Jaw-dropping footage filmed by tourists reveals how life on board a luxury liner can sometimes be far from shipshape
FOR most, the thought of taking a cruise conjures up images of a ship slowly sailing off into the open sea as the setting sun casts a golden glow on calm waters.
But jaw-dropping footage filmed by terrified tourists reveals how life on board a luxury liner can sometimes be far from shipshape.
The dramatic scenes, to be aired in Channel 4’s upcoming 'Cruises from Hell: Caught on Camera' documentary, show passengers on voyages from hell.
One video shows a couple in red life-jackets desperately clinging to a handrail as a storm pummels the boat they’re on.
Another shows a ferry engulfed in flames and thick black smoke.
In other scenes, 30ft waves are seen crashing against the window of a Royal Caribbean ship last year - at one point submerging the entire window.
"We're staying in one place hoping not to die," one of the men can be heard saying half-jokingly as 120mph winds whip up the sea.
Huge waves crash against the glass as people in the background can be heard laughing nervously.
Outside, howling 120mph winds whip up the ocean and shake the ship around.
Passengers had earlier been warned to stay in their cabins by the captain, who told them the ship was at a standstill in an effort to ride out the storm.
The vessel was trying to get to Port Canaveral in Florida but was eventually forced to return to New Jersey.
The programme also captures the dangerous tilt of a ship as a passenger can be seen stumbling almost at a 45-degree angle down a corridor.
The footage was filmed on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas ship, which was carrying around 4,500 guests and 1,600 crew members at the time.
At the time, one passenger, Jacob Ibrag, took to Twitter at the time to tell of the terror on board the luxury liner.
He wrote: “Hungry, tired and seeking prayer from all of you tonight. The #anthemoftheseas has been rocking with no end in sight.
“Don’t think I’ve ever missed land this much. In other news, wish I took those swimming lessons…
“Mother nature decided to take us all for a ride. Just wonder if this storm system could’ve been avoided.”
The hour-long documentary, to be shown Thursday at 8pm, aims to highlight what can go wrong when people venture out into open water.
Survivors who faced extraordinary weather, fires and even sinkings will reveal their near-death experiences while psychologists examine the anxiety people can suffer from at sea.
The programme will go over the deadly December 2014 fire on board an Anek Line ferry and the shortcomings of rescue operations at sea.
Twelve people died when the Norman Atlantic ship, carrying over 500 passengers and crew, caught fire while making its way to the Italian city of Ancona from Patras, in Greece.
Rescue operations included risky helicopter extractions as some of the life boats had been destroyed by the fire.
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