain a category 2 intensity when it crossed the coast, with some speculation during the week that it could strengthen further.
It instead weakened to a category 1 and then again to a tropical low as it approached the mainland on Saturday morning.
News of the system forcing Quantum’s delay drew a mixed response from those on-board, with some embracing the extra days at sea and others suddenly scrambling to book new flights or accommodation.
It also brought anxiety about how passengers’ homes in Alfred’s path would fare, particularly for the Gold Coast woman and her family.
“It’s a little scary knowing how badly (the Gold Coast) was hit during the Christmas Day storm in 2023,” the passenger said.
“Thankfully my partner is home and is able to keep a lookout on it, but it is still super-unsettling knowing we can’t get back and kinda (sic) still not knowing if we will get back on Monday.
“My parents’ house is in Elanora (on the southern Gold Coast) – luckily on a hill – but it’s supposed to be one of the hardest areas hit (and) it does flood very often there.”
The Glitter Strip has indeed emerged as one of the areas most affected by Alfred, with widespread power outages and damage to homes, trees and beaches.
Brisbane so far seems to have been spared the brunt of the system’s force, though the Port of Brisbane confirmed on Saturday afternoon that restrictions remained in place.
“While safety remains paramount, all possible efforts are going towards getting the port back up and running when it’s appropriate to do so.”
Royal confirmed guests would spend three extra days at sea in the South Pacific before returning to Brisbane and that they had been notified of the changes directly, in a statement provided to Travel Market Report.
Passengers were offered an hour of complimentary internet access per stateroom to assist with making new travel arrangements.
Alfred has caused disruption for travellers on both the seas and in the skies, with hundreds of flights axed as Brisbane and Gold Coast Airports closed through the height of the storm’s danger.
Crews are working to have operations at both airports resume on Sunday.
